Rus’, Varangians and Birka Warriors
By Charlotte Hedenstierna-Jonson
The Martial Society. Aspects of warriors, fortifications and social change in Scandinavia, eds. L. Holmquist Olausson and M. Olausson (Stockholm, 2009)
Introduction: Viking Age remains displaying a number of distinct similarities stand in strategic locations alongthe Eastern trade routes from Birka to Kiev. They consist of fortified settlements with many Scandinavian features and a considerable military presence. Some artefacts obviously associated with warriors’ dress or equipment are so diagnostic in their design that questions about common origin and manufacture have been raised. Who were the bearers of this equipment and what was the relationship betweenthese warriors and the fortified settlements?
Three main routes led to the Great Rus’ rivers: along the Neman, along the Dvina or through the Gulf of Finland. The great rivers Dnjepr and Volga couldthen be reached by following smaller rivers and traversing lakes. The Dnjepr was the route to the Black Sea and Byzantium, while the Volga led to the Caspian Sea and the Arab world. Considerable amounts of archaeological material deriving from East Scandinavia, mainly from the Lake Mälaren Valley, have been discovered in the Russian areas of Eastern Europe – much more than in Western Europe. The pattern of distribution corresponds to the initial stage of the ancient Russian state (9th and 10th centuries), as described in the Russian Primary Chronicle. East Scandinavians settled in the East at about the same timeas Danes and Norwegians established themselves in the West.
Click here to read this article from Academia.edu
By Charlotte Hedenstierna-Jonson
The Martial Society. Aspects of warriors, fortifications and social change in Scandinavia, eds. L. Holmquist Olausson and M. Olausson (Stockholm, 2009)
Introduction: Viking Age remains displaying a number of distinct similarities stand in strategic locations alongthe Eastern trade routes from Birka to Kiev. They consist of fortified settlements with many Scandinavian features and a considerable military presence. Some artefacts obviously associated with warriors’ dress or equipment are so diagnostic in their design that questions about common origin and manufacture have been raised. Who were the bearers of this equipment and what was the relationship betweenthese warriors and the fortified settlements?
Three main routes led to the Great Rus’ rivers: along the Neman, along the Dvina or through the Gulf of Finland. The great rivers Dnjepr and Volga couldthen be reached by following smaller rivers and traversing lakes. The Dnjepr was the route to the Black Sea and Byzantium, while the Volga led to the Caspian Sea and the Arab world. Considerable amounts of archaeological material deriving from East Scandinavia, mainly from the Lake Mälaren Valley, have been discovered in the Russian areas of Eastern Europe – much more than in Western Europe. The pattern of distribution corresponds to the initial stage of the ancient Russian state (9th and 10th centuries), as described in the Russian Primary Chronicle. East Scandinavians settled in the East at about the same timeas Danes and Norwegians established themselves in the West.
Click here to read this article from Academia.edu
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