We are proud to announce the publishing of the first workbook from the Maritime Archaeology Programme. The book is written jointly by students and staff of the programme as part of our annual 'special topics' course. The purpose of the 'special topics' is to do in-depth work on a selected topic, using a seminar format where students and staff members cooperate on a specific project.
The topic of the workbook is the Gredstedbro ship from the 7th century. The ship was found in 1945 during a normalization project on the stream Kongeåen ('King’s river') in Southwest Jutland. Originally interpreted as remains of a bridge, a few pieces of the wood were torn off and stored at the museum in Ribe, and the location forgotten. Only 20 years later the timbers were recognized as ship timbers, but the parts that are still out there have yet to be found.
Pending further work on the site, the workbook covers aspects of the landscape, the cultural, social and political environment of the Early Middle Ages, and compares the timbers from Gredstedbro to other contemporary ship finds from Northern Europe. Ship finds from this period are rare, but in construction and dimensions, the Gredstedbro ship seems best to resemble the Sutton Hoo ship.
Author(s): Bo Ejstrud, Tomas A. Hunnicke, Christine Husum, Aristea Korre, Thijs J. Maarleveld, Konstantina Vafeiadou
Publisher: University of Southern Denmark
Year: 2008
Language: English
Pages: 130
City: Esbjerg
Foreword vii
1. Introduction 1
I - THE PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT
2. The Landscape 7
Palaeogeographical reconstruction 7
Palaeogeography along the North Sea coast 8
The area 9
Sea level changes and palaeo-coastlines 10
Tidal range 11
Currents 11
The Kongeå 12
Local geology, geomorphology and topography of the Kongeå area 12
River morphology 12
River gradient 13
River discharge and depth 13
Approach and navigability of the Kongeå 13
II - THE CULTURAL ENVIRONMENT
3. Historical overview 17
Germanic tribes in England 17
Frisia 19
Scandinavia 20
Material culture 22
Demography 22
4. Settlement and economy 25
Development of central trade-places and emporia 25
5th to 7th centuries 25
7th to 9th centuries 26
Development of rural settlements 28
Conclusions 29
5. Trade and contacts across the North Sea: An analytical approach 31
Background 31
Transport zones of the Early Middle Ages 32
Methods and data 34
Pottery 39
Presentation of the pottery 40
Discussion 41
Glass 45
Glass types 46
Discussion 47
Ornaments 48
Types used 48
Discussion 48
Coins 49
Coin-types used 50
Discussion 50
Results 52
Discussion 56
Conclusion 58
III - THE SHIP
6. The Gredstedbro ship 63
The timbers 63
Features of the Gredstedbro ship 65
7. Comparison 71
Catalogue 71
The Sutton Hoo ship 73
The Graveney Boat 75
The Bårset boat 76
The Kvalsund boats 78
The Fjørtoft boats 80
The Mangersnes boats 81
Discussion 82
Log boats - the other tradition 90
Vaaler Moor 90
Log boats in everyday navigation 91
IV - THE SITE
8. Archaeological Investigations at Gredstedbro 95
Discovery 95
Identification 96
Dating 96
Surveys 97
1965-66: Surveys 98
1981: Ground penetrating radar 98
2008: Diving 100
Future investigations 101
9. Conclusion 105
References 109
