Editing Ship burial

{{Short description|Burial in which a ship or boat is used}}
{{Distinguish|Burial at sea|Stone ship}}
A '''ship burial''' or '''boat grave''' is a [[burial]] in which a [[ship]] or [[boat]] is used either as the tomb for the dead and the [[grave goods]], or as a part of the grave goods itself. If the ship is very small, it is called a boat grave. This style of burial was practiced by various seafaring cultures in [[Asia]] and [[Europe]]. Notable ship burial practices include those by the  [[Germanic peoples]], particularly by [[Viking Age]] [[Norse funeral|Norsemen]], as well as the pre-colonial ship burials described in the [[Boxer Codex]] (c. 15th century) in the [[Philippines]].

==Asia-Pacific==

=== China ===
{{Main|Chengdu ancient boat-shaped coffins}}
The extinct [[Bo people (China)|Bo people]] of China's [[Sichuan]] and [[Yunnan province]]s are known for their [[hanging coffins]].

The ancestors of the Bo people were instrumental in helping the [[Western Zhou]] overthrow the ruling Yin at the end of the [[Shang dynasty]]. Apart from this, the Bo people differed from other ethnic minorities in China through their burial traditions. Instead of the more common burial on the ground, the coffins of the Bo people were found hanging on cliffs. These coffins were also boat-shaped. Grave goods found in the coffins included blue and white porcelain bowls dating back to the [[Ming dynasty]], an iron knife, another smaller knife and two iron [[spear point]]s. The Bo people were massacred by the Imperial Army in the later years of the Ming dynasty, and those who survived changed their names in order to escape oppression. Scenes of the typical daily life of the Bo people can also be seen through the cliff and wall paintings they have left behind.<ref>Li Jinhui. [http://www.china.org.cn/english/culture/55407.htm "Mysterious Hanging Coffins of the Bo"]</ref>

In the area of Sichuan several [[Chengdu ancient boat-shaped coffins|boat-shaped coffins]] have been found and dated to the [[Eastern Zhou Period]] (770–255&nbsp;BC). The tombs also contain a large amount of ritual objects.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5816/ |title=Archaeological Sites of the Ancient Shu State: Site at Jinsha and Joint Tombs of Boat-shaped Coffins in Chengdu City, Sichuan Province; Site of Sanxingdui in Guanghan City, Sichuan Province 29 c. BC – 5 c. BC |language=en |website=UNESCO |access-date=23 February 2018 }}</ref>

=== Japan ===
A boat-shaped coffin was found in Japan during the construction of the [[Kita-ku, Nagoya|Kita Ward]] in [[Nagoya]]. This coffin was found to be older than any other previously found in Japan. Another boat-shaped coffin was found in the tomb of the [[Ohoburo Minami Kofun-gun]] in Northern [[Kyoto]], dated to the latter half of the [[Yayoi Period]] (4 BC–4 AD). {{Dubious|date=March 2022}} The tomb contained grave goods including a [[cobalt blue glass]] bangle, an iron bangle, and several iron swords. Boat-shaped coffins called [[haniwa]] were more common during the [[Kofun period]], and these coffins were seen in paintings along with the representation of the sun, moon, and the stars. This suggests the ritual symbols associated with boats even in Japan.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://heritageofjapan.wordpress.com/yayoi-era-yields-up-rice/lifestyle-and-society-of-the-land-of-wa/days-of-mourning-and-ways-of-burying/why-were-some-of-the-yayoi-coffins-boat-shaped/|title=Why were some of the Yayoi coffins boat-shaped?|work=Heritage of Japan|date=6 January 2011}}</ref>

=== Philippines ===
[[File:Planks of a Butuan balangay in the Butuan National Museum.jpg|thumb|Planks from one of the [[Butuan boats]] (c. 689 to 988 AD) from the [[Philippines]]<ref name="Lacsina2014">{{cite book |last1=Lacsina |first1=Ligaya |title=Re-examining the Butuan Boats: Pre-colonial Philippine watercraft |date=2014 |publisher=National Museum of the Philippines |url=https://www.academia.edu/31015958}}</ref><ref name="Lacsina">{{cite book |last1=Lacsina |first1=Ligaya |chapter=Boats of the Precolonial Philippines: Butuan Boats |title=Encyclopaedia of the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine in Non-Western Cultures |date=2016 |pages=948–954 |doi=10.1007/978-94-007-7747-7_10279|isbn=978-94-007-7746-0 |chapter-url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/314373335}}</ref>]]

There are numerous burial sites in the Philippines that include boat burials and boat-shaped burials. In fact, present-day coffins in the Philippines still resemble canoes made from hollowed out logs. There are two famous sites of burials, the jar burials in [[Batanes]] and in [[Catanauan]]. The burial markers in Batanes are shaped like a boat, with the bow and stern appearing prominently. The markers were made from stone, and were made to appear like the outline of the traditional boat ''[[tataya]]''. Inspection of the Chuhangin and Nakamaya sites in Batanes reveals that the markers were oriented in a Northwest-Southeast direction. Principal site investigators also discovered that the bow of the markers pointed towards the sea. But apparently, when the storms cease to pound on the islands of Batanes, the bow of the boats align with the appearance of the band of the Milky Way Galaxy. This further increases the possibility that the burials were made to align with the cosmos in the belief that the boats would carry the dead to the heavens and the stars.

Some 1500 kilometers from Batanes, the Tuhian beach in Catanauan, Quezon lies another boat-shaped burial site. The boats in Catanauan are also oriented in a Northwest-Southeast direction, with the bow pointing towards the sea. The only difference is that the markers in Batanes were made from [[andesite]] and [[limestone]], while those present in Catanauan were made from [[coral]] slabs. Also, while the markers in Batanes contained a single burial, the Catanauan markers contained multiple burials.<ref>Dy-Liacco, Rafael. [http://journals.upd.edu.ph/index.php/asp/article/viewFile/4370/3966] "The Last Voyage of the Dead: The Milky Way and the Boat-Shaped Burial Markers of the Philippines Archipelago"</ref>

The alignment of both of these burial sites served as evidence that people from both sites believed in the idea of the [[afterlife]]. Also, the boats were thought as a vessel for "sailing" to the heavens and the stars. This belief is a widespread idea all around the world, as we know from different burial sites all throughout Europe, the Americas and Asia.

Another burial site in [[Bohol]] was observed by the Spanish during the 16th century. One account of the burial states:

"In some places, they kill slaves and bury them with their masters in order to serve them in the afterlife, this practice is carried out to the extent that many load a ship with more than sixty slaves, fill it up with food and drink, place the dead on board, and the entire vessel including live slaves buried in the earth."<ref>(Quirino and Garcia, 1958)</ref><ref>Tenazas, Rose.[https://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/29791037?uid=3738824&uid=2&uid=4&sid=21104847243821 "The Boat-coffin Burial Complex in the Philippines and Its Relation to Similar Practices in Southeast Asia"]</ref>

Perhaps the most famous boat-shaped burial found in the Philippines is the [[Manunggul Jar]]. The jars were excavated from a [[Neolithic]] [[burial site]] in [[Manunggul cave]] of [[Tabon Caves]] at [[Lipuun Point]] at [[Palawan]]. The jars were found to be from 890–710 BC. The main feature of the Manunggul jar is the two human figures seated on a boat at the top handle of its cover. The figures represent the journey of the soul to the afterlife, with another figure serving as his oarsman.<ref>[http://www.nationalmuseum.gov.ph/nationalmuseumbeta/Collections/Archaeo/Manunggul.html "Manunggul Jar"]</ref>

The burial jar with a cover featuring a ship-of-the-dead […] is perhaps unrivaled in Southeast Asia; the work of an artist and master potter. This vessel provides a clear example of a cultural link between the archaeological past and the ethnographic present. The boatman […] is steering rather than paddling the "ship". The mast of the boat was not recovered. Both figures appear to be wearing bands tied over the crowns of their heads and under their jaws; a pattern still found in burial practices among the indigenous peoples in the Southern Philippines. The manner in which the hands of the front figure are folded across the chest is also a widespread practice in the islands when arranging the corpse.

The carved prow and the eye motif of the spirit boat is still found on the traditional watercraft of the Sulu Archipelago, Borneo, and Malaysia. Similarities in the execution of the ears, eyes, nose, and mouth of the figures may be seen today in the wood carving of Taiwan, the Philippines, and elsewhere in Southeast Asia.<ref>Fox, Robert B. ''The Tabon Caves: archaeological explorations and excavations on Palawan Island, Philippines.'' Manila : National Museum, 1970. (112, 114)</ref>

===Vietnam ===

The [[Dong Son culture]] in [[Vietnam]] is known by archaeologists due to a great concentration of boat-shaped coffins. 171 boat-shaped coffins were recovered from 44 sites in Vietnam, and most of these were found from Dong Son sites. Some of these burials included carefully arranged grave goods inside the coffin along with the corpse of the dead. Also, the coffins were found strategically close to water, either rivers or small streams of sea.<ref>Bui Van Liem.[http://journals.lib.washington.edu/index.php/BIPPA/article/view/11923/10549 "A Study of Boat-shaped Coffins from Dongson Sites in Vietnam "]</ref>

==Europe==
Ship burials were a traditional practice in Europe. Specifically, in Northern Europe, Viking ship burials are impressive finds, as they are a significant source of information about the Viking Age and the historical character of those who lived during that time. Viking ship graves were laid out in a costly fashion, and practiced for both men and women of the time.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Schetelig |first=Haakon |date=1904 |title=Ship Burials |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/48612203 |journal=Saga-Book |volume=4 |pages=326–363 |issn=0305-9219}}</ref>

A traditional Viking ship prepared for burial contained the body of whomever owned the ship, which would then be set on fire in a funeral pyre on land or buried whole.<ref>https://journals.uio.no/vikingspecialvolumes/article/view/12167/10100</ref> In Norse mythology, boats were a symbol of safe passage to the afterlife, similar to the role they played in the Vikings' lives.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Major |first=Albany F. |date=1924 |title=Ship Burials in Scandinavian Lands and the Beliefs That Underlie Them |url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/1256487 |journal=Folklore |volume=35 |issue=2 |pages=113–150 |issn=0015-587X}}</ref>

The Gokstad ship, found in 1880 A unique eyewitness account of a [[Viking funeral#Ibn Fadlan's account|10th-century ship burial]] among the [[Volga Vikings]] is given by Arab traveller [[Ibn Fadlan]]. The largest Viking ship grave, 65 feet (20 m) long, was discovered in Norway by archeologists in 2018, and it is estimated to have been covered over 1000 years ago to be used as a boat grave for an eminent Viking king or queen.<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 15, 2018 |title=Enormous, rare Viking ship burial discovered by radar |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/2018/10/viking-ship-discovered-norway-archaeology/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181214050902/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/2018/10/viking-ship-discovered-norway-archaeology/ |archive-date=December 14, 2018 |website=National Geographic}}</ref>

=== Northern Europe ===

====Scandinavia====
* {{interlanguage link|Herlaugshaugen|no}} in [[Leka Municipality]], [[Norway]] – a {{convert|60|m|adj=on}} high tumulus, where (according to [[Snorri Sturluson]]) a certain King Herlaug was buried. The presumed ship burial is the earliest in Scandinavia, dated by [[dendrochronology]] to ca. 700 AD.<ref>{{cite web |date=13 November 2023 |title=Skandinavias eldste kjente skipsgrav er på Leka i Trøndelag |url=https://www.nrk.no/trondelag/skandinavias-eldste-kjente-skipsgrav-er-pa-leka-i-trondelag-1.16633376}}</ref>
* [[Ladby ship|Ladby]] – from [[Kerteminde]] on the island of [[Funen]], Denmark<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde |url=http://www.vikingeskibsmuseet.dk/index.php?id=1246&no_cache=1&L=1 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170914172950/http://www.vikingeskibsmuseet.dk/index.php?id=1246&no_cache=1&L=1 |archive-date=September 14, 2017 |access-date=Jun 20, 2020}}</ref>
* [[Gokstad ship|Gokstad]] – from [[Gokstadhaugen|Kongshaugen]], [[Vestfold]], Norway<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gokstadhaugen |url=https://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=17415 |access-date=Jun 20, 2020 |website=The Megalithic Portal}}</ref>
* [[Oseberg ship|Oseberg]] – from Oseberg farm near [[Tønsberg]] in [[Vestfold]], Norway<ref>[http://home.online.no/~joeolavl/viking/osebergskipet.htm Osebergskipet – The Oseberg Ship, Norway] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070211143348/http://home.online.no/~joeolavl/viking/osebergskipet.htm|date=2007-02-11}}</ref>
* [[Tune ship|Tune]] – from  Haugen farm on [[Rolvsøy]] in [[Tune Municipality]], [[Østfold]], Norway<ref>[http://blog.norway.com/2009/10/27/the-viking-ships-will-stay-at-bygd%C3%B8y/ Viking Ship Museum at Bygdøy] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111006190939/http://blog.norway.com/2009/10/27/the-viking-ships-will-stay-at-bygd%C3%B8y/|date=2011-10-06}}</ref>
* [[Gjellestad ship|Gjellestad]] – from the farm of the same name in [[Halden Municipality]], Norway; excavations ongoing as of June 2020.<ref>[https://sciencenorway.no/archaeology-history-viking-age/why-archaeologists-call-for-an-immediate-gjellestad-viking-ship-dig/1687440 Science Norway]</ref>
[[File:CfL02219 013 museum no. C10384 Utgravning av Gokstadskipet (Gokstad ship excavation 1880. Kulturhistorisk museum UiO Oslo, Norway. License CC BY-SA 4.0).jpg|thumb|Excavation of the [[Gokstad ship|Gokstad]] Ship burial in Norway]]
The [[Gokstad ship|Gokstad]] Ship burial– from [[Gokstadhaugen|Kongshaugen]], [[Vestfold]], Norway, discovered in 1880, is the largest preserved Viking ships in Norway. The ship was found by archeologist [[Nicolay Nicolaysen]], who had discovered an unsanctioned archeological dig endeavor on Gokstad farm, which the two sons of the owner of the farm's owner were responsible for.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Deliyannis |first=Deborah |title=Fifty Early Medieval Things: Materials of Culture in Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages |date=2019 |pages=205-206 |chapter=The Gokstad Ship,: Gokstad, Norway, ca. 900}}</ref> When Nicolaysen's team arrived at the site, they soon began a state-sponsored excavation. It only took two days for part of the boat's wooden structure to surface, revealing what would be one of the most remarkable Viking archeological discoveries ever made.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Urbanus |first=Jason |date=2014 |title=Revisiting the Gokstad |url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/43825231 |journal=Archaeology |volume=67 |issue=4 |pages=34–38 |issn=0003-8113}}</ref>

The ship measures an astonishing 76 by 17.5 feet, with a mast, fittings for one large sail, and its outside embellished by altering black and yellow shields.<ref name=":0" /> Inside, a chieftain was found in a burial chamber within the ships mast, surrounded by a variety of spectacular group of objects placed with the intention of providing relaxation and enjoyment in his journey to the afterlife. Additionally, the archeologists discovered the remains of different animals buried within, such as horses, dogs, peacocks, and goshawks.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Urbanus |first=Jason |date=2014 |title=Revisiting the Gokstad |url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/43825231 |journal=Archaeology |volume=67 |issue=4 |pages=34–38 |issn=0003-8113}}</ref> Dendrochronology suggests that the wood used for the ship was cut down in around 890. The ship is spacious, with a full deck across its interior, and is large enough for a crew of thirty to forty men.<ref name=":0" />[[File:Osebergschiff.jpg|thumb|Excavation of the [[Oseberg Ship]] burial mound in Norway]]Another well preserved viking ship, The [[Oseberg ship|Oseberg]] Ship– from Oseberg farm near [[Tønsberg]] in [[Vestfold]], Norway, was found in 1904 by [[Gabriel Gustafson]] .<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last=Sjøvold |first=Thorleif |date=1958 |title=A Royal Viking Burial |url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/41663599 |journal=Archaeology |volume=11 |issue=3 |pages=190–199 |issn=0003-8113}}</ref> The burial was covered with a 40 meter wide and more than 6 meter high mound of stone, clay and turf, and consisted of a 21.5 meter long ship with a tent-shaped, timber-built and 5.6 meter long burial chamber erected immediately aft of amidships.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=Bill |first=Jan |title=Ambiguous Mobility in the Viking Age Ship Burial from Oseberg |date=2016}}</ref> The ship and grave goods are unusually well preserved because of the blue clay in which it was buried. 

In the early [[Middle Ages]], robbers broke into the mound and reached the burial chamber, leaving the grave disturbed by the time archeologists discovered it in 1904. However, most of the rich equipment was preserved and found in the forefront of the ship, including: three beds, two tents, a richly decorated cart, three sleighs and a work sled, and elegantly carved sleigh shafts.<ref name=":1" /> Additionally, the skeletons of at least 10 horses and an ox were found. The Oseberg Ship burial is one of the few ship burials for women, and the two individuals found were thought to have been 50 and 80 years old.<ref name=":2" />Some of the personal possessions of the women were also discovered, such as implements for textile work, chests, and four intricately carved animal heads.

====British Isles====
[[Image:Sutton Hoo ship-burial model.jpg|thumb|Model of the structure of the [[Sutton Hoo]] ship (c. 7th century AD) it might have appeared, with chamber area outlined]]
* [[Snape boat grave|Snape]] – Anglo-Saxon burial from Snape Common in [[Suffolk]]
* [[Sutton Hoo]]  – Anglo-Saxon burial site near [[Woodbridge, Suffolk]]
* [[Balladoole]] and [[Knock y Doonee]] – Viking burials in the [[Isle of Man]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.gov.im/lib/docs/mnh/education/TeachersInfo/vikings%20in%20mann.pdf|title=Vikings on Mann|access-date=Jun 20, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120331091027/http://www.gov.im/lib/docs/mnh/education/TeachersInfo/vikings%20in%20mann.pdf|archive-date=March 31, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [[Port an Eilean Mhòir ship burial|Port an Eilean Mhòir]] – The only Viking ship burial yet discovered in mainland Britain, the mound was found in 2006 and excavated in 2011.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.channel4.com/news/viking-boat-burial-site-discovered-in-scottish-highlands |title=Viking boat burial site discovered in Scottish Highlands|date=19 October 2011|access-date=2011-10-19|publisher=Channel 4 News}}</ref> 
* The [[Scar boat burial]] – a Viking burial found on [[Sanday, Orkney|Sanday]], one of the [[Orkney Islands]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.orkneyjar.com/history/scarboat/|title=Orkneyjar – The Scar Viking Boat Burial, Sanday|website=www.orkneyjar.com|access-date=Jun 20, 2020}}</ref>

====Baltic countries====
* [[Salme ships]] – from the island of [[Saaremaa]], [[Estonia]]

===Eastern Europe===

* [[Rurikovo Gorodische]] – on an island on the [[Volkhov River]] near [[Veliky Novgorod]], Russia
* [[Sarskoye Gorodishche]] – from a medieval fortified settlement in [[Yaroslavl Oblast]], Russia
* [[Timerevo]] – from site near the village of Bolshoe Timeryovo, [[Yaroslavl]], Russia
* [[Black Grave]] – from the largest burial mound in [[Chernihiv]], Ukraine

=== Western Europe ===

* Solleveld – south of The Hague. Late sixth century. The only boat grave in the Netherlands.<ref>Waasdorp, J.A. & Eimermann, E., ''Solleveld.'' ''Een opgraving naar een Merovingisch grafveld aan de rand van Den Haag'' (2008)</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-11-15 |title=Rowing souls of the dead to Britain: the ferryman of Solleveld |url=https://frisiacoasttrail.blog/2020/11/15/solleveld-boat-grave/ |access-date=2024-02-21 |website=Frisia Coast Trail |language=en}}</ref>
* Fallward – north of Bremerhaven, Germany. Fifth century<ref>Schön, M.D., ''Feddersen Wierde, Fallward, Flögeln. Archäologie im Museum Burg Bederkesa, Landkreis Cuxhaven'' (1999)</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-12-03 |title=The Deer Hunter of Fallward, and his Throne of the Marsh |url=https://frisiacoasttrail.blog/2023/12/03/the-deer-hunter-of-fallward-and-his-throne-of-the-marsh/ |access-date=2024-02-21 |website=Frisia Coast Trail |language=en}}</ref>
* [[Groix]], an island in the south of Brittany, France. Tenth century<ref>Boyer, R., ''Héros et Dieux du Nord'', Flammarion (1997), 192 p. ({{isbn|2080122746}}), "Bateaux-tombes", p. 26</ref>

==See also==
{{Commons}}
* [[Ímar Ua Donnubáin]], legendary Irish navigator of partial Norse descent
* [[Stone ship]]
* [[Tombs of boat-shaped coffins]]
* [[Chariot burial]] (Iron Age tradition)
* [[Solar barge]] (Bronze Age tradition)
* [[Khufu ship]]  (Ancient Egypt)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Ship burial customs in Germanic paganism}}
{{Germanic peoples}}
{{Ancient seafaring}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Ship burials| ]]
[[Category:Anglo-Saxon burial practices]]
[[Category:Culture of Asia]]
[[Category:Death in Asia]]