Dimensions
192 x 244 x 17mm
The Vikings have long been popular folk heroes, their exploits shrouded in the myths and legends which celebrated them as intrepid, war-like explorers who sailed out into the unknown. We also think of them as the barbarians in horned helmets who ravaged Britain one thousand years ago and then faded away. But what were they really like, and what did they leave behind?
In 'Blood Of The Vikings', archaeologist Julian Richards peels back the layers of fiction to reveal that the Vikings' contribution to our culture is much more profound and much more interesting.
Drawing on fascinating new research as well as contemporary records, Julian Richards pieces together a unique picture of Viking life. Combining history and archaeology, linguistic and genetics, 'Blood Of The Vikings' follows in their footsteps from the first hit-and-run raids to the fall of the vast kingdom of Cnut.
This book and the accompanying BBC TV series vividly portray the emergence of a Danish state on mainland England - with York, Dublin and London as the foundations of a Scandinavian trading empire so well organised that some areas of Britain remained part of Norway until the 15th century.
'Blood Of The Vikings' is history at its best - exciting, informative and often provocative - revealing the Vikings to have been much, much more than marauding pirates. Without the Vikings' astonishing legacy, Britain and Ireland would be very different places than they are today.
