Historical Tidbit Thursdays - Vikings - Houses - #TidbitThursday

Howdy! This week join me as we explore Viking houses.

Viking families settled in villages and established farms. Women and children usually tended the farms while the men were away on raids or trade voyages.

We'll talk about villages another time, but I did want to note that not all villages during this period were identical. Some were large and consisted of many separate farm houses while others were smaller and consisted of several communal longhouses.

   
Norse houses, rectangular in shape, were made of local timber or branches with thatched or turf roofs. Longhouses had timber frames with walls of wattle (woven sticks) and daub (a mud-clay mixture). Some longhouses had curved walls made of split tree trunks with angled posts to help support the roof. Stave houses were built of verticle planks (or staves).

Here you can see the woven wattle that make up the walls of these structures. The daub/mud would be pressed against these frames to seal the cracks (kind of like mortar).

   

In locations where wood was scarce, stone would have been used for the walls.

Longhouses were typically 39 to 49 feet long but some more communal ones measured up to 164 feet long and all seemed to be less than 16 feet wide.

The earlier homes would shelter both goods and animals as well as the extended families. Eventually, Vikings made use of outer buildings to shelter livestock or to store crops. Around 200 BC, fences were being used to contain their animals as well as mark their property.

Homes lacked many windows or had none at all and the family members relied on a central hearth for light as well as heat and cooking. Above the fire a smokehole was cut out to allow smoke to escape outside. During the day, the door would be left open to allow in additional light.

Furnishings were sparse as well. Long benches lined the walls for sitting or sleeping. Actual beds were rare and usually reserved for the wealthy. There may have been a special chair for the man of the house. Tables were uncommon but trestle-like tables that could fold up for storage may have been used. Wooden chests doubled as seats. Living areas may have been separated by skins rather than walls. Weapons, shields, or even cloth were hung on the walls.

Picture References:
Wattle and Daub - Wikipedia
Wattle Building - Fotevikens Museum
Curved longhouse - National Museum of Denmark
Stave House - Fotevikens Museum


References:
National Museum of Denmark
Forbes Magazine - Retracing Ragnar: Scandinavia's Top Viking Sites
Visit Denmark
Visit Norway
Fotevikens Museum
Wikipedia - Wattle and Daub
"Everyday Life in Viking Times" by Michael Gibson, ISBN#0-7500-1472-5

The Vikings: Voyagers of Discovery and Plunder (General Military)	The Vikings (Journey into civilization)
Vikings, a Dark History	Vikings: Warriors, Raiders, and Masters of the Sea (Oxford People)
The Vikings

Historical Tidbit Thursdays - Vikings - Jewelry - #TidbitThursday

Howdy! This week join me as we begin exploring the jewelry that was crafted during the Viking times.

During the Viking Age, metal smiths were highly revered and their skills made them wealthy. Jewelry was a form of wealth and could be used in trade exchanges.

Jewelry was made from various materials including gold, silver, wood, leather, glass, ceramics or stone.

 
Beads were made from amber, glass, crystal or other material. The first example, we have glass and amber beads from 11th-12th century. The second example features pretty glass beads from about 7th century.


One popular piece of jewelry found at most archaeological sites is the brooch (used for both functional purposes and decorative purposes). They range from plain designs to very ornately carved. Many feature animal designs. In this example from The British Museum, the pitted copper alloy brooch features a small animal head, which is a common theme throughout Viking art.


Women usuallly wore decorative brooches on each shoulder. This set from the National Museum of Denmark shows one set which was connected by a string of amber beads.


Both men and women wore neck rings (similar in style to the arm-ring). The Walters Art Museum has an excellent example of a silver twisted neck ring. Typically they were open at the back (like the arm-ring) but this one features a clasp.

As mentioned last week, jewelry was often given as a gift or in exchange for loyalty.

Picture References:
Gold Neck ring - National Museum of Denmark
Dress brooch - National Museum of Denmark
Animal Head Brooch - The British Museum
Amber Beads - The British Museum
Glass Beads - The British Museum
Neck Ring - The Walters Art Museum

References:
The Field Museum - Vikings
British Museum - Viking Collection
Viking-Era Ring Unearthed in Northern Ireland - History.com.
"Everyday Life in Viking Times" by Michael Gibson, ISBN#0-7500-1472-5

The Vikings: Voyagers of Discovery and Plunder (General Military)	The Vikings (Journey into civilization)
Vikings, a Dark History	Vikings: Warriors, Raiders, and Masters of the Sea (Oxford People)
The Vikings

Historical Tidbit Thursdays - Vikings - Jewelry - Arm Rings - #TidbitThursday

Howdy! This week join me as we begin exploring the jewelery that was crafted during the Viking times starting with the arm-rings.

Arm-bands or arm-rings were circular bands, usually open, worn around the arm by both men and women.

Opinions differ on the actual technique used by Vikings to make these bands. One theory suggested they twisted one or more rods of gold or silver into a circle. One theory suggested they were cast as a single piece. In any case, the twists could be any combination of plain or decorative and they varied in thickness and widths.


This one from the Walters Art Museum has a nice twisted-rod pattern ending in two animal heads.


This example at the British Museum is a thick piece of silver with punched designs.


And another example from the Yorkshire Museum of a thick band of gold stamped with designs.


Here we see a piece from the BBC's "A History of the World" that is stretched out.

Typical arm rings include a carving at the ends of an animal or mystical creature (such as a dragon).

Considered a sign of wealth and prestige, a person would proudly wear many rings on their arms or would gift a ring to someone of importance or who performed a great deed. They might be offered in exchange for allegiance. A chieftain or "Godi" would wear a silver ring when performing duties such as settling trade agreements.

Arm-rings have also been found in burial sites possibly suggesting they belonged to the owner or they were specially made for the burial.

Arm rings were also used as collateral for trading goods and were known as ring-money. At some point, most were of a uniform weight to allow for easy exchanges.

Picture References:
Gold Arm Ring - The Walters Art Museum
Silver Ring - The British Museum
Stretched Ring - BBC - A History of the World
Gold Hammered Ring - Yorkshire Museum

References:
Nice page full of arm band pictures - Lancashire Museums
Viking-Era Ring Unearthed in Northern Ireland - History.com.
"Everyday Life in Viking Times" by Michael Gibson, ISBN#0-7500-1472-5

The Vikings: Voyagers of Discovery and Plunder (General Military)	The Vikings (Journey into civilization)
Vikings, a Dark History	Vikings: Warriors, Raiders, and Masters of the Sea (Oxford People)