No 1
Location: On the northwest column in the western exedra of the northern gallery.
Material: Marble surface, 6th century.
Dimensions: Height 5.9 cm, length 10 cm, at 170 cm from the floor level.
Condition: Shallow, clearly carved, not intersected by others.
Technique: Incised.
Description: The sailing direction of the vessel is towards the left. It has a forward slanting, straight stem. A single mast and a square sail are evident. The slanting line behind the mast perhaps indicates a side rudder.
Type: C/Ia.
Attribution: Viking war ship.
Publications: Th. Thomov. Four Scandinavian ship graffiti from Hagia Sophia, Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies XXXVIII/ 2, 2014, 168-184; Tomov, Potajnostite na "Sv. Sofia", 122-123.
Commentary: Tomov, Potajnostite na "Sv. Sofia", 122-123.
Date: Mid- 9th – end of 11th cent. AD.