The high‑tech shipbuilding methods that helped Vikings dominate the seas |
Images of the sleek keels, elegant planks, and dragon-headed prows of Viking longships have been reproduced countless times on postcards, book covers, souvenirs and in television shows and movies.
These vessels are, quite literally, the poster-ships for the Viking Age, which was between around 750 and 1100 CE.
So what made these ships so special? And why were these advanced shipbuilding techniques so crucial to the Vikings’ success?
What drove this shipbuilding boom?
In Old Norse, there are two words for Viking: víkingr refers to a person, while víking is an activity. Neither word is inherently negative nor associated with violence.
A víkingr is someone (who may or may not identify as a pirate) who undertakes víking expeditions (sometimes to pillage, sometimes not), and whose life and livelihood have strong connections to the sea.
By the mid-eighth century, these people were keen to expand their horizons and branch out from local economies.
This coincided with a number of large and lucrative mercantile towns springing up around north-west Europe in this period.
Among other factors, Vikings travelled further westward and eastward as part of an ongoing and complex power grab for portable wealth, territory, and control of trade routes.
From the 750s on, the Vikings’ advanced shipbuilding technology helped give them the edge.
Gamechanging technology
The unique design of Viking ships and their trademark square sails were........