There used to be a legendary Viking civilization

The poisonous tongue mouths of the Middle Ages called them "the butchers of mankind"; and anonymous epics praised them as heroes. They are the mysterious Viking people .

An elaborate systematic study, spanning more than a century, has taken place since 1897, when archaeologists discovered in the plains adjacent to the Schleswig region in northern Germany: the city Legendary Haithabu - once considered "suddenly missing". Since then, thanks to the constant exploration and excavation, it has partly revealed to people something about an ancient civilization which was very prosperous .

With Professor Kurt Sissel, current director of the Schleswig Archaeological Museum, "Haithabu is the Viking capital about 10 centuries ago, with a population of more than 1,000 people through difficult excavations. deny like pottery, wool, bronze, as well as many other metal tools . ".

The end of the rumors

A hundred years after Haithabu was discovered, the European scientific community through 3-4 generations of follow-up research has revealed many things about ancient Viking people.

Is it thanks to the red-tailed dragon-shaped boats, that the Vikings conquered the ferocious Baltic wave; parallel to the image of the burgundy beard, gulping bile "like water" - stored in the enemy level, with the battle hat attached to the arrogant horn on his head!

Painting Viking warriors are always supported by the God of Idols.

"The problem of fabrication - Professor K. Sissel strongly denies - Actually, there are 95% of the Scandinavian ethnic groups who are not skilled pirates, but rather specialized in farming and fishing. The part living in danger from hunger, epidemics and natural disasters is always lurking, with 14 babies, only 4 of them can live up to the age of 10, and at the time of adulthood with a very high average life about 20-30 years only One key thing to note is that no ancient Vikings wore horns on their hats! ".

But even up until now there existed conflicting conceptions around the myths of brave and cruel Vikings, mighty and generous people in their conquest of the sea. Under the Third Empire, Adolf Hitler once honored Haithabu as "a clear incarnation of the village population of ancient German people"; while Professor K. Sissel looks at the whole city as a "pioneer - ahead" in the period of early medieval urban formation.

"Haithabu is a huge city adjacent to the World Ocean , " wrote the Arab historian and businessman At-Turtushi in 965. At that time Haithabu had more than 150 years of existence, a heavy place. "Viking imprint" attracted street merchants, especially in the slave trade.

The exchange of abducted people was very prosperous at the markets in Haithabu. Often victims are Christians, who are taken away by those of the same faith to sell . Of course, this "lucrative business" is absolutely forbidden by the church, so the Vikings worship the God of Idol. (polytheism), has acted as an intermediary to transfer slaves to Arabs in order to source more "powerful needles".

For example, 4 female slaves cost a total of 820g of silver, equivalent to the price of an iron-clad armor - the most expensive defensive artifact at the time.

"Residents of the city mostly believe in the goddess of idols - At-Turtushi historian continues to write - Only a few follow Catholicism. Their staple food is seafood, especially marine fish, because of them. I have never heard any more savage voice than Haithabu's, so scary . ".

The talented architects of urbanization and urban lifestyle

At-Turtushi was even more appalled by the construction of the Vikings and was amazed at their urban gathering. Parallel is the radical law being implemented, then the road system is square and sharp, even the dangerous areas have convenient trade routes. People are busy walking, legs wrapped with traditional goat skin pieces .

Modern Viking Festival in Haithabu.

Then the afternoon smoke spread throughout the area. The sound of people coughing, the sound of children learning lessons, the hammer of blacksmiths, the sharpening of knives, the sound of stone chattering, the sound of hooting pigs, and the crowing of chickens . the sounds typical of a peaceful and flourishing life. Wealthy families often live in houses about 6m wide and about 15m long. And the average laborer is a grass-roofed house, with walls made of mud.

Most homes have no windows, including only "small holes" for outside observations. Haithabu was formed by many ethnic groups: Scandinavian, Slavs from Eastern Europe who lived together with people from the North migrated down.

They stayed here mainly for the purpose of trading, expanding trade with professionals traveling far and wide. Everyone believes and adheres to the unwritten law that reigns in the oceanic profession: not succumbing to any slave plots from outside forces.

On the domestic side, maintaining social order in Haithabu is enforced according to the "iron discipline" model. Any townspeople who commit theft or murder will be stoned to death, or drowned in the swamp until their breathing stops. So is rape, especially in cases of Viking women. There is no prison system.

Only a "Thing" exists, the form of the Council of Representatives openly dealing with matters related to those who have lost their humanity. Usually after every "Thing" period, criminals will be thrown into a deep forest full of evil and no one in the community will pay any attention to them.

Such a model urban lifestyle dominated the land of Haithabu about 24 hectares and was strictly enforced for 250 years, until the Vikings suddenly disappeared in the list of the nations on the planet. mid-11th century period.

conquer the globe

"Generals of saltwater" like the history of the 9th century recorded, or "The venomous bees" , or "The bloodthirsty wolves" that the indigenous Central Europeans often call terribly . are all haunting only men from the north . Obviously, these definitions refer to a certain group of belligerent people, not a powerful, powerful state organization and economic prosperity.

In fact, the verb "Vikingr" in the original northern dialect includes many meanings such as "I conquer", "appropriation", "killing" .; It also includes other meanings such as "I do business", "I travel all over the ocean to discover new lands" . showing their clear philosophy.

"No one expected that the French nation, with the most glorious dynasty at the former continent, a populous and good-power power was easily able to surrender to a strange force with little army", a monk The contemporary school was surprised to say that the handwritten version of the Viking event from Denmark had "flattened" the Paris capital in early 845.

At the Christmas of 800, when Karl Dai (742-814) was honored by Pope Leo III in the title of Emperor of the Carolingien Empire (continuing the Roman Empire), the 2 million Viking inhabitants were in the region. Scandinavia still lives in tents lit with fish fat . But only within a short time afterwards, the dragon-nose ships appeared abundantly in most of the surrounding waters.

The Vikings from Sweden pioneered along the banks of the river, across Lake Ladoga to Nizhny Novgorod in Russia, then down the Dnieper River to the Black Sea as far as Constantinople (now Istanbul) in Turkey. The Vikings in Norway target the North Atlantic region to control resource-rich strategic islands such as Hebrides, Faroe and Shetland, creating the ability to dominate the United Kingdom and infiltrate Ireland.

The Vikings from Denmark headed east, devastating the Friesland region of the Netherlands, then followed the Elbe River to Hamburg and the Rhine to Cologne in Prussia, as well as down the Seine to the "light capital" of Paris. Anxiety and fear were everywhere: from the Baltic shore spread down to North Africa.

Why do the Vikings like to conquer rivers and oceans? Not because of the aggressive nature, but because of the desire to discover that made their journey away. In parallel with the conquests is the corruption, causing the "mountain" of valuable booty to enter their hands, contributing to boosting the economy which is very sluggish at home. The main victims of the Viking army are often unarmed temples and monasteries.

They "enjoyed" the attack on Sunday, when people were gathering. The sharp sword and the sharp ax of the Viking often mercilessly slashed the sheep, others humiliated women . But the Vikings also made a "financial feat" : the money robbed from the churches they brought home Small canopy, made into coins for easy exchange. The first monetary unit to appear in Northern Europe in 825 was the Viking coins.

But they are still not satisfied with the inland conquests above, but the Vikings are really in need of a free port regardless of a European institution, where they can exchange and transport moving goods away. The location next to Schleswig was chosen by the Viking leaders and then Haithabu became the shape, although the first day was very unspoiled .

Viking civilization flourished

Haithabu is located in the middle of the busiest intercontinental trade roads, becoming "a supermarket in the middle of a barren plateau" like a medieval historian used to be. Here people exchange with each other: bones of Greenland seals, German brimstone, Norwegian mineral water, Pribaltic amber, Swedish metal, Friesland textiles, Rhine pottery and spear . Common rules are all everything comes from lands where Viking troops have passed, as well as from areas where they have trade ties.

The various diversions were the main bloodline that fed Haithabu city, the lack of periodic busy water transports, it was clear that the Haithabu people had nothing to exchange with outside.

The Viking "delight" attacked on Sunday, when people were gathering.

For 10 centuries now there's always a question: where are the priceless treasures of the Vikings? Part of the treasures are present at the Schleswig Historical Museum. The artifacts illustrate a heroic time of the people are listed as "sea wolves" , as well as the familiar occupations for them: carpenters, blacksmiths, sophisticated carvers, stone carvers, shipwright…

There is also another profession not to be missed, honoring the boom of Viking civilization as jewelry making. Only a few Haithabu residents are dedicated to this profession, serving the domestic and export markets. Fashioning is also a very popular profession in Haithabu, reflected in the dress style of the city townspeople. The number of artifacts salvaged from ancient wrecked Viking ships said that.

The mystery of the disappearance of Viking civilization

Why does such a well-mannered and skillful people suddenly disappear? Many different theories have been raised, including all the causes: due to economic failure, natural disasters and epidemics, due to excessive national self-esteem that has alienated the alien .

The first convincing answer was discovered in 1979, when it was discovered that an archaeological artifact resonates throughout the world. It was a warship of an extremely rich Viking king, up to 30 meters long, with a crew of up to 50 people.

Many pieces of wood that constitute this sail ship are being preserved in Haithabu Museum. But in parallel with the admiration of some unknown Viking lord - who owned the warship, was the "light at the end of the tunnel" that shone through the hypothetical chains: the luxury ship itself brought The final statement for Haithabu!

The passionate conquerors used such a large capacity ship as the last refuge before the great fire. The fire artifacts scattering salvage have said it. Through the analysis of the age of the radioactive isotope Carbon-14, scientists determined exactly the year of the disaster: 1066 - the "fateful year" of Viking civilization.

And so, the fire god burned down the first city in northern Europe with the inhabitants, causing Haithabu to fade away, forgotten over time . It was only until eight and a half centuries after science discovered , through the hidden hidden underground.