The Researh of Vikings Era

Farming

The Vikings were more than just bloodthirsty killers, as they were doing a lot of activities. Like farming, exploring, technological inventions, social organisations and much more. Farming was a very important part of the Vikings era. A very large amount of the Vikings population were farmers. Without farming, raids would not have taken place. Farming created a base economy, and provided food for the warriors, and also provided a sense of survival, which lead them to explore. Crop farming was the most common type of farming by the Vikings farmers, except in Norway, where farming was really limited because of the poor soil. Denmark and parts of Sweden had really rich soil, and were the best places to farm. Iron and wood were the main materials used for making their tools: sickle, shovels, picks, scythes, and hoes. On larger farms, plows were pulled by oxen.

Vikings did not just farm some oat, rye, wheat, and barley. They also grew vegetables, like cabbage, beans, onions, carrots, and potatoes. Farming animals and fishes were also a big industry, because they needed proteins and energy when they were raiding. They didn’t raise sheep, just for the meat, but for their fur, which was their primary material for clothing. Usually, they killed the animals in Autumn as Winter was approaching, and the temperatures were extreme. Half of the Viking’s diet was made of fish. Their fishing methods were really sophisticated, for this period in time. Line fishing, fish weirs, net fishing, and spear fishing. To catch fishes with these methods was complicated. To conclude, farming was an essential part of the Vikings’ life, it provided trade, food, clothing and much more. Their farming methods were quite advanced and not quite different than our modern days.

Trade

Trade provided lots of things to the Vikings’ society. It helped for the development of villages, gave sense of belonging, an economy and more. There were so many trading routes, that we can’t say them all. They traded with the Byzantine Empire, Jerusalem, Bagdad, British Isle, and Russia. They wanted to trade because they needed recourses, for building villages, farms. They wanted to trade because they wanted to live along the coast, and they could, through trading. Having a high social status, and being wealthy was also one of the major reasons. Trade came from exploring, which they did a lot.

The Vikings were doing a lot of import, and export. They exported tin, honey, various type of furs, which came from farming, feathers, wheat, wool, walrus ivory and so much more, to be exchanged for silk, weapons, silver, wine, pottery, slaves which some were precious and some not. Slaves were considered as an item, and they were the most important items in the Vikings’ trading world. Many and many of them came from the Islamic world. Good slaves could be used to pay a debt, and for labor value. To finish, trade and farming were the most essential parts of the Viking era. Trading gave them money, and at our modern days, we use money to pay and buy goods and services. The Vikings were a really advanced population. We still use some of their ideas to this day. So, the Vikings were a really essential part of history as it helped us, to have a better world with all their inventions, hence they are much more then just blood-thirsty killers.

Bibliography

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• The Vikings and Exploration. (2018). Retrieved from https://prezi.com/m/ocmjjovm4qkg/the-vikings-and-exploration/.
• Imports in the Viking Age. (2018). Retrieved from https://en.natmus.dk/historical-knowledge/denmark/prehistoric-period-until-1050-ad/the-viking-age/expeditions-and-raids/imports/.
• Holly, M. (2016). Viking Farming Practices. Retrieved from https://prezi.com/m/-io9d14oq_yn/viking-farming-practices/.
• What was life in Viking Britain? (2018). Retrieved from https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/ztqbr82.
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