The Vikings

The Viking reputation is of bloodthirsty seafaring warriors, yet they were also traders, settlers, and farmers, who have been variously perceived as poets, explorers, democrats, and statesmen.

Julian Richards uses the latest archaeological evidence to reveal the whole Viking world, and examines their legacy - from medieval sagas to 19th Century nationalism.

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The Viking reputation is of bloodthirsty seafaring warriors, repeatedly plundering the British Isles and the North Atlantic throughout the early Middle Ages. Yet Vikings were also traders, settlers, and farmers, with a complex artistic and linguistic culture, whose expansion overseas led them to cross the Atlantic for the first time in European history.

Highlighting the latest archaeological evidence, Julian Richards reveals the whole Viking world: their history, society and culture, and their expansion overseas for trade, colonization, and plunder. We also look at the Viking identity, through their artistic expression, rune stones, their ships, and their religion. The Viking story is also brought up to date, by examining their legacy from the medieval Icelandic sagas to 19th Century nationalism, Wagner, and the Nazis.

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