the age of the vikings by anders winroth

Church plate had always been taken to mints and melted down when a bishop, an abbot, or a king needed cash, so it was never permanently withdrawn from the economy when placed in a treasury. It mattered that the Vikings brought into circulation silver and gold that had been hidden away in ecclesiastical treasure-houses, but we must not exaggerate the impact. People may always feel pressured by the lack of opportunity at home what made the Viking Age different was not exceptionally great pressures at home but the appearance of real opportunities elsewhere.

Populations always tend to grow, but such growth is typically balanced by famine, war, and disease, as Thomas Malthus (1766–1834) postulated. Viking Age emigration from Scandinavia was not driven primarily by population pressures at home, as is often imagined. I overall enjoyed reading this book but I would not recommend it on its own to someone who is not already familiar with the subject. Though the content is extremely interesting and well researched, the author’s style is somewhat dry. I also found the chapter on economy and commerce well explained with the parallels between East and West carefully analysed.

He presents interesting theories based on the latest archaeological evidence the sections on the “Farm beneath the sand” and Osberg burial site were fascinating. Winroth often challenges the veracity of long-held views of the Vikings and their practices putting them down as “creations of a vivid imagination of the high medieval writers”. The information is presented as discursive essays, with each chapter spanning decades or even centuries, sometimes covering more than one topic. The content is not organised chronologically, but by theme. This book a nice serious scholarly work, with great attention to the sources but not great as an introduction.

The age of the vikings by anders winroth