Author Archives: Shane Graham

The discovery at Søften, Denmark, gives Viking history a different center of gravity. Instead of beginning with ships, weapons, and coastal attacks, the site starts with flax, pit houses, spindle whorls, loom weights, silver coins, glass beads, and a settlement … Continue reading →

Norse myth and Viking history often meet in the same public imagination, but they do not come from the same kind of evidence. Odin, Thor, Loki, giants, valkyries, and Ragnarök belong to mythic tradition, poetry, and religious imagination. Viking Age … Continue reading →

Historians rely heavily on physical evidence to piece together the history of early medieval Scandinavia. The Norse left very few written records of their own. Christian monks or later Icelandic writers penned most surviving documents long after the events occurred, … Continue reading →

Locating early medieval Norse farmsteads and trading centers presents a unique physical challenge. The Norse built almost entirely with organic materials like timber, turf, and wattle. Centuries of rain and agricultural activity have erased the visible standing structures across Scandinavia … Continue reading →

While maritime raids and military conquests dominate the popular perception of early medieval Scandinavia, the true engine of Norse expansion was an intricate and highly organized system of global commerce. Longships were designed not just for warfare, but for the … Continue reading →