5602ec+Ancient+Civ+Report 

Wanted The Vikings who raided the monastery just twenty miles north.Will give the first man who reports where they are 20 pounds of gold.

Sound like some type of joke? Even though its not an actual wanted poster, it’s not too far from reality. The Vikings, who lived in Scandinavia ( modern day Norway, Sweden, and Denmark), raided England, Ireland, Scotland, France, and many other countries. Records tell us that the Vikings even robbed monasteries! The word Viking means a man from the vik, which means bay or creek. Also, it means to go exploring. These raiders lived from the eighth century to the twelfth century. They have many legacies including Viking words which we still use today such as egg and sister and giving each other presents in December. An equally and important and fascinating part of Viking culture, however, was its warfare. Warriors and weapons were important to the Vikings because they raided England, France, Ireland, Scotland, and many other countries, so they needed to know how to fight well if they were going to gain slaves and treasure. They also played an important role in the Vikings’ lives for war purposes. We can learn more about this cultural aspect by looking at armor and weapons, Viking raids, and ships. After all, the Vikings were fantastic sailors and made marvelous ships including drakkarships (dragon ships).

The Vikings used armor and weapons when they went raiding and to war. Poor warriors wore tunics and leather caps. They used knives and spears to fight with. Wealthy warriors wore tunics and had metal helmets on their heads. These warriors fought with sharp swords. Berserkirs wore bear skins and chainmail armor. They worked themselves into a trance before battle. A good sword was a warrior's most treasured possession. Viking warriors must have had a lot of respect for their swords since they gave them names such as “Sharp Biter.” Also,Viking warriors often asked to be buried with their sword!

As stated above, the Vikings raided in Scotland, Ireland, England, France, and many other countries. They raided villages in these countries for treasure and slaves. Healthy men and women were taken away from their homes and were sold as slaves. The monks at these monasteries were defenseless. Viking pirates such as King Svein Forkbeard led Viking warships to England. Every time he went he demanded “Danegeld”( gold for the Danes). If the English people didn’t pay him to sail away, Forkbeard would attack! This worked very well and the English always payed him.Viking raids were certainly feared!

The Vikings built many powerful and beautiful ships. Cargo ships were heavy and slow. These ships had wide, deep hauls to carry loads. Ferry and river boats were small and sturdy. They had a ton of room for passengers.Drakkar ships (dragon ships) were definitely the most impressive Viking ships. Dragon ships were designed for war. Viking dragon ships were long, fast, and slender. Also, each drakkar ship had a marvelous stern and prow. All of the Viking ships were certainly very impressive for their day!

The Viking age ended for a number of reasons. Firstly, kings in England, Ireland, and Scotland drove out Viking rulers. Secondly, these Scandinavians learned how to live with other peoples. Thirdly, Christianity destroyed the faith people had in the Viking gods. Forthly, the Vikings set up kingdoms outside of their homelands. Although the Vikings are gone, some of the days of the week still have Viking names such as Thursday (Thor’s Day). Santa was originally a Viking god called Odin. We've realized that hygiene is really important. Like the Vikings, we clean ourselves regularly and comb our hair oftenly. From the Vikings, we can learn that hygiene is extremely important.

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