...interred in a burial mound in 834 CE at the Oseberg farm near Tønsberg in Vestfold county. The burial chamber beneath it held the largest collection of Viking age artefacts but had been looted of all jewellery. It is thought that it may have been a royal pleasure craft made of oak and pine, although we now know that it could also be sailed or rowed on the ocean. The ship was excavated in 1904-5. The carvings - dragons and serpents - are still in excellent condition today. It is assumed that the ship was used as a burial ship for two prosperous women but it is not known what special positions they held in the community.