Vikings by Laura Pheasey 

Vikings – Who were they?

Vikings were the people of Norway, Sweden and Denmark. 
They were very adventurous people who went off raiding monasteries. 
Vikings traveled to many lands sometimes raiding, but mostly  to look for places to live.
The Vikings had to find land as the population kept getting bigger and food became less. 

Archaeologists  examining  a  Viking  settlement

The Vikings settled in Waterford, Dublin, Wexford and Limerick. 
In Dublin they made a large port and it soon became a large trading port in Ireland. 
A Viking lived in a house surrounded by houses.They lived in villages because if they were attacked there would be a large group to fight back.
The Vikings were not always mean savage people.They were excellent craftsmen, goldsmiths and silversmiths.

Women made combs to trade abroady.Where Viking children grew up there was many diseases so most children died. 
In attacks the Vikings like to come without the enemy knowing. 


Longships
A long ship was a long slender boat made from wood. It had a red and white flag.

On the bow of the ship there was the head of a dragon. 

The Viking thought dragons made them better at fighting. It was so slender so it could easily glide through the narrow waters. It could hold 60 warriors.Fifty nine would row and one would navigate.
When the Viking ship stopped at land all the oars were tucked away. Longships were built to carry groups of warriors.

The Vikings had many Gods.
Here are some of them, Thor, Olof, and Odin.The Vikings worshipped these Gods who they believed would give them an afterlife. 

Valhalla :

Viking burial groundValhalla was said to be a hidden cove.But really it was the burial place for Vikings. Vikings were either buried in a pit or set on fire. Many bodies have been found with a slave or a thrall, with lots of jewellery, food and possessions.The Vikings thought they would use them in the afterlife. 

One ship was found with two bodies in Osebery. It contained the bodies of a princess, a thrall and many of her possessions such as jewellery, clothes etc. 


Viking clothes.

The Vikings wore clothes made from wool, linen and furs. Rich people could afford silks from places like Rome. A Viking man wore a tunic made from wool or linen and it was tied with a brooch.Under this he wore trousers which was tied with a belt.A woman wore a linen dress tied by a brooch over the shoulders which also held an apron over the dress.A child dressed like his/her parents.All Vikings wore leather shoes.It was very uncommon to see a poor person wearing silks.Only rich people could afford these.
A slave wore very shabby clothes.
A whalebone board and a heated glass ball were used for ‘ironing’ clothes. 

Food.
Farm foul provided the Vikings with meat and eggs.They grew vegetables such as peas, bean and cabbages. Hot soup, made from vegetables and bits of meat was made a favourite food of the Vikings during the cold weather.
Vikings also liked to fish.Men became hunters and fishermen to increase food supply. In the seas around their homeland they caught herring, cod, salmon and trout. On land Vikings hunted animals like deer.

Cauldron for cooking

Viking  Waterford:

Reginalds  Tower  was  built  by  Reginald  and  i s  situated  on  the edge  of  the river   to  protect  the town from  attack.
It  was  used  as a defense, mint, gail  and  museum.

While  building  in Waterford  many  artifacts  were  unearthed by archaeologists.   These  are to be seen  in the Museum at The  Grannary,  Waaterford  Treasures  on the Quay.
Photographs  could  not  be taken of these  artifacts.

Remains  of the  Viking  Walls  are  still  to be  seen  in Waterford.

Images  taken  from  Map of  Waterford

Source of Information:
Class History  Book
Viking CD  by  Dorling Kindersley
Viking  Web Resources.

Laura Pheasey