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Cristin Clapperton
Paper 1 Assignment (Part 1)
English 404 – Viking World
October 28, 2009
Viking Longboat/ship
For this project I wanted to cover a topic that fascinated me the most. There were topics
that I thought about doing, I mentioned them in class, but after that another topic came to mind.
The Viking longboats are also referred to as longships and they have always intrigued me. The
way that these vessels were designed and built was impressive for that time period. There is not a
considerable amount of information about these vessels but there have been many theories and
speculations based on archaeological finds.
For this project I would like to explore how these vessels first came about, theoretically
of course. If possible I would like to convey how the early construction of boats began and
theoretical reasoning to why the Vikings decided to build the boats. After the theories I would
like to discuss how these vessels were built. How did they come up with designs that were
incredibly functional? What materials, wood and tools did they use? In what ways were these
vessels used? Where is the proof and evidence that Viking boats were used for what we assume
they were? These are a few examples of what I wish to convey in this project.
The vessels used were of great importance to the Viking culture. What does one usually
imagine when thinking about Vikings? The first thing that usually comes to mind is a culture that
used to travel around Europe pillaging. Well, how did the Vikings get around to these distant
lands? The answer is traveling by boat across seas and rivers. Traveling by boat was important to
the Viking warrior and an individual can not truly understand a society until they learn other
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important aspects of that culture. Describing the advanced ingenuity of these vessels may lead to
a greater respect of the culture.
For this project I imagine that I will need very few resources to complete this project. I
feel that the topic that I have chosen is straightforward. So far I have gathered five good sources
to help me with the research on the topic. Although, from a quick glance the information
provided seems to all be about the same topics and events. Since most of the ships were found
through archaeology, most of the sources reference the major finding to date. To complete the
project I feel that the only resources that I may need is a computer with internet connection and
good sources available to me. Four out of my five sources are books that I found in the
University library, with more time and reading I may find more.
After looking at the syllabus choices for the project I have started to eliminate my
choices. It has always been difficult for me to write long papers, mostly because I have never had
to. But, I find it difficult to write about one topic and it would be harder if I had to write 15-20
pages. I find creating web pages to be fun however, I do not know much about computer
programs to trust in a final project. I am uncertain what is meant by a links page and as I
mentioned above, finding multiple sources for a major annotated bibliography would be hard.
Even though a flash presentation is boring, I feel that I am familiar enough with the program to
do a good job on the project.
Putting the project together in PowerPoint should be very simple. The background colors
and fonts are already provided; all you need to do is pick something that is readable. The only
thing that may be a problem is deciding how much information to put on each slide. I don’t want
to make the slide seem overcrowded, but I want to make sure that there is enough information to
understand the topic. There is not a large list of digital resources that I will need to complete the
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project. Even though there is a limited amount of accurate information that is repeated, the books
contain several pictures. These pictures are also available on the internet, but I am finding that
the best quality pictures are in the book. All that I will need is a scanner and there are several on
campus and I have one at my apartment as well. I will put this project together like I would with
any other PowerPoint presentation. I have a book on PowerPoint tips, so hopefully that will keep
my presentation from looking straight and boring. I think that if I needed any assistance it would
be to see if they could tell me what other good sources there are for this topic. But, I do not see
that happening to me.
Through PowerPoint you can save your presentation in a web page option. This is what I
plan to do and then the file can be connected to the class website. I would categorize my topic
under the historical title. I see my topic relating to other aspect of the Viking world because
traveling and pillaging was part of their everyday life. Women may have done a lot of the chores
but it was up to the men to make weapons and build ships so that they could successfully gain
another persons’ wealth. Hopefully, the information about Viking vessels that I will put into my
project will relate as well to the other project than I am imagining.
Foote, Peter and Wilson, David M. The Viking Achievement. New York: St. Martin’s Press,
1990. Print. UI Library DL65 F6 1990.
The argument of this book is that there was more to a ship than it being a symbol of
wealth and power. The book says that the ships were the most important form of
transportation. This book also discusses the traits of a ship, origins of the ship and rituals
that involved the vessel.
Gardiner, Robert. The Earliest Ships: The Evolution of Boats into Ships. Maryland: Naval
Institute Press, 1996. Print. UI Library Oversize VM15 E24 1996b.
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This book discusses the origins of the vessels and structures in the boats. This book sheds
a light on archaeological findings and theories of how boats became ships. This source
could be important in defining the terms boat and ship when it comes to Vikings and how
to distinguish them.
Roesdahl, Else. The Vikings. 2nd ed. New York: Penguin Books, 1998. Print. UI Library DL65
R6413 1998.
This source argues that the ships varied based on the natural conditions of the people. She
also argues that there were different types of ships for different tasks. Separate ships for
war, travel, class of individuals and ceremonies. Information from this site could be vital
to understanding how the ships could vary based on purpose and who the vessel was
meant for.
Sawyer, Peter. The Oxford Illustrated History of the Vikings. New York: Oxford University
Press, 1997. Print. UI Library DL65 O94 1997.
This book suggests that even though ships of the Viking age were similar, Viking ships
were more advanced. The ships were lighter, slimmer, faster, and possibly contained
better sailors. Understanding how advanced the Vikings were in ship making is important
because it gives us insight into how they were able to travel the distances they did.
Viking Answer Lady. Woodworking in the Viking Age. Web. 24 October 2009.
The argument made in this source is that the woodworker’s art varied based on
disciplines that they specialized in. Another contributing factor was the tools that the
craftsman used. This source will be key to the project because it covers known tools that
they used. It also discusses different mediums and decorations used in their craft.