Treasures of the Vikings (HB)

Treasures of the Vikings explores the material culture of the Viking Age, and the raiders and traders who plundered and purchased across Europe and Central Asia. From battles in Estonia in the mid 8th-century and the apocalyptic Viking attack on the monastery at Lindisfarne on the remote northeast coast of Anglo-Saxon England in 793, until the demise of Scandinavian control of Shetland in 1472, Viking groups played a central role in history, as pirates, traders and mercenaries, leaving a trail of destruction, settlements and treasure from Newfoundland to the shores of the Black Sea. In between, Vikings traded along the great rivers of Russia and Ukraine, conquered in Britain and France, settled in Iceland and Greenland, and enriched Scandinavia with loot. Marvel at a Frankish Ulfberht high-carbon steel sword, prized by Viking warriors for its strength and lightness, and see the remarkable walrus ivory and whale tooth Lewis Chess Pieces, found on the eponymous Scottish isle in the 19th century. Packed with photographs of fascinating objects and sites, Treasures of the Vikings is ideal for any enthusiast for all things Viking.