SkillBuilder discussion Using historical sources 1. Look at SOURCE2 .What specific elements in the image depict the Viking hero Beowulf? 2. How does the illustration convey the culture and values of the Viking era?
SOURCE2 An illustration showing a scene from the saga Beowulf . It shows Beowulf dying from his wounds after slaying a dragon.
3. In what ways does
the artistic style of the illustration reflect the historical period in which the saga Beowulf is set?
7.2.2 Early records of Viking raids In 787 CE, about 400 years after the Romans left Britain, the country’s first recorded Viking raid took place (see SOURCE3 ).
SOURCE3 An excerpt from the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle , written in Old English in the eighth century. The passage reads, ‘And during his reign [King Beorhtric of Wessex] there first came three ships . . . Those were the first ships of the men of Denmark that attacked the people of England.’
And on his dagum cuomon ærest Þreo scipu... Þæt wæron Þa ærestan scipu Deniscra manna Þe Angel-cynnes land gesohton.
Viking raids soon became much more frequent and by around 850 CE the Vikings were using bigger raiding fleets and beginning to occupy permanent settlements. These settlements served as trading posts and as bases from which further raids could be launched against monasteries and villages that were far from the coast. Dublin in Ireland, for example, began as a Viking settlement. 7.2.3 Archaeological discoveries The Viking Age is shrouded in legend and coloured by the gruesome accounts of victims of Viking raids. This is because, unlike the Greeks and Romans, the Vikings left few visible monuments. These were mostly mysterious standing stones. Some were carved with runes, signs and images; others were arranged to outline the shape of boats. In the nineteenth century, archaeologists started digging up sites from the Viking Age. They looked at mounds and old settlements. One mound in Gokstad, Norway, was believed to have a king buried with his treasure. When archaeologists dug into the mound in 1880, they found the remains of a Viking king and some treasure. Most of the treasure had been stolen long ago. The king was buried in a big Viking ship made of oak. Before this, people had only seen pictures of these ships on rocks and tapestries. In the last 150 years, other digs have helped us learn more about how the Vikings lived.
TOPIC7 The Vikings 155
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