PREHISTORIC NAVAL ARCHITECTURE. 



613 



stad, and about GOO meters from Yisterflo, one of the branclies of the 

 Glommen River, in the parish of Tune, which has preserved the most 

 remarkable and probably the oldest of Norwegian Runic stones. Over 

 a century ago excavations had been made in the progress of which the 

 existence of the shij) appears to have been determined. Acting on 

 these reports, the owner of the farm, in about 1865, began a search for 

 the ship, and after several ineftectual attempts succeeded in uncovering 

 a part of its inner side. The discovery being reported to the Society for 

 the Preservation of Norwegiiin Antiquities, the proprietor of the farm 

 desisted from further search and allowed the excavation to be made by 

 Pnti". O. Rygh, under tht- direction of the society. 



Fij--. 128. 



0)NSTHUCTI()\ OB^ TUNE SHIP. 



( Fr..iii <:. fiiule. ■■The aiiripiit vessel (ouii.l -.,1 Tune." 187-2 ) 



Owing to the circumstiiiice that the ground covered by the mound 

 had been under cultivation for many years, its original shape had])een 

 modified, and its former si/e could not be correctly estimated; it ap- 

 ])('ars, however, to have been round, about 1.3 feet high, with a cir- 

 cuuiference of between loO and ;"),")() feet. It is situated on the slope of 

 a hill facing the river. 



The lowest layer of the mound consisted of a stiff clay, and to this is 

 due the fair state of preservation of those portions of the ship imbed- 

 ded therein; the ujiper layers consisted of other kinds of earth, and all 

 portions of the vessel surrounded by them had been destroyed, not 

 even a trace remaining. It was best preserved in the middle, where 

 the clay had been thickest; the extremities had suffered considerably, 

 and only the very lowest portions of the prows have been preserved. 

 The ])ressure of the heavy mass of earth appears to liave resulted iu 

 the breaking of several of the ribs and in the bending of some of the 

 boar.ds, but the principal i)arts are fairly well preserved and most of 

 the nails undamaged. 



In the mound the vessel stood on a level with the surrounding surface 

 of ground. Both of its ends being almost alike and very pointed, it 

 would have been a very diflicult matter to determine which is fore and 

 which aftl)ut for the mast, whereby it became apj)arent that the north- 

 ern end is the stern. Its position relatively to the sea, therefore, con- 

 firms the many references made in ancient writings that the burial ship 

 was i)laced seaward or Glommen ward, to be ready, under the command 

 of its master, to be launched upon the element that had been its home. 



The ship is of oak, clinker built, and is composed of keel, stem and 

 stern posts, frame- timbers, beams, knees, and j)lanking. (Fig- 128.) 



