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The Vikings
The Vikings
For nearly 300 years, from the end of the
eighth century AD until around 1100, the Vikings set out from
Scandinavia on raids and voyages of discovery and colonization
across the northern world. Their pagan gods were regarded with
horror by the Christian countries of Europe, but the archaeology of
their settlements and burials and the literature of their sagas
reveal a complex and fascinating
culture.
Viking society was
hierarchical and ruled by kings or chiefs, who owned large
farmsteads. It was divided into the free, who could carry arms and
speak at local assemblies, and the thralls, or slaves, who had no
rights, although some were able to gain their freedom. The free
were divided into the noble class of jarls (earls) and, beneath
them, the farmers, whose status depended on how long their families
had owned their farms.
The
sagas, mostly composed in Iceland in the thirteenth century, give
the impression of a violent society as rival families resorted to
blood feuds to settle disputes or avenge murder. The violence of
the age is reflected in the quantity of weapons found in male
graves. However, Viking raids were often seasonal affairs, after
which the bands of warriors would disperse to return to their
farms. Trade and plunder brought increasing prosperity to the
region and skilled craftsmen patronized by the élite produced
objects of great artistic merit.