Who Were the Vikings?

The Vikings were a group of people from modern-day Denmark, Norway and
Sweden, who began to settle in Britain during the eighth century.

The Vikings first landed in Britain in AD 793 when they raided a monastery in
Lindisfarne, in the Saxon kingdom of Northumbria.

They travelled in longships which

were narrow ships made of wood.
They went to different places to claim
resources and
land as their own.
 Viking Longhouses
Vikings lived in narrow houses called longhouses. Longhouses were often found in
the countryside. Viking houses in cities such as York would have been smaller.

The roofs were thatched Longhouses were made of wood,

(covered in straw). stone or turf (blocks of layers of
The walls were made grass with the soil still on),
of wattle (sticks woven depending on what was available
together and covered in the area.
with mud).

The floor level was sometimes dug below ground level to keep out draughts.
 Inside a Longhouse
The inside of a longhouse must have been noisy and smelly!

At one end of the longhouse, there would have been a barn area. A family’s
animals would be kept there to protect them from cattle thieves and to shelter them
from the cold winter weather.

Crops could also have been stored in the barn area.

Photo courtesy of Carrotflower Productions International (@flickr.com) - granted under creative commons licence – attribution
 The Centre of a Longhouse
In the centre of a longhouse, there
would have been a fire. This fire
provided heating, lighting and it was
used to cook food too.

There were no chimneys or windows

so the house would be quite smoky.

The fire would be lit constantly.

Photo courtesy of ajfryatt (@flickr.com) - granted under creative commons licence – attribution Photo courtesy of Vrangtante Brun (@flickr.com) - granted under creative commons licence – attribution
 Furniture in a Longhouse
Benches would have been built
into the walls of a longhouse.

These benches would have been

used for sitting on during the day
and sleeping on at night.

A loom would also be found

inside a longhouse. It would be
used for weaving.
 Reconstructions of Viking Longhouses
Here are two modern reconstructions of Viking longhouses.

Photo courtesy of galactimouse (@flickr.com) - granted under creative commons licence – attribution Photo courtesy of celesteh (@flickr.com) - granted under creative commons licence – attribution
Photo courtesy of galactimouse (@flickr.com) - granted under creative commons licence – attribution Photo courtesy of celesteh (@flickr.com) - granted under creative commons licence – attribution
 Viking boats
• The Vikings were expert boot
builders.
• They made fast boats from long
planks of wood held in place by
wooden pegs and iron nails.
• They overlapped the wooden
planks to make the boat strong.
• They coated the boat with tar from
pine trees to make it waterproof.
 Viking boats
• The Vikings were expert boot builders.
• They made fast boats from long planks
of wood held in place by wooden pegs
and iron nails.
• They overlapped the wooden planks to
make the boat strong.
• They coated the boat with tar from pine
trees to make it waterproof.
• The boats, known as longboats, could
be used in both deep and shallow water,
making them perfect for travelling over
the ocean and sailing up rivers.
 How did the Vikings find their way?
• The Vikings had no special instruments
to guide them so they soiled close to the
coast whenever possible.
• They looked for well known landmarks.
• They also used the Sun and stars to
guide them.
• The Vikings had good knowledge of
wind and wave patterns to help them
work out which direction to take.
• They passed on information about
navigation from one generation to the
next.
 Why did the Vikings take ravens with
them when they travelled?
• Viking sailors sometimes took ravens with
them to help them navigate.
• The sailors let a raven go and watched it fly
up high into the sky.
• If the bird saw land, it flew in that direction.
• The Vikings then sailed in the same direction.
• If the bird could not see any land, it came back
down to the boat and the sailors knew they
had further to travel.
 How far did the Vikings travel? Why
were they successful?
• The Vikings travelled to many countries far and wide.
• They reached Spain, Greenland, Canada and North America.
• They were successful because they built strong ships called longboats that could
carry them for very long distances.
• They were also great explorers, navigators and skilled traders.