Description
Far from being ‘wild, barbaric, axe-wielding pirates’, the Vikings created complex social institutions, oversaw the coming of Christianity to Scandinavia and made a major impact on Europen history through trade, travel, and far-flung colonization. This encyclopaedic study brings together wide-ranging research on Viking art, burial customs, class divisions, jewellry, kingship, poetry and family life, and in this revised edition, has been updated to include recent discoveries. The result is a rich compelling picture of an extraordinary civilization.