Selim I: Did you mean...?

The split pieces were roughly shaped in the Viking timber yard, and the sapwood and pith were removed. The remaining core became stronger and more reliable timber for the clinker overlap. Charcoal...

The oak trunk about to be cut down was read by the Viking shipbuilder not only for its straightness but also for the degree of twist in its fibres. By looking at the bark, the builder could understand whether...

The Viking building tradition relied more on the shipbuilder’s eye than on an obsession with rulers. Correct proportions were established through memory and experience carried into the hand. Charcoal illustration...

Even a small Viking boat required hundreds of rivets, while a large Viking longship needed thousands. Shipbuilding, therefore, depended not only on carpentry but also on important iron production and an active...

As the rough boards were prepared, it became clear which pieces would serve for the Viking ship's keel, the strakes, and the internal frame. The timber yard was not only a storage area but also the...

The tree for a Viking ship was felled with long-handled axes rather than saws, and the fall was carefully directed. After it fell, the trunk was roughly cleaned, and useful curved branches and forked sections...

The Viking ship builders did not wait for the wood to dry, as other timber for other purposes was left. Rather, shipbuilders worked most pieces while still fresh and moist. This made the boards softer...

In the end, the Viking ship was born through the successive joining of wood, iron, wool, tar, oil, and human labour. The trunk in the forest had become timber in the timber yard, a shell in the shipyard...

When the logs for a Viking ship reached the shipyard or timber yard, they were sorted by quality and intended use. At this early stage, builders had already decided which trunks would serve for the keel...

Viking shipbuilders strengthened knot-related weak points in the oak planks with patches fastened from the outside. This management of defects was aimed at minimising the structural risks created by knots...