For many years Ribe was just a small marketplace -
- that had emerged where the roads met each other by the river.
Small boats could anchor up by the river side.
But mostly the goods arrived by land
The Danes could trade freely here with Friesians and other groups.
But when the Friesians demanded a tax for the trade-
- Earl Angantyr had to step in.
He defeated the Friesians in battle and promissed safety for all the traders.
With the newly found safety the marketplace started to grow.
Ditches were dug and roads laid -
- thus creating parcels for the merchants to settle on.
But what really changed Ribe -
- was the construction of the piers in the Ribe river.
Large amounts of oak were transported to the site from the surrounding forests.
Holes for wooden posts were dug.
- and they were put in place by rope and tackle.
The largest of the oak logs were carved into solid rectangular beams -
- they would form the foundation of the pier.
It was tedious work. But the details were important.
The posts in the water were carved.
And the large oak beams were lowered in place.
Smaller rafters were debarked, so that insects could not live in the wood.
thereby prolonging the lifespan of the rafter.
They were placed on the foundation as a shock absorbing base.
Short but thick oak logs were split and chopped into planks.
A long piece of oak was laid across the planks and fastened with wooden nails.
When the first pier was finished word quickly spread.
Merchants came from all over the world to use the new trade opportunities.
Over time many piers were built in Ribe
so multiple ships could anchor up at the same time -
- and the villiage evolved in to a large and respected trading cirty.
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