NMS Archaeology Object 168118: X.IN 5 - Boat / stem post / rough-out
Description
Summary
Wooden roughed-out stem post of oak, for a clinker-built boat of Viking type, from a bog at Laig, Isle of Eigg, 885 - 1035 AD
Accession Number
X.IN 5
Other references
Not recorded | 1878 |
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Original description
[IN 4 - 5] Two boat timbers found {with a third piece, not preserved}, in a bog at Laig, Isle of Eigg (PSAS XII, 1876-8, 594-5). (4) Wooden stem or stern post for a clinker-built boat carved from one piece of timber, curved in profile, Y-shaped in section with a central slot, the sides stepped and carved to accept six strakes and the keel (cf. one ship from Roskilde and a boat from Gokstad); 6' 4" long and 8.5" max. width. (5) Wooden roughout for a similar stem, only partly blocked out of the solid, the curved profile and three steps have been completed; 6'1" long, 9" max. width, now somewhat warped (original length 6'7"). [MoS description] Working wood. Ready to work. Stem post roughout, Eigg. 885 - 1035 AD. [Scran caption] This roughout for an oak stem post was found with a stem post in peat at Laig on the isle of Eigg in the Inner Hebrides. Although it is in the tradition of Viking boatbuilding, we know little about native boatbuilding, and it might be for a native boat. The stem post is roughed out from a single piece of oak. The stepped edge was for fitting side timbers. A small oak tree, perhaps one growing on the nearby mainland, has been used to make this roughout, perhaps in a boat building yard on Eigg. The roughout had probably been soaked deliberately in water to keep it easy to work. Date: Between 885 and 1035. Material: Wood (oak). Dimensions: Length: 1.87 metres.
Associated person/people (e.g. excavator/former collection)
None
Discovery / field collection
Date of discovery
Not recorded
Method (e.g. excavation)
Not recorded
Place (i.e. location of discovery)
Laig, Eigg, Inverness-shire, Scotland, Northern Europe
Acquisition
Acquisition date
1878
Acquisition source (i.e. name of donor)
Not recorded
Acquisition source role (e.g. donor)
Not recorded
Image
Identifiers and Links to Other Records
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Identifier / External Link | Linked Record | Status | Comment |
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NMS Accession Number: X.IN 5 | No linked record | Identifier supplied by NMS |
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