Viking Ship Museum

With a similar philosophy as the ancient Egyptians, who buried their elite in elaborate tombs, the Vikings created burial chambers out of entire Viking ships, which were richly adorned and filled with food, drink and artifacts for use in the afterlife. Located on the Bygdøy Peninsula, this churchlike museum is a testament to the importance of the Viking Age and home to archeological finds and ships from the 9th and 10th centuries AD that were found in boat graves near the Oslofjord. When discovered in the late 19th century and early 20th century, the wooden ships were so fragile that it took 13 years to develop a preservation method that would allow them to be excavated without disintegrating; now on display at the Viking Ship Museum, the ships are comprised of nearly 90% original wood. The most famous ship is the one excavated from Oseberg, in southern Norway, which is the largest known ship burial in the world.