Editing Vestfold (section)

==Archaeological sites==
[[File:Istrehågan, Tjølling (14550732106).jpg|thumb|The rock settings at [[Istrehågan]] resemble a ship.<ref name="Davidsen, Roger 2008 Page 144">Davidsen, Roger (2008). ''Et Sted i Sandefjord''. Sandar Historielag. Page 144. {{ISBN|9788299456753}}.</ref><ref>Lund, Arild and Charlotte Jørgensen (2001). ''Larvik''. Capella Media. Page 16. {{ISBN|978-8299606912}}.</ref>]]
[[File:Borreparken, gravhaug, Horten kommune, Vestfold.jpg|thumb|[[Borre National Park]] is home to Scandinavia's<ref>Nickel, Phyllis and Hans Jakob Valderhaug (2017). ''Norwegian Cruising Guide—Vol 2: Sweden, West Coast and Norway, Swedish Border to Bergen''. Attainable Adventure Cruising Ltd. Page 86. {{ISBN|9780995893962}}.</ref> and Northern Europe's largest burial mound site.<ref name="snl.no" />]]

===Istrehågan===
{{Main|Istrehågan}}
[[Istrehågan]] is an ancient burial ground which dates to the [[Roman Iron Age (Northern Europe)|Roman Iron Age]] around 1500-500 BCE.<ref name="visitvestfold.com" /> It is located at Jåberg in [[Tjølling]], on the border between [[Sandefjord]] and [[Larvik]].<ref>Jøranlid, Marianne (1996). ''40 trivelige turer i Sandefjord og omegn''. Vett Viten. Page 123. {{ISBN|9788241202841}}.</ref><ref name="Davidsen, Roger 2008 Page 144" /> The rock settings at Istrehågan resemble a ship. It is {{convert|24|m}} long, and {{convert|9|m}} meters broad. Archaeological excavations made in 1959-61 uncovered
remains of bones, bear claws, pottery shards, a brooch, and more.<ref>https://www.visitvestfold.com/Images/Bilder%20Visit%20Vestfold/Vestfold/Dokumenter/viking_trail_engelsk_web_951579.pdf {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612143439/https://www.visitvestfold.com/Images/Bilder%20Visit%20Vestfold/Vestfold/Dokumenter/viking_trail_engelsk_web_951579.pdf |date=12 June 2018 }} (Page 8).</ref> At Haugen farm on the Sandefjord side is Vestfold County's largest collection of [[petroglyphs]].<ref>Børresen, Svein E. (2004). ''Vestfoldboka: en reise i kultur og natur''. Skagerrak forl. Page 38. {{ISBN|9788292284070}}.</ref>

===Borre National Park===
{{Main|Borre National Park}}
[[File:Redskaper fra Kaupang.jpg|thumb|Tools found by archeologists at [[Kaupang]]]]
At [[Borre mound cemetery|Borrehaugene]] near [[Borre, Norway|Borrre]] there are 9 large mounds and around 30 smaller ones.<ref name="Var Vestfold Norges vugge" /><ref>{{cite web |url=https://snl.no/Borrehaugene |title=Borrehaugene |publisher=[[Great Norwegian Encyclopedia]] |author=Bergljot Solberg |access-date=25 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208132854/https://snl.no/Borrehaugene |archive-date=8 December 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref> It is the largest [[burial mound]] site in [[Northern Europe]].<ref name="snl.no" />

Borre mound cemetery most likely contains graves belonging to kings of the [[Yngling]] dynasty. It is mentioned in the poem ''[[Ynglingatal]]'' as the burial site of one of two kings belonging to the royal dynasty of the Ynglingas.<ref>Carver, M.O.H. (1992). ''The Age of Sutton Hoo: The Seventh Century in North-Western Europe''. Boydell Press. Page 301. {{ISBN|9780851153612}}.</ref>

===Kaupang===
{{Main|Kaupang}}
[[Kaupang]] in [[Skiringssal]] ([[Larvik]]) is home to remains from the oldest [[Nordic countries|Nordic]] town yet discovered.<ref name="Doreen, Taylor-Wilkie 2018 Page 157" /> It was a trade centre established around year 800, making it one of [[Scandinavia]]'s earliest urban sites. The settlement was abandoned in the mid-10th century.<ref name="Skre, Dagfinn 2007 Page 13" /> It is located in Kaupang Bay in Viksfjord, [[Larvik]]. Archeological finds include melting pots, jewelry parts, casting moulds and casting models.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://vestfoldmuseene.no/fordypning/kaupang/|title=Kaupang|first=av: Anne|last=Doksrød}}</ref> Most of Kaupang remains not excavated.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.visitnorway.com/listings/kaupang-viking-town/177404/|title=Kaupang Viking Town|website=www.visitnorway.com|access-date=11 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612140154/https://www.visitnorway.com/listings/kaupang-viking-town/177404/|archive-date=12 June 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> There are replicas of Viking homes at Kaupang today, giving insight to how homes were constructed during the [[Viking Age]].<ref>https://issuu.com/visitvestfold/docs/visit_larvik_2018-2019_web{{Dead link|date=December 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} (Page 23).</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.visitvestfold.com/en/larvik/product/?TLp=1113540|title=Kaupang Viking Town|website=www.visitvestfold.com}}</ref>

===Oseberg Burial Mound===
{{Main|Oseberg Ship}}
[[File:Le bateau viking dOseberg (4835828216).jpg|upright|thumb|The 22-meter (72 ft.) ''[[Oseberg Ship]]'' was excavated in [[Tønsberg]].]]
Oseberg Mound is located in [[Tønsberg]] and is where the ''[[Oseberg Ship]]'' was discovered. The ship, which dates to 834 A.D., had a length of {{convert|22|m}}. Two female skeletons were found in the ship's burial chamber.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://snl.no/Osebergfunnet|title=Osebergfunnet|date=13 December 2018|via=[[Great Norwegian Encyclopedia]]|access-date=6 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190518172711/https://snl.no/Osebergfunnet|archive-date=18 May 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Viking burial site at Gulli===
Gulli, outside [[Tønsberg]], was the site of an archaeological excavation during the period from 2003 to 2004, prior to asphalt being laid for constructing the new [[European route E18|E18]] (road).<ref name="En ganske vanlig mann">{{cite news |author1=Bjørn Brandlien |title=En ganske vanlig mann |publisher=Klassekampen |date=5 October 2015 |page=11}}</ref> There were 60 graves - 20 of those were preserved to a degree that [authorities decided] permitted examinations.<ref name="En ganske vanlig mann" /> "Perhaps the most spectacular [item] was a ''høvre''" - used with a horse's harness. "There are few of those in Norway - one in [[Trøndelag]] and a gilded one found in [[Borre mound cemetery|Borre]]".<ref name="En ganske vanlig mann" />
The artifacts are on display at the Midgard Historical Centre in Borre.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://midgardsenteret.no/en/ |title=Welcome to Midgard – the World of the Vikings! |publisher=Midgard Historical Centre |access-date=25 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160204080022/http://midgardsenteret.no/en/ |archive-date=4 February 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref>
<ref>{{cite web |url=http://midgardsenteret.no/en/entombed-the-vikings-gravefield-in-gulli/ |title=Entombed – Viking burial customs at Gulli |publisher=Midgard Historical Centre |date=30 January 2011 |access-date=25 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208102233/http://midgardsenteret.no/en/entombed-the-vikings-gravefield-in-gulli/ |archive-date=8 December 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Fevang===
19th century archeologists were struck by the many burial mounds and artifacts discovered at Fevang near [[Torp Airport]] in [[Sandefjord]]. Local farmers had discovered various artifacts in the 19th- and early 20th centuries. Archeologist [[Nicolay Nicolaysen]] traveled to Fevang and concluded that Fevang was home to an array of ancient [[burial mounds]]. Nicolaysen further discovered that Fevang had been an active graveyard for over 1,000 years - since year 0 A.D. until the first Christian cemeteries were established. Among the artifacts discovered were a gold jewel named ''Berlokk'', which was retrieved in a woman's grave along with two gold beads, two blue glass beads, a hairpin, ceramic, burnt bones, and two clips of bronze. Her tomb is dated to the Old [[Iron Age]], around 0-400 A.D.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.visitvestfold.com/en/sandefjord/product/?TLp=1262079|title=The burial mounds of Fevang|website=www.visitvestfold.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.vfk.no/meny/tjenester-og-fagomrader/kulturarv/kulturarvartikler/fevang/|title=Fevang|website=Vestfold fylkeskommune|access-date=6 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180627202248/https://www.vfk.no/meny/tjenester-og-fagomrader/kulturarv/kulturarvartikler/fevang/|archive-date=27 June 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Gokstad Mound===
{{Main|Gokstad Mound}}
[[File:Gokstad.jpg|thumb|left|Interpretive signs at Gokstad Mound]]
[[File:Moelen Larvik.jpg|thumb|Burial mound at [[Mølen]] dated to the [[Bronze Age]]]]
[[Gokstad Mound]] in Sandefjord was where the ''[[Gokstad Ship]]'' was excavated by [[Nicolay Nicolaysen]] in 1880.<ref>Jøranlid, Marianne (1996). ''40 trivelige turer i Sandefjord og omegn''. Vett Viten. Page 106. {{ISBN|9788241202841}}.</ref> The skeleton of a man was found in the ship, long believed to be [[Olaf Geirstad-Alf]], former king of Vestfold and half-brother of [[Halfdan the Black]], the father of [[Harald Fairhair]], Norway's first king. However, recent discoveries have increased uncertainty and it therefore remains unknown what chieftain was buried at [[Gokstad]].<ref name="visitnorway.com">{{Cite web|url=https://www.visitnorway.com/listings/the-gokstad-mound/2407/|title=The Gokstad mound|website=www.visitnorway.com|access-date=10 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612143923/https://www.visitnorway.com/listings/the-gokstad-mound/2407/|archive-date=12 June 2018|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>Davidsen, Roger (2008). ''Et Sted i Sandefjord''. Sandar Historielag. Page 210. {{ISBN|978-82-994567-5-3}}.</ref>

The ship, which is the largest found in Norway, is currently located at the [[Viking Ship Museum (Oslo)|Viking Ship Museum]] in Oslo. The {{convert|23.8|m}} ship was buried along with numerous gifts, including weapons, jewels, a gaming board, fish-hooks, 64 shields, six beds, three smaller boats and kitchen utensils. Twelve horses, eight dogs, two goshawks and two peacocks were also discovered in the grave.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.khm.uio.no/english/visit-us/viking-ship-museum/exhibitions/gokstad/gokstad-grave.html|title=The Gokstad grave - Museum of Cultural History|website=www.khm.uio.no|access-date=6 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190502120853/https://www.khm.uio.no/english/visit-us/viking-ship-museum/exhibitions/gokstad/gokstad-grave.html|archive-date=2 May 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://penelope.uchicago.edu/~grout/encyclopaedia_romana/britannia/anglo-saxon/maldon/gokstad.html|title=Gokstad Ship|website=penelope.uchicago.edu}}</ref>

Interpretive signs have been put up at the mound and ''[[Gokstad ship#Replicas|Gaia]]'', an exact replica of the Gokstad Ship, can be seen on Museum's Wharf at Sandefjord Harbor.<ref>Jøranlid, Marianne (1996). ''40 trivelige turer i Sandefjord og omegn''. Vett Viten. Page 24. {{ISBN|9788241202841}}.</ref>

===Mølen===
{{Main|Mølen}}
[[File:Gravhaug.jpg|thumb|[[Bøkeskogen]] is home to one of Norway's largest burial grounds from the [[Iron Age]].<ref name="ReferenceG" />]]
The [[Old norse language|Old Norse]] word ''Mol'' translates to [[cairn]]s, a site often used by ancient peoples to mark a burial site. [[Mølen]], which is Norway's largest stone beach, is home to 230 cairns, which have been built over ages. Some cairns have been dated to 250 A.D.<ref name="atlasobscura.com" /><ref name="ReferenceD" /> The [[isthmus]] of Mølen is home to stone piles, grave mounds, and stone settings, which are all part of a protected historic site. The last Ice Age pushed large amounts of gravel and stones ahead of it, and deposited it as a [[moraine]] through all of Vestfold, known as ''Vestfoldraet''. [[Raet]] meets the ocean at Mølen, where the moraine sinks into the sea. Its encounter with the [[Skagerrak]] ocean waves has uncovered and polished the huge round stone floor for centuries.<ref>Bertelsen, Hans Kristian (1998). ''Bli kjent med Vestfold / Become acquainted with Vestfold''. Stavanger Offset AS. Page 54. {{ISBN|9788290636017}}.</ref>

===Bøkeskogen===
{{Main|Bøkeskogen}}
Besides being the largest [[beech tree]] forest in [[Norway]], and the most northernmost beech tree forest in the world,<ref name="Ham 2015 Page 91" /> Bøkeskogen is also an important archeological area. 83-90 burial mounds have been discovered in the forest. Some of these include the largest burial grounds from the [[Pre-Roman Iron Age]] in Vestfold County.<ref name="https://snl.no/Larvik">{{Cite web|url=http://snl.no/Larvik|title=Larvik|first1=Geir|last1=Thorsnæs|first2=Sten|last2=Lundbo|first3=Lars|last3=Mæhlum|date=20 April 2019|via=[[Great Norwegian Encyclopedia]]|access-date=6 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612140538/https://snl.no/Larvik|archive-date=12 June 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>