VIKINGS
THE OPEN OCEAN
Halfway through the 8th century CE, terror landed on the shores of Northern Europe: Pagan Vikings looted monasteries, plundering villages, killing and enslaving the rest.
What terrified the Christians was not the Viking's warrior prowess, instead, it was that these Northmen seemed to appear out of nowhere, from across the open sea.
Navigating the open ocean is a tremendous feat and in 8th-century Europe, it was considered impossible. Though these Vikings appeared illiterate and uncivilized, they had mastered water as a means of transportation. That's because these Viking innovators had advanced knowledge of shipbuilding, night and daytime navigation, mapping and toolmaking.
Things start to make sense when we look at their background. The Vikings came from the Scandinavian fjords and islands. With only water to connect them to other communities, traveling by water became second nature to them.
Their vehicle of choice; the Viking longship, that could be sailed or rowed. Made from overlapping wooden slats that were riveted together, these ships could take the brutal beating of ocean seas, and were shallow enough to travel up estuaries and rivers.
Like all new technologies, the longship needed…..
