Longships (Icelandic:langskip) were naval vessels made and used by the Vikings from Scandinavia and Iceland for trade, commerce, exploration, and warfare during the Viking Age. The longship’s design evolved over many years, beginning in the Stone Age with the invention of the umiak and continuing up to the 9th century with the Nydam and Kvalsund ships. The longship appeared in its complete form between the 9th and 13th centuries. The character and appearance of these ships have been reflected in Scandinavian boat-building traditions until today. The average speed of Viking ships varied from ship to ship but lay in the range of 5–10 knots and the maximal speed of a longship under favorable conditions was around 15 knots.
The long-ship is characterized as a graceful, long, narrow, light wooden boat with a shallow draft hull designed for speed. The ship's shallow draft allowed navigation in waters only one metre deep and permitted beach landings, while its light weight enabled it to be carried over portages. Longships were also double-ended, the symmetrical bow and stern allowing the ship to reverse direction quickly, without having to turn around. Longships were fitted with oars along almost the entire length of the boat itself. Later versions sported a rectangular sail on a single mast which was used to replace or augment the effort of the rowers, particularly during long journeys.
Longships were the epitome of Scandinavian naval power at the time, and were highly valued possessions. They were often owned by coastal farmers and commissioned by the king in times of conflict, in order to build a powerful naval force. While longships were used by the Norse in warfare, they were troop transports, not warships. In the tenth century, these boats would sometimes be tied together in battle to form a steady platform for infantry warfare. They were called dragonships by enemies such as the English because they had a dragon-shaped bow and a dragon-snake tail. The Norse had a strong sense of naval architecture, and during the 8th–11th centuries, they were advanced for their time, compared to other European nations (earlier shipbuilding techniques, for example those of Mediterranean peoples, such as ancient Greece and Rome, were far more sophisticated and varied, especially in terms of joinery).
dragon-shaped bow 1, dragon-shaped bow 2
Critiques | Translate
polpo56 (15134) 2010-08-11 3:36
a great graphical effect in this shot.
The picture is well composed and showed.
Have a nice day
snunney (83631) 2010-08-11 3:48
A minimalist composition that extracts the most from the graphical effect offered by the prow of this longboat. Perfectly framed with superb colours and sharpness. Very interesting work.
Budapestman (82620) 2010-08-11 4:39
a beautiful detail, indeed. I like the idea and the realization, an elegant and effective photo, Tfs! Have a nice day! Kellemes napot kívánok!
Sergiom (59914) 2010-08-11 7:25
Le cadrage est parfait et laisse beaucoup de place èa l'imagination.
Cricri (106327) 2010-08-11 10:48
Une composition minimaliste, original et réussi dans le cadrage, la netteté et les couleurs, belle idée
Fante (5429) 2010-08-11 12:03
great close up photo. Excelent idea with nice photo efect. Lovely composition and good colors. Bravo
Bartleby (13552) 2010-08-11 13:34
simple and elegant, good choice of the square format.
Nicou (121846) 2010-08-12 1:29
Un très beau détial, une mangigiqeu cross, avec cette belle forme, des traces de neige, grandisoe avec un ciel pur et limpide.
Bravo et amitié
marietom (34607) 2010-08-13 0:29
Joli coup d'oeil, pour cette belle photo minimaliste.
mikolaj_kawa (0) 2010-08-13 1:08
Hello Daniel! Interesting details. Sophisticated shot. Fine effect. Good frame. Interesting information. Well done!
AiresSantos (56155) 2010-08-16 0:15
Simple but very beautiful
Excellent POV and sharpness
Have a nice week
Bluejeans (64249) 2010-08-18 9:43
Ola Daniel ,
Interessante grafismo conseguido com esta ponta de navio em caracol , gostei da sua silhueta contra o fundo azul , bom enquadramento da foto , parabéns!!
Um abraço Gonçalo
jmdias (55325) 2010-09-03 8:01
beautiful detail of the ancient boat. I liked the way you framed the image, it looks very graphic here
Hasvelt (88) 2013-07-04 9:42
This is another shot I really appreciate for simplicity--the picture has three major colors. . .light-blue, black, and white--and you got only one object in the photo--you're a very economic photographer. I do not know if you have ever heard of the literary term ''ice-berg theory,'' but yeah this picture reminds me of the theory.
Here is a link that'll take you to the theory