vidholf's review
2.0
I cannot say that I like this book. Having spent some time reading multiple scholarly works prior to picking up The Vikings: Culture and Conquest, I was rather disappointed with the book. It appears to be aimed at a lay audience, for footnotes are few and summary statements frequent. Infuriatingly in the first third of the book (corresponding to the ‘Culture’ of the title), Arnold frequently makes an assertion with little support and no citation of sources, then writes later as if the point had been adequately demonstrated. For example, in the first chapter he suggests religious differences and Charlemagne’s slaughter of the Saxons as a significant motivation (among several) for the Viking raids on monasteries and other Christian sites: “Could the origin of the Viking Age have had its prompting in a retaliatory religious war? This is unlikely to be more than part of the answer, but the violation of Christian centres, characteristic of the early Viking Age, may well have been undertaken with added enthusiasm in the light of Charlemagne’s treatment of Germanic pagans.” (pg. 13). Regardless of the merits of this theory and how well it fits the known facts in comparison with other theories, it is entirely disappointing that this statement is all Arnold musters to elucidate it. There is no consideration of evidence for or against this assertion, nor any citation of other works that treat it at length when he cannot. In short, it is a theory without the scholarship to support it, followed at various points later in the book by statements which assume it to be at least probably true.
If one ignores Arnold’s summary treatment of his subject, however – especially if one is new to Viking history – then the book is quite good. Odd assertions aside, he presents a balanced picture of the Vikings, neither painting them as the bloody Wagnerian Woden-warriors of early scholarship nor over-emphasizing their achievements as explorers, merchants, and sailors. He starts with a consideration of source material, highlighting strengths and weaknesses of contemporary writings about the Vikings, whether authored by Christians or Muslims. This review is conducted on a regional basis, echoing the later structure of the book, starting with Icelandic documents then moving to Frankish, Anglo-Saxon, and Irish sources, before turning to Russian and Arab material. He also points out the kinds of archaeological evidence which is most helpful in testing, or complementing, the written record.
Chapter 2 provides a good summary of Viking-era Scandinavian society, from the class stratification idealized in RigsÞula to the status of women, and of Norse mythology and religion, covering both the pagan and the Christian periods. Arnold’s description of Norse paganism strongly reminded me of several Heathen summaries of the same.
Chapter 3 then goes into some detail about Viking warfare and seamanship. Arms and armament – and the raw materials and economy necessary to provide them – are described in the context of European warfare as a whole, as is Viking battle strategy. The rest of the chapter spends more time on Viking ship-building, types of ships, navigation techniques, and naval warfare – and is one of the more enjoyable segments of the book.
The remaining six chapters leave the theme of ‘Culture’ largely behind and provide a play-by-play history of Viking raids, conquest, extortion, settlement, and monarchic consolidation. This makes for rather dull reading if you are already thoroughly familiar with it, or have recently read (as I have) several other books covering the same events. But if you have not – and have need to learn this kind of events-based history for the Vikings – then I highly recommend Arnold’s book over most others. He writes in a very lucid, easy-to-follow style. His treatment of the history in discrete chunks is superb, covering the related history of a given area and time together, then moving on to a nearby area in the same time and occasionally referencing contemporary events already covered, such that one gets a seamless impression of the history. Chapters 3 and 4 cover the British Isles, during 789-900 and 900-1070, respectively. Then the remaining chapters each cover: Scotland and the Scottish isles, continental Europe, Russia and the Near East, and lastly the Faroes, Iceland, Greenland, and Vinland.
If you’re an avid Viking fan and absolutely must have every book titled ‘The Vikings’ or similar (I have five so far), then you may want to get this book. But it is really better for someone new to Viking history, who can overlook its failings and benefit from its strengths.
If one ignores Arnold’s summary treatment of his subject, however – especially if one is new to Viking history – then the book is quite good. Odd assertions aside, he presents a balanced picture of the Vikings, neither painting them as the bloody Wagnerian Woden-warriors of early scholarship nor over-emphasizing their achievements as explorers, merchants, and sailors. He starts with a consideration of source material, highlighting strengths and weaknesses of contemporary writings about the Vikings, whether authored by Christians or Muslims. This review is conducted on a regional basis, echoing the later structure of the book, starting with Icelandic documents then moving to Frankish, Anglo-Saxon, and Irish sources, before turning to Russian and Arab material. He also points out the kinds of archaeological evidence which is most helpful in testing, or complementing, the written record.
Chapter 2 provides a good summary of Viking-era Scandinavian society, from the class stratification idealized in RigsÞula to the status of women, and of Norse mythology and religion, covering both the pagan and the Christian periods. Arnold’s description of Norse paganism strongly reminded me of several Heathen summaries of the same.
Chapter 3 then goes into some detail about Viking warfare and seamanship. Arms and armament – and the raw materials and economy necessary to provide them – are described in the context of European warfare as a whole, as is Viking battle strategy. The rest of the chapter spends more time on Viking ship-building, types of ships, navigation techniques, and naval warfare – and is one of the more enjoyable segments of the book.
The remaining six chapters leave the theme of ‘Culture’ largely behind and provide a play-by-play history of Viking raids, conquest, extortion, settlement, and monarchic consolidation. This makes for rather dull reading if you are already thoroughly familiar with it, or have recently read (as I have) several other books covering the same events. But if you have not – and have need to learn this kind of events-based history for the Vikings – then I highly recommend Arnold’s book over most others. He writes in a very lucid, easy-to-follow style. His treatment of the history in discrete chunks is superb, covering the related history of a given area and time together, then moving on to a nearby area in the same time and occasionally referencing contemporary events already covered, such that one gets a seamless impression of the history. Chapters 3 and 4 cover the British Isles, during 789-900 and 900-1070, respectively. Then the remaining chapters each cover: Scotland and the Scottish isles, continental Europe, Russia and the Near East, and lastly the Faroes, Iceland, Greenland, and Vinland.
If you’re an avid Viking fan and absolutely must have every book titled ‘The Vikings’ or similar (I have five so far), then you may want to get this book. But it is really better for someone new to Viking history, who can overlook its failings and benefit from its strengths.
toomanytomes's review
3.0
Interesting and a good general overview of Viking history, society and culture.
More...