The Vikings

Download or read book The Vikings written by Else Roesdahl and published by Penguin UK. This book was released on 1998-04-30 with total page 431 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Thoroughly updated and with a new foreword 'The Viking Age is shot through with the spirit of adventure. For 300 years, from just before AD800 until well into the eleventh century, the Vikings affected almost every region accessible to their ships, and left traces that are still part of life today' Far from being just 'wild, barbaric, axe-wielding pirates', the Vikings created complex social institutions, oversaw the coming of Christianity to Scandinavia and made a major impact on European history through trade, travel and far-flung consolidation. This encyclopedic study brings together the latest research on Viking art, burial customs, class divisions, jewellery, kingship, poetry and family life. The result is a rich and compelling picture of an extraordinary civilisation.