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5 Important Viking Sites Outside Scandinavia

May 30, 2014 Sean McLachlan
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Although the Vikings are most associated with Scandinavia, they raided, traded, and settled across Europe and Asia Minor, and even made it as far away as Canada. Given that the Norsemen journeyed so far, you don’t even have to go to their homeland to travel in their wake. Here are five important Viking sites outside of Scandinavia.

(above) Discovered in a large burial mount at a farm in Norway, the Oseberg ship is one of the main attractions at the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo, Norway. Wikimedia Commons.

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viking-museum-historical-sites-2

Runic inscription in Maeshowe. Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

Maeshowe, Orkney, Scotland

When the Orkney Islands off the north coast of Scotland were conquered by the Vikings in the 8th or 9th century, the area had been a center of culture for millennia. The newcomers were impressed by the large number of prehistoric sites there, such as the imposing stones circles and extensive tombs.

One tomb, Maeshowe, is filled with Norse graffiti. The Orkneyinga Saga tells us a band of Christian Vikings either heading to or returning from the Crusades broke into the tomb to hide from a storm on Christmas of the year 1153. An inscription on the wall says, "Crusaders broke into Maeshowe. Lif the earl's cook carved these runes. To the north-west is a great treasure hidden. It was long ago that a great treasure was hidden here. Happy is he that might find that great treasure. Hakon alone bore treasure from this mound (signed) Simon Sirith".

Sadly there’s no record of what the treasure was. Other inscriptions boast of sexual conquests or the carver’s ability to write well. The complete set of inscriptions can be found here.

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viking-museum-historical-sites-3

This coprolite (fossilized human feces) is an unseemly yet informative find from Viking York. Archaeologists examined it and found pollen grains, cereal bran, and two types of parasitical worm. It’s now a popular display at the Jorvik Centre in York. Photo courtesy Linda Spashett.

York, England

By the 9th century, the Vikings had moved from their earlier raids on monasteries to a full-fledged invasion of the British Isles. Led by Halfdan and Ivar the Boneless, a Viking army took the city of York in northern England in 866. They hadn’t come to plunder, but to settle, and in the following years York grew to be an important center for trade and crafts. From 1976 to 1981, archaeologists from York Archaeological Trust excavated a portion of the old Viking city and uncovered the foundations of houses and shops, as well as a wealth of artifacts.

The excavated area is now the centerpiece of the Jorvik Viking Centre. Standing on a glass floor, you can walk just above the streets and buildings of the old city. Interactive displays, costumed employees, and cheesy animatronic Vikings explain what life was like back in those days. A ten-minute walk away is the Yorkshire Museum, which has an excellent Viking collection presented in a more traditional manner.

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viking-museum-historical-sites-4

 A Viking craftsman at work at Haithabu (Hedeby) Museum. Photo courtesy Frank Vincentz.

Hedeby, Germany

This one is a bit of a cheat since the region was part of Denmark until Prussia took it in 1864, but Hedeby in northern Germany is one of the most important Viking settlements ever excavated. A center of trade from the 8th to the 11th centuries, Hedeby was the largest city in Scandinavia and sent trading ships as far as Greece.

A Slavic army burned the town in 1066 and it lay abandoned until it was excavated in modern times. The cold, waterlogged ground preserved the foundations of the houses, everyday items, and even a ship, all now preserved in the Haithabu Museum. Visitors can explore reconstructed houses that are exact replicas of the originals and watch re-enactors perform traditional Norse crafts. At the dock you can board a reconstructed Viking ship and go sailing.

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viking-museum-historical-sites-5

Viking graffiti on a railing on the second floor of the Hagia Sofia, Istanbul. Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

Hagia Sofia, Istanbul, Turkey

The Vikings’ reputation as warriors meant they were in demand as mercenaries all over Europe. Even the emperors of Byzantium in the eastern Mediterranean used them as their personal bodyguards. Called Varangians, the Norse axemen were considered more trustworthy than the Byzantines themselves, who had a bad habit of assassinating their emperors. At the capital of Constantinople (now Istanbul), Varangians left traces of their presence in the form of graffiti at the main church, the Hagia Sofia. Several faint runes can still be seen scratched into the walls and bannisters. This one is the most visible, and occasionally new ones are discovered, so keep your eyes peeled.

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viking-museum-historical-sites-6

 A far cry from raiding monasteries on a dragon-prowed longship, the lives of the Viking colonists in Newfoundland centered around turf-covered longhouses like this reconstructed one at L’Anse aux Meadows. Photo courtesy D. Gordon E. Robertson.

L’Anse aux Meadows, Newfoundland, Canada

Perhaps the most significant Viking remains are those found the furthest from Scandinavia. At the windswept northern tip of Newfoundland, Canada, stands the remains of a small settlement of Vikings who settled there around the year 1000 AD, building sod houses, a smithy, and a carpenter’s workshop. Today the site is a national park and UNESCO World Heritage Site. Re-enactors practice traditional Viking crafts in reconstructed buildings, and a modern visitor’s center describes the epic voyages that got the Vikings all the way across the Atlantic.

A few scattered Viking artifacts such as a coin in Maine and a some remains in northern Canada suggest L’Anse aux Meadows may have been a base for further trade, or that perhaps there are more Viking settlements in the New World waiting to be uncovered.

In seafarer, history buff, explorer Tags museum explorer, learn, collection, photo essay
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Scout Adventure #13 // Tales of War and Humanity in Belgium

April 13, 2014 Sean McLachlan
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Belgium has seen more than its share of warfare. This small country has the disadvantage of sitting between France and Germany, two historic rivals, and thus the Belgian countryside is filled with battlefields, memorials, and fortresses. In August 1914, Germany invaded France. Although Belgium was neutral, Germany decided to sweep through it in order to attack France from her less protected northern flank. Most of the French army was on its shared border with Germany, and going through Belgium allowed the Germans to almost reach Paris before the French and British could stop them. It was the start of the First World War, the biggest conflict the world had yet seen.

(above) A photo of the Tsarovich Alexei, son of Czar Nicholas II of Russia. Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany kept this on his desk throughout his life, even when he ordered the invasion of Russia. The royal families of Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, and Belgium were all related, but that didn’t stop the war. This photo is in the war museum in Belgium.

Last month, the extensive Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History in the capital Brussels reopened its newly refurbished World War I wing to commemorate the events of 1914-1918. While Belgium lost 90 percent of its territory in the opening weeks, it never stopped fighting and “Brave Little Belgium” became a rallying cry for the Allied forces. A wealth of displays show life in the trenches and in the occupied towns, and highlight the atrocities the German army committed during the invasion.

Memorial at the site of the Christmas Truce football match at Ypres.
Memorial at the site of the Christmas Truce football match at Ypres.

Memorial at the site of the Christmas Truce football match at Ypres.

While the war saw brutal fighting in unimaginable conditions in the trenches, it also saw glimpses of humanity and fellowship. On Christmas 1914, the guns mostly fell silent. Along a stretch of trenches near the Belgian city of Ypres, the Germans started singing carols and poked a Christmas tree above the parapet of their trench. The British soldiers opposite them began singing carols too.

After a time, soldiers peeked over the parapets and waved to their supposed enemies. More soldiers came out of cover, and soon the Germans and English were trading presents and even organized a football match on No Man’s Land. The site of this match is now marked by a memorial. Football fans from around the world come to offer footballs in honor of those who started the Christmas Truce.

But for the most part, Ypres was a killing ground for four years of brutal warfare. The fields around Ypres are filled with the debris of that titanic battle, and the local farmers speak of an “iron harvest” every time they plough their land.

Sometimes this has fatal consequences. On March 19, an old artillery shell or grenade detonated at a building site where workmen were digging. The BBC reports two workers were killed. This happened on the same day I visited, and I was only a few kilometers away at the time. Hearing the news the next day brought the losses of that war much closer to me.

The St. Symphorien Military Cemetery.
The St. Symphorien Military Cemetery.

The St. Symphorien Military Cemetery.

The Belgian countryside has countless graveyards and memorials to the war dead. One of the most moving is the St. Symphorien Military Cemetery on the battlefield of Mons. For most of the war it stood behind German lines and right after the war it was used by the Allies, thus it contains the dead from both sides. I arrived there at dusk, when the sun was setting behind the screen of trees and the entire graveyard had that eerie blue-black hue of the end of day. Tucked away in a wooded corner of a farming district, it was silent except for the occasional birdsong. The gravestones were set out in orderly rows, both German and British side by side.

Grave of Private George Lawrence Price, last Commonwealth soldier to die in World War One.
Grave of Private George Lawrence Price, last Commonwealth soldier to die in World War One.

Grave of Private George Lawrence Price, last Commonwealth soldier to die in World War I.

The grave everyone wants to see is that of George Lawrence Price, a Canadian soldier who was killed on the last day of the war. The warring governments had agreed to an armistice to start at 11 a.m. on November 11, 1918. Just before the final ceasefire, Price and his unit were fighting the Germans for control of a village.  At 10:58 a.m., Price was shot and became the last Commonwealth soldier killed in World War I.

It seems strange that anyone would fight when they knew that peace was coming that day, but several hundred are known to have died on November 11. In one part of the line there was a terrible artillery bombardment, as if the gun crews wanted to get their last shots off before it was all over.

An American soldier, Henry Gunther, died during a charge ordered by his commander literally at the last minute, a pointless waste of the life of a man who, ironically, was of German descent. Gunther charged a German machine gun position and the Germans, who knew peace was just a minute away, waved him off and fired warning shots. When Gunther kept coming, they had no choice but to shoot to kill. He is often called the last casualty of the war.

But that’s only the Western narrative. It was a world war, and fighting continued in the Middle East and Africa for some weeks before word could spread to all units that peace had been declared. No one knows who the last casualty of World War I was, but most likely it was an Arab, a Turk, or an African, killed in the war Europe started.

It wouldn’t be long before “The War to End All Wars” proved to be only the first of two world wars (... so far). Hitler invaded Belgium in 1940 in a sweeping move to take France. This time it wasn’t just a strategic decision, it was part of Germany’s plan to take conquer all of Europe.

Once again the world rallied to fight German expansionism, and once again Belgium became the battleground for greater powers. The fiercest fighting occurred around the town of Bastogne in December 1944. The U.S. Army had liberated the region but the Germans launched a surprise offensive now known as the Battle of the Bulge. A large section of the American army was cut off at Bastogne and had to fight against an army twice its size for a week before it could be saved.

The teddy bear who survived a German artillery bombardment.
The teddy bear who survived a German artillery bombardment.

The teddy bear who survived a German artillery bombardment.

This epic struggle is commemorated in a new Bastogne War Museum, just opened in March 2014. Numerous displays, videos, and interviews with survivors tell the story not just of the battle but of all Belgium during the war. It was interesting to see that collaboration by Belgian Nazis and the rise of the Belgian Fascist “Rex” Party was not overlooked. In one video interview, an elderly woman remembers that during the war she swore at a Belgian Nazi in a shop and was stopped by a German officer. When she told him that she hated those people, he shrugged and said, “We don’t like them either, but they’re useful to us.”

The museum is large and detailed, taking the visitor through military and civilian life during the invasion, occupation, and liberation. One touching display case includes several everyday objects each with their own story. A teddy bear played a small part in the Battle of the Bulge. When the Germans started bombarding Bastogne,  a family that was talking to some American soldiers hurried for shelter. Once they were safe in a cellar, the little girl of the family realized she had forgotten her teddy bear. Some brave G.I. rushed back to her house amidst exploding shells and retrieved it. Luckily both the soldier and the bear survived.

These are only some of the thousands of stories from the world wars that can be uncovered on a trip to Belgium. Anyone with an interest in history will find this little country a great destination. Not only does it have hundreds of world war sites, it also boasts some 400 castles, several world-class museums, the famous battlefield of Waterloo, and of course good beer. What more does a history buff need?

All images copyright Sean McLachlan. This trip was supported by Visit Belgium. All opinions are my own.

In storyteller, history buff Tags museum explorer, explore, learn, story, europe, belgium
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Adventure Amidst the Foreign Stacks in National Libraries

March 3, 2014 Sean McLachlan
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Visiting a library might not top most people's vacation itineraries. Browsing the stacks is usually something done before heading out in order to find a good guidebook or something to read on the plane. The world’s national libraries, however, offer insights into the history of their countries and a chance to see some rare treasures you can't find in museums. Plus, they’re almost always located in the center of the capital, making them easy to visit. As an archaeologist and author, I’ve had the privilege of doing research in many fine national libraries. Here’s a sampling of some that are open to the public, and one that we may lose forever.

(above) The “King’s Library” at the British Library was the personal library of King George III. You can see it from the library cafeteria. Photo courtesy Andrew Dunn.

The British Library, London, UK While many national libraries are overlooked, this one gets many visitors thanks to its incredible collection of important documents and books. Here you can see the Magna Carta, beautiful illuminated manuscripts from the Middle Ages, a Gutenberg Bible, some of the earliest maps showing Britain, and much more. Stamp collectors won’t want to miss the huge philatelic collection next to the cafe. There’s also an excellent series of special exhibitions that tend to go beyond Britain to look at places as far away as Armenia and India. Find out more on their website.

The Divinity School at the Bodleian Library is a fine example of late medieval architecture. Photo courtesy John Lord.
The Divinity School at the Bodleian Library is a fine example of late medieval architecture. Photo courtesy John Lord.

The Divinity School at the Bodleian Library is a fine example of late medieval architecture. Photo courtesy John Lord.

The Bodleian Library, Oxford, UK This is by far the most beautiful library I’ve worked in. Located at the famous Oxford University, the Bodleian has been open to scholars since 1602. Like the British Library, it’s a copyright library and strives to have every book ever published in the United Kingdom. The behind-the-scenes tour takes you through the stacks to the elegant 17th century Duke Humfrey’s Library and the 15th century Divinity School, two architectural jewels familiar to fans of the Harry Potter films. There’s also a free museum with book-related exhibitions. Past shows have ranged from Renaissance magical texts to Arthurian romance.

The grandiose exterior of the Biblioteca Nacional, Madrid. Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons.
The grandiose exterior of the Biblioteca Nacional, Madrid. Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

The grandiose exterior of the Biblioteca Nacional, Madrid. Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

Biblioteca Nacional de España, Madrid, Spain The Biblioteca Nacional is a bit harder to get inside as a reader, thanks to some idiot a few years ago who cut up dozens of old atlases and smuggled out the maps to sell on the black market. Luckily there are still tours that take you to the reading room and the book-themed museum. Here you can see first editions of Don Quixote, early maps from Spain’s Age of Exploration, and much more.

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A 15th century Ethiopian portrait of the Negus (king) of Lalibela, from the Institute of Ethiopian Studies collection. Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

National Library, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

At the center of the lush and relaxing campus of Addis Ababa University stands one of Haile Selassie’s old palaces. The ground floor is dedicated to the library of the Institute of Ethiopian Studies. Readers sit in what was once the throne room. Upstairs is the Institute’s museum with its extensive collection of art and artifacts from the nation’s many ethnic groups. The top floor is still preserved as it was when the Emperor lived here. The tour takes you through his bedroom, private chambers, and even his baby-blue bathroom.

Al-Assad National Library, Damascus, Syria My first experience studying in a national library was in 1994, when I spent several wonderful weeks visiting the ancient sites of Syria. I also did some research in the national library. It was here that I had a little incident that remains clear in my mind and reminds me how insidious sexism can be even for well-meaning men.

I’d been traveling in the Muslim world for several months and had become accustomed to seeing only men in positions of authority. When I went in to the National Library in Damascus to apply for a reader card the guy at the desk sent me upstairs to speak with the head librarian. I walked into the office indicated and saw a woman sitting behind a desk with a man standing next to her looking at some papers. I looked at the woman, then at the man, who nodded, and I realized it was the woman who was the head librarian. I turned back to her just in time to see her getting a frown off her face. Not one of my best moments. Nevertheless I got a reader card and spent many happy hours reading their excellent collection of archaeological journals.

As of January of this year the library was still standing. I have no idea what happened to the people I met there, or any of the Syrians who showed me hospitality on that trip. Hopefully they and their important library will survive the war.

In storyteller, history buff Tags museum explorer, explore, learn, collection
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