Book description
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, travel and far-flung consolidation. This encyclopedic study
brings together the latest research on Viking art, burial customs, class
divisions, jewellery, kingship, poetry and family life. The result is a
rich and compelling picture of an extraordinary civilisation. Else
Roesdahl is Reader in Medieval Archaeology at the University of Arhus,
Denmark and special Professor in Viking Studues at the University of
Nottingham. In 1988 she was awarded the Soren Gyldendal Prize for the
Danish edition of THE VIKINGS.
