Clustered
around the head of the 68-mile-long Oslofjord, Oslo is probably the most
spacious city in the world. Its 175-square-mile metropolitan area
consists of over 75 percent forests and five percent water. Its fine
deep harbor, Pipervika, stretches into the heart of the city and from it
leave ferries to Denmark and Germany.
THE VIKINGS: THE NORTH ATLANTIC SAGA
Edited by William W. Fitzhugh and Elizabeth I. Ward
ISBN: 1560989955
There’s
a lot more about the Vikings than most people know. This excellent
book not only tries to correct misconceptions about the Viking, but
places them where they belong in world history. The Vikings set sail
from Scandinavia during the early Middle Ages as famine ravaged
their homeland. This and the promise of untold riches in far off
lands encourage them to conquer parts of England, France, Ireland,
Russia, and Turkey. The success of these new settlements made them
seek other lands that lay farther to the west within the vast
expanses of the Atlantic Ocean. Soon Vikings could be found in
Iceland, Greenland, and along the northern shores of North America.
Nearly three dozen Viking experts contribute to The Vikings: the
North Atlantic Saga. Each examines a facet of the new
archeological evidence showing that the Vikings had settled in North
America– if only for a brief time. During their stay they often had
strained relations with the native inhabitants which they called
skirelings or screamers. Throughout the book these experts compare
this new archeological evidence with the content of sagas from that
time. According to the editors, the Viking Age and its North
American medieval extension stand out as one of the most remarkable
periods in human history.
The book uses the history of the Vikings as a framework for a series
of major events in world history, leading the reader through
Scandinavian culture, art, religion and daily life and then to the
Viking expansion into Europe and the Mediterranean. From there, the
focus shifts to the North Atlantic where Viking raids preceded the
expansion of Europe.
Lavishly illustrated with full-page in double-page photographs of
Norse maps and charts and, including some showing routes to and
settlements in North America, the book also contains photographs of
Viking jewelry and implements.
This book is for everyone from novice, new to Viking history, and
those who have been reading about it for considerable time. It’s not
only informative but fun to read – a rare combination. Readers
should read the entire book, not just parts of it, to get to
complete picture.
Every year about 95 000 people die in
Sweden and, according to the law, everyone must be buried. There must be
room for everyone in the cemeteries, therefore the future needs of space
have to be predicted. Because of this funerals must be part of the
planning process.
In
the early Middle Ages, driven by famine at home and the promise of
wealth to be had in other lands, the Vikings set out from Scandinavia to
conquer parts of England, Ireland, France, Russia, and even Turkey.
Bolstered by their successes, the Vikings pushed westward, eventually
crossing the North Atlantic and founding settlements in Iceland,
Greenland, and Newfoundland in Canada. Read
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