INTRODUCTION Viking ships were important aspects of the Viking culture, and many archeological findings can attest to the art designs and architecture evident in the construction of the ships. In the Viking culture, the ships were of different sizes and evolved into better ships with each period and battles in history. The archeological findings prove that the Vikings had different ship designs, but were identical in terms of construction and general identity. The ships exhibited great craftsmanship for the period. There were various Viking designed ships that were constructed for different functions and for various purposes. The research paper would focus on the technical advantage that the Viking ships had over the enemies. …show more content…
They held a cultural value. The familiar Viking custom was to bury the dead Lords in the ships. The body would be dressed and prepared with honor and dignity. After the preparation, the body would be transported to the burial ship in wagons pulled by horses. The lord had in his possession, a ship and a favorite horse that would be killed and buried with him. In some cases, the hunting dog would also be killed and accompany the dead lord to the grave. The man would be laid on his ship along with other possessions that he treasured and loved.
The Vikings believed in an afterlife where the Lords would sail in the afterlife and, therefore, Vikings would continue with the custom of burying ships. Excavations of buried ships were present in a Danish village called Ladby.
The culture of burying ships was a common act in the Scandinavian countries and the Nydam boats provide extra evidence of the existence of such a
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The significance of the Scandinavian region in the development of the Viking ships was evident in the demand for power and speed in the waterways. The waterways became an important asset for the coastal cities, and the Vikings had to find advanced warships that could defend their territories and expand into enemy territories in the sea. Therefore, the overwhelming demand for ships led to the construction of the Viking ships. The ships evolved into a symbol of the Viking pagan religion. They became famous as symbols of great power and prowess. The Vikings endorsed the ship as a symbol of their religion and the culture of burying the chieftains in their ships became a common practice. Of course, the culture had an impact on the design and preservation of the Viking
The Early Modern Era saw great change in the field of naval technology. Exploration and the desire to expand trade fueled the development of new, more effective naval vessels. These vessels, in turn, contributed to the growth of worldwide trade and interconnection that marked the period.
Upon first encountering one another, the vikings and the natives of Scotland often experienced violent confrontation. However, through the passage of time they contributed in shaping each other in equal and sometimes opposite measure. There are several hypotheses that describe the details of the first viking-indigenous interactions.1 Out of the many propositions, two theories appear most often. The first asserts that the vikings set up an earldom and thenceforth ruled over the native Scottish population. Sometimes this earldom is portrayed as peaceful, at other times more violent. The second proposition asserts that a genocide took place in which the vikings eliminated and replaced the native people.2 The evidence for either model is contradictory and variably justifiable. The best explanation therefore is a syntheses of both hypotheses. Namely, that both earldom and genocide took place in different circumstances. Bands of viking ships were often federations, and as such individual rulers within the federation must have had some measure of latitude. In some areas viking captains completely exterminated the indigenous people they found. In other instances, the leaders simply subjugated the people they encountered. In areas where the local population were left alive they influenced the Scandinavian settlers in terms of religion and material culture to different degrees. Conversely, the viking presence in Scotland forced the native inhabitants to become more militant and politically united.3 Furthermore, the natives eventually adopted parts of Scandinavian language, material culture, and custom as well.
Vikings’ settling down in Iceland and Greenland were important reflection of Viking expansion and they caused Viking civilization to extend on these two islands. Vikings were people from Scandinavia. For many reasons, such as the authoritarian policies of Harald Fairhair (Paine, 2013), the geographical features that lacking of lands for agriculture but having abundant trees for shipbuilding, Vikings were forced to expand into the sea. The two locations’ providing Vikings with lands undoubtedly provided them more chances for surviving.
The other skill that Vikings excelled at was the skill of navigation. Their longships were the cutting–edge technology at the time, and their ingenious sun-compass, which worked somewhat like a sundial, allowed them to sail to their destination with precision. The longships were usually made with oak boards stripped from trees with thin ropes soaked in pitch trapped between joints to act as a flexible, waterproof membrane. These ships, combined with their streamlines design, are very fast and seaworthy and would flex out of places when a sturdier ship would shatter. The sun compass is also very useful because it is the only directional tool at the time. It uses a shadow cast by a small pin in the middle of a round plate with bearings to give the direction. This tool allowed them to sail on open seas without landmarks for directions, a great advantage. This tool allowed them to sail on open seas without landmarks for directions, a great advantage.
TheVikings have been sailing for thousands of years (Steel 1). The Vikings traveled for 2 years this was called a Vikings trial (Steel 1). They would go out in search for land and new wonders in life. They would build their own boats out of wood and hides of animals. They were known as the best sailors of their time.
The Vikings in their time were the best shipbuilders and sailors in the world. Their ships were very strong as they were made out of a very long-lasting type of wood, which was oak wood. They thought of many creative ways to make their ships more durable, such as dipping sheep?s wool in tar and then filling in the ships gaps to make it waterproof. The Vikings had long voyages, passing many parts of Europe and simultaneously speeding at least glimpses of their amazing technology skills to the people who saw there ships. For example many people from Ireland and Brittan must have seen their ships as they travelled from their homeland Scandinavia to France in the year 798. But their amazing technology skills would have not been spread throughout the world with out the help of navigation.
Burial sites at Birka, Sweden have included cloaks worn on the body in the grave or were deposited near the body. These cloaks worn were usually thick, heavy blue ones that were either pinned at the shoulder or the hip. Several burial sites included a cloak that was deposited near the body. However, five men's burials that dated to the 9th century, all had cloakpins at the shoulder. Several cloaks from the 10th century were found pinned at the hip rather than the shoulder.
The poem Beowulf describes how Scyld, King of the Danes, is buried. Scyld is put onto a ship with his weapons and many treasures, and then the vessel is set off into the sea. This description is similar in detail to the Sutton Hoo ship except for the fact that this ship was buried on land. There was also nobody buried in Sutton Hoo. Because of the new belief in Christianity, the body might have been actually buried separately and Sutton Hoo stood as a sort of memorial or monument for the dead.
Hawaiian burials by the types of burial, the ancestors’ actions, and their descendants. Ancient Hawaiians used a variety of methods before and after the arrival of white men, both burial and preparation. “The landscape and seascape were powerful symbolisms to natives” (Yalom 233). This had meant Hawaiians used not only the majority of the island as a resting place, but also the Pacific Ocean. Besides the significance in the land, they had also honored the deceased as they were sacred in the afterlife. “After someone dies, it was said that the spirit lingered in another relative’s bones. Therefore, they believed that physical infestation remained within the individual” (Gaylord).
In non-royal families, only the children and grandchildren would worship the deceased. Usually, the body was kept by the families in their homes, tombs, or shrines. The family would pay tribute to their ancestors through sacrifice and prayer. Worship would also affect the descendant’s lives. Lack of worship could lead to poor fortune and an unpleasant future. Mummies would be involved in the livings lives through ceremonies like weddings, harvesting, or when long journeys had to be taken.
Typically, the image of a Viking is a barbaric, bearded man plundering and destroying a neighboring village. This is actually the stereotypical viewpoint. In actuality, Vikings, have a very different image. For example, Vikings did not wear furry boots or furry armor, they did not have horned helmets, they invaded Britain, and they also were the first to discover America! They were also experts in nautical technology, crafts, trading, warfare and many other skills (Jonsson 1). With all of these traits, the Vikings seem like an unstoppable force in the European continent. But, who were the Vikings? The Vikings were actually venturesome seafarers. This means that they were travelers who were constantly exploring and looking for new areas of land. There roots can be traced all the way back to 6000 B.C. were nomadic men traveled in primitive crafts up the Denmark coast. Fast forward two millennia and these nomadic people have established permanent homes, but still using the boat for food and travel. As stated before, they were not just raiders, although they did do this frequently, but they were actually expert traders, trading all around the world. It wasn’t until around 793 A.D. that a Viking explosion took place in northern Europe (Jonsson 2). Raids began to take place on neighboring villages and their places of worship. To some this is the only type of knowledge they have about Vikings. However, their culture was something to be admired. Trading, religion, and everyday life are all important parts of a Viking culture.
Before dropping the bones into the pit they waited the signal of the master of the ritual. After the signal has been giving they can finally place the bones of their loved ones in the pit and have a sense of peace for their loved
Sea Burial The sea was calm, quiet and dark. A full moon hung low on the horizon as it had for the last six nights. Rose heard the laments, she had sailed the oceans around Toxus long enough to know that seas like this signifies misfortune. She stood on the BlackPearl’s foredeck, adjusted her spyglass on the far sides of the ocean, searching for anything she could use to identify their location.
In the earliest years of the Vikings, there was little history recorded due to the polytheistic views that they followed. After the Vikings converted to Christianity, there were eventually written documents created pertaining to their existence. In Viking Warfare, I.P. Stephenson states that the Vikings “first described attack took place in AD 789”(11). The Vikings were also known as Norsemen. They were great storytellers, and that is perhaps how society knows so much about them today. The stories that the Norsemen told were called Sagas. Today, Vikings are often depicted as murderous savages, but while they were not pillaging villages they were actually quite a peaceful civilization. There were three countries that Vikings evolved from; Norway, Denmark, and Sweden. Although it may seem that all Vikings were on the same side, they quarreled with each other as well. Despite the fact that Viking battles were bloody and gruesome they were also known to be the most hygienic out of many of the earlier civilizations. There was not a huge percentage of Vikings that went out and raided but when they did they made a huge impact on what Vikings are now known for. The success of Viking warfare and raids relied primarily on the uses of armor, weapons, long ships, and battle tactics.
The history of warships goes back in history to the ancient Greeks and Romans. Their ships were called galleys. The galleys were powered by oarsmen. The galley had a sharp point in the front for ramming other ships. In the A. D. 700's, the Vikings invented the long ship. It weighed less than the galley and was stronger and more seaworthy. The Viking's controlled the seas until the 1000's. By the 1500's most warships carried guns, and later became heavily armed ships.