The Korshamn wreck: preliminary investigations of a Nordic clinker-carvel “hybrid” from the late 12th century, and some thoughts on medieval cargo handling

Abstract

During 2016, several undocumented shipwreck sites were exposed on the sandy shores of Halland, western Sweden. One of the most interesting finds is situated in the shallow bay of Korshamn, close to the medieval town of Falkenberg. A limited test excavation revealed a clinker-built vessel over 13 m long. Dendrochronological analysis suggests that the vessel was built shortly after 1168 from Scandinavian wood. Even though it clearly conforms to contemporaneous Scandinavian ship building practices, there are certain features that appear highly unusual. This paper presents the preliminary results of the excavation. In addition, the kar phenomenon of southern Scandinavia is briefly discussed.