Day 86 - Sunday 29 July - Roskilde

Sunday 29 July

Another thunderstorm rumbled through while we were having breakfast, so we sloshed to the bus stop, and then through the town hall plaza and waited.

An ominous sky, and some trumpeting vikings outside the city hall

 H C Anderson is there too

 It was easing off when the bus left town at 10:30.  Roskilde is about 30km west of Copenhagen, and is home to the largest collection of ancient Viking ship relics in Scandinavia. 5 ship skeletons were found in the local harbour in 1962.  It was discovered that these boats had been scuttled to block access from enemies. They have been preserved, and replicas made, and other boats have been added to the collection. You can go sailing, kids can build 'boats' and dress up, there are craftsmen in workshops demonstrating various ancient skills. Once again, it's a place where you could spend several hours, not just 40mins.

Replicas of a 30m war ship made in Dublin, and a 16m trading ship made in Norway, both originals from C11

 On board the war ship

The woodcutters.

The originals inside the museum

Models were built prior to the making of the replicas.

Paying crew members row out, then hoist the sail for a jaunt around the bay.

Some of the smaller wooden boats donated to the museum

Families making their boats.

Roskilde Cathedral is the burial place of over 30 Danish royalty, so is UNESCO certified. There are lots of big tombs, and 'our Mary' has her mark on the pillar to show how tall she is.  The current queen has her place selected and her casket is being prepared. (Nothing like planning ahead, she is only 78.) (The king died in Feb 2018; he had already chosen to be scattered at sea, and in the castle gardens.)

 

We drove for a bit though farms with traditional buildings and past landscapes with ancient features, such as hills that were middens, and lakes that had been drained for agriculture.

The museum at Lejre was the next stop. When the old farm house burned down about 40yrs ago, it was discovered that the remains of 3 large halls from C7 were underneath.  Another 4 large hall remains have been discovered in the area, and many burial locations.  Archaeology has indicated that there may be some truth in many of the ancient sagas about Danish pre-history.

A model of one of the large halls

Some of the jewelery discovered

Kings and lords often had ship burials, like at Sutton Hoo.  Others who couldn't afford a ship, or didn't have one, were buried within a 'stone ship', an outline made of big stones in a ellipse.
 
Other mass burials of ordinary people were in mounds. and one of these was our final stop.  This tomb, discovered in 1932,  was used for several centuries, with bones and pottery being pushed aside when it got too crowded.  However we found when we got there, that it had been taken over by a group of hippie pagans, who were sitting inside with some strings of Christmas lights and incense, intending to beat drums in the dark. We barged in on them, politely, and I took flash photos, and back in the car park as we were leaving a couple of families turned up. So much for their communicating with the past.

The stone slab the made the ceiling of the entrance passage was very low.  I had no trouble going in, but it was tricky for some of the taller people.

The mound was made first with a circle of tall stones.   Then the ceiling stones were balanced on top, and finally the gaps filled in with smaller stones and birch branches.


It was an interesting day.