The Vikings : the British Museum, London, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Catalog Of An Exhibition Held At The British Museum, London, And The Metropolitan Museum Of Art, New York. Preface -- Introduction And The Scandinavian Background -- Ships And The Sea -- Traders And Looters -- Viking Settlement -- House And Home -- Death And Pagan Gods -- Viking Dress -- Kings And Coinage -- Viking Crafts -- The Jeweller's Craft -- Art And Ornament -- The Coming Of Christianity. James Graham-campbell And Dafydd Kidd. Catalog Of An Exhibition Held At The British Museum, London, And The Metropolitan Museum Of Art, New York. Includes Index. Bibliography: P. 189. Catalog of an Exhibition held at the British Museum, London, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. The Vikings have had a bad press. Their activities are equated with rape and pillage and their reputation for brutality is second only to that of the Huns and the Goths. Curiously, they have also been invested with a strange glamour which contradicts in many ways their fearsome image. The wanton, healthy, cheerful, blond Viking has been a firmly established literary figure since the early nineteenth century. The British Museum by means of this book and the exhibition which it illustrates is trying in some ways to redress the balance. In a brutal age the Vikings were brutal, but their brutality was no worse than that of their contemporaries. It is not without significance that the English word 'law' has a Scandinavian root, nor that some of the administrative divisions of England in use until the middle of this century were established by Scandinavian settlers. The Vikings were administrators as well as pirates, merchants as well as robbers. The Scandinavians of the Viking Age had a strong and vital culture of their own, although they were always ready to take up outside influences and ideas. The culture of these people is indicated in this book, as is their daring and adventurous spirit. The discovery of America, the acceptance of Christianity, the creation of nation-states and the government of colonies are all part of this story, as are a distinctive art and considerable technical skill. It is to show all these facets of the Viking character that we have mounted this exhibition and written this book. Photographic Acknowledgments 6 Preface 7 List of Lenders 9 1. Introduction and the Scandinavian Background 11 2. Ships and the Sea 25 3. Traders and Looters 33 4. Viking Settlement 61 5. House and Home 75 6. Death and Pagan Gods 87 7. Viking Dress 101 8. Kings and Coinage 119 9. Viking Crafts 131 10. The Jeweller’s Craft 143 11. Art and Ornament 153 12. The Coming of Christianity 179 Select Bibliography 189 Index 190 List of Exhibits 193