![]() ![]() Once the excavators realised that it was in fact one exceptionally long ship, the find had some years where it was referred to as Skuldelev 2 + 4, but is now most commonly referred to as Skuldelev 2. * During excavation, the timbers belonging to Skuldelev 2 were originally thought to belong to two separate ships and were therefore named Skuldelev 2 and Skuldelev 4. Table 1: General information concerning the five Skuldelev ships. The five ships also present a unique snapshot of the specialisation of late Viking Age maritime technology, which in turn reflects the multifaceted nature of late 11th century society: Ship-find The Skuldelev ships were – and still are – an exceptional find in terms of Danish maritime archaeology. Over the course of the summer, the excavation team successfully uncovered and raised all five ships – an enormous jigsaw puzzle of over 50,000 ships parts, all of which were then documented prior to being conserved (Crumlin-Pedersen and Olsen, 2002, p.54). Rather, the five ships proved to have been intentionally scuttled during the late 11th century, as part of an extensive system of barriers on the fjord, built to protect the town of Roskilde from seaborne attack (Crumlin-Pedersen and Olsen, 2002, p.331). They hadn’t been lost in a storm or run aground. The layers of sand and silt were then removed, revealing five late Viking Age ships (Crumlin-Pedersen and Olsen, 2002, p.29). This allowed the water to be pumped out, giving the archaeologists access to the fjord bed. Following two underwater surveys to determine the extent of the site in the late 1950’s, a coffer dam of sheet pilings was erected out on the fjord, in the summer of 1962 (See Figure 2). There had long been a local tradition that there was a shipwreck on Roskilde Fjord, off the coast at Skuldelev. The excavation and analysis of the Skuldelev ships has been published in depth elsewhere but warrants a brief summary here (Crumlin-Pedersen and Olsen, 2002). ![]() This biography is compared to the evidence of repair on the original ship-find, exploring the potential these data have for developing an understanding of the prospective lifespan of Viking Age ships, and the materials and resources entailed in maintaining and repairing them throughout their active use. This paper presents an object biography of Roar Ege, from the perspective of both the boatbuilder and archaeologist, focusing on the manner in which the hull has deteriorated and the components that are involved in its decline. For the first time, we have a comprehensive data set over the lifespan of a reconstructed Viking ship, from the first axe cuts into oak logs in 1982 to the last moments on the water in 2016. With Roar Ege’ s retirement on land, its contribution to maritime experimental archaeological research has entered a new and vital phase. It was hoped this repair would keep Roar Ege afloat for several more years but by spring 2016, the ship had deteriorated to such an extent that it was clear that Roar Ege’ s sailing days were over. Roar Ege has undergone several major phases of repair – most recently in 2014. The years have, however, taken their toll on the ship. Roar Ege was launched in 1984, and after more than 30 years on the water, has many sea miles under its keel.
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