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However, Hedeager argues that this is true regarding any study of a society’s short-term history, but it should not be the crucial requirement for defining the sources relevant for studying long-term structures of the longue durée, or their potential contributions to a theoretical understanding of cultural changes and transformation. In Iron Age Scandinavia we are dealing with persistent and slow-changing structures of worldviews and ideologies over a wavelength of nearly a millennium. Furthermore, iconography can often date the arrival of new mythical themes anchoring written narratives in a much older archaeological context.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOld Norse myths are explored with particular attention to one of the central mythical narratives of the Old Norse canon, the mythic cycle of Odin, king of the Norse pantheon. 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Judith Jesch brings together a wide range of evidence to reconstruct lives that are often difficult to recover from the surviving record.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDrawing on archaeology, runic inscriptions, place names, personal names, historical sources and Old Norse literature, Jesch examines women’s lives on Scandinavian farms and in trading centres, as well as their experiences in settlements from the British Isles to Iceland, Greenland and the East. By comparing what different kinds of evidence can reveal, \u003cem\u003eWomen in the Viking Age\u003c\/em\u003e offers an important study of gender and society beyond the familiar image of a predominantly male Viking world.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Boye 6","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44287989973126,"sku":"9780851153605","price":62.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0671\/9199\/6550\/files\/9780851153605.jpg?v=1787580011"},{"product_id":"heimskringla-history-of-the-kings-of-norway","title":"Heimskringla: History of the Kings of Norway","description":"\u003cp\u003eBeginning with the dim prehistory of the mythical gods and their descendants, Heimskringla recounts the history of the kings of Norway through the reign of Olaf Haraldsson, who became Norway's patron saint. Once found in most homes and schools and still regarded as a national treasure, Heimskringla influenced the thinking and literary style of Scandinavia over several centuries.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"University of Texas Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44288075595910,"sku":"9780292730618","price":103.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0671\/9199\/6550\/files\/9780292730618.jpg?v=1787580123"},{"product_id":"the-vikings-a-very-short-introduction","title":"The Vikings: A Very Short Introduction","description":"\u003cp\u003eHighlighting the latest archaeological evidence, Julian Richards goes beyond the image of Vikings as bloodthirsty warriors to reveal the full Viking world, including what we have learned about their towns, art, shipbuilding, and religious rituals. Here the Viking story is brought up to date, from the tales of adventure found in medieval Icelandic sagas, to their exploitation as a symbol of nationalism by Wagner, and later by Hitler. 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But the Vikings were more than just marine warriors and this atlas traces their development as traders, pioneers, and mercenaries.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThrough more than sixty full-color maps, this atlas follows the tracks of the Viking merchants who traveled deep into Russia, mercenaries who served in the emperor’s bodyguard at Constantinople, and mariners who sailed beyond the edge of the known world to North America. More than 80 illustrations and timelines make this an indispensable handbook for students and history enthusiasts alike.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Penguin Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44361110159494,"sku":"9780140513288","price":50.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0671\/9199\/6550\/files\/9780140513288.jpg?v=1788924759"},{"product_id":"pen-sword-military-the-vikings-and-their-enemies-warfare-in-northern-europe-750-1100","title":"The Vikings and Their Enemies: Warfare in Northern Europe, 750–1100","description":"\u003cp\u003eDrawing on chronicles, sagas, poetry and archaeological evidence, Philip Line examines how the Vikings and their enemies organised for war across Scandinavia, the British Isles, the Carolingian world and the eastern Baltic. 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Primary sources, colorful designs, and engaging text bring to life the chilling practices of the Viking world in this fascinating history title.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHistory is deadly!\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFrom brutal battles and scary sacrifices through evil empires and bloodthirsty games, readers will love digging up the past and discovering its frightening facts in this fascinating exploration of ancient civilizations. 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Battle for the Island Kingdom is a rich history of the violent six decades when Vikings, Anglo-Saxons and ultimately Normans vied for the English crown before the seismic Battle of Hastings determined the fate of England for centuries.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDiscover the defining personalities of the age, from the English king Aethelred and his nemesis Viking Svein Forkbeard to Cnut who forged an empire across England and Scandinavia only for his Norman queen Emma and Saxon consort Aelfifu to pit his sons against each other. 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Robert Ferguson is a sure guide across what he calls 'the treacherous marches which divide legend from fact in Viking Age history'. His long familiarity with the literary culture of Scandinavia - the eddas, the poetry of the skalds and the sagas - is combined with the latest archaeological discoveries and the evidence of picture-stones, runes, ships and objects scattered all over northern Europe, to make the most convincing modern portrait of the Viking Age in any language. The Hammer and the Cross ranges from Scandinavia itself to Kievan Rus and Byzantium in the east, to Iceland, Greenland and the north American settlements in the west. 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He would return home decades later as a battle-hardened mercenary commander, weighted down with plunder acquired from wars fought across the Mediterranean. Harald’s transition from exiled semi-royal to a famed adventurer and warrior saw him weave a circuitous route from the steppes and trading post of Kievan Rus to the shining palaces of Constantinople and the ancient war-torn cities of Sicily. As a commander of the Byzantine Empires legendary Varangian Guard Harald travelled extensively before leveraging his hard-won wealth, experience and political connections in a ruthless play for the throne of Norway.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe world of eleventh-century Europe was neither self-contained nor compartmentalized, benefiting as it did from long-established routes of commerce and communication. Hardrada’s journeys and his interactions with the many overlapping cultures and political entities that he encountered further illuminate this essential interconnectivity. The eleventh century was a particularly formative one in the history of Europe that saw the emergence of a crop of pugnacious new kingdoms and setting of the foundations upon which the Europe to come would be built atop. As eleventh-century Europe roiled and struggled to find a new equilibrium in response to the cultural, political and demographic changes being wrought upon it, incredible opportunities were open to those adventurers bold enough to take advantage of this era of uncertainty.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eReturning to Norway after his long exile Harald’s ambitions stretched far beyond the Norwegian throne to encompass the recreation of the North Sea Empire of Cnut the Great, his family’s greatest foe. Harald has often been called, with no small amount of admiration or respect, the Last Viking. Yet this title underestimates the depths of Harald’s achievements and the profound effect he had on the form and internal coherency of the Kingdom of Norway. Part biography, part medieval travelogue, this book extends its critical and incisive examination of Harald’s career to the many European and Mediterranean polities he travelled and fought through during his long exile. 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The story shows the dynamics of a richly varied world alien to centralised modern Britain.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Amberley Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44361159475334,"sku":"9781445644851","price":50.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0671\/9199\/6550\/files\/9781445644851.jpg?v=1788925902"},{"product_id":"britons-saxons-and-vikings","title":"Britons, Saxons and Vikings","description":"\u003cp\u003eUntil 410AD, Britain's social, political and military institutions were determined by Roman cultural values. When the Roman army was recalled from Britain, it left a leadership vacuum. Local landholders and religious institutions stepped in, but soon it became clear that without cohesive government and trained military forces, communities were at the mercy of speculative tribes who arrived by boat from Scandinavia, in single vessels at first, seeking land on which to settle or carry out small, sporadic raids. Later, they arrived en masse to pillage, murder, grab land and spread fear among the people. This is the story of how Britain's population transformed and evolved as communities chose to unite to counter threats that began in Northumbria, Scotland, Ireland, down the east coast of England, in Kent and Wales, as Picts, Scotti, Saxons, Jutes and Vikings arrived seeking to seize power and subjugate a nation. Along the way, expert author Gabriele Esposito uncovers stories of King Arthur and Alfred the Great and describes the encounter at the Battle of Stamford Bridge that ultimately brought the Viking Age to its conclusion.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Key Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44361159508102,"sku":"9781836320692","price":49.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0671\/9199\/6550\/files\/9781836320692.jpg?v=1788925903"},{"product_id":"the-viking-age-a-time-of-many-faces","title":"The Viking Age: A Time of Many Faces","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe majority of literature about the Viking period, based on artefacts or written sources, covers battles, kings, chiefs and mercenaries, long distance travel and colonisation, trade, and settlement. Less is said about the life of those that stayed at home, or those that immigrated into Scandinavia, whether voluntarily or by force.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis book uses results from the examination of a substantial corpus of Swedish osteological material to discuss aspects of demography and health in the Viking period – those which would have been visible and recognisable in the faces or physical appearances of the individuals concerned. It explores the effects of migration, from the spread of new diseases such as leprosy to patterns of movement and integration of immigrants into society. The skeletal material also allows the study of levels of violence, attitudes towards disablement, and the care provided by Viking communities. An overview of the worldwide phenomenon of modified teeth also gives insight into the practice of deliberate physical embellishment and body modification.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe interdisciplinary approach to questions regarding ordinary life presented here will broaden the knowledge about society during the Viking Age. The synthesis of the Swedish unburnt human skeletal remains dated to the Viking age will be a valuable resource for future research, and provides an in-depth view on Viking age society.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Oxbow Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44361160753286,"sku":"9781789258042","price":68.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0671\/9199\/6550\/files\/9781789258042.jpg?v=1788925955"}],"url":"https:\/\/aevumbooks.com\/collections\/aevum-menu-periods-late-antiquity-middle-ages-viking-age.oembed","provider":"Aevum Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}