“Bound is the boatless man” (Viking proverb).

Strategic superiority and engineering innovation –  How strength, agility, and speed are key to mobility.

I hope you have a chance to visit Denmark in the future and I hope you go and visit the Viking Museum in Roskilde.  The Viking Museum is a “national museum for ship, seafaring and boat building culture in ancient and medieval times”.  However, one of the most famous exhibits is their Viking ships which includes the longest Viking warship ever found, measuring in at a staggering 36 meters (about 40 yards, or 118 feet, or length of three full size school buses).

The Viking Museum was built in 1969 after five Viking ships were excavated in the Roskilde fjord. People in the area knew for centuries that a large ship was at bottom of the fjord.  Did they not know, however, that there were five large ships and that they dated back to the Viking age.  In 1996, nine more ships were found right around the existing museum.  By now, the Roskilde Viking museum contains one of the largest Nordic collection of Viking ships ranging from warships, long-distance trade ships, cargo ships, and fishing boats.

By the 11^th century, the Vikings had gained substantial control of Northern territories and trade routes throughout Europe.  They expanded their territories as far as North Africa, Eastern Europe and built some of the first settlements in North America. Part of their success is due to their exceptional seafaring and boat building skills.

Seeing the boats built by hand 1200 years ago up close is absolutely breathtaking.  Their sheer scale and engineering design not only explain how they were able to cross rough waters like the English Channel, but also give you a glimpse of the fear these ships must have evoked.  The Vikings had mastered building ships with shallow keels which allowed them to use shallow rivers to “sneak” up on their unsuspecting victims.  By the time you saw the Vikings, it was too late.

Vikings didn’t just have exceptional engineering skills in building their ships.  Their superior tactical strengths included innovative uses of old ships that were no longer seaworthy.  One thing that surprised archeologists was the history of the five sunken ships. The five ships were not a victim of war or storms. They deliberately sunk by the Vikings to control the sea routes and defend the royal city of Roskilde (Copenhagen wasn’t the “royal city” until much later). In effect, they created a type of fortification by designing sailable and non-sailable areas.

And finally, a noble Viking may have been buried by being sailed out to see in a burning ship. While this method is not likely the most common method of burial (considering the vast amount of resources it took to build a ship), it is striking to see how many Viking burial places were designed as a ship.