WHO WERE THE VIKINGS ICT he Vikings lived over 1 000 years ago in the lands we know as Denmark Norway Ali CG and Sweden They were mainly farmers and shipbuilders However their land was not very good for farming Norway was very hilly Sweden was covered in forests and Denmark had a lot of sandy areas This meant that when the population increased there was not enough land for everyone L By the end of the eighth century some Vikings looked for other ways to make a living At first they raided towns and monasteries in other parts of northwest Europe They stole treasures and took some of the people to be slaves The Vikings then began to travel overseas to settle and trade as well as to raid When they settled most Vikings farmed while others made beautiful objects from stone wood and metal This stone cross was carved in the 10th century It shows a Viking warrior with some of his weapons SOME IMPORTANT DATES IN VIKING HISTORY 793 The Viking age starts 840 Viking traders from when Viking raiders attack Sweden reach Istanbul Lindisfarne which is off the which they call Miklagard northeast coast of England I meaning great city 874 Vikings from Norway 886 When England is begin to settle in Iceland divided the Vikings settle in the area known as the
GREENLAND western settlement III Eastern settlement ICELAND RUSSIA NORWAY FAROES NEWFOUNDLAND Staraya Ladog SHETLANDS WEDEN BRKNEYS DENM Novgorod THE VIKING WORLD The Vikings built fantastic ships that let them sail farther than any other Europeans at that time They RELAN settled in parts of Scotland Ireland England Iceland Greenland and Normandy Some reached Newfoundland North America while others sailed down the rivers ENGLAND Normandy Istanbu of Russia to trade MAP KEY Viking homelands Viking settlements 911 The King of France agrees to a peace treaty with the Vikings after their many raids and allows them to ca 980 Erik the Red discovers Greenland After five years Vikings from Iceland begin to settle in Greenland ca 1000 Leif Eriksson sails I 1066 William Duke of from Greenland to North Normandy invades England America He calls the land he The Viking age soon comes discovers Vinland to an end settle in Normandy II
HOW DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE VIKINGS any clues to life in Viking times come from evidence discovered by archaeologists By carefully studying excavated artifacts and other evidence from a site historians and archaeologists can determine how people lived in that place at a certain time in the past The examples shown on this page give a selection of surviving objects from Viking times We can also learn from Some standing structures such as rune stones and written This archaeological dig at York England has given records us a wealth of information about Viking life LEATHER AND WOOD Objects made from leather and wood usually rot But if the soil is damp this can help preserve them Viking shoes and wooden bowls have been found ET Viking gold coins COINS Gold and silver coins have been found on Viking sites By looking at where the coins were made archaeologists can learn where the Vikings traveled and traded Viking wooden bowl
WOOD CARVINGS From the few examples that have survived we know that the Vikings were skilled wood carvers This wood carving left dates from the late 12th century at the end of the Viking era Carved wooden panel at Urnes Church Norway Viking comb EVIDENCE IN THE LANDSCAPE The remains of some Viking buildings and graves can still be seen today BONES AND ANTLERS People have found combs on Viking sites made from a deer antler The Vikings carved many objects from bones and antlers including ice skates buckles and musical instruments A Viking grave at Ballandorae Isle of Man c SEEDS Archaeologists try to find out which plants and animals ived at certain times in the past To do this they sieve Magnified seeds and soil samples and examine the remains of seeds animal other objects bones and insects under a microscope from a Viking
