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Celtic Hist. Newsletter: Viking Age Ireland
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hist-@historicgames.com
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Nov 01, 2007 09:59 PST
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The Celtic History Newsletter
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The Viking influence on Ireland seems to begin at the end of the
eight century when the first raids on monastic settlements in Ireland
were recorded. By the 840?s it appears that the Viking raiders began
to establish ?Longphorts? (shipping ports) in Ireland and remained
over the winter at Dublin and Anagassan, in County Louth. By 902 A.D.
the Vikings in Dublin had been pushed out to northern Britain, but
returned to establish an actual town in Dublin in 917 A.D. The Viking
age of influence in Ireland seems to have end around the 1050s about a
century longer than is often considered the case in Britain.
The greatest legacy the Vikings seem to have had on Ireland is the
creation of the first real towns with property-owning residents. Prior
to the Viking settlements, most large settlement were surrounded and
supported the monasteries, whereas the new ?urban? areas build by the
Vikings were established primarily for trade and commerce. Dublin and
other towns were part of an extensive international trading network
extending from the Scandinavian countries overland via Russian rivers
and portages as far as the Middle East.
Other Viking contributions to early Irish culture include Ireland?s
first coinage in 997 A.D. an increased use of silver and large
influence on the quality and style of weapon and sword manufacturing.
During the 1960?s and 1970?s in Dublin, the National Museum of Ireland
conducted what is probably the largest series of urban archeological
excavations in Europe. These digs provided good picture of Viking-era
Dublin. In Fishamble Street over a dozen tenements, yards and plots
were unearthed including intact foundation remains for over 150 houses.
The yard divisions consisted primarily of post and wattle fences
creating roughly rectangular enclosures positioned at right angles to
the street. Often the houses were near the street-end of the plots
leaving a large ?back yard? and were usually as wide as the plots, so
access to the back yards from the street must have been through the
house itself. The most common type of house was roughly rectangular
and divided into three ?strips? down the length of the structure. The
center area ran the length of the house and connected the doors at
either end usually with a stone hearth at the center. On either side
were platforms raised above the ground, probably for sleeping, or as
benches during the day. The houses usually measured around 36 square
meters (around 387 square feet) probably with a thatched roof.
The town was defended with an earthen embankment which was topped off
with a post and wattle along it?s top. This was replaced by a stone
wall during the eleventh century. Evidence of many craftsmen and
trades were found, including blacksmiths, coppersmiths, comb makers,
shoemakers and ship builders. Artifacts of amber, walrus ivory and
soapstone provide supporting evidence of the Viking?s trade and
commerce.
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