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photo by Dana D. Klein M.Div, Editor
Scandinavian History by Professor Stanley Scism
Use of sails made possible the Goths, having crossed over the Baltic from Sweden, and follwing amber routes, to move into the Roman Empire. When the empire collapsed, so did the trade that had brought to Scandinavia many new developments. However, the governmental instability in the vacuum caused by the empire breaking down led to an age of migrations. This, coupled with the use of sails and following Roman trade routes, made possible the Anglo-Saxons’ migration from Denmark to Britain, and enough Germanic-speaking people traveled to Britain to linguistically and culturally change Britain to England.
All these developments led to the embryo of Viking civilization later described in legends and sagas.
CONCLUSION
This has been the first of an intended several articles on Scandinavian history, the next to range into the subject of the Migration era, of Norse gods, runes, visual
arts, legends and kings. The one after that will shipbuilding, Viking war and society, merchants and commerce, and the beginning of Christian influence on Scandinavians.
Suggested FURTHER READING:
Davidson, H.R. Ellis. Myths and Symbols in Pagan Europe. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press, 1988.
Haywood, John. Penguin Historical Atlas of the Vikings. NY: Penguin, 1995.
Jones, Gwyn. History of the Vikings. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1968.
Renfrew, Colin. Archaeology and Language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1989.
Sawyer, Peter. Oxford History of the Vikings. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998.
Schultz, Herbert. Prehistory of Germanic Europe. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1983.
Look for part II next issue.
Professor Scism
teaches in our Masters in Divinity program and our Missions program www.atseminary