Novo The Vikings Analysis

According to the film “Nova: The Vikings”, produced by PBS, trade played an important role in Viking expansion into the world. As Vikings learned of new places and treasures that were not well guarded they began to raid. The site of Birka was an early Viking trade center that was occupied for hundreds of years. It was one of the busiest and richest seaports in Scandinavia that connected the Vikings with much of Eastern Europe. Archaeological evidence from the site indicates that Birka housed about 600 people that lived in daub, wood, and woven saplings homes. Other finds on the site have helped archaeologists recreate some of the techniques used by the Vikings for crafting jewelry and weapons. The site has also shed some light onto who the …show more content…
When Vikings began to raid in force wealth began to flow into Scandinavia that increased political tension and the desire for land. The discovery of new lands increased wealth in addition to the prestige gained at home. When Iceland was discovered it was an uninhabited forested land that permitted the Vikings to settle and successfully colonize. Much of what is known about the settling of Iceland comes from the Icelandic Sagas. While the authenticity of some information within the sagas is debated, archeology has been able to supplement and confirm some of the information. According to the Icelandic sagas Erik the Red located Greenland after being vanished from Iceland due to violence. When Erik returned to Iceland to spread the word of his discovery he left with twenty ships to return to Greenland. Of the twenty ship fourteen made it to Greenland. Erik the red's son Lief would later go on to settle in North America. The motivation for Lief to seek new land was to find an unspoiled land with more resources than the frozen coasts of Greenland. This lead to the discovery of New found land but a permanent settlement could not be