The Viking Age. Volume 1 (of 2): The early history, manners, and customs of the ancestors of the English-speaking nationsDu Chaillu, Paul B. (Paul Belloni)
History
The Viking Age. Volume 1 (of 2): The early history, manners, and customs of the ancestors of the English-speaking nations
Among the objects were a vast number of rivets or clinch-nails, and a
great number of shield-bosses belonging to shields which adorned the
sides of the ship; perhaps several warriors had been burned together. On
the bottom of the mound, on the level of the ground, was a layer of
charcoal and burned soil intermingled with small pieces of bone, which
extended nearly to the sides, but was heaviest in the middle. Separated
from this by a layer of light shore-sand was another similar layer.
Inside an oval about 28 feet in length and 14 feet in width these two
layers were interspersed with burned bone-splints, clinch-nails, and
spikes.[216] In the eastern half of the charcoal layer were found six
shield-buckles; and in the western half, shield-buckles scattered about
in various ways, sometimes singly, sometimes close to one another. In
nearly every one of them lay a clinch-nail, evidently placed there
intentionally, just as some of the shield-buckles were filled with bone
fragments and charcoal.
A little to the west of the centre of the mound was found a large bundle
of strongly-bound and intentionally bent weapons and other implements.
Right under this bundle was a bridle-bit of iron, and under this, in a
hole dug below the natural level of the ground, a whole collection of
shield-bosses, which all lay with their convex sides downward, and
formed a covering for a large bronze kettle, represented above, without
any other protection but the above-mentioned bosses.
[Illustration:
Fig. 768.—Bronze kettle filled with burnt bones mixed with ashes,
charcoal, &c., and covered with twelve shield-bosses; nearly ⅓ real
size. Moklebust.
]
[Illustration:
Fig. 769.—Handle of kettle; real size. Moklebust.
]
In the middle of the bones lay an arrow-point 6 inches long; also six
draughtsmen and three dice of bone. The draughtsmen were ball-shaped; on
one side a small part was cut off, so as to give a flat surface, in the
middle of which there was a small hole (fitting the pegs in the board
itself, as seen from other finds of boards with pegs which were
undoubtedly made thus for use at sea, so as to keep the pieces in
position).
[Illustration:
Fig. 770.—Enamelled bottom of kettle on p. 340 (inside), ⅔ real size;
found in a mound, Moklebust.
]
[Illustration:
Fig. 771.—Enamelled bottom (outside), of most brilliant colours, real
size. Moklebust.
]
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