Shipbuilding in Ancient Scandinavia: Neolithic Era to the Iron Age

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If you've ever taken a look at Scandinavia, you'd notice that it mostly consists of hills, mountains, forests, and, more of the same. Breaking up this rough monotony are a profusion of fjords, lakes and rivers. Thanks to these waterways, Nordics could travel between two points much quicker than by land. This would give rise to a hardy, seafaring culture that would persist to this day. Nordic history has always been driven by the technological and societal innovations tied to travel by water.
Finland for example, is sometimes called the land of a thousand lakes - Finland has approximately 187,000 lakes, making up 10% of its total land area. This was very useful for its primordial population, whose economy was entirely centered around hunting and gathering. When you've harvested all the berries in an area, or hunted all the animals, you had to move on. During winter, you could easily travel over snow and ice using skis and sleighs. Nordic winter transportation is a video for another day however. During summer, they used boats.
Sources:
Viking Longship - Osprey Publishing
Finlands Historia - Torsten Edgren, Lena Törnblom
Ship and Society: Maritime Ideology in Late Iron Age Sweden - Gunilla Larsson
Image sources:
By museaindrenthe.nl/collectie/ob..., CC BY 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
By Andreas Mensert - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
By Aivar Ruukel - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
By uploaded with permission from User Lanzi by Ra'ike on de.wikipedia - own work from User Lanzi on de.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
By RMO - Rijks Museum voor Oudheden, Leiden, the Netherlands - hdl.handle.net/21.12126/15568... see www.rmo.nl/onderzoek/fotoserv..., CC BY-SA 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
By DI Richard Resch - de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datei:Be..., Copyrighted free use, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
By Nationalmuseet, CC BY-SA 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
By Sven Rosborn - Own work, CC BY 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
By Trollhead - Own work, CC BY 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
By Eric Gaba (Sting - fr:Sting) - Own workBased upon a drawingReference : Jean Taillardat, La Trière athénienne et la guerre sur mer aux Ve et IVe siècles, 1968, in : Jean-Pierre Vernant, Problèmes de la guerre en Grèce ancienne, Éditions de l'École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, coll. Points, 1999, CC BY-SA 4.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
By Karamell - Own work, CC BY-SA 2.5, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
By Islandmen - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
0:00 Neolithic Shipbuilding
4:48 Bronze Age Shipbuilding
8:24 Iron Age Shipbuilding
11:54 Conclusion
12:47 give me money
#history #shipbuilding #bronzeage #stoneage

[@kanakakku]

I worked in the museum that houses the wooden moosefigure of lehtojärvi. Very interesting for you to bring it up, shows that you do your research

[@balticempire7244]

thank you for sharing your story, i know the picture displayed in the video isn't the right moose figurine, i only found a picture of it after i had made the video

[@daneaxe6465]

I know I did not inherit any artistic skills. Its probably why I find such precise skill in the ancient peoples so fascinating. From the cave paintings in France to Roman and Egyptian statues, and on.

[@DanDavisHistory]

Very nice, thanks for the video.

[@thomasdoubting]

The "Hjortspringbåten" floored me! I have seen "fifty-eleven" rock carvingd like that - never a real one 🙄 Thanks!!!

[@Survivethejive]

Great video. I have shared it

[@flamencoprof]

As a New Zealander of British descent and from a family involved in sailing, it is interesting to hear so many terms which survive to this day which I learned in the 1950s as a child. Words such as clinker, cleat, clinch, though that was copper nails, not iron. My grandfather, father and uncle all built and raced sailing boats.

[@mikepowell2776]

You have produced a ver interesting summary of a whole range of eras which are often ignored. I like the point that the Hjortspring boat was already a developed type and neither unique in its age nor the first. It is a very elegant vessel as is the Nydam ship. May I offer a couple of points? The word ‘clench’ refers to the action of bending the inner, pointed end of a nail flush with the inside of the planking to prevent it working loose or falling out. Almost all ships have keels. In modern vessels they are internal. They provide longitudinal strength and a foundation for the frames (ribs.) Except in modern yachts, external keels provide little in way of the vessel’s basic stability. They do, though, provide directional stability. Their main purpose is to inhibit leeway in any kind of crosswind and are necessary once a ship is under sail (unless it is very deep draught or carries leeboards like coastal sailing barges.) Also, some small craft are still sewn, especially in the Pacific and some ‘developing’ countries either through lack of resources or because it enables a very flexible structure. Please forgive me being ‘picky.’

[@dirksharp9876]

Really appreciate this succinct and eloquent explanation of the naval continuity of this region. This history is so beautiful.

[@FutureBoyWonder]

Very cool stuff been seeing this in my feed for day or two happy to watch

[@alexanderguesthistorical7842]

I live in Stranraer and a couple of years ago, I was involved in the making of a Fair Isle skiff, for the community. The similarities between "Loch Ryan" as she was called and the Nydam boat especially are quite striking, even though the Stranraer boat was built from a kit of plywood parts. Absolutely fascinating. Excellent video.

[@grandcommander1140]

Riktigt bra video! Fortsätt med ditt bra arbete :)

[@prop1997]

love big much, time. very enjoy and alo inform. Big thank and smil from Norway viewer :)

[@rexkraft_]

i think i found a hidden gem while browsing YT. Subscribed

[@asgrim1513]

Subject is incredible interesting but man that grizzly Hill music was perfectly picked

[@Evan_Bell]

For the algorithm: Really enjoyed this video. You've earned a subscription and I'll be watching more of your content. Thanks.

[@kjellbergdaleulfr5796]

I wonder how they fought, their battle tactics, I really wanna learn more about this period in scandinavia. Sadly we dont have much sources or even books from the Nordic bronze age, they do however have rock carvings which is awesome.

[@balticempire7244]

its hard to say whether the boats emphasized ranged or melee combat, i'm not sure how hard it is to use a bow and arrow from one of these, throwing rocks and javelins is probably easier, and rock throwing was a surprisingly large part of viking naval combat, but i'll cover that more in a future video

[@jonochristian2256]

very interesting

[@jokemon9547]

The Baltic Finnic people had a ship going by the name "uisko/uisk" and other variations of that. It was small enough to be dragged across isthmuses and land going from a body of water to another and in Baltic Finnic myths, especially Finnish mythology, it's mention has often meant "snake" or "serpent". This seems to suggest that Baltic Finnic people, similarly to the Norse, had a belief around their ships as serpents or dragons. The Eric Chronicle written in the early 14th century also mentions this vessel by name as being used by the Karelians and the 16th century has some sources mention it in the form of "wisko". The Russian language also loaned the word from some Baltic Finnic language in the form of "Ушку́й/Uškúj" and the Novgorodians used them between the 11th and 15th centuries. The Novgorodian ones fit 40 people onboard at the largest and could carry up to 15 tons or possibly more of cargo. There was also a class or group of Novgorodian freemen, who used this vessel as pirates or raiders in the Volga and Kama regions and also in the north.

[@laurencesmith2199]

.....when we could be diving for pearls ......... Good post man .

[@welshpete12]

Very interesting , thank you for posting .

[@jonathancardwell1850]

Excellent video!

[@MaximusOfTheMeadow]

Thank you, for making this video

[@balticempire7244]

thank you for watching max

[@Jman16007]

Great summary.

[@jiiwee1120]

Good stuff!

[@johnsullivan6560]

Very good video. Well researched and well explained. Thank you.

[@elizabethhestevold1340]

Incredible workmanship.🇩🇰🇺🇸🌅🙏

[@billymurphy3]

Nice choice of topic 👏

[@paulfelkner6749]

Just found your videos, love it.

[@unknowntrooper_2791]

An Interesting topic. A good video.

[@ecologicaladam7262]

Nicely presented, thank you !

[@balticempire7244]

thank you Adam

[@josephmalenab5637]

Thank you again I appreciate it and salutations to you

[@TheVicenteSilva]

Very well made video, you just gained another subscriber!

[@balticempire7244]

thank you!

[@Diddiwehy]

veri cool video 👍

[@jandobber316]

Roman travel reports talk about big dugout canoe's in Holland witch could hold 30 man, that is thought to be the size of a full grown oak.

[@timkbirchico8542]

nice vid

[@andrewyates108]

There where very clever people

[@paulingvar]

There is much pictures shown but not much data. The first "boats" for the hunter-gatherers were canoes, since trees were not big enough to make dug-outs. And I want to add some information from Jonathan Lindström´s book ; he proposes that the first boats with boards were made by seal hunterers acting in eastern Sweden and also in Finland, This was ca 5400 years ago. Those boats were also possible to transport on ice. They came to be the origin of the later Hjortspring type. Note that boards can be made without metal axes.

[@balticempire7244]

Thanks for the info, I haven't encountered the boards anywhere, it sounds similar to surfing boats.

[@lumikkihusu7259]

The audience may also be interested in ancient ski technology. That's what we used to get around when the lakes froze. Wooden skis don't often preserve well, unless in a bog. But the melting of glaciers and ice sheets is bringing up new discoveries.

[@balticempire7244]

I have a video on winter travel in Scandinavia, feel free to check it out

[@lumikkihusu7259]

@@balticempire7244 thanks, I found it already. And I recommend it to others, too!

[@beau4129]

My guy 👍🏼🏴‍☠️

[@SG-js2qn]

I would think that small, light, shallow boats - closer to baskets than hollowed trees - could potentially be used in winter as a type of sled, sledge, or sleigh, with or without runners. You could load it and then pull it with a rope. It could be used in marshy areas as well, and towed across grass or any level ground. Hunters could carry their kill in it, or gather firewood, carry supplies from place to place, etc.

[@balticempire7244]

It is not impossible, the boats were light enough to be carried from one waterway to another by 1 or more persons

[@rachdarastrix5251]

10:37 Shark Bait Ooh Ah Ah!

[@antoniescargo2954]

De boomstamkano van Pesse in Drenthe NL.

[@lauri3610]

Mmmh, still craving for those pieces of amber though. These days you'll cross the sea with an iron boat and pay with plastic money, but it's basically the same.

[@balticempire7244]

Thank you, if you want to learn more about the history of amber, check out this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/haK1YaycepaAY7M

[@theitineranthistorian2024]

fascinating. did the ships seen in the 13th warrior (horses below) actually exist? they have fire onboard also.

[@balticempire7244]

havent seen that movie, i'll discuss viking longships and cooking aboard in a future set of videos

[@theitineranthistorian2024]

@@balticempire7244 northmen are upriver in the near east . it’s possible.

[@edelarth8320]

Before the wheel,boats and sails explored the whole Atlantic. The Vikings. And the Polynesian explored the most of Pacific the rest from Asia And Siberia. Tough and brave

[@thekinginyellow1744]

1:29 "deal" (tree). Interesting never heard of a "deal" tree. The internet: it's another word for "fir", dumba.... Thanks, learned something new today.

[@orglancs]

Where is the map of at the beginning of this video, please? It looks as thought it might be a primitive and not very accurate map of the Baltic Sea, but there is an opening to the ocean in the north west, and surely even in earliest times, the inhabitants must have known that there was no connection with the open sea? All very interesting. though at times difficult to understand. I have built canvas-covered canoes, which still use some of the techniques you describe. I've also been to the Vikinskiphuset in Oslo. Those giant clinker-built boats are so beautiful and shapely! They must have been great seamen to get to Greenland and America in such vessels.

[@balticempire7244]

the map is from the middle ages. what was difficult to understand?

[@istoppedcaring6209]

klinkeboat i don't think it means to clinch, it seems to english an explination, these were mentioned and taxed in 11th century flanders, the klinkeboat seems to me to more likely refere to rooftiles, which also overlap

[@istoppedcaring6209]

for the record, the term klinkeboat comes from a middle dutch administrative document, in west flemish we tend to use the dialect bewut, which to us sounds the same as boat, but english speakers wil refere to boat as the modern english term so i felt the need to clarify, anyway, this also shows the intertwined state of languages,

[@joshpullman1690]

It’s my opinion that we so far have a missing watercraft in the archaeological record. During the Neolithic period there was trade across the English Channel and amongst the Scottish island chains. What would be left of a reed based open water boat after 5k years?

[@balticempire7244]

Travel in the English Channel during the Neolithic is a topic for another video since this covers Scandinavia and the Baltic. I doubt reed boats were used(if you're talking about boats built from reeds) since those are unstable and start leaking very quickly IIRC

[@whyukraine]

Lol WoW music.

[@whyukraine]

An American waitress once told me a joke: what's the difference between a Norwegian and a canoe? ... ... ... ... ... A canoe might tip.

[@riograndedosulball248]

3:55 is this the GTA San Andreas theme? Lol

[@balticempire7244]

many such cases

[@mpetersen6]

Water craft in one form or another go a long way back.

[@SamuelLanghorn]

First time I hear about an outrigger design from Europe. Unfortunately you only mention it is passing. Is there any more information about this particular vessel? You also do not talk about the sail? Sailing vessels were used in the Mediterranean bronze age, when was the sail introduced in North? Crossing the North Sea towards England would definitely be much easier.

[@balticempire7244]

I couldn't find much info about it at the time of research. The sail doesn't seem to have been introduced to Scandinavian shipbuilding until the 7th or even 8th centuries with the implementation of the keel, this is discussed in the video on viking longships

[@SamuelLanghorn]

@@balticempire7244Thanks for your quick reply. Can you direct me to the source of the scandinavian outrigger? What do you do for living?

[@istoppedcaring6209]

not just norse, dutch, german,... stuurboord

[@Povhc]

Dugouts called čupa were used for fishing and transport in bay of trieste up untill WWII. It is interesting you mentioned that they could get only 400 meters into the sea becouse waters were not calm. However main argument that čupa boats were used for so long is becose of uncalm waters of trieste bay coupled with strong bora (type of strong wind in adriatic) and the fact most of the beach are cliffs. This is why they argue this dugout was prefered becouse it was hard to navigate with other vessels. I am not disputing your claim however, just wanted to mention this becouse its interesting.

[@jaquigreenlees]

I'm sorry, did you say that canoes built with stone age technology could not go out onto the oceans? I have to say that you are mistaken. The Native American peoples of the Pacific Northwest had ocean going canoes capable of carrying 15 people using stone age technology back when this region of the Americas was first being explored by Europeans. It was the Europeans that introduced iron and steel to the Native Americans.

[@balticempire7244]

this video covers shipbuilding in ancient scandinavia, not north america. according to archeology, the types of boats built in scandinavia could not go into oceans. most important was that they had very low freeboard so water could get in more easily. neither did they have good balance. one of the findings was found just 400m out into open water

[@dapper_gent]

I'm sorry, but the rubber required for ener tubes was not discovered until the 18th century.

[@thefattymcgee5801]

Lol Minnesota is also land of of 1000 lakes. Wonder why so many Scandanavians move there?

[@michael3088]

England wouldn't be called england until the angels and saxons settled there to lay the cultural foundations of the country post anglo-saxon invasion, england didn't exist until they got there.

[@balticempire7244]

yes and scandinavia wasnt named scandinavia and spain wasn't named spain and france wasn't named france

[@thomasputko1080]

You havent said much here. Its empty.

[@michaelevans3904]

Why would you think neolithic man only traveled 300 meters from shore... That is a foolish assumption. Humans have been in North America for 37000 years... That it much longer than the "Clovis first" theorists by 20000 years before the Ice free corridor from Asia existed.

[@balticempire7244]

ok

[@louispellissier914]

Monotony? I'll give u dislike to break the video's monotony

[@balticempire7244]

ok