tailieunhanh - The A to Z of the Vikings 11

The A to Z of the Vikings 11. This book provides a comprehensive work of reference for people interested in the Vikings, including entries on the main historical figures involved in this dramatic period, important battles and treaties, significant archaeological finds, and key works and sources of information on the period. It also summarizes the impact the Vikings had on the areas where they traveled and settled. There is a chronological table, detailed and annotated bibliographies for different themes and geographical locations, and an introduction discussing the major events and developments of the Viking age | 78 DORESTAD Dnieper s rapids is described in some detail by the emperor Constantine II Porphyrogenitos in his work the Administration of the Empire. DORESTAD. A major town and trading center in northwest Europe founded in the seventh century at the confluence of the rivers Lek and Rhine near present-day Nijmegen in The Netherlands . Extensive archaeological excavations between 1967-1977 suggest that at its peak in the eighth century the town had perhaps as many as 2 000 inhabitants living and working in an area of more than 60 hectares. A mint was established at Dorestad as early as 630 and other activities taking place in the Viking-Age town included metalworking jewelry making leather working basket weaving shipbuilding bone working and the manufacture of textiles. The size and wealth of the town made it a favorite target for Viking raiders after the first recorded raid in 834 and Frankish annals see Annals of St-Bertm and Annals of Fulda contain frequent references to raids on Dorestad in 835 836 837 847 857 and 863 . Indeed the town was apparently burned to the ground four times in the period 834-837. In 852 the Frankish emperor Lothar granted the town and other lands in Frisia to the Viking Rurik in return for his protection of the coast against other Viking raids. However Rurik s son Godfred used the town as a base for extensive raiding activity in the region. The town is not mentioned in written sources after 863 and no archaeological evidence has been uncovered for 10th-century occupation of the site. This may reflect a shift in the Rhine rather than the abandonment of the town because of the Viking raids. DRENG ON sg. drengr pl. drengir . ON word that means in its simplest sense warrior or man which is attested in both runic inscriptions see rune and skaldic poetry from the Viking Age. Snorri Sturluson offers a definition of the word in Skdldskaparmdl Young men that have not settled down while they are making their fortunes or reputation are called drengir