Cultural Atlas of the Viking World

The Viking Age was filled with drama. It began in the late 8th century, when pagan pirates from Scandinavia fell upon the undefended monasteries and settlements of western Europe in search of loot and tribute, and ended in the 11th century, when the Scandinavian peoples — converted by then to Christianity - had come together to form the three nation-states of Denmark, Norway and Sweden. During this time, Viking sailors reached westward across the Atlantic Ocean to Newfoundland, colonizing the Scottish islands, the Faeroes, Iceland and Greenland on the way; they raided and traded along the coasts of western Europe as far as the Mediterranean, fought repeated military campaigns in England and France and founded settlements there and around the Irish Sea; and they sailed eastward along the river routes of Russia to the shores of the Black and Caspian seas, founding settlements, trading with Arabs and Bulgars, and joining the mercenary armies of the Byzantine emperor. "The Cultural Atlas of the Viking World" seeks to explain and illustrate the wide-ranging world of the Vikings. Part One looks at the physical background of the Scandinavian homelands and traces the history of human settlement there before the Viking Age. Part Two examines the Viking Age in Scandinavia: its social organization; the daily life of its farmers, craftsmen and traders; its religion and literature. Part Three considers the Viking expansion overseas, and Part Four looks at the Viking world at the end of the Viking Age. Special features examine key aspects of Viking Age culture, such as ships, art styles, and the pagan gods, and highlight some of the most important archaeological sites. Detailed maps show the Vikings' network of sea crossings and river routes, their military campaigns, and their political and cultural development. The photographs reveal the range of artifacts made — and raided and traded — by the Vikings, as well as the variety of landscapes in which their lives were led.