20 Haakon Schetelig-. [No. 7 



been fastened to the gunnel, all points resemble the corresponding 

 details in the boats from Nydam but are very different from the 

 rowlocks belonging to the small boats found in the Gokstad-ship 1 ). 



We may conclude that the boat from Halsnø belongs to a 

 period, when the boats in Western Norway still were built in the 

 early fashion so well known from the vessels found at Nydam. Un- 

 fortunately, the length of this period is unknown to us. The date 

 of the Nydam-boats is iixed to the latter half of the 4th century 

 A. D. but we have no means to ascertain if this sort of construction 

 had then been long in use in Scandinavia or was recently intro- 

 duced, nor can we make out, ho w long 1 people continued building 

 ships in the same manner. 



The boat from Halsnø, however, does not in all points correspond 

 to any vessel, hitherto known in the northern countries. A remark- 

 able difference may be observed in the connection of the boards 

 to each other, which is brought about by sewing with thin fibres 

 of wood, not as usual by iron-rivets. This peculiarity, though not 

 decisively attributing to the boat in question a higher age, must 

 at least from a typological point of view indicate an earlier stage 

 in the development of ship -building. A hint in the same direction 

 may also be derived from the square holes in the gunnel and the 

 cleats, being at first cut with a sharp instrument and finished by 

 burning. In the large complete boat from Nydam, at least most 

 of the holes seem to have been drilled, having now, however, in some 

 degree got a more oval shape, owing to wear or perhaps deformation 

 during the drying of the wood. Square holes are not found, nor 

 holes made by burning 2 ). But even this circumstance will give 

 no decisive evidence that the boat from Halsnø is absolutely older 

 than the other boats 3 ). 



After all I think we must content ourselves with the vague 



x ) Engblhart: Nydam Mosefund, pl. III, fig. 15—18, and pl. IV, fig. 24, 

 25. ■ — Nicolaysen: Langskibet fra Gokstad, pl. V. 



2 ) For the precise information about these details I am indebted to Dr. Fr. 

 Knorr, keeper at the Museum in Kiel. 



3 ) The practise of perforating a piece of wood with a hot iron is still in 

 use in some places in Western Norway, but seems confined to certain special 

 purposes, for instance the holes set through the ears of a wooden bucket (told 

 from Storøen in Søndhordland) ; at Sørfjorden in Hardanger it is said to be used 

 in the building of boats. Compare also prof. Eng-elhart: Nydam Mosefund, 

 p. 25; he observes that a hole, made on a sword's sheath for passing the girdle, 

 seems to have been burned. 



