The Oxford Illustrated History of the Vikings (Oxford Illustrated Histories)

Everyone feared the Vikings during their three centuries of terror, which lasted roughly from the start of the 8th century to the end of the 11th century. They are best remembered as cruel pagan raiders from the frigid north, but their vibrant warrior culture also managed to transform the north Atlantic and much of Russia through trade and settlement. Their seafaring exploits, passed down through the generations in a series of entertaining sagas, led them to Iceland, Greenland, and even North America (which they called "Vinland"). These accomplishments are truly extraordinary, and reveal how a group of people often belittled as cruel brutes actually expanded the frontiers of human knowledge. Peter Sawyer has pulled together a group of accomplished scholars, including Janet L. Nelson and Simon Keynes, to contribute chapters to this attractive, full-color volume. The Oxford Illustrated History of the Vikings contains the very latest information available about the Vikings and their often violent--but always intriguing--ways.