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The Salme Ship Burials: Two Eighth-Century Mass Graves on Saaremaa Island, Estonia

Fieldwork and Catalogue

Author Lembi Lõugas, Heidi Luik, Raili Allmäe, Marge Konsa, John Ljungkvist, Liina Maldre, Jüri Peets, Neil Price, Alar Rosentau

Illustrated Aive Viljus, Jaana Ratas

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2008. aastal ja seejärel 2010 avastati Saaremaalt Salme alevikust kaks laevmatust, mis leidude järgi võisid pärineda (eel-) viikingiajast. Avastus oli üllatav, kuna kunagi varem pole leitud selliseid viikingilaevu, kuhu oleks maetud nii palju mehi kui seda oli Salmel. Salme I laevast leiti seitsme ja Salme II laevast koguni 34 sõjamehe säilmed. Neile oli haudadesse kaasa pandud rikkalik valik esemeid, mille hulgas oli uhkeid sõjariistu nagu mõõgad ja kilbid, tarbeesemeid nagu noad, luisud ja kammid, samuti Skandinaavias tuntud mängu Hnefatafl valdavalt vaalaluust tehtud nuppe ja täringuid ning palju muud. Seekordne raamat annab ülevaate Salmel toimunud välitöödest, leiumaterjalist ja dateerimisküsimustest. Kataloogist leiab üksikasjalikud leiunimekirjad ning jooniste ja fotode tahvlid. Kõik need huvitavad leiud ja välja kaevatud konstruktsioonid on suurepäraseks infoallikaks taastamaks üht dramaatilist sündmust kaheksanda sajandi Läänemere idaosas.

In 2008 and 2010, two ship burials were discovered in the borough of Salme on Saaremaa island, Estonia, together with artefacts dating them to the (Pre-)Viking Age. The discovery was astounding, as no Viking ship has ever been found with so many burials: the remains of seven warriors were uncovered in the Salme I ship and as many as 34 in the Salme II ship. A rich assortment of items had been placed in their graves, including elaborate armaments, such as swords and shields, everyday utensils, such as knives, whetstones, and combs, as well as playing pieces and dice, mostly of whalebone, for the Scandinavian game called Hnefatafl, and much more. The grave contributions also included dogs and hunting hawks, not to mention the animal parts brought along as provisions. Ship burials as such and likewise most of the finds recovered at Salme are not characteristic of Saaremaa at the time, nor of the wider Estonian area. Rather, they indicate the origin of the warriors buried here – from Scandinavia, probably Central Sweden.
The Salme burial complex has provided invaluable research data on the physical condition, genetic origin, and causes of death of these people, as well as material for the study of Viking burial customs, social background, and shipbuilding. This book, authored by a team of nine specialists, gives an overview of the fieldwork conducted at Salme, the find material, and dating issues. The catalogue contains detailed lists of finds and plates of drawings and photos. Together, the striking finds and excavated structures constitute an excellent source of information for reconstructing a dramatic event that occurred in the eastern part of the Baltic Sea in the eighth century AD.