The Vikings

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The Vikings

• By Ashley

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Contents

• Who Were The Vikings?
• The Viking Settlements
• Viking Raids
• The Viking Ships
• Viking Trading

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Who Were The Vikings?

• The Vikings were both a warrior and farming
  society from the region now known as Scandinavia.
  They were also seafaring explorers who sailed
  beyond their homelands not only to raid, but also
  to build settlements in other parts of the world.

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The Viking Settlements

• Typical Viking settlements were centred around
  the longhouse, a large barn like building in
  which the family lived. Other buildings included
  storehouses, where grain and food supplies were
  kept, and workshops, where weapons and farming
  tools were made. Because the Vikings were skilled
  seafarers, many of their settlements were near
  water, and they used their well-constructed boats
  for fishing, for trade, and to raid other
  settlements and villages.

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Viking Raids

• The Vikings began to raid their southern
  neighbours around 800 AD. These raids, and the
  subsequent invasions, took many forms and and
  reached out in many directions. In the British
  Isles and parts of France, there was a fairly
  uniform evolution raids gradually changed from
  hit and run to larger ambitious forays in which
  bands of sailor-raiders carved out holdings or
  base camps where they stay for winter.
  Eventually, by the mid-to late 9th century, the
  armies grew in size.

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The Viking Ships

• When the Vikings were going to raid, they used
  huge boats called longships. These longships
  could hold to about 30 or more men and could
  withstand massive storms because of its design.
  All the viking ships used the Clinker design
  which long planks of wood were overlapped and
  nailed over the support ribbing and then covered
  with wool covered in tar to keep water from
  coming in. Some of these ships had their front
  prow carved like a dragon to scare people.

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Viking Trading

• The Vikings were the international tradesmen of
  their time. In Constantinople (Istanbul) they
  traded silk and spices for slaves that they had
  brought from Russia. Amber they found in the
  Baltic area. From the north and Greenland in the
  west, they brought furs, skins and walrus tusk
  ivory to the trading towns in western Europe.
• The Vikings founded trading cities in Scandinavia
  such as Birka, Ribe, Hedeby and Skiringsal. In
  Ireland they founded Dublin and in England they
  made York flourish to become the most important
  trading town outside of London.