The Age of the Vikings

The Age of the Vikings By Anders Winroth

Honorable Mention for the 2015 PROSE Award in European & World History, Association of American Publishers

One of The New York Post’s Best Books of 2014

The Vikings maintain their grip on our imagination, but their image is too often distorted by myth. It is true that they pillaged, looted, and enslaved. But they also settled peacefully and traveled far from their homelands in swift and sturdy ships to explore. The Age of the Vikings tells the full story of this exciting period in history. Drawing on a wealth of written, visual, and archaeological evidence, Anders Winroth captures the innovation and pure daring of the Vikings without glossing over their destructive heritage. He not only explains the Viking attacks, but also looks at Viking endeavors in commerce, politics, discovery, and colonization, and reveals how Viking arts, literature, and religious thought evolved in ways unequaled in the rest of Europe. The Age of the Vikings sheds new light on the complex society, culture, and legacy of these legendary seafarers.

Anders Winroth is the Forst Family Professor of History at Yale University.

Reviews:

"[Winroth] has an impressive knowledge of the sources, the archaeology, and the modern historical literature. . . . Winroth really knows what he is writing about, and has done the research. . . . I recommend the work to anyone with little knowledge of the subject and a wish to learn more." --Eric Christiansen, New York Review of Books

"Mr. Winroth's account is superior to all its most recent competitors. He avoids what has become the traditional chronological narrative, centering his chapters instead on themes: violence first, regrettably; but then emigration, trade, state-formation and eventually, with some relief, life 'home on the farm.' He also has the happy knack of seizing on a fascinating detail to open each chapter." --Tom Shippey, Wall Street Journal

"[I]nsightful, informative . . . delightful chapters that flesh out our understanding of the Norsemen's world in a way that no bare narrative could. . . . The Age of the Vikings is a wonderfully compact and fascinating companion to many facets of the Viking world. . . . This book should prove a fascinating and rewarding read for those seeking to deepen their understanding of the Viking world." --Philip Parker, Literary Review

"[T]his book is obviously where to start for anyone fed up with MGM's 'Vikings' and even remotely interested in the real story behind." --Karen Schousboe, Medieval Histories

"If a person wants to approach the Viking Period for the first time or get a refresher on where scholarship is standing right now, then I am happy to recommend this fine book." --Martin Rundkvist, Aardvarcha

"There was more to this seafaring civilization". --Michael Kane, New York Post

Table of Contents:

• 1 Introduction: The Fury of the Northmen
• 2 Violence in a Violent Time
• 3 Röriks at Home and Away: Viking Age Emigration
• 4 Ships, Boats, and Ferries to the Afterworld
• 5 Coins, Silk, and Herring: Viking Age Trade in Northern Europe
• 6 From Chieftains to Kings
• 7 At Home on the Farm
• 8 The Religions of the North
• 9 Arts and Letters
• 10 Epilogue: The End of the Viking Age
• Further Reading
• Acknowledgments
• Abbreviations
• Notes
• Bibliography
• List of Illustrations
• Index