Vikings - Behind the wall

Vikings - Behind the Wall explores the Norse people and the Vikings in the years 750–875, and paints a picture of an era that has left deep and lasting traces. The presentation ranges from linguistic and cultural roots to seafaring, trade and the emergence of new power structures. The book provides insight into both daily life and key historical events.

The reader gains insight into:

- The development of the Norse language from Proto-Germanic.

- Where the Norse people lived.

- Ting – where laws were passed, judgments were handed down and disputes were resolved.

- The original location of the Gulating.

- The concentration of power under Harald Fairhair and the emergence of an early kingdom.

- Harald Fairhair exterminates the Vikings.

- The two waves of emigration from the west coast, around 750 and 870.

- The settlement of the islands in the North Atlantic and the establishment of new Norse societies.

- The concept of "Viking" in light of contemporary understanding and later interpretations.

- The Norse calendar.

- Åsgardsreia and Jól.

- Hygiene and personal care.

- The traffic and trade routes in Vesterled and Østerled.

- The background to why the Vikings also became warriors, and how social conditions and power structures contributed to this.

Overall, the book appears as a comprehensive analysis of language, social structure and mobility in the period, with the Norse people at the center.