PREHISTORIC NAVAL ARCHITECTURE. 



625 



for fiiiSteuing it are hemp. The pieces of ship's rope, of which a j;oo<l 

 many were found, are all made of bast. 



Along the gunwale were hung shields — originally thirty-two, of 

 which some along the port side had disappeared at the time of earlier 

 attempts to open the mound. Of the reuiaining, some had been pressed 

 and bent out of shape. They measured 94 centimeters iii diameter and 

 consisted of thin boards fastened together by means of the boss and 

 by the handle. They apparently had beeu provided with a metallic 

 rim which, however, had disappeared. The shields were i)ainted, alter- 

 nately yellow and black, of the same tints as the colors used upon 

 the carved heads and upon the tiller. 



Fig. 146. 

 Tent Supports of (jOkstad Ship. 



(Kriiin N. NROlayseii, '• Langskibet fra Gokstad." ) 



A large grave cliaiiiber of wood was built in the middle of the ship 

 from the mast toward the stern. It had the form of a gable roof, the 

 sides consisting ot round logs and the gable ends of plauks placed on 

 end. In this chamber the remains of the dead were deposited, un- 

 burnt, and no dt)ubt on a bed, fragments of a bedstead having been 

 found in the chamber. 



Unfortunately this ship tomb had been visited by grave robbers, in 

 all probaV)ility during the pagan era. They had dug into the mound 

 on the port side and gained access through a large oj)ening which they 

 cut in the ship's side and the wall of the grave chamber. This ac- 

 counts for the fact that the l)ones of the body lia-d nearly all disappeared; 

 that in the chamber there were but few articles of antiquarian value 

 compared with Avhat it might reasonably have been expected to con- 

 tain ; and, in particular, that no implement of Avar was found. The 

 miscellaneous character of that still remaining, however, gives reason 

 to infer that a- manifold collection of weapons, ornaments, and utensils 

 had originally been deposited. Tims, several iron fishhooks and ii 

 SM 91, PT 2 40 



