The Vikings Research Paper

Many topics in history are interesting. Some topics are World War I and II, the Civil War, any well-known person, and many groups of people who accomplished many great things like the Vikings. There are many ways that the Vikings are known. One way is being a ruthless, disrespectful killer and another is people who wore horned helmets and made boats. Some just know the Vikings by watching the History Channel show called the Vikings. However, that is not who the Vikings are. Who exactly are the Vikings? The Vikings existed starting in A.D. 800 to the 11th century (History.com staff). They were known by various names like the Vikings, Norsemen, or Northmen. They raided coastal places like undefended monasteries in the British Isles. The Vikings

Viking men farmed barley, rye, and oats (Cohen). They raised cattle goats, pigs, and sheep and could provide for their whole family. They also brandished scythes and not swords (Cohen). The pirates of the Vikings only stepped off their ships to burn villages. Viking men also preferred to be blond and any Vikings that had any hair color other than blond would use a strong soap with high lye to bleach their hair so they will have blond hair. Viking women usually helped around the farm, raised children, and took care of the house. They had very different rights than men though. Viking women could be married as young as twelve and took care of the house while their husbands went on raids. The women could inherit property, request divorce, and reclaim dowries if their marriages ended. So, Viking women are a lot like women today except that woman today can have jobs and vote in communities. The Vikings had excellent hygiene. They used tweezers, razors, combs, and ear cleaners that were made from animal bones and antlers (Cohen). They bathed once or twice a week (that was clean for them) and loved to go in natural hot springs. The Vikings had many activities that they did for fun like skiing. Skiing was developed by Scandinavians 6,000 years ago (Cohen). Skiing was an efficient way to get around and was a popular recreational activity. The Vikings also worshipped the god of skiing Ullr