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Where did the Vikings explore?

  • The Vikings were great explorers and travellers. Viking ships reached鈥Britain, France, Spain, Italy and North Africa.
  • Traders made long journeys overland through鈥疪ussia, reaching as far south as鈥Constantinople鈥痠n modern-day Turkey.
  • Some merchants traveled further east to鈥疊aghdad鈥痠n Iraq.
  • A few daring explorers made voyages to Iceland and beyond, travelling across the Atlantic Ocean to鈥North America.
  • Explorer Leif Erikson traveled to Newfoundland in modern-day Canada. Eric the Red traveled to Greenland.
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What did the Vikings buy and sell?

A set of Viking scales
Image caption,
This is the kind of balance scale a Viking trader used. They put the little weights in one pan and the silver in the other.

The Vikings bought goods and materials such as鈥silver, silk, spices, wine, jewellery, glass and pottery.

They sold items like honey, tin, wheat, wool, wood, iron, fur, leather, fish and walrus ivory.

They used scales to weigh coins and get a fair deal.

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How did they find their way?

A raven perched on the prow of a Viking longship helped the navigators to find new land.

The Vikings did not use maps. They sailed near the coast whenever possible, watching for鈥landmarks.

Out of sight of land, they looked for鈥the sun

  • West (towards the sunset) meant they were headed for England.

  • East (towards the sunrise) meant home to Denmark or Norway.

  • They used the stars to find their way at night.

  • They also knew a lot about鈥winds鈥痑nd鈥痵ea currents.

The Oseberg longship in the Vikingskiphuset, Oslo.
Image caption,
The Oseberg ship was found in 1904 and is now in a museum in Oslo, Norway.
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Watch: How did longships work?

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Activities

Activity 1: Viking explorers

Click on each of the Vikings to find out how far they travelled and what they discovered.

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Activity 2: Quiz 鈥 Viking traders and explorers

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Play fun and educational primary games in science, maths, English, history, geography, art, computing and modern languages.

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