The Scandinavians from the Vendel Period to the Tenth Century: An Ethnographic Perspective (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781843837282)

Ethnographic studies trace the background to and impact of urbanisation and Christianisation, and the development of royal power, which stimulated the transition from the Viking age to the medieval period.

Using the evidence of archaeology, poetry, legal texts and annals, this volume investigates the social, economic and symbolic structures of early Scandinavia at the time of the Viking expansion. The contributors provide an outlineethnography, covering dwellings and settlements, kinship and social relations, law, political structures and external relations, rural and urban economies, and the ideology of warfare. The topics are discussed through case-studies, illustrating the changing scholarly interpretations of this formative period in Scandinavian history. By addressing these key research questions, the contributions trace the background to and the impact of urbanisation and Christianisation, and the development of royal power, which stimulated the transition from the Viking age to the medieval period in Scandinavia.

JUDITH JESCH is Professor in Viking Studies at the University of Nottingham.

Contributors: LENA HOLMQUIST OLAUSSON, BENTE MAGNUS, E. VESTERGAARD, BIRGIT ARRHENIUS, STEFAN BRINK, LISE BENDER JORGENSEN, SVEND NIELSEN, FRANDS HERSCHEND, NIELS LUND, DAVID N. DUMVILLE, JUDITH JESCH, DENNIS H. GREEN.

Author: Judith Jesch
ISBN-10: 1843837285
ISBN-13: 9781843837282
Publisher: Boydell Press
Language: English
Published: 07/19/2012
Pages: 384
Format: Paperback
Weight: 1.45lbs
Size: 9.10h x 6.10w x 0.90d