There is a great deal of misunderstanding about the Vikings. This mainly stems from differences in interpretation. There was a vast range of Viking activity from around 800 to 1100 AD. It is rather easy to find a great variety of sources on the subject of the Northman, also known as a Viking. The written sources were produced in different circumstances, at different times, and in numerous languages. Apart from runic texts, there have been no written texts found in Scandinavia or any of the other lands settled by the Vikings before 1100 AD (Sawyer pg. v). Historians of this particular age have to rely heavily on archaeology, and the artifacts found have made remarkable contributions to the comprehension of these Nordic people.The Vikings traveled extensively and because of this, their artifacts have been found on a great many of the continents. For example, Viking weapons were found on the foreshore of the river Thames, near the north end of London Bridge. Seven battle axes and six spears along with silver coins and jewels were found near the river (pg. 75). This is a reminder that the attacks by the Northmen were a reality. Most of the finds that have been discovered were weapons. Axes and swords are the most common weapons found. From this information, scholars have concluded that the Viking preferred hand to hand combat. In Kilmainhan, the archaeologists found solid evidence of trading. They discovered four sets of ninth century bronze balance scales and nine lead alloy weights (pg. 90). In several locations, they found craftsman’s tools, including a chest full from the mid-eighth century found at Staraja Lodoga (pg. 46). The most important of the archaeological finds are the ship burials (Trycare 162). Viking ships were found buried, and the findings were quite like the Egyptian tombs. Clothes, jewels, money, food, servants, and horses were just a few of the things unearthed from the underground tombs... The...
