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penguin_emperor_of_the_north's review against another edition
5.0
That was fascinating. I realize that all people's have an interior life beyond the stereotypes but it's interesting to get to see that life.
The book starts out addressing the stereotypical image of the vikings, bloodthirsty raiders who seemingly killed for the sake of killing. Then it goes into the interconnected economy of early medieval Europe (apparently Arabic coins are commonly found in Scandinavian archeological sites) and the technology, social, political and economic life of Scandinavia. It ends with a discussion of religion and art in early medieval Scandinavia.
It's present throughout the book but especially in the opening chapters about violence, the author emphasizes skepticism about the historical narrative. First, he points out that we don't have many written records from the Vikings themselves. Most accounts of Viking raids were written by churchmen from the territories being targeted. Understandably, they took a dim view of the Vikings, especially their habit of razing churches and monasteries.
But second, Winroth points out that the Vikings weren't terribly different from continental kings and emperor's. He gives the example of Charlemagne, who lead expeditions into neighboring areas for loot and plunder just like the Vikings. The differences seem to be in the tactics and the propaganda. Where Vikings were fast moving maritime raiders, Charlemagne had a powerful but slow moving army. And Charlemagne's targets left no written accounts so he gets portrayed as the hero where the Vikings get labelled as aggressors.
The discussion of economy and technology was also really cool. Might be the engineer in me but I always like to hear how a problem is solved. Especially things that seem so basic, like farming. I'm so used to the modern way of farming in the American Midwest that I'm amazed to hear how things could be and were done differently in a different world with different technology.
Or shipbuilding! I mean, these people built boats! By hand without power tools! And then sailed them into the open sea and navigated based on the stars and what marine critters they saw (seriously, apparently whales have specific areas of the ocean they usually dwell in or different seabirds are commonly seen at consistent distances from land). After that worked a few times I get why people would do it but whoever first decided he was going to find his way based on where he saw a whale last time was some combination of crazy and awesome.
And the idea of a monetized economy. It's fascinating to think that at one point that was the new thing and people had to be convinced to accept it. And it's something that I take for granted but it really does help commerce flow. I can hardly imagine it but there was once a time that a monetized economy was not a widespread thing.
Finally, the religion thing. Winroth talks a lot about the Christianization of Scandinavia and the similarities between the Norse mythology that we know and Christianity. Like the end of world being a cataclysmic battle followed by Paradise, or the killing of a pure, innocent deity, or the story of a deity fighting a monster (think Michael versus the dragon in Revelation or Thor versus Jörmungandr in Norse myth).
This book is really fascinating, I'm glad that I took the time to read it. It takes a lot to get me out of my early modern Europe comfort zone but it was definitely rewarding to do so.
I've hidden the below to save room. It's some additional speculation about the similarities in Norse and Christian stories but I didn't want to overemphasize the religion and mythology aspect (it's only the focus in one chapter of ten). The below is just me talking about a subject where I have interest and maybe enough knowledge to be dangerous.
I'm biased (I always hate to hear about Christianity being forcibly imposed, that's not the point guys) but I find the natural interchange idea more palatable than the idea of Christian ideas being forcibly imposed. But Winroth's point is that without pre Christian sources for their mythology we can't tell what is authentically Norse myth and what is the result of cross pollination.
I'd propose an alternate explanation too. Maybe there's a common wellspring for these stories. Consider the monster versus deity story. It's not just in Norse myth and Christian revelation. Babylonian mythology has Marduk fighting Tiamat, Classical myth has Zeus against Typhon, Apollo against Python and Heracles against the Hydra, Egyptian myth has Set against Apep. Perhaps the deity versus monster story is something that appeals to mankind on a fundamental level and tends to pop up in different forms.
The book starts out addressing the stereotypical image of the vikings, bloodthirsty raiders who seemingly killed for the sake of killing. Then it goes into the interconnected economy of early medieval Europe (apparently Arabic coins are commonly found in Scandinavian archeological sites) and the technology, social, political and economic life of Scandinavia. It ends with a discussion of religion and art in early medieval Scandinavia.
It's present throughout the book but especially in the opening chapters about violence, the author emphasizes skepticism about the historical narrative. First, he points out that we don't have many written records from the Vikings themselves. Most accounts of Viking raids were written by churchmen from the territories being targeted. Understandably, they took a dim view of the Vikings, especially their habit of razing churches and monasteries.
But second, Winroth points out that the Vikings weren't terribly different from continental kings and emperor's. He gives the example of Charlemagne, who lead expeditions into neighboring areas for loot and plunder just like the Vikings. The differences seem to be in the tactics and the propaganda. Where Vikings were fast moving maritime raiders, Charlemagne had a powerful but slow moving army. And Charlemagne's targets left no written accounts so he gets portrayed as the hero where the Vikings get labelled as aggressors.
The discussion of economy and technology was also really cool. Might be the engineer in me but I always like to hear how a problem is solved. Especially things that seem so basic, like farming. I'm so used to the modern way of farming in the American Midwest that I'm amazed to hear how things could be and were done differently in a different world with different technology.
Or shipbuilding! I mean, these people built boats! By hand without power tools! And then sailed them into the open sea and navigated based on the stars and what marine critters they saw (seriously, apparently whales have specific areas of the ocean they usually dwell in or different seabirds are commonly seen at consistent distances from land). After that worked a few times I get why people would do it but whoever first decided he was going to find his way based on where he saw a whale last time was some combination of crazy and awesome.
And the idea of a monetized economy. It's fascinating to think that at one point that was the new thing and people had to be convinced to accept it. And it's something that I take for granted but it really does help commerce flow. I can hardly imagine it but there was once a time that a monetized economy was not a widespread thing.
Finally, the religion thing. Winroth talks a lot about the Christianization of Scandinavia and the similarities between the Norse mythology that we know and Christianity. Like the end of world being a cataclysmic battle followed by Paradise, or the killing of a pure, innocent deity, or the story of a deity fighting a monster (think Michael versus the dragon in Revelation or Thor versus Jörmungandr in Norse myth).
This book is really fascinating, I'm glad that I took the time to read it. It takes a lot to get me out of my early modern Europe comfort zone but it was definitely rewarding to do so.
I've hidden the below to save room. It's some additional speculation about the similarities in Norse and Christian stories but I didn't want to overemphasize the religion and mythology aspect (it's only the focus in one chapter of ten). The below is just me talking about a subject where I have interest and maybe enough knowledge to be dangerous.
Spoiler
He notes that a lot of those Norse stories are known from writings several hundred years after Christianization and could be the result of Christian ideas being written into a Norse framework (either by the chroniclers we know like Snorri Sturluson or whoever handed the stories onto them). But Winroth also points out that between full Christianization and the pagan days there was plenty of interactions between the pagan North and Christian Europe. There was ample opportunity for Christian ideas to work their way into Norse myth naturally without some later writer deciding to formally 'baptize' the old myths to make them more palatable for a Christian audience.I'm biased (I always hate to hear about Christianity being forcibly imposed, that's not the point guys) but I find the natural interchange idea more palatable than the idea of Christian ideas being forcibly imposed. But Winroth's point is that without pre Christian sources for their mythology we can't tell what is authentically Norse myth and what is the result of cross pollination.
I'd propose an alternate explanation too. Maybe there's a common wellspring for these stories. Consider the monster versus deity story. It's not just in Norse myth and Christian revelation. Babylonian mythology has Marduk fighting Tiamat, Classical myth has Zeus against Typhon, Apollo against Python and Heracles against the Hydra, Egyptian myth has Set against Apep. Perhaps the deity versus monster story is something that appeals to mankind on a fundamental level and tends to pop up in different forms.
christophehermans's review against another edition
5.0
With "The Age of the Vikings" Anders Winroth wrote a succinct but gripping summary of the Scandinavian culture between the 8th and 11th centuries CE.
The author does not dwell on conjecture, and where he briefly touches upon it he is quick to point out either the flimsiness or the bias of the sources we have. (Most often both.) Nor does he get lost in the droning of dates and lineages of various leaders and kings, unless the subject matter requires it.
And that is exactly how the book is divided up by the way: themes and subject matters. This is no timeline or atlas of the Vikings, rather it is a thematic and very humanizing overview of their entire culture, insofar as we can tell with a degree of certainty.
That is probably the cause for the rather low score on Goodreads. This book is written to be understood by the layman, but its foundations are academic. The Norse culture is lifted entirely out of myth and "Hollywoodification" by the time you've finished reading this book. No doubt this will have disappointed several readers who had a grander, more romanticized idea of what the Norse were like.
Below I will briefly summarize each of the 10 chapters.
Chapter 1, the introduction, gives us a taste of the following chapters, briefly touching upon every subject matter in a tiny little piece of historical fiction. The chapter concludes that Norse culture revolved around the chieftains and their halls, around prestige of the chieftains, and that the main way of increasing prestige and loyalty is to share their wealth with their followers.
Chapter 2 focuses on violence. Winroth dismantles the idea that the Vikings were any more violent than their Christian contemporaries or that they were amazing on the battlefield. In an open battle, the mainland armies of Europe would likely mop the floor with (especially early) Viking age raiders. Their weapons, equipment, and training were simply inferior. Rather they struck hard and fast with their longships in rich areas that were poorly defended, and left before there was any chance of retaliation. The reason for their fierce and devilish reputation is because they were pagans who attacked Christians, and the vast majority of surviving sources were of course written by Christian clergymen.
Chapter 3 focuses on emigration and gives an overview of the settling of Britain, Iceland, Greenland, and more. Winroth's main point in this chapter is that these emigrations were not entire peoples packing and moving. Instead they were what you could call Viking "entrepreneurs". They did not leave because things were horrible in Scandinavia necessarily, as was often believed in the past, but because they thought elsewhere simply better provided better opportunities. There was no emigration pressure in Scandinavia, there was immigration pressure in all these various other places! And so these chieftains and leaders tried their luck, with some ventures being more successful than others, and with the Norse often quickly assimilating into the local culture.
Chapter 4 delves into technical details and the importance of the Viking longships, not just for trading and warfare but also in burial practices. Needless to say, there would not have been a Viking age to speak of without these incredible vessels. Modern reproductions are still very seaworthy, as the author points out with various examples.
Chapter 5 is where Winroth firmly starts to place the Vikings within the broader European, almost global context. The chapter deals with economy and was my favorite in the entire book. The Norse main exports were furs, walrus ivory, and slaves. With remarkable clarity the author points out that the Viking raids and trading of goods in fact boosted European economy.
Chapter 6 deals with the beginnings of the three Scandinavian kingdoms around the turn of the millennium. Through what is essentially a long period of political darwinism, more and more power ended up in the hands of fewer and fewer people. The line is vague but at a certain point it became proper to speak of kings rather than chieftains. Later on they adopted certain European practices for fee and tax collecting (essentially, feudalism) that turned these large swathes of land from barely governable and unstable, to stable kingdoms that laid the foundations for modern day Norway, Sweden, and Denmark.
Chapter 7 deals with the daily life of the Viking age. Some time is spent on clothing and food, but mostly the chapter deals with the role of women. The chapter concludes that while raiding was a dangerous venture, staying at and tending to the farm might not have been much better. Life was hard back then, not idyllic, no matter what path you might take.
Chapter 8 focuses on religion. Winroth points out how little we know of the old pagan beliefs, and how much of the sources are likely fictitious. Again, some readers might have been turned off by this. The conclusion here is that the conversion of Scandinavia to christendom was driven by its chieftains and kings, not missionaries. The leaders of chieftains were always looking for power, prestige, and wealth, as through redistributing it is how their social and economic culture worked. Mainland Europe projected a lot of power, and it had a lot of riches, and the Christian clergy (next to feudal tax systems) provided many ways to fill the coffers.
At first, conversions were likely pragmatic. The Norse likely took on traditions and rites of Christianity bit by bit. Over time and after a few generations, these beliefs grew stronger and stronger until in fact, all of Scandinavia had become Christian.
Chapter 9 deals with the arts. A good deal is spent on futhark, the runic alphabet. Sadly the author can only draw a solemn conclusion: that we only have the tip of the iceberg and that we will never know much of their culture. But without a doubt there was much more to the Norse than raiding and plunder.
Chapter 10 is very brief and talks about the end of the Viking age. Traditionally 1066 CE is chosen as the end date, with the battle of Stamford Bridge. Winroth suggests that this date is rather symbolic. The age of the Vikings ended when the old Norse beliefs were making way for Christianity and when they started to adopt much of the European mainland's customs, traditions, ways of trading and governing. Just like with the chieftains and the kings, the line is vague. But at a certain time in the European Middle Ages it is no longer appropriate to speak of the Vikings. What set them apart had slowly eroded and they had assimilated into Europe, driven over time more by pragmatism than anything else.
The author does not dwell on conjecture, and where he briefly touches upon it he is quick to point out either the flimsiness or the bias of the sources we have. (Most often both.) Nor does he get lost in the droning of dates and lineages of various leaders and kings, unless the subject matter requires it.
And that is exactly how the book is divided up by the way: themes and subject matters. This is no timeline or atlas of the Vikings, rather it is a thematic and very humanizing overview of their entire culture, insofar as we can tell with a degree of certainty.
That is probably the cause for the rather low score on Goodreads. This book is written to be understood by the layman, but its foundations are academic. The Norse culture is lifted entirely out of myth and "Hollywoodification" by the time you've finished reading this book. No doubt this will have disappointed several readers who had a grander, more romanticized idea of what the Norse were like.
Below I will briefly summarize each of the 10 chapters.
Chapter 1, the introduction, gives us a taste of the following chapters, briefly touching upon every subject matter in a tiny little piece of historical fiction. The chapter concludes that Norse culture revolved around the chieftains and their halls, around prestige of the chieftains, and that the main way of increasing prestige and loyalty is to share their wealth with their followers.
Chapter 2 focuses on violence. Winroth dismantles the idea that the Vikings were any more violent than their Christian contemporaries or that they were amazing on the battlefield. In an open battle, the mainland armies of Europe would likely mop the floor with (especially early) Viking age raiders. Their weapons, equipment, and training were simply inferior. Rather they struck hard and fast with their longships in rich areas that were poorly defended, and left before there was any chance of retaliation. The reason for their fierce and devilish reputation is because they were pagans who attacked Christians, and the vast majority of surviving sources were of course written by Christian clergymen.
Chapter 3 focuses on emigration and gives an overview of the settling of Britain, Iceland, Greenland, and more. Winroth's main point in this chapter is that these emigrations were not entire peoples packing and moving. Instead they were what you could call Viking "entrepreneurs". They did not leave because things were horrible in Scandinavia necessarily, as was often believed in the past, but because they thought elsewhere simply better provided better opportunities. There was no emigration pressure in Scandinavia, there was immigration pressure in all these various other places! And so these chieftains and leaders tried their luck, with some ventures being more successful than others, and with the Norse often quickly assimilating into the local culture.
Chapter 4 delves into technical details and the importance of the Viking longships, not just for trading and warfare but also in burial practices. Needless to say, there would not have been a Viking age to speak of without these incredible vessels. Modern reproductions are still very seaworthy, as the author points out with various examples.
Chapter 5 is where Winroth firmly starts to place the Vikings within the broader European, almost global context. The chapter deals with economy and was my favorite in the entire book. The Norse main exports were furs, walrus ivory, and slaves. With remarkable clarity the author points out that the Viking raids and trading of goods in fact boosted European economy.
Chapter 6 deals with the beginnings of the three Scandinavian kingdoms around the turn of the millennium. Through what is essentially a long period of political darwinism, more and more power ended up in the hands of fewer and fewer people. The line is vague but at a certain point it became proper to speak of kings rather than chieftains. Later on they adopted certain European practices for fee and tax collecting (essentially, feudalism) that turned these large swathes of land from barely governable and unstable, to stable kingdoms that laid the foundations for modern day Norway, Sweden, and Denmark.
Chapter 7 deals with the daily life of the Viking age. Some time is spent on clothing and food, but mostly the chapter deals with the role of women. The chapter concludes that while raiding was a dangerous venture, staying at and tending to the farm might not have been much better. Life was hard back then, not idyllic, no matter what path you might take.
Chapter 8 focuses on religion. Winroth points out how little we know of the old pagan beliefs, and how much of the sources are likely fictitious. Again, some readers might have been turned off by this. The conclusion here is that the conversion of Scandinavia to christendom was driven by its chieftains and kings, not missionaries. The leaders of chieftains were always looking for power, prestige, and wealth, as through redistributing it is how their social and economic culture worked. Mainland Europe projected a lot of power, and it had a lot of riches, and the Christian clergy (next to feudal tax systems) provided many ways to fill the coffers.
At first, conversions were likely pragmatic. The Norse likely took on traditions and rites of Christianity bit by bit. Over time and after a few generations, these beliefs grew stronger and stronger until in fact, all of Scandinavia had become Christian.
Chapter 9 deals with the arts. A good deal is spent on futhark, the runic alphabet. Sadly the author can only draw a solemn conclusion: that we only have the tip of the iceberg and that we will never know much of their culture. But without a doubt there was much more to the Norse than raiding and plunder.
Chapter 10 is very brief and talks about the end of the Viking age. Traditionally 1066 CE is chosen as the end date, with the battle of Stamford Bridge. Winroth suggests that this date is rather symbolic. The age of the Vikings ended when the old Norse beliefs were making way for Christianity and when they started to adopt much of the European mainland's customs, traditions, ways of trading and governing. Just like with the chieftains and the kings, the line is vague. But at a certain time in the European Middle Ages it is no longer appropriate to speak of the Vikings. What set them apart had slowly eroded and they had assimilated into Europe, driven over time more by pragmatism than anything else.
bittersweet_symphony's review against another edition
4.0
Winroth sets out to reclaim the image of Norsemen from today's present obsession with a particular story of vikings as giant-sized pillagers and plunderers who wore horned helmets and raped just about anything that had two legs.
He argues that "Scandinavians spurred political and social change, which in the long run enabled them to enter the mainstream of European history, though at the cost of losing some of what made their culture distinctive." Of Norse descent himself, he remains sympathetic but relatively objective in his approach, though he continually engages in a contemporary political question: who gave birth to Europe, the French, the Germans, or another cultural group? His defense comes in response to the "monks and clerics" whom "well-nigh monopolized early medieval literacy, so preserved chronicles and other literary works" which "preserve their perspective, which understandably was utterly hostile to their attackers [Vikings]." He suggests that Charlemange (among other Medieval oppressors) was equally violent and involved in plundering on a larger scale than the vikings. I am not fully convinced of this but find myself mostly in agreement with him.
Likewise he seems to hold a mixed admiration for the Vikings as I do: "Just as we as a society continue to have a fraught and complex relationship to violence, we are both spellbound and repelled by the Vikings. While we may sympathize with and grieve for their helpless victims and feel put off by all the mindless slaying, we can scarcely help admiring the strength, courage, and virility of the Vikings." They helped to connect Europe with Asia and North America (arriving in the New World four centuries before Columbus).
I found Winroth to be an engaging writer, who often inserted himself into the text, giving it more life than other more detached scholars. The prose came from a real voice. It was fun to have him connect historical figures and cultural contexts with the few that are popular today: Ragnar Lodbrok (the protagonist from the TV series "The Vikings"), Thor, and Beowulf. He appeared to gather from a wide variety of archaeological, historical, and literary sources, but I found myself wanting more from him at the end of the book. It felt scarce. I felt he had hardly unearthed Viking graves, and treasure troves before arriving at his conclusion: "A new era truly arrived when the Vikings' unique moment in history had run its course and Scandinavians instead opted to join Europe, embracing Christianity and other ideologies, and adopting European artistic ideals, military tactics, and trading patterns. When Scandinavians became the subjects of kings and the servants of the universal Church, they were no longer Vikings. The Age of the Vikings had come to a close." Yes, the sources during that era are sparce, and force a historian to speculate a great deal, but I wanted more.
My greatest criticism--which I hurl at most historians--is his focus on military might and politics. Granted the oppressors and power-seekers are the ones who get to write history (most of the time), I would have welcomed further exploration into the ideas which shaped the everyday lives of more praiseworthy and less violent characters. Yes, it was a violent time where most were illiterate, but I would have loved to hear more about the Skalds, the richness of the Norse mythologies, and at least more about the non-political lives of the era's great "heroes." Vikings had romances didn't they? Furthermore, Winroth falls prey to conventional thinking that war makes wealth, the State brings peace, and that taxation (or tithing) are a system we should celebrate or keep in our social structures today. He lauds Viking trade and how it gave Europe a huge boon after the decline in commerce from the fall of Rome, but I would have loved to hear him further explore Iceland and its society which allegedly thrived on relatively libertarian principles. Me thinks his liberal, Nordic-Model-as-Utopia bias shows through here. I hope this book is more evidence that we are in the midst of a Viking revival.
It was an enlightening read and helped me to piece together how Europe evolved from small warring chieftains to centralized kingdoms vitalized by the Catholic church and its alleged divine role in the affairs of men. I am eager to examine more viking history, and European history in general.
He argues that "Scandinavians spurred political and social change, which in the long run enabled them to enter the mainstream of European history, though at the cost of losing some of what made their culture distinctive." Of Norse descent himself, he remains sympathetic but relatively objective in his approach, though he continually engages in a contemporary political question: who gave birth to Europe, the French, the Germans, or another cultural group? His defense comes in response to the "monks and clerics" whom "well-nigh monopolized early medieval literacy, so preserved chronicles and other literary works" which "preserve their perspective, which understandably was utterly hostile to their attackers [Vikings]." He suggests that Charlemange (among other Medieval oppressors) was equally violent and involved in plundering on a larger scale than the vikings. I am not fully convinced of this but find myself mostly in agreement with him.
Likewise he seems to hold a mixed admiration for the Vikings as I do: "Just as we as a society continue to have a fraught and complex relationship to violence, we are both spellbound and repelled by the Vikings. While we may sympathize with and grieve for their helpless victims and feel put off by all the mindless slaying, we can scarcely help admiring the strength, courage, and virility of the Vikings." They helped to connect Europe with Asia and North America (arriving in the New World four centuries before Columbus).
I found Winroth to be an engaging writer, who often inserted himself into the text, giving it more life than other more detached scholars. The prose came from a real voice. It was fun to have him connect historical figures and cultural contexts with the few that are popular today: Ragnar Lodbrok (the protagonist from the TV series "The Vikings"), Thor, and Beowulf. He appeared to gather from a wide variety of archaeological, historical, and literary sources, but I found myself wanting more from him at the end of the book. It felt scarce. I felt he had hardly unearthed Viking graves, and treasure troves before arriving at his conclusion: "A new era truly arrived when the Vikings' unique moment in history had run its course and Scandinavians instead opted to join Europe, embracing Christianity and other ideologies, and adopting European artistic ideals, military tactics, and trading patterns. When Scandinavians became the subjects of kings and the servants of the universal Church, they were no longer Vikings. The Age of the Vikings had come to a close." Yes, the sources during that era are sparce, and force a historian to speculate a great deal, but I wanted more.
My greatest criticism--which I hurl at most historians--is his focus on military might and politics. Granted the oppressors and power-seekers are the ones who get to write history (most of the time), I would have welcomed further exploration into the ideas which shaped the everyday lives of more praiseworthy and less violent characters. Yes, it was a violent time where most were illiterate, but I would have loved to hear more about the Skalds, the richness of the Norse mythologies, and at least more about the non-political lives of the era's great "heroes." Vikings had romances didn't they? Furthermore, Winroth falls prey to conventional thinking that war makes wealth, the State brings peace, and that taxation (or tithing) are a system we should celebrate or keep in our social structures today. He lauds Viking trade and how it gave Europe a huge boon after the decline in commerce from the fall of Rome, but I would have loved to hear him further explore Iceland and its society which allegedly thrived on relatively libertarian principles. Me thinks his liberal, Nordic-Model-as-Utopia bias shows through here. I hope this book is more evidence that we are in the midst of a Viking revival.
It was an enlightening read and helped me to piece together how Europe evolved from small warring chieftains to centralized kingdoms vitalized by the Catholic church and its alleged divine role in the affairs of men. I am eager to examine more viking history, and European history in general.
renatevanderveen's review against another edition
3.0
Alweer een Viking boek! Ik word zo langzamerhand een Viking expert.
Dit boek kiest niet de geografie of chronologie als insteek maar diverse thema’s van de Vikingtijd. Hoe gewelddadig waren de Vikingen eigenlijk in deze gewelddadige tijd? En onderwerpen als emigratie, handel, van stamhoofd tot koning, religie, kunst. Winroth onderbouwt zijn betoog met veel bronnen, waaruit blijkt dat er een super degelijk onderzoek aan dit boek ten grondslag ligt.
Buitengewoon boeiend en daardoor is een wandeling door Wijk bij Duurstede (Dorestad) ineens een andere ervaring. En die film Redbad, daar heb ik nu wel zin in.
Dit boek kiest niet de geografie of chronologie als insteek maar diverse thema’s van de Vikingtijd. Hoe gewelddadig waren de Vikingen eigenlijk in deze gewelddadige tijd? En onderwerpen als emigratie, handel, van stamhoofd tot koning, religie, kunst. Winroth onderbouwt zijn betoog met veel bronnen, waaruit blijkt dat er een super degelijk onderzoek aan dit boek ten grondslag ligt.
Buitengewoon boeiend en daardoor is een wandeling door Wijk bij Duurstede (Dorestad) ineens een andere ervaring. En die film Redbad, daar heb ik nu wel zin in.
wonder_kinder's review against another edition
3.0
it was an interesting piece on Vikings and Viking culture that brought a little clarity to the history removng the saga exaggerations. however I feel like it occasionally got caught in a chicken or egg scenario.
wannabekingpin's review against another edition
4.0
all reviews in one place:
night mode reading ;
skaitom nakties rezimu
About the Book: Book ranges all through what author calls Viking Age, as far as it can be traced, and in good detail, comparing stories, myths, tales, and what found evidence there is, paints a picture of how they came to be such a prominent force; what they gave to world, what they took from it, and what’s left of it all today.
My Opinion: This is pretty good, a fairly wide take on the topic, from farming to traditions, to values, to runes, to decor. Interesting and easy read.
night mode reading ;
skaitom nakties rezimu
About the Book: Book ranges all through what author calls Viking Age, as far as it can be traced, and in good detail, comparing stories, myths, tales, and what found evidence there is, paints a picture of how they came to be such a prominent force; what they gave to world, what they took from it, and what’s left of it all today.
My Opinion: This is pretty good, a fairly wide take on the topic, from farming to traditions, to values, to runes, to decor. Interesting and easy read.
shc's review against another edition
3.0
Lots of interesting detain, especially regarding recent archaelogical findings, but it never wraps the era into a coherent narrative, which might have been by design but still left me feeling a little adrift. That is, I know more about the Norse than I did before, but they occupy no clearer place in my understanding of world history.
lgrunwald's review against another edition
4.0
4/5
If you are looking for a academic but easily understandable rundown on many aspects of the Viking age this is definitely the book you are looking for. Andre Winroths vast knowledge and research on the era is both informative and incredibly fascinating from start to finish. One of my biggest compliments was his acknowledgements on the many misconceptions of the era and the people in it due to mass misinformation and the media at large and giving many alternative perspectives and ideas as to what a misconception would be in reality when it's not already presented with archeological evidence. I also love that he is willing to admit that we don't have all the answers to the Viking age and how many things have been lost to time but he makes it fun to speculate about anyway.
The book is sectioned off into different topics in each chapter such as the actual Viking attacks and weaponry, to farm culture, travel and ship making, trade, religion and eventual conversion of Scandinavia, and art and runic inscriptions. It's all very organised and if you were interested in a particular topic it would be easy to skip to if you wished to do so. My personal favourite sections were about farm life, ship building, and religious aspects to the text which were all so insightful and painted a unique picture of mediaeval Scandinavia that I now want to study in even more detail. I also am absolutely fascinated by Winroths descriptions of bodies found in the ship burials and archeologist being able to tell if they had certain diseases or if they had broken bones are battle wounds in their lives. It was so amazing! I'm going to try and find more resources on it as soon as possible.
My only complaint is that the trade chapter of the novel along with a few other places seemed to drag on and on and Winroth tended to repeat himself quite a few times on things that I felt were unnecessary. I also didn't tend to agree with every speculation he made about migration from Scandinavia to other places and his reasoning behind it due to previous reading but it's only encouraged me to educate myself further and look into more of the sources which Winroth readily gives you in the back of his novel.
All in all absolutely worth the read if you are interested in the Viking age as a whole or mediaeval Scandinavians as people and a small glimpse at their lives. It has also vastly encouraged me to look further into other resources of study around mediaeval life in general.
If you are looking for a academic but easily understandable rundown on many aspects of the Viking age this is definitely the book you are looking for. Andre Winroths vast knowledge and research on the era is both informative and incredibly fascinating from start to finish. One of my biggest compliments was his acknowledgements on the many misconceptions of the era and the people in it due to mass misinformation and the media at large and giving many alternative perspectives and ideas as to what a misconception would be in reality when it's not already presented with archeological evidence. I also love that he is willing to admit that we don't have all the answers to the Viking age and how many things have been lost to time but he makes it fun to speculate about anyway.
The book is sectioned off into different topics in each chapter such as the actual Viking attacks and weaponry, to farm culture, travel and ship making, trade, religion and eventual conversion of Scandinavia, and art and runic inscriptions. It's all very organised and if you were interested in a particular topic it would be easy to skip to if you wished to do so. My personal favourite sections were about farm life, ship building, and religious aspects to the text which were all so insightful and painted a unique picture of mediaeval Scandinavia that I now want to study in even more detail. I also am absolutely fascinated by Winroths descriptions of bodies found in the ship burials and archeologist being able to tell if they had certain diseases or if they had broken bones are battle wounds in their lives. It was so amazing! I'm going to try and find more resources on it as soon as possible.
My only complaint is that the trade chapter of the novel along with a few other places seemed to drag on and on and Winroth tended to repeat himself quite a few times on things that I felt were unnecessary. I also didn't tend to agree with every speculation he made about migration from Scandinavia to other places and his reasoning behind it due to previous reading but it's only encouraged me to educate myself further and look into more of the sources which Winroth readily gives you in the back of his novel.
All in all absolutely worth the read if you are interested in the Viking age as a whole or mediaeval Scandinavians as people and a small glimpse at their lives. It has also vastly encouraged me to look further into other resources of study around mediaeval life in general.
siria's review
4.0
A solid overview of the Viking period which presents a synthesis of the most recent scholarly understandings of the history and archaeology. Anders Winroth organises The Age of the Vikings thematically and then uses a series of vignettes to illustrate his point. His prose is brisk and his explanations are clear. Recommended for someone looking for a quick but comprehensive introduction to this period of early medieval history.