Vikings

By Marjolein Stern and Roderick Dale

Hardie Grant Books

This lavishly illustrated book traces the history of the Vikings from Stone Age as nomadic hunter/gatherers who followed reindeer herds to farmers in the remote wastes of Scandinavia. It tracks them from the Nordic Bronze Age to the Iron Age as traders and raiders who spread in all directions and settled large parts of Europe.

Mummified bodies from peat bogs, artefacts from archaeological digs, preserved boats and ancient maps and texts provide a wealth of information about the extent of the Vikings’ physical and cultural invasions from England to the Mediterranean; from Russia to Iceland and Greenland and even as far as America 500 years before Christopher Columbus.

Expert on Viking culture Marjolein Stern and archaeologist and expert in Scandinavian history Roderick Dale have put together a rich compendium that delves into the social structure and family life of these feared warriors. Women seemed to have quite powerful positions in their society and could own land, hold positions of power and even divorce their husbands.

Stern and Dale look at the Vikings’ extraordinary level of craftsmanship as well as beliefs and rituals that changed over time. By the time the Viking Age ended, the linguistic, cultural and genetic legacies were entrenched in a numerous countries and can be traced through to today. This compendium covers it all.

Lezly Herbert

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