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It's widely known to academia (but often ignored by popular history works) that the vikings (especially the Swedish vikings) spend more time trading with the Ar
by Stranger43 7y ago
It's widely known to academia (but often ignored by popular history works) that the vikings (especially the Swedish vikings) spend more time trading with the Arabs then raiding England to the point where several sultan's had viking mercenaries as their private bodyguards.
In fact the best contemporary description of an viking burial comes from an arab trader who observed one in what is today Ukraine.
- glouwbug 7y agoSee also the Varangian Guard: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varangian_Guard https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varangian_Guard The Vikings really got around.
- lowdose 7y agoDid the vikings travel through what is now called Russia?
- goodcanadian 7y agoYes. Arguably, they founded what is now called Russia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kievan_Rus%27 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kievan_Rus%27
- brutt 7y agoYep. Russia (now: Ukraine, Belorussia, and small western part of Russian Federation) got it name from vikings, which are from "Russia" town (now: "Old Russa", but town moved up by river, so original town is at other place down the river).
- cafard 7y agoYes, they did. It is argued that they were early rulers of "the Kievan Rus": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kievan_Rus%27 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kievan_Rus%27
- sakopov 7y agoYes, in fact the first dynasty of rulers -- the Rurik dynasty [1] -- were vikings. [1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rurik_dynasty https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rurik_dynasty
- wefarrell 7y agoI was surprised to learn that Baltic/Arab trade dates all the way back to neolithic times and was prevalent during the second century BC: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amber_Road https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amber_Road
- turk73 7y agoMaybe so, but it doesn't change the fact that the Vikings would have happily sacked the Arabs and anyone else. It's not like they were culturally sensitive--at all.
- protanopia 7y agoI'm pretty sure that depends on which "Vikings" you are talking about, Swedes vs Danes & Norwegians. Also vikings refers to people engaged in raiding, so people who were engaged in trade would not be vikings.
- mayormcmatt 7y agoTwo years ago I attended a friend's wedding near Uppsala, Sweden and had the chance to speak with a retired man who was now volunteering time on Viking archaeology digs in the country and a little in some other Baltic nations. He said much the same as you: that Vikings did a lot of exchange with Arab traders, which was surprising. That there were Vikings traveling at least as far as Ukraine is really interesting!