DK Eyewitness Books - Viking

26

Trading east and west

TȩȦȷȪȬȪȯȨȴȸȦȳȦȨȳȦȢȵȵȳȢȥȦȳȴ who traveled far

beyond Scandinavia buying and selling goods. The riches

of the north included lumber for shipbuilding; iron for

making tools and weapons; furs for warm clothing; skins

from whales and seals for ship ropes; and whalebones and walrus

ivory for carving. These were carried to far-flung places and exchanged for

local goods. The traders returned from Britain with wheat, silver, and cloth, and

brought wine, salt, pottery, and gold back from the Mediterranean. They sailed

across the Baltic Sea and upriver into Russia, then continued on foot or camel as far

as the cities of Constantinople (now Istanbul) and Jerusalem. In markets all along the

way, they haggled over the price of glass, exotic spices, silks, and slaves.

Markets and towns grew as centers for trade. Big Viking market

towns included Birka in Sweden, Kaupang in Norway, Hedeby

in Germany (at the time in Denmark), York in England,

Dublin in Ireland, and

Kiev in Ukraine.

THE SLAVE TRADE
Some Vikings made
their fortunes trading
slaves. They took many
Christian prisoners, like
this 9th-century French
monk. Some slaves were
taken home for heavy
farm and building work.
Others were sold for
silver to Arab countries.

Die for striking

(making) coins, found

at York, England

Brass Buddha-like figure

Colorful

enamel

THE COMING OF COINS

Coins only became common

toward the end of the Viking

Age. Before then, they used

pieces of silver and other people’s

coins, or traded by bartering—

swapping for items of similar value.

The first Danish coins were struck in

the 9th century. Not until 975, under

King Harald Bluetooth, were coins

made in large numbers.

Band of

brass

MADE IN ENGLAND?

One of the many beautiful objects found

with the Oseberg ship (pp. 54–57) was

this unusual bucket. Attached to its

handle are two brass figures with

crossed legs that look just like Buddhas.

But the Vikings were not Buddhists,

and the craftsmanship suggests that

the figures were made in England.

So how did the splendid bucket end

up in a queen’s grave in Norway?

It must have been traded and

brought back from England.

Staves (planks)

of yew wood

RHINE GLASS

Only rich Vikings drank from glass

cups. Many have been found in

Swedish graves. This glass must have

been bought or stolen in the

Rhineland, in modern Germany.

TUSK, TUSK

The Vikings hunted walruses for their hides, which were

turned into ship ropes. The large animals were skinned in a

spiral, starting from the tail. Traders also sold the animal’s

ivory tusks, either unworked or beautifully carved.

Three early

Danish coins

Coin from

England