The Viking Diaspora
From the eighth to the eleventh centuries, the Vikings, comprising mainly Danes and Norwegians, shot around the Northern Hemisphere, plundering vast swaths of territory with the rapacity of a Genghis Khan. The Norsemen raided throughout the British Isles and the Frankish empire, and even attacked North Africa. They headed west to Iceland, Greenland, and what is now Canada, becoming the first Europeans to set foot in the Americas. And they traveled east into what is now northern Russia, ultimately lending their own name Rus, the Slavs’ name for them, to that great country.
Physical and social traces of the Vikings’ lightning-like passing remain in sites stretching from Newfoundland to north Russia.
Kaupang
International Norse trading market with finds of English, Frankish, Danish, and Arabic coins.
Hedeby
At its height in the 10th century, Hedeby was the largest trading town in northern Europe with at least 1,500 inhabitants, mainly Danes.
Paris
Suffered major attacks by Viking raiders in A.D. 845, 865, and 885-6.
Noirmoutier
Vikings’ first wintertime base for raids on mainland Europe, A.D. 843.
Dublin
Beginning in A.D. 841 as a fortified base for raids, Viking Dublin grew to be a flourishing trade, shipbuilding, and craft center.
York
Viking capital of the Danelaw, or Scandinavian territory, first occupied in A.D. 866. Excavations have revealed dozens of Viking Age houses and workshops.
Orkney and Shetland Islands
Settled by Norse Vikings during the 9th century, they were important bases for raids on Scotland and Ireland.
Faroe Islands
Colonized by the Norse around A.D. 825, the Faroes served as an important stepping stone between Norway and the settlements in Iceland and Greenland.
Iceland
Some 25,000 or more Vikings settled in Iceland, establishing an all-island assembly and penning the Icelandic sagas and chronicles in the 12th and 13th centuries.
Greenland (Eastern settlement)
The verdant landscape surrounding the Eastern settlement, the main Greenland colony, inspired Erik the Red, who sited his farm here at Brattahlid in the 10th century, to call the land Greenland, for, as one of the sagas tells us, “people would be attracted to go there if it had a favorable name.”
Greenland (Middle settlement)
By the late 15th century, all three Viking Greenland settlements, including the modest Middle settlement, had disappeared due to a multiplicity of factors.
Greenland (Western settlement)
Much smaller than the Eastern settlement, the Western settlement was the first to disappear, in the early 14th century.
Cape Porcupine, Labrador
Possible location of the “Wonderstrand” beach described in the Vinland saga.
L’Anse Aux Meadows
Located and excavated in 1960-61, this Newfoundland site proved to be the only authentic Viking settlement in the New World.
Birka
Major town for Swedish Vikings involved in the Arab silver trade, with population of at least 600 in 9th-10th centuries A.D.
Staraja Ladoga
Important first Viking staging post on the trade route to Russia, founded 8th century A.D.
Novgorod
First capital of the Rus dynasty in the 9th century. Excavations reveal extensive, well-preserved wooden streets and houses as well as correspondence on birch bark.
Bulgar
Major market on the Volga where Viking and other merchants exchanged Arab silver for Viking furs, falcons, slaves, honey, walrus ivory, and steel swords.
Kiev
Capital of the Rus dynasty from around A.D. 900, growing wealthy from trade with Constantinople.
Constantinople (Istanbul)
Capital of the Byzantine empire, subjected to four separate Viking raids.
Baghdad
Seat of the Arab caliphate from A.D. 750, Baghdad was the production center of the Arab silver so prized by Viking traders.
-
mythpictures likes this
-
fornsed posted this
