Although they are primarily known to history as raiders and plunderers, the Vikings were also traders and colonizers who left their home shores in Scandinavia for a variety of reasons, from political conflicts to famine and a shortage of farmland.
What did a Viking settlement look like?
In countries like Norway, Viking homes were usually built from wood. They had thick walls made from wood and mud and the roofs were layered with thick turfs of grass or thatched with branches and reeds. The common name for Viking homes was longhouses as they were rectangular in shape.
When did the Viking settlers come to Britain?
There was a mass movement of Viking settlers around mid 800 AD. Viking Settlers in Britain: Viking warriors attacked the Christian monastaries along the eastern coast of Britain. The Vikings found the monastaries easy pickings as the monks had no weapons. It was not long before Viking farmers moved to Britain and settled along the eastern coast.
What was the look of a Viking settlement?
Viking Settlement Characteristics. A model Viking settlement was located in a place near the coastline with reasonable boat access; a flat, well-drained area for a farmstead; and extensive grazing areas for domestic animals.
Where did the Vikings settle in the Faroe Islands?
In the Faroe Islands, Viking settlement began in the mid-ninth century, and research on the farmsteads there ( Arge, 2014) has identified several farmsteads that were continually inhabited for centuries. Some of the farmsteads in existence in the Faroes today are in the same locations as those settled during the Viking landnám period.
Where did the Norse settlers in Iceland come from?
Norse settlement of Iceland began in about 870. [6] Around half of the settlers seem to have come from the region of Norway around Bergen, with their chief motivation having been to escape the draconian rule of King Harald Fairhair. The other half came from other parts of Scandinavia and the British Isles. [7]