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| List of Illustrations | |
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| List of Text Boxes | |
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| Acknowledgments | |
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| Introduction | |
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| The Viking Age: An Overview | |
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| Who Were the Vikings? | |
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| When and What Was the Viking Age? | |
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| Viking Age or Viking Ages? | |
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| Scandinavian Roots | |
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| Causes of the Viking Expansion | |
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| Viking Ships: A Catalyst of the Viking Age | |
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| Gokstad and Oseberg Ships, Norway | |
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| The Skuldelev Ships, Denmark | |
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| "Sudden and unforeseen attacks of Northmen": The First Viking Age-Raiding and Reconnaissance | |
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| "The heathens stayed": The Second Viking Age-Conquest and Settlement | |
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| The Viking Road to the East | |
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| Into the Western Ocean: The North Atlantic Saga | |
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| Merchants and Mercenaries | |
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| The End of the Viking Age | |
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| The Vikings in the Courtroom of History: Terrorists, Tourists, Others | |
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| Society and Religion in the Viking Age | |
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| Rank | |
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| Slavery | |
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| Women | |
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| Families | |
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| Children | |
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| Law | |
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| Formation of States | |
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| The Special Case of Iceland | |
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| Early Religion and Belief | |
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| The Principal Gods of Norse Mythology and Their World | |
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| Conversion | |
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| Viking Biographies | |
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| Egil Skallagrimsson (ca 910-990): Warrior, Mercenary, Poet | |
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| Harald Bluetooth, King of Denmark (r. ca 958-987) | |
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| Olaf Tryggvason, King of Norway (r. 995-1000) | |
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| Harald Hardradi, King of Norway (r. 1047-66): The "Hard-Ruler" | |
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| Eirik the Red and Leif Eiriksson: Explorers of the North Atlantic (ca 980-1000) | |
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| Gudrid Thorbjarnardaughter (fl. ca 1000): A Far-Traveled Viking Woman | |
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| Unn the Deep-Minded (fl. ca 900): Unparalleled among Women | |
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| Svein Asleifarson (d. ca 1171): The Last Viking? | |
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| How Do We Know about the Vikings? | |
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| Scandinavian Sources | |
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| Ohthere and Wulfstan (ca 871-899) | |
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| Vikings in European and Eastern Sources | |
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| Alcuin's Letter to King Athelred of Northumbria, 793 | |
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| The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, Late Ninth Century | |
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| The Battle of Maldon and The Battle of Maldon: Records of a Viking Raid | |
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| Adam of Bremen: History of the Archbishops of Hamburg-Bremen, ca 1015 | |
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| Arabic Sources on the Vikings | |
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| Later Medieval Icelandic Sources | |
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| The Sagas of Icelanders | |
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| Kings' Sagas | |
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| Contemporary Sagas | |
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| Bishops' Sagas | |
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| Legendary Sagas | |
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| Short Story | |
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| Icelandic Historical Texts | |
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| The Art of Poetry | |
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| Kinds of Old Norse Poetry | |
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| Eddie Poetry | |
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| The Poetic Edda | |
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| The Delivery of Viking Age Poetry | |
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| A Case Study Exercise: The Wandering Monks of Saint Philibert | |
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| From the First Book of Miracles | |
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| From the Second Book of Miracles | |
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| Afterword: Viking Impacts and Legacies | |
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| Questions For Reflection | |
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| Chronology | |
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| Glossary | |
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| References | |
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| Index | |