The two Viking ships discovered at Salme on Estonia’s island of Saaremaa are called the Salme ships.
The vessels were found near the village of Salme in 2008 and 2010. They contained the remains of more than 40 men, along with weapons, gaming pieces and other equipment. The finds provide evidence of an early Scandinavian seaborne expedition in the eastern Baltic.
Radiocarbon and archaeological analysis generally place the burials in the first half of the eighth century, before the traditional AD 793 starting point often used for the Viking Age. The ships were clinker-built, but they lacked the masts and sail systems associated with later ocean-going vessels.
The identities of the dead and the exact circumstances of the event remain uncertain. Researchers have proposed that the men were killed in a conflict and buried aboard their ships, but the finds are not securely linked to a named ruler or saga episode.