ightmares had returned in search of treasure and slaves. But where did a marauding Norsemen take his horde of treasure and band of slaves? Why, to the home he left behind. To the wife and children he left to tend the farm and livestock. To the Viking, farmable land and grazing fields were just as important as was acquiring bounty from foreign shores. Youre average Scandinavian from this time was not a Viking. He was a farmer. He grew rye, oats, wheat, and barley, grain, and hay for winter fodder and food and bedding for the animals. He also hunted and fished, and gathered wild fruits and plants to supplement his diet. But he didnt work alone. Along his side his wife cared for the animals and mended the clothes, as well as helped to maintain the home. The typical farmstead consisted of a long house, which usually was living quarters for the family and livestock, workshops, and storerooms. For the most part, these were not isolated farmsteads. Recent archaeological excavations show that clusters of farmsteads rather than single farms predominated throughout Scandinavia. Such villages were made up of six to eight farms, which were usually encircled by a fence or a crude stone wall. In most cases the main dwelling was a long, rectangular structure of wood and/or sod, interwoven with branches and twigs covered by clay; at one end were the living quarters and at the other side the cattle stalls, a welcome source of heat in the winter. An open hearth set into the floor or slightly raised above it rested in the center of the living quarters, providing heat and light, along with seal-oil lamps. Elevated platforms set along the sidewalls were both seating for guests and sleeping beds set near the fire. The house had no chimney, only a hole in the roof to let the smoke out. In this one long room, the farm family cooked and ate, entertained friends, worked their looms, fashioned shafts for their arrows, made love, and slept. Now,...
