What was a Viking House made of?
As we already spoke about, the typical Viking home was the longhouse and this was built almost entirely from wood. Upright wooden beams planted below ground level would form the foundations, with wooden a-frame trusses providing the support for the pitched roof.
What was it like to live in a Viking longhouse?
Next, to the longhouse, there could be other buildings such as barns, stables, or workshops. The Viking longhouse was big enough so whole families could live together in them. So if you lived back then, you would share the same house with your parents, and their siblings, and their children, and your grandparents.
Where did the Vikings live?
Most Vikings lived on a farm, which was often bounded by a fence. The farm was centred around a dwelling house – the longhouse – which was the main building.
What do you call a Viking House?
Home The Vikings The Viking Home - The Longhouse. The house was the center of life in the Vikings Age. We often call a Viking house a Viking Longhouse. Not only was the home the place where people found warmth, food and shelter.
What were Viking houses made of?
Viking houses were built of wood. The longhouses had bowed walls in plan, forming a ship-like outline. The walls were lined with clay or consisted of wooden planks placed vertically into the ground, which supported the roof, along with two rows of internal posts. Outside the house was often supported by sloping posts.
What was in the middle of the Viking house?
In the middle of the house was an oblong fireplace – the long fireplace. Here the food was made. Along the walls there were plank beds, on which the Vikings could sit or sleep. At one end of the house the animals were housed in stalls, if there were no stables at the farm. The Vikings constantly repaired their houses.
What was the role of banquets in Viking society?
Banqueting plays an important role in the Viking societies described in the saga literature and eddic poems.
What was the main building of the Vikings?
The farm. Most Vikings lived on a farm, which was often bounded by a fence. The farm was centred around a dwelling house – the longhouse – which was the main building. Apart from the dwelling house, the farm often consisted of various areas of activity and other buildings, including outbuildings, barns, stables and workshops.
Where did the Vikings bury their dead?
The Vikings buried their dead a short distance from the settlement, typically 300 - 600 m away. Many farms and burial places were separated by a watercourse. This has been identified at significant Danish sites, such as Gammel Lejre and Tissø on Zealand and Mammen, near Viborg, in Jutland.
Where did the Vikings live?
Photo: Anne Pedersen. Viking homes have been found in nearly all parts of Denmark. Only a small proportion of the Vikings lived in towns. Most of them were farmers, who lived in small villages consisting of 6-7 farms. For them the farm, domestic animals and agriculture were all pivotal to the daily routine.
Did Viking houses have chimneys?
Viking houses did not have chimneys or windows. Instead, there was a hole in the roof, where the smoke from the fire escaped. The lack of ventilation meant that there was a great deal of smoke in a Viking house. This is comparable to houses with open fireplaces, which are still found today in parts of Africa and India.
What type of houses did the Vikings build?
In lands with limited wood supply, stone or peat houses were common. These houses were typically dug into the ground deeper to reduce the amount ...
What would a Viking house have?
Some Viking homes would have bare wooden walls, this would require excellent and well fitted craftsmanship to keep the wind and elements out. Other settlements would use peat or mud to add a protective layer to the walls.
What materials did the Vikings use to build their homes?
The materials of the Viking homes. Living in Scandinavia gaves the Vikings access to many natural materials, particular wood. There was an abundance of trees in Viking times, and wood would be the primary building material used when constructing a home. Oak was the favoured material for its strength and density.
What is the difference between a Viking home and a bungalow?
One difference was that longhouses could be build below ground level, perhaps to ensure that wind and cold would enter the home.
What material was used to build Viking houses?
Oak was the favoured material for its strength and density. The longhouses roofs would be constructed from either wooden shingles or would be a thatched roof. Both methods would keep the Vikings safe and dry in their homes during storms or winters.
How long is a Viking longhouse?
Like its name the typical Viking house was long and straight a rectangle shape with a pitched roof. The length of the longhouse could be up to 30 metres in length which is around 90 feet. The width of the Viking home would be typically up to 2 metres, or around 5 feet, hence the name longhouse.
What did the Vikings build their houses out of?
In these cases the Vikings would build houses out of stone. The walls would be constructed stone by stone, and the outside would be lined with peat or moss. This layering would add insulation to the house and the moss and peat would often be used on the roof also.
What are some interesting facts about Viking homes?
Viking Homes and Houses: Facts About Viking Longhouses. Here are some interesting facts about Viking longhouses. The Vikings built longhouses all over Scandinavia. The typical Viking longhouse was 6 metres wide and up to 75 metres long, with a wooden frame, and walls of wooden planks or clay. The Viking longhouse was usually divided ...
What oil was used in Viking longhouses?
Stone lamps using fish liver oil or whale oil were sometimes used in longhouses, providing a strong enough light to work by. The length of the Viking longhouse often depended on how rich the owner was. Wealthy people also decorated their houses with rugs, tapestries and sometimes shields.
What did the wealthy people decorate their houses with?
Wealthy people also decorated their houses with rugs, tapestries and sometimes shields. In very cold areas, Viking longhouses were built with stone and turf for extra warmth. They even stuffed straw, wool and moss in between two walls as a form of insulation.
What was the Vikings' longhouse made of?
Most had timber frames, with walls of wattle and daub and thatched roofs. Where wood was scarce, as in Iceland, longhouses were made of turf and sod. Two rows of high posts supported the roof and ran down the entire length of the building, which could be up to 250 feet long.
What was the floor of the Viking Longhouse used for?
Rooms were partially set off; one end of the longhouse might be used as a barn to keep cattle and horses in the winter as well as storage for crops and tools.
What was the Viking family?
A Viking family—often an extended family —all lived in the Viking longhouse, where they ate, worked, talked and slept with little or no privacy. Everyone knew everyone else’s business, which probably led both to closeness and rancor.
Why did Viking women push their menfolk out the door?
Viking women pushed their menfolk out the door to hunt or fish, while they themselves went out to harvest fresh spring greens and herbs. Longhouses on a Viking farm were larger than houses in a Viking town. In the few towns, Viking homes were more rectangular than long.
What was the Viking home called?
The Viking Home - The Longhouse. The house was the center of life in the Vikings Age. We often call a Viking house a Viking Longhouse. Not only was the home the place where people found warmth, food and shelter.
How long were Viking houses?
Some buildings which were excavated near Sædding, Denmark were nearly 50 m long. While one near Lofoten, Norway had a length of no less than 83 meters.
What were the Vikings made of?
The Viking homes on Iceland, Greenland and the Faeroe Islands were made primarily of stone and peat. Nothing is preserved of the wooden longhouses in Scandinavia.
Why are Viking longhouses called Viking longhouses?
There weren’t any beds in an average Viking Longhouse. People would sleep wrapped in furs on benches which were attached to the walls of the dwelling. These benches would be used for seating during the daytime.
Is there any evidence of wooden longhouses?
Nothing is preserved of the wooden longhouses in Scan dinavia. However, archaeological evidence from certain sites has given us a very good idea about how these homes would have looked, and also what items would be inside a Viking house.
Location, Location, Location
The success and prosperity of a Viking village often depended on its location. Most villages were located near the coast or along a fjord. This was, firstly, because fishing was fundamental to their way of life, and secondly because it made transport easier.
Household
Households varied greatly in size depending on the wealth of the inhabitants. Most dwellings were centered on a longhouse, so-called because of their rectangular shape.
Commodities
To make a living, the Vikings fished, sewed crops, and raised cattle. As we have already said, the importance of fish in the Viking diet is one of the main reasons that settlements were always located near the coast of rivers.
Rhythm of Life
The rhythm of life in Viking villages would have been very much dictated by the season. Plants were sown in the spring, and the men went raiding in the summer while the rest of the household worked to prepare enough food to see them through the winter months.
