Product Description

Between the eighth and eleventh centuries, the Vikings surged from their Scandinavian homeland to trade and raid along the coasts of Europe. Their influence extended from Newfoundland to Baghdad, their battles were as far-flung as Africa and the Arctic. But were they great seafarers or desperate outcasts, noble heathens or oafish pirates, the last pagans or the first of the modern Europeans?

This concise study puts medieval chronicles, Norse sagas and Muslim accounts alongside more recent research into ritual magic, genetic profiling and climatology. It includes biographical sketches of some of the most famous Vikings, from Erik Bloodaxe to Saint Olaf, from King Canute to Leif the Lucky.

Extending beyond the traditional ‘Viking age’ of most books, A Brief History of the Vikings also places sudden Scandinavian population movements in a wider historical context. It presents a balanced appraisal of these infamous sea kings, explaining both their swift expansion and its supposed halt. Supposed because the Vikings never really went away. Instead, posits Clements, they became a part of who we are today.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #133062 in Books
• Published on: 2005-10-13
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 352 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780786715992
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
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About the Author

Customer Reviews

a new perspective
Using personal histories and the biographies of leading figures, this book humanises the Viking world. In places, it often reads more like a historical novel, albeit one with scrupulous references to original sagas and archaeology. It is particularly good on the Vikings' encounters outside the usual stories, with interesting notes on their dealings with the Muslim world, particularly the effect of the Zanj Rebellion in what is now Iraq on the white slave trade in Northern Europe, and the influence of the influx of silver from Benjahir in Afghanistan. The narrative also manages a broad historical perspective, beginning with the departure of the Roman legions from Britain, and taking the impact of Scandinavians on North America all the way up to the year 2000. Highly recommended.

A solid introduction
I had always been casually interested in Viking history, and while browsing at my local bookstore, this book seemed to provide an easy-to-read introduction to the Vikings. It definitely lived up to its potential. The author conducts a wide survey of the Vikings and their voyages from Greenland and North America all the way to the Middle East and the Black Sea. The text is entertaining and the author writes with a dry sarcasm that I found to be comedic. The only negative was that it was sometimes difficult to keep up with all the different names of various Scandinavian rulers and raiders. Overall, highly recommended for casual Viking enthusiasts.

Fresh Ideas
The author's conversational style and sense of humor make this book easy and enjoyable to read. Adding recent DNA evidence cements up areas concerning which peoples settled the various parts of Britain and the world. Viking history has been told in many books, yet this one adds new slants to old history. In concluding, the author reminds us that we might respond as lawlessly as the "barbarian" Vikings in similar hardship conditions, their warmer climate, and without our modern supports of government, welfare and insurance. Indeed, he says, other people now exploit the resources of distant lands for us.