The Vikings - Viking Ships

In this episode, the Viking Weapons will be explored.  They traded and raided across the hemisphere and their weapons were the most advanced of the time.  They traveled across the sea on the most advanced ships and invested carefully in their weapons.  The Vikings went into battle equipped to Kill.  Shields, swords, and armor were their tools of warfare.  The weapons were the same across burials.
​
Their ships were their secret weapons.  They could bend with the sea and be light enough to be carried overland.  The Vikings used surprise as their tactics.  Where there was a waterway, the Vikings could go.  They went to Russia and Ukraine.  One of the best-preserved ships is found in Oslo.  It was the best-preserved ship of the Viking age.  It survived because of the clay that was found in the mount.  The clay sealed the tomb and it preserved the wood, metal, leather, and textiles.  Not only did the clay preserve this ship, but it also preserved the methods behind Viking shipbuilding.  It was built on the west coast of Norway.  The ship could be both rowed and sailed.

The Viking ships were built to be very light and very strong.  The planks were cut in a way that preserved the dimensions of the wood.  The wood used to build the Viking ships was fresh.  A replica ship of the funeral ship was created.  It took several tries and several sinkings.  However, when the archeologists relied on ancient ship-building methods the ship came together and was launched successfully in 2012.  It was surprising to discover that the ships Viking built such lightships.  There seemed to be a sense of how to build a ship.  They had the image in their head of the ship and knew what trees to select to build the ship.

In Roskilde, there is a ship museum that holds the largest number of Viking ships in the world.  There were five ships discovered in Roskilde.  The five ships were trading ships, longboats, and even a warship.  The boats were made from Oak.  Special care was used to create the planks for the ships.  The Vikings used nature to build their boats.  The planks were cut along the grain.  The ribbing was created with the natural curve of the tree.  The planks were put together using overlapping methods.  They were waterproofed with wool and tar.  Women wove the sails and were more expensive than the ships.

The Viking warriors were carefully trained.  They used shields to battle.  They were equipped with swords, shields, and spears.  However, they preferred to attack the enemy from behind.  Once the shield formations were broken, then the swords came out creating terror in the enemy.  The fact they were heathens scared the enemy.  The English believed the Vikings to be a punishment from God.  Modern Day Viking warriors come together and recreate Viking battles.  This group may be better equipped than their Ancient Viking ancestors.
Wolin was the home to an elite Viking mercenary unit and was considered the best soldier.  The evidence shows a huge city where this elite group lived in.  Wolin was a huge trading center.  Was this the place where an ancient Viking mercenary unit lived in?  The archeological evidence has yet to emerge.  To continue to learn more about Viking warfare and Viking ships continue to watch this documentary.

This documentary gives the feeling that it is targeted at students in the classroom.   The narration is slower passed.  The participants in the documentary share their knowledge about the Vikings.  This would be an excellent documentary for the middle school classroom as well as a high school classroom.
​
This documentary is found on the Absolute History channel and mobile devices was divided into chapters for easy viewing.