Oldest drawing of a Viking ship found in Iceland

A simple drawing carved on a small sandstone pebble, found in Stöð, an ancient settlement on Iceland’s East coast, may be the world’s oldest one of a Viking ship – as well as the oldest illustration ever discovered in Iceland, full stop.

Two longhouses, differing timelines

Archaeologists have long been exploring the area around this former Viking site, revealing the second of two longhouses, built before Iceland was settled in the ninth century. 

This was presumed to be a seasonal camp for hunting and fishing, rather than a permanent settlement. 

Today, the modern village of Stöðvarfjörður stands on the north shore of the fjord.

While the larger of the longhouses have offered up silver, beads, and coins from Rome and the Middle East, a recent dig has uncovered the fact that remains of an even older settlement lie beneath the one originally investigated.

• READ MORE: The Viking history of Iceland: A primer

This is where the pebble was found, within the walls of a smaller longhouse. 

By analyzing the organic material around it, the stone can be dated to 800, decades before Norsemen were thought to have settled Iceland in the 870s. 

This would be the first concrete evidence to predate that premise.

More discoveries to come

Every summer since 2015, archaeologists have been digging around Stöð, mainly around the longhouse, thought to have belonged to a chieftain due to its size.

The lack of bones belonging to domesticated animals hints at the older longhouse being a temporary shelter for fishermen, hunters, and for Viking sailors to store valuables.

The pebble, barely the size of a fingertip, shows what looks like a ship at full mast, a popular subject for primitive art at the time. 

While it’s not clear why it was carved – an omen while waiting for someone to arrive or idle scratching one dull afternoon? – the Stöð site will certainly be the focus of further investigation using more sophisticated equipment.

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