Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

VIKINGS > 1. homelands > Flashcards

1. homelands Flashcards

1
Q

scandinavia

A

norway, denmark & sweden

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

what are vikings farmer houses called?

A

longhouses

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

why was timber used for many buildings?

A

timber was abundant all over Scandinavia, except in the far north

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

structure of a longhouse:

A

-frameof wooden uprights
-thatched roof
-stone and earth floor

-the far end was where the cattle and horses were kept in the winter
-the farmer and his tamily lived in the area to the right of the entrance

-large rectangular hearth in middle of floor which for warmth & for cooking
-wide benches along the walls that were used for seating during the day and as beds at night

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

what would the interior of a house be like?

A

dark and smoky, as there were few windows and the smoke from the hearth could only escape through the roof

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

farm animals’ role in food production

A

-horses and oxen pulled the ploughs
-cows and goats gave milk
-hens, geese and ducks provided eggs -in the autumn, animals were killed and the meat was salted or smoked to preserve it through the winter

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

rye & oats

A

-wheat didn’t grow well in short scandinavian summers
-rye could be grown and was used for sour-dough bread
-vikings grew oats -> porridge & barley

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

which plants did vikings grow?

A

-cabbages
-onions
-peas

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

fishing & food production

A

-main foods = herring and shellfish
-dried, pickled and salted fish were an important source of food during the scandinavian winters

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

hunting & food production

A

collected:
nuts and wild fruit

hunted:
elk, deer, ducks

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

what are examples of things wood was used on?

A

houses, boats, chairs

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

the importance of iron

A

-iron ore could be found in many parts of scandinavia
-iron nails
-axes, hammers, swords

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

the importance of bone and antler

A

-used for household equipment
-animal bone was available to every viking family
-animal bone -> needles
-antler from deer -> combs, knife handles

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

thralls

A

-slaves
-captured in war/got into debt/child of a slave
-did all labour on the farm
-could be bought and sold
-could sometimes buy their freedom or be freed by their master

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

bondi

A

-freemen
-usually owned their own land
-had a say in all local matters
-decided at a meeting called a thing
-varied in wealth
-typical bondi would have three or four thralls to help him
-expected to fight when called upon, to have his own weapons and know how to use them

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

jarls

A

-important landowners and warriors. -chief of the bondi in his area
-in return for the bondis’ loyalty and readiness to fight for him, the jarl looked after their needs
-led his warriors in the viking sea-
borne raids & was expected to reward them
-first kings emerged from the jarls

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

what couldn’t women do?

A

be a bondi or a jarl, take part in the things, appear in court

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

who were women expected to obey?

A

her father & then her husband when she married - usually 12

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

women’s role in viking life

A

-ran the household
-made sure that the food lasted during the long, cold winter
-milked the cows and goats
-made butter and cheese
-dried & smoked meat and fish for storage
-cared for her children and the elderly
-expected to know about herbs for making medicine
-made all the clothes (spent hours spinning, weaving, dyeing & sewing)
-making one linen tunic took 400 hours of work

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

what did the key hanging from a women’s belt symbolise?

A

-woman’s power over the home
-viking men were away a lot, on hunting or fishing expeditions, trading or raiding abroad for months, even years at a time
-during this time the woman was in charge of the farm as well as the household, overseeing the work of the thralls, looking after the animals and seeing that the crops flourished and were safely harvested

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

men’s fashion

A

-long-sleeved undershirt made from linen or wool (pulled on over the head and reached to just above the knees)
-loose trousers, with a tunic reaching below the waist
-cloak over the top, fastened at the shoulder with a big brooch
-belt, to carry a purse or a knife
-ankle boots or slip-ons, lastened with ties or toggles

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

women’s fashion

A

-an under-dress. reaching to their ankles
-pinafore-style dress on top, fastened on each shoulder with an oval brooch -belt round waist, with leather pouch for things such as sewing needles and fire-steels (pieces of iron used to produce sparks to start fire)
-shoes were similar to those worn by men

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

vikings appearance (hair & jewellry)

A

-women and men wore their hair long -men often had beards and moustaches
-men and women carried combs often beautifully decorated
-jarls and wealthier bondi sometimes wore rings, arm-rings and neck-rings made from silver and gold

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

clothing of wealthy vikings

A

-decorated with patterned edges woven in bright colours
-archaeologists have even found gold and silver thread in some fragments of material

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

what did vikings often carve in?

A

-wood as it was cheap and relativelv easv to carve
-very little wooden carving has survived
-an example is a carving from the oseberg ship
-interwoven animals grip the edge of the ship and eachother

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

the mammen axe head

A

-magnificent iron axe head
-inlaid with silver
-placed in a grave at mammen in denmark at the end ot the tenth century
-richly decorated on both sides -probably used in ceremonial parades

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

what are runestones?

A

memorials to friends or relatives in public places

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
28
Q

how many runestones are in scandinavia?

A

2500 - sweden
250 - norway
100 - denmark

29
Q

when they were first made, what did runestones look like?

A

brightly coloured, now only the carving remains

30
Q

what are the letters on runestones?

A

letters that often follow a snaking course over the stone (runes)

31
Q

what were runes designed for?

A

-to carve short messages on wood or stone and are read from right to left
-used until the arrival of christianity brought the latin alphabet to scandinavia in the late tenth century

32
Q

why are runic inscriptions helpful?

A

they are the only writing we have from the vikings themselves, so are very useful to historians

33
Q

the kvalsund ships

A

-18 metres long and 3 metres wide
-rowed by twenty oarsmen, ten on each side
-shallow draught -> allowed it to travel quite a long way up rivers
-could be pulled onto a beach or bank, and pushed back into the water when it was time to leave

34
Q

the archaeologists who studied the kvalsund ship made two important discoveries:

A
  1. it had a steering oar (rudder) attached to one side of the stern (allowed the ship to change direction and could be easily pulled up in shallow water)
  2. the ship had a sail: it seems that scandinavians stuck with rowing vessels, which could be easily manoeuvred along the coasts
    -no direct evidence of a sail had been found on the kvalsund ship
    -a picture of a sailing vessel from a runestone proved that the scandinavians were using sails by the eighth century
35
Q

the story of the skuldelev ships

A

-in 1962 a proper archaeological investigation began
-they found five viking age ships
-replicas of all of them have been built using only the tools and materials available in the viking period

36
Q

the five skuldelev ships were:

A
  1. a wide and sturdy cargo-vessel known as a knarr (with its crew of between six and eight, the ship could carry goods on long-distance trading voyages)
  2. a small cargo ship, suitable only for coastal trade
  3. a small fishing boat from western norway
  4. small warship known as a snekkja which was 17 metres long and could carry up to 30 Vikings
  5. a large warship known as a skeid (this fast sea-going ship was 30 metres long and could carry up to
    80 Vikings, such a ship could reach the coast of Britain in a couple of days)
37
Q

what places were trading towns established in?

A

places that were easy to reach by sea and land

38
Q

what did trading towns contain?

A

a safe harbour, a market place, workshops and houses

39
Q

who protected trading towns?

A

a king or powerful jarl

40
Q

background of hedeby

A

-in 808, Godfred, one of the earliest kings of denmark, transferred
merchants to his new market site at hedeby
-the new town was on a fjord with easy direct access to the baltic sea &
close to rivers flowing into the north sea and the main land route running through the centre of denmark

41
Q

interior structure of hedeby

A

-a semicircular earth and timber wall, 5 metres high, surrounded the town
-entrances through gates to the north and south, and from the harbour on the fiord
-wood-paved streets were laid out on a regular perpendicular grid
-workshops in the town
-early trade was often by barter, but soon coins were being minted at hedeby to make business transactions easier

42
Q

population of hedeby

A

1500

43
Q

where was birka’s trading town & when was it established?

A

-established at birka in the second half of the eighth century

-on an island in lake maleren
-part of a string of lakes that lead eastwards to the baltic sea and westwards turther into sweden
-the area was close to the lands of the kings of central sweden

44
Q

internal structure of birka

A

-small fort
-with houses and workshops leading down to the lake
-the importance of shipping to the growth of the town is shown by the ship on a coin, which was minted at birka

45
Q

population of birka trading town

A

about 700

46
Q

origins of kaupang

A

-first market town in norway
-where merchants gathered to trade from ships along the sides of a narrow fjord
-trading there began in the 780s and lasted until the early tenth century
-trading may not have always occurred all year round

47
Q

interior structure of kaupang

A

excavation had revealed rows of small houses and workshops

48
Q

what was kaupang also known as?

A

kaupang was also known as ‘the shining hall’, perhaps named after its lord’s residence on the hill behind the town

49
Q

clues as to what businesses occurred at kaupang

A

-jewellery seems to have been important (moulds for casting lead jewellerv, pieces of amber and nearly a thousand glass beads)
-archaeologists have also found slag and cinders from iron-working, and loom weights trom weavers

50
Q

population of kaupang trading town

A

about 600

51
Q

where does everything written about pagan religion come from?

A

the icelandic eddas

52
Q

yggsadril

A

a giant sacred ash tree, which spanned the cosmos and was the centre of the universe

53
Q

asgard

A

where gods lived

54
Q

midgard

A

where humans lived, the midgard serpent lived in the sea around midgard

55
Q

hel

A

-underworld
-giants, trolls, elves and other horrible creatures lived here

56
Q

norns

A

Three females, who lived at the roots of yggdrasil and controlled the past, present and future

57
Q

ragnarok

A

-final battle when the world would end
-a fire would sweep across the whole world, destroying the gods and all humans

58
Q

the vikings fatalistic attitude to life

A

humankind was doomed anywav, so vou might as well live adventurously and die fighting, that way, your good name, the respect and honour you earned, ensured that you lived on after your death through the stories
told about you

59
Q

odin

A

-supreme god
-god of war and the dead/poetry and wisdom
-he had one eye, having traded his other one in order to drink from the well of knowledge
-he was often accompanied by his 2 ravens, who flew all over midgard and told him about what was happening in the world
-odin rode an eight-legged horse
-all Vikings who died bravely in battle were collected by the valkyries, and taken to feast tor ever in odin’s hall, Valhalla

60
Q

thor

A

-popular god
-many vikings wore his emblem (a hammer called möllnir, crafted by the dwarfs)
-over a thousand of these have been tound, from all over the viking world
-god of thunder and lightning, and rode over the clouds in a chariot drawn by goats
-god of crops and plague, god of law and order
-straightforward and reliable and so

61
Q

frey

A

-third main viking god
-god of favourable weather needed to ensure a good harvest
-associated with wealth and general prosperity
-chief of the fertility gods.
-freya was frey’s twin sister
-the goddess of love and fertility, but also of sorcery, spells and magic

62
Q

the viking gods weren’t worshipped but…

A

-people made offerings to them
-offerings took place at home or at a simple altar of piled stones

63
Q

the gods were called on at the three great moments in family life:

A

birth, marriage and death

64
Q

births

A

-dangerous in viking times
-women called on freya to help
them and gave thanks to her when their baby was safely delivered
-after nine davs the baby was sat on the father’s knee and he gave it a name

65
Q

marriage

A

-partly a business arrangement between the two fathers of the couple
-took place at betrothal
-the marriage itself involved calling on the gods to bless the couple, followed by feasting and drinking which was expected to last at least three days

66
Q

death

A

-dead were mostly buried near to settlements
-graves were visited frequently
-contact with the ancestors was important to the well-being of the family
-if ancestors were treated with the proper rituals they were thought to give their blessings to the living, ensuring happiness and prosperity
-if the rituals were not followed, the dead were thought to haunt the living and bring bad fortune

67
Q

uppsala

A

-sweden
-great festival was held
-all inhabitants of the swedish provinces were required to attend
-this gathering had several functions, apart from the religious rituals
-a market was held, and important court cases were heard
-christian visitors reported the existence of a ‘temple’, and archaeologists have found the remains of a large building, 100 metres long, with burial mounds nearby

68
Q

similar site to uppsala at lake tisso, denmark

A

-many weapons have been found in the lake as offerings to tyr
-some of the swords found had been deliberately bent, so that they could never be used again
-by the lake, there are the post-holes marking out a very large hall, in which the remains of feasting have been found
-next to a marketplace nearby, there are wells, in which the skulls and limb bones of horses, bulls, cows, pigs, dogs and goats had been placed

VIKINGS (7 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions