The researchers plan to rescue the Viking ship with the king and Queen

Norwegian archaeologists began excavations at the burial site of the Viking ship with the bodies of the king and Queen on Board. Rook "Hellested" was buried in a Kurgan near the city of Halden a thousand years ago.

Recently, scientists have discovered that oak rook began to deteriorate due to fungus — for this reason, they asked for funding recovery operations.

The Viking ship called "Hellested", found using the radar — she was buried a thousand years ago in a mound near the town of Halden, in southern Norway. Under assumptions of archaeologists, in the 20-metre boat buried body of rulers, king and Queen, or someone of the most influential people of the time.

The image of a boat with radar

Since the discovery of the finds, archaeologists sought funding and permission for the salvation of a valuable artifact. Boat has lain in the earth more than a thousand years, and could remain for some time. However, the latest tests showed that the wood (as scientists believe, oak) began to deteriorate due to fungus.

According to archaeologists, despite the predominance of the culture of the Vikings in Norway, they found only three ships of the Viking age — in 1868, 1880 and 1904. The Vikings often used the boat as coffins for the burial of their rulers.

Preliminary studies indicate that the ship "Hellested" may have once been masts and oars, and he could be buried with some valuable graves. In 2019 research excavations found that his keel was intact, but the archaeologists have concerns that the rest of the ship has survived bad.Another problem is that burial mound is located near a drainage ditch moist land around it can increase the rate of decomposition of the rook.

A piece of wood from the ship, found during excavations 2019

View of the archaeological monument Hellestad