the age of the vikings by anders winroth

Challenging the image of the Vikings that comes so easily to mind, Winroth argues that Viking chieftains were no more violent than men like Charlemagne, who committed atrocities on a far greater scale than the northern raiders.ĭrawing on a wealth of written, visual, and archaeological evidence, The Age of the Vikings sheds new light on the complex society and culture of these legendary seafarers. If youre looking for an authoritative one-volume book on the Vikings and the Viking Age for the general reader, Anders Winroths The Age of the Vikings.

Winroth is among the scholars that believe the Vikings were no worse than any of the other warriors of the medieval period. He shows how the Vikings seized on the boundless opportunities made possible by the invention of the longship, using it to venture to Europe for plunder, to open new trade routes, and to settle in lands as distant as Russia, Greenland, and the Byzantine Empire. Anders Winroth, a Yale history professor and author of the book The Age of Vikings, believes the Nordic Vikings that have been portrayed as bloodthirsty killers might be on the wrong end of a public relations nightmare. He not only explains the Viking attacks, but also looks at Viking endeavors in commerce, politics, discovery, and colonization, and reveals how Viking arts, literature, and religious thought evolved in ways unequaled in the rest of Europe. By exploring every major facet of this exciting age, Anders Winroth captures the innovation and pure daring of the Vikings without glossing over their destructive heritage. Despite their fearsome reputation, the Vikings didn’t wear horned helmets, and even the infamous berserkers were far from invincible.īy dismantling the myths, The Age of the Vikings allows the full story of this period in medieval history to be told. They traveled far from their homelands in swift and sturdy ships, not only to raid, but also to explore. : The Age of the Vikings (9780691149851) by Winroth, Anders and a great selection of similar New, Used and Collectible Books available now at. But they also settled peacefully and developed a vast trading network. Our marketplace offers millions of titles from sellers worldwide. It is true that they pillaged, looted, and enslaved. Anders Winroth (ISBN: 9780691149851) online at Alibris. The Vikings maintain their grip on our imagination, but their image is too often distorted by medieval and modern myth.

The age of the vikings by anders winroth