The Vikings are well-known for their violent raids and pillage, but they also had a well-organised system for political decision-making, legal cases and conflict resolution. These activities took place at outdoor assembly sites, such as Thingvellir in Iceland, which were careful…
"At the end of the eighth century, the Vikings began to plunder the Celtic monasteries, putting an end to the golden age of Celtic art in the Early Christian period. In spite of the invaders' love of looting, fire and the sword, their impact was not simply destructive. In a seco…
Far from being just 'wild, barbaric, axe-wielding pirates', the Vikings created complex social institutions, oversaw the coming of Christianity to Scandinavia and made a major impact on European history through trade, as Roesdahl reveals.
"In 1960, Helge Ingstad and Anne Stine Ingstad made a discovery that rewrote the history of European exploration and colonization of North America--a thousand-year-old Viking settlement at L'Anse aux Meadows, Newfoundland. In A Grand Adventure, the Ingstads' daughter Benedicte t…
