A Viking Assembly site or ‘Thing’ has been discovered in the heart of England’s Sherwood Forest.
Thousands of Vikings were based at Torksey camp, archaeologists find
May 21, 2017 by
A huge camp which was home to thousands of Vikings as they prepared to conquer England in the late ninth century has been uncovered by archaeologists.
Vikings Survey Quiz
May 3, 2017 by
Take this quiz to discover what people believe about the Vikings and about their lasting legacy on our world today.
When did the Vikings start raiding England?
April 26, 2017 by
A fresh examination of written records from Anglo-Saxon England suggests that the Vikings were raiding the country even before their infamous attack on Lindisfarne in the year 793.
The Sights, Sounds and Smells of the Vikings are back in York
April 12, 2017 by
The long-awaited re-opening of the JORVIK Viking Centre in York took place early this week among much fanfare. The well-known medieval attraction is again having visitors immerse
themselves in experiencing the sights, sounds and smells of a Viking-age city.
Friends, Vassals or Foes: Relations and their representations between Frisians and Scandinavians in the Viking Age
March 23, 2017 by
‘We paid a visit to the lads of Frisia. And we it was who split the spoils of battle among us.’ – So reads the runic inscription on a silver Viking Age neck-ring found in Senja, Troms County in northern Norway, which is dated to c. 1025.
Rodulf and Ubba: In Search of a Frisian–Danish Viking
March 5, 2017 by
This article attempts to reconstruct some of Rodulf’s life and deeds.
Campaign begins to keep Viking hoard in Scotland
February 26, 2017 by
Campaigners are calling for one of the most spectacular Viking hoards ever discovered in Scotland to have its home near where it was found in Dumfries and Galloway.
European Viking Themed Festivals: An Expression of Identity
February 11, 2017 by
Viking themed festivals are now widespread throughout Europe and are a popular expression of heritage identity.
Assembling places and persons: a tenth-century Viking boat burial from Swordle Bay on the Ardnamurchan peninsula, western Scotland
February 4, 2017 by
A rare, intact Viking boat burial in western Scotland contained a rich assemblage of grave goods, providing clues to the identity and origins of both the interred individual and the people who gathered to create the site.
Watchful Warriors on Viking-Age Sculpture
January 24, 2017 by
Watchful Warriors on Viking-Age Sculpture Lecture by Howard Williams Given at the University College Isle of Man on December 14, 2016 Almost every book about the Vikings includes photographs of warriors found on early medieval carved stones from Britain, Ireland and the Isle of Man. How do we interpret these images? Why were figures with […]
The Vikings in Orkney
January 23, 2017 by
In recent years, it has been suggested that the first permanent Scandinavian presence in Orkney was not the result of forcible land-taking by Vikings, but came about instead through gradual penetration
Dressed up with bling stolen in Viking raids
January 22, 2017 by
When a female Norwegian Viking died some time during the ninth century, she was buried wearing a status symbol: a beautiful piece of bronze jewellery worn on her traditional Norse dress.
Male-biased operational sex ratios and the Viking phenomenon
December 18, 2016 by
Conceptually, our hypothesis is related to what is perhaps the oldest explanation for Viking raiding, which was put forward by Dudo of St. Quentin (c. 965–1043). In History of the Normans, he argued that the raids were caused by an excess of unmarried young men.
Ælla and the Descendants of Ivar: Politics and Legend in the Viking Age
November 30, 2016 by
In March 867 the Northumbrian king Ælla died at York during a battle against the Scandinavian ‘Great Army’. Two years later, further south, the same force dealt a similar end to the ruler of East Anglia.
Viking Faroes: Settlement, Paleoeconomy, and Chronology
November 20, 2016 by
The paper presents a synopsis of the current evidence for the settlement chronology and Viking Age to Early Medieval paleoeconomy of the Faroe Islands.
BOOK EXCERPT: King Cnut and the Viking Conquest of England 1016 by W.B. Bartlett
November 2, 2016 by
The Viking Conquest of England in 1016, saw two great warriors, the Danish prince Cnut, and his equally ruthless English opponent, King Edmund Ironside fight an epic campaign.
Smiths, Myths, and Viking Age Stones
October 18, 2016 by
In this lecture, Professor Williams will be examining depictions of smiths from Norse mythology on Viking Age stones in the British Isles, as well as on rune-stones and picture-stones from Scandinavia.
Viking Music? New CD of Viking age music climbs the charts
October 5, 2016 by
Can one recreate the music of the Viking age? A newly released CD called Ice and Longboats: Ancient Music of Scandinavia hopes to do so, and has already earned praise from reviewers and risen into the top 20 of the Official Specialist Classical Chart.
Viking at Heart: Interview with Emma “Bruni” Boast, MA
October 1, 2016 by
Medievalists.net gets to know Archaeologist and Heritage Consultant Emma Boast, a.k.a. Bruni, in an exclusive one-on-one interview! Current Occupation? I am a Freelance Viking Age Archaeology and Heritage Consultant, Managing Director at Nidavellnir (Viking Age Historical Clothing and Nalbinding) and Site Assistant at York Archaeological Trust. My passion is everything to do with the […]
Northmen: The Viking Saga 793-1241 AD
September 26, 2016 by
In his new book Northmen: The Viking Saga, 793 – 1241 AD, John Haywood gives an overview of the age of the people we now call Vikings.
The Extent of Indigenous-Norse Contact and Trade Prior to Columbus
September 9, 2016 by
The full extent of Norse exploration in North America is a growing field and the extent of their contact and trade with Indigenous Americans is becoming increasingly known.
The Varangian Legend: Testimony from the Old Norse sources
July 2, 2016 by
In the eleventh century there existed, within the great army of the Byzantine empire, a regiment composed mainly of soldiers from Scandinavia and the Nordic countries. This regiment was known as the Varangian Guard
Raiders from the North: Irish Enslavement during the Viking Age
June 13, 2016 by
Both the interactions with the Irish as well as the enslavement of the Irish influenced Norse culture.
Goodbye to the Vikings
June 2, 2016 by
Vladimir Polach talks about how scholars are researching the Vikings.
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