Viking ships came in a variety of sizes and types, each suited for different purposes. The drekkar was a longship used by warriors for raids, with features like a shallow draft, light weight, and space for up to 60 rowers. The knorr was a larger merchant ship used to transport goods and people, wider and longer than the drekkar. Ships were essential for Viking life, allowing them to trade, explore, colonize new lands, and launch attacks by sea.

1. Viking Ships

15. Viking
Ships
Large
Merchant
Ships
Knorr
Longships
Drekkar
Snekke
Skied
BusseSmall
Byrding
Karve

17. Activity 1
• Think about what life would have been like on a
Viking ship. Write down your ideas in the boxes
• What would you see, hear, smell, taste, touch?
• Be ready to share with the class/those next to
you

20. Activity 2
The Viking Ship Museum is holding a competition to design
a new exhibit on Viking ships for people your age.
1. Use the model making materials to make a model of a Drakkar
Longship and a Knorr Merchant ship.
2. Write a label for the exhibit comparing the features of each.
• Propulsion
• Width and length
• Defensive features
• Purpose
3. Write a label for the exhibit briefly describing the importance
of ships to the Viking way of life.