The Vikings were a people of great navigators, warriors and traders, who saw their origins in Scandinavia and who even today fascinate scholars and historians. The period in which they saw their civilization shine brighter than ever is known as the Viking era and is usually placed between 793 and 1066 AD
The habits of the Vikings: this is how they lived
In Scandinavia there were some harsh climatic conditions which significantly influenced the way of life and everyday life of the Vikings. First, they lived in homes known as longhouse, with a long and narrow rectangular shape usually made of wood and with turf or straw roofs. In these homes they usually lived together with pets.
The center of their domestic life was the hearth given that it managed to heat the surrounding environment and at the same time was useful for cooking. During a typical day for a Viking there were tasks such as working the fields, looking after livestock, fishing and even hunting. The men also carried out also incursions into the territories surrounding while the women also took care of weaving clothes.
As regards the organization of Viking society, this was the era divided into three classesthat is, the jarlsi karls hey thralls. The former were considered the bosses and they were of noble origin, landowners with great influence; the latter were instead artisans and farmers and in percentage they were the majority of the population; finally, the last ones were the slaves who had been captured during raids or born directly into slavery.
The religion for the Vikings it was very important: their polytheistic beliefs were strongly linked to nature and in fact they had various divinities, such as Thor the god of thunder, Freyja the goddess of love of fertility and again Odin the god of wisdom and war. The deities greatly influenced every aspect of their lives and, to avoid suffering their wrath, rituals and sacrifices were carried out.
Another interesting aspect related to this population is the fact that the Vikings were gods very skilled navigators: their boats, the drakkar, were made with considerable naval engineering skills, and were very light, fast and able to navigate in shallow waters and at the same time in the open sea. Thanks to them they could explore and accordingly colonize lands even very far away.
Finally, they were even excellent traders, as they had managed to establish trade networks that connected Scandinavia with Central Europe, the Middle East and even Asia. They typically traded and traded goods such as furs, weapons, amber, and slaves.
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