River Kings: A New History of Vikings from Scandinavia to the Silk Roads
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- Create Date：2021-10-19 07:51:19
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Cat Jarman
- ISBN：0008353115
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Summary
A brilliant new history that dramatically reassesses how far the Viking world extended。
Dr Cat Jarman exposes the unexpected routes that Viking travel and trade took - and how these kings of the river were frequent travellers of the Middle East and the Silk Road。
One June day late in the eighth century， Norse seafarers arrived at the English island of Lindisfarne。 They waged a savage attack on its unsuspecting abbey， and with this， the Age of the Vikings was born。 These roving pillagers spent the next few hundred years raiding and trading a path across Northern and Western Europe。 Except， that's not quite true。 It's just a convenient place to start the story - a story that has seen radical new discoveries over the past few years。
Dr Cat Jarman works on the cutting edge of bioarchaeology， using forensic techniques to research the paths of Vikings who came to rest in British soil。 By examining teeth that are now over one thousand years old， she can determine childhood diet， and thereby where a specimen was likely born。 With radiocarbon dating， she can ascertain a death date down to the range of a few years。
In 2012， a carnelian bead came into her temporary possession。 River Kings sees her trace its path back to eighth-century Baghdad， discovering along the way that the Vikings' route was far more varied than we might think， that with them came people from the Middle East， not just Scandinavia， and that the reason for all this unexpected integration between the Eastern and Western worlds may well have been a slave trade running through the Silk Road， and all the way to Britain。
River Kings is a major reassessment of the Vikings， and of the medieval world as we know it。
Dr Cat Jarman exposes the unexpected routes that Viking travel and trade took - and how these kings of the river were frequent travellers of the Middle East and the Silk Road。
One June day late in the eighth century， Norse seafarers arrived at the English island of Lindisfarne。 They waged a savage attack on its unsuspecting abbey， and with this， the Age of the Vikings was born。 These roving pillagers spent the next few hundred years raiding and trading a path across Northern and Western Europe。 Except， that's not quite true。 It's just a convenient place to start the story - a story that has seen radical new discoveries over the past few years。
Dr Cat Jarman works on the cutting edge of bioarchaeology， using forensic techniques to research the paths of Vikings who came to rest in British soil。 By examining teeth that are now over one thousand years old， she can determine childhood diet， and thereby where a specimen was likely born。 With radiocarbon dating， she can ascertain a death date down to the range of a few years。
In 2012， a carnelian bead came into her temporary possession。 River Kings sees her trace its path back to eighth-century Baghdad， discovering along the way that the Vikings' route was far more varied than we might think， that with them came people from the Middle East， not just Scandinavia， and that the reason for all this unexpected integration between the Eastern and Western worlds may well have been a slave trade running through the Silk Road， and all the way to Britain。
River Kings is a major reassessment of the Vikings， and of the medieval world as we know it。
Reviews
Chris Bowley
，
Interesting from start to finish despite being a high level， fairly academic title。 It's the perfect title to connect two overlapping historical periods - the Viking Age and the Islamic Golden Age。Particularly of note with the book is that Cat Jarman always mentions her sources of information （archaeological， scientific or written account）。 Her skeptical yet pragmatic approach to these sources means any of their limitations are quickly conveyed to the reader to prevent any false assumptions。 Whi Interesting from start to finish despite being a high level， fairly academic title。 It's the perfect title to connect two overlapping historical periods - the Viking Age and the Islamic Golden Age。Particularly of note with the book is that Cat Jarman always mentions her sources of information （archaeological， scientific or written account）。 Her skeptical yet pragmatic approach to these sources means any of their limitations are quickly conveyed to the reader to prevent any false assumptions。 Whilst reading this book， I visited and stood on the exact spot of grave 511 in Repton， Derbyshire。 This is the location of the exhumed skeleton of the possible Viking King which is the starting point of the story。 It was a special moment。 I'd advise for any reader of the book to visit if you're ever in the area。 。。。more
Chris Aylott
，
Jarman uses a combination of bioarcheological research and documents to trace the fascinating story of a single carnelian bead found in an ninth-century English grave back to its likely origin point in India。 The journey provides a comprehensive view of the Viking world and its contacts with the rest of Europe and Asia。 I've enjoyed reading about this period for most of my life， but I always visualized it as a static time where everyone hunkered down in their villages and nobody went anywhere。 F Jarman uses a combination of bioarcheological research and documents to trace the fascinating story of a single carnelian bead found in an ninth-century English grave back to its likely origin point in India。 The journey provides a comprehensive view of the Viking world and its contacts with the rest of Europe and Asia。 I've enjoyed reading about this period for most of my life， but I always visualized it as a static time where everyone hunkered down in their villages and nobody went anywhere。 Far from it！ Jarman shows now ninth-century Eurasia was a dynamic place， criss-crossed with political， military， and economic connections。 Its a vision that leaves me eager to continue exploring the continent and the layers of history all around me。 。。。more
Katy Wheatley
，
An immensely readable delve into the lives of the vikings in light of new technology that allows for a more in-depth reading of archaeological finds。 Jarman's research centres around a previous dig in Repton in Derbyshire where the great army of the vikings was supposed to have settled。 She looks at the finds through technology which allows a more accurate understanding of where the vikings actually came from and how they operated。 The traditional story changes when she discovers a carnelian bea An immensely readable delve into the lives of the vikings in light of new technology that allows for a more in-depth reading of archaeological finds。 Jarman's research centres around a previous dig in Repton in Derbyshire where the great army of the vikings was supposed to have settled。 She looks at the finds through technology which allows a more accurate understanding of where the vikings actually came from and how they operated。 The traditional story changes when she discovers a carnelian bead which was found in one of the graves and it sparks her journey of understanding how and why the vikings moved to and fro across the east and their access to the silk routes and trade in the East。 Each chapter centres on a particular find and uses it to highlight the wider points of Jarman's research。 As well as looking at trade in a new light， she spends some time exploring the role women played and how new research suggests that they were far more involved in expansion than previously believed。 It's fascinating and accessible stuff。 。。。more
Peter
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Offers a lot of new information and really insightful conclusions drawn from years of research…。 But reading it made me feel very sleepy。 You can totally tell the authors enthusiasm and passion for the subject but at the end of the day I wasn’t drawn in the way I hoped to be。
Ryan
，
Short， thoroughly enjoyable read on what we know about Vikings and， more importantly， how we know it。 I found it very informative about how folks who study this combine sources--archaeological evidence， historical narratives （the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle and histories by monks in the west， Islamic scholars' histories in the east）， and the Icelandic sagas。 The archaeological discussions are very interesting and provide some insights into how carbon dating and other chemical analyses have improved in Short， thoroughly enjoyable read on what we know about Vikings and， more importantly， how we know it。 I found it very informative about how folks who study this combine sources--archaeological evidence， historical narratives （the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle and histories by monks in the west， Islamic scholars' histories in the east）， and the Icelandic sagas。 The archaeological discussions are very interesting and provide some insights into how carbon dating and other chemical analyses have improved in recent years to provide more accurate history。Recommended。 。。。more
Maggiebooks
，
If you are ever interested in reading about Vikings， this book will give you an overview on what their lives looked like。 You will learn what we’ve collected till now about how they conducted their lives， how they traded and sold goods， how they traveled and who they met on the way， their religious believes， the women’s part in the Vikings world and many curiosities and evidence on what was discovered so far。 It’s fascinating and compelling。 I cannot say it reads like fiction because it doesn’t。 If you are ever interested in reading about Vikings， this book will give you an overview on what their lives looked like。 You will learn what we’ve collected till now about how they conducted their lives， how they traded and sold goods， how they traveled and who they met on the way， their religious believes， the women’s part in the Vikings world and many curiosities and evidence on what was discovered so far。 It’s fascinating and compelling。 I cannot say it reads like fiction because it doesn’t。 It’s a dense and compacted book on this thematic and I will only recommend to those who are curious about what Vikings like was like。 。。。more
Stefan
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Unbalanced writing。
Simon
，
This was really fantastic - I hadn't read too much about the Vikings eastward expansion recently but I learned a lot through this book。 This was really fantastic - I hadn't read too much about the Vikings eastward expansion recently but I learned a lot through this book。 。。。more
Kim Bergqvist
，
An idiosyncratic new history of the Vikings， well-written， engaging， and with its own fresh take on the subject。 It takes into account the global aspect， new finds and developments in archaeological research， and will be very useful for teaching the history of the Viking world。 Very well worth the read for professionals and amateur enthusiasts alike - highly recommended。
Colin
，
Cat Jarman’s new history of the Viking age， the product of a decade of research， focuses on two previously less well understood （in the public imagination at least） aspects of the period: the Vikings who went east， using the rivers Dnieper and Volga to forge new trading networks， and the role of women in Viking society。 Tracing a single carnelian bead found in the mass grave at the major Viking settlement of Repton in Derbyshire， along possible routes that it is likely to have followed all the w Cat Jarman’s new history of the Viking age， the product of a decade of research， focuses on two previously less well understood （in the public imagination at least） aspects of the period: the Vikings who went east， using the rivers Dnieper and Volga to forge new trading networks， and the role of women in Viking society。 Tracing a single carnelian bead found in the mass grave at the major Viking settlement of Repton in Derbyshire， along possible routes that it is likely to have followed all the way back to Constantinople， Baghdad， and Gujarat， she shines a new light on our understanding of the period and the forces that drove the Vikings to explore so far from their Scandinavian origins。 。。。more
Marion Wotton
，
Well written and entertaining to read。 A well-researched and thoughtful analysis of the migration patterns of the vikings， together with the impacts on global trade and migration patterns during the 'Dark Ages'。 Definitely worth a read。 Well written and entertaining to read。 A well-researched and thoughtful analysis of the migration patterns of the vikings， together with the impacts on global trade and migration patterns during the 'Dark Ages'。 Definitely worth a read。 。。。more
Gill
，
This is described as follows:-"Dr Cat Jarman is a bioarchaeologist， specialising in forensic techniques to research the paths of Vikings who came to rest in British soil。 By examining teeth that are now more than 1，000 years old， she can determine childhood diet and thereby where a person was likely born。 With radiocarbon dating， she can ascertain a death date down to the range of a few years。 And her research offers new visions of the likely roles of women and children in Viking culture。 In 201 This is described as follows:-"Dr Cat Jarman is a bioarchaeologist， specialising in forensic techniques to research the paths of Vikings who came to rest in British soil。 By examining teeth that are now more than 1，000 years old， she can determine childhood diet and thereby where a person was likely born。 With radiocarbon dating， she can ascertain a death date down to the range of a few years。 And her research offers new visions of the likely roles of women and children in Viking culture。 In 2017， a carnelian bead came into her temporary possession。 River Kings sees her trace its path back to eighth-century Baghdad and India， discovering along the way that the Vikings’ route was far more varied than we might think， that with them came people from the Middle East， not just Scandinavia， and that the reason for this unexpected integration between the Eastern and Western worlds may well have been a slave trade running through the Silk Road and all the way to Britain。Told as a riveting story of the Vikings and the methods we use to understand them， this is a major reassessment of the fierce， often-mythologised voyagers of the north and of the global medieval world as we know it。"In The Vikings tv series that Neil Oliver wrote and presented he showed how the Vikings and their influence had spread eastwards and Cat Jarman explores this further。 However the emphasis is on bringing the topic right up to date using recent archaeological finds， latest scientific techniques and results of larger scale DNA studies。 There is such an emphasis on the Vikings invading Britain and I found it far more interesting to learn about their eastern expansion and how it related to their use of the sea and rivers。 The explanation of how and what they traded and the use of silver and coinage by the Islamic cultures was fascinating。 As I've stated， I was really interested in the book's subject matter but what makes it a stand out book is Cat Jarman's style of writing。 Many history or archaeological books written by academics are somewhat dry in style but she makes the subject， including the scientific information accessible for all。 As the chapters are divided into short sections these were ideal for reading whilst grabbing a cup of coffee etc。Can thoroughly recommend and many historical and archaeological writers would do well to take a leaf out of her book in terms of writing style。 Will be one of my books of the year。 。。。more
Ionarr
，
I learnt so much reading this。 I highly recommend it to anyone interested in Vikings， especially since it's very clearly based in recent research and tells us a lot of new information。I did find it a little dry at times。 This isn't a read you power through， but I actually appreciate that。 I'd rather read something from someone who clearly knows what they're talking about and won't sacrifice facts for the sake of false certainty than read something that flows like a story but massages and exagger I learnt so much reading this。 I highly recommend it to anyone interested in Vikings， especially since it's very clearly based in recent research and tells us a lot of new information。I did find it a little dry at times。 This isn't a read you power through， but I actually appreciate that。 I'd rather read something from someone who clearly knows what they're talking about and won't sacrifice facts for the sake of false certainty than read something that flows like a story but massages and exaggerates the evidence for the sake of their own narrative。 I actually found the snippets of "fiction" were the only part of this I felt could have been lost。 The actual book is fascinating and a wonderful insight into areas of Viking culture， research and activities - what we don't know as much as what we do。 It's also incredibly approachable。 You don't need any background in history， archaeology or knowledge of the Vikings to read this - but even if you do have some the explanations are never patronising。Solid 4。5， rounded up because I feel like this is the book I will be giving as presents this year。 Given how in vogue the Vikings and general Ancient Norse are right now， this is an excellent treatment of the subject （and Jarman never cowers from gently but firmly calling out misappropriation of various words and groupings， showing not only expert knowledge in her field but an understanding of the current cultural zeitgeist that is sometimes lacking in experts。） 。。。more
Stephanie
，
This was a very enjoyable read。 Cat Jarman keeps her story suspenseful and explains archaeological discoveries in an easy to understand， even exciting way。
Blair
，
The book “River Kings” was an interesting and easy read， presenting a new perspective of the Vikings expansion into the East and to the Silk Roads。 It differed from the more commonly presented views that the Vikings were more interested in Western expansion and presented a case for Viking interest in the East and that they did so by dominating the river trade from the Baltic to the Black Sea。 Cat Janman， the author， put forward an argument based on her own experience in Britain and the Ukraine a The book “River Kings” was an interesting and easy read， presenting a new perspective of the Vikings expansion into the East and to the Silk Roads。 It differed from the more commonly presented views that the Vikings were more interested in Western expansion and presented a case for Viking interest in the East and that they did so by dominating the river trade from the Baltic to the Black Sea。 Cat Janman， the author， put forward an argument based on her own experience in Britain and the Ukraine as a bioarchaeologist about why this might be true。 To accomplish this “connected the dots” of a fragmented story that starting with a carnelian bead found at a 9th Century burial site in Repton England from the year 872/873 and a similar bead found in the Ukraine to their origins near Gujarat， India。 In telling this story， the author not only challenged the Western orientation of the Vikings but gave some ideas as to why their Eastern History has only recently been revealed。 There was less archaeological work done on Scandinavian sites in the former Soviet Union because the idea that the Vikings had any significant influence on Russian and Slavic history is still not a widely accepted concept。 I liked the ways Cat Janman also challenged the commonly held thinking including about trade and the role of women in Viking society。 “Trade was part of the Viking experience” as noted by Janman because without trade these people would not have been able to successfully acquire luxuries such as carnelian beads， Arabic Dirhams and silver。 Janman’s coverage of the science of archaeology was also interesting。 While I knew about the general precision of Carbon 14 dating， she also highlighted its limitations when dating human graves。 For this type of dating depends on when the carbon was consumed。 In the case of Vikings with a diet that had large quantities of fish and seafood， that dating was often 200 years off because the carbon was floating around in oceans for a corresponding length of time。 That said， I also felt that the story could have included a broader historical perspective such as the power vacuum left after the decline of the Roman Empire， how to spread of Islam into Europe could have contributed to Dirhams being found there over time。 In that sense the book was more of a personal narrative than an intensely researched book。 In the end， “River Kings” （2021） reminded me somewhat of Farley Mowatt’s book “The Farfarers” （1998） account of the Viking’s possible reason for expanding to North America in The Farfarers。 Farley Mowatt also used his personal experience to present a case that the Vikings were driven to explore new lands leading to Newfoundland because of walrus tusks。 While I enjoyed the book， I felt it should have been better researched。 For this I could only give it three out of five stars。 。。。more
Chris F
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Overall a very well written and readable account of the Viking age。 The very last part felt a bit weaker than the rest。
Tom
，
Very different to anything I have read and thoroughly enjoyed it。
Kristopher Larsen
，
Great archeological story tracing the trading routes of the Vikings through the lens of a carnelian bead found in an English grave。
Bellish
，
This was a really interesting read。 I particularly liked the level of detail on newer scientific archaeological methods。 Learned lots of niche things like the fact that you have to account for a marine diet when carbon dating remains - because carbon hangs around in the ocean for a long time between being taken from the atmosphere to being consumed， a person who ate predominantly fish would get dated as centuries older than they are if this isn't taken into account。 And archaeologists can work o This was a really interesting read。 I particularly liked the level of detail on newer scientific archaeological methods。 Learned lots of niche things like the fact that you have to account for a marine diet when carbon dating remains - because carbon hangs around in the ocean for a long time between being taken from the atmosphere to being consumed， a person who ate predominantly fish would get dated as centuries older than they are if this isn't taken into account。 And archaeologists can work out where someone lived in different periods of their lives by the composition of different bones。 Most interesting for me were the examples of circular reasoning I've seen in so many reviews of gender-linked literature。 It's very telling that male burials with sword etc are automatically interpreted to be warriors， but when later genotyping reveals that a burial is of a woman， suddenly there is a different explanation for what she was buried with。 It shows how much we interpret history through our own assumptions。I feel that this suffered a little by not having a clear thesis that I understood from the outset， but it was nonetheless fascinating。 。。。more
Joe Banfield
，
It was ok。 The argument is definitely important， and persuasive - the Vikings' eastward journeys were more significant than westward， as they travelled via the Volga and Dnieper to Istanbul， and even Baghdad， connecting northern Europe to the Silk Roads。 Also， they were violent， entrepreneurs， from a mix of people groups， and female as well as male。 The most interesting thing I learned is that there was in all probability a shared currency between Scandinavia and the Arab world in the 9th centur It was ok。 The argument is definitely important， and persuasive - the Vikings' eastward journeys were more significant than westward， as they travelled via the Volga and Dnieper to Istanbul， and even Baghdad， connecting northern Europe to the Silk Roads。 Also， they were violent， entrepreneurs， from a mix of people groups， and female as well as male。 The most interesting thing I learned is that there was in all probability a shared currency between Scandinavia and the Arab world in the 9th century， as dirhams and Scandinavian silver coins were measured with the same weight system！ Also cool to see the ways historical DNA analysis and strontium readings are revolutionising bioarchaeology。 The reason the book is only ok， though， is that it's not until the final section of three that Jarman actually gets to the eastward journey！ Before that we spend a lot of time in Repton， then in Scandinavia - which is fine， but didn't meet my expectations of genuinely focussing on the east。 Also， if I'm really honest， I didn't enjoy the writing style。 Could be in part because I listened to the audiobook， but I found the narrative cyclical and confusing， with lots of technical detail and not always a clear sense of where we were going and why。 I really wanted to love this book - but sadly， although I learned a lot from it， it didn't steal my imagination the way I hoped it might。 。。。more
Grant Ross
，
This was excellent。 I really enjoyed this。 As well as discussing history it also discusses the archeology and how the conclusions made/questions raised are able to be made through the various different dating mechanisms now available。It also describes barriers to understanding some things created through previous regimes prejudices which was also interesting。 Its fairly speculative in places but that is natural given its been 1000 years since the subject matter and whenever there is speculation This was excellent。 I really enjoyed this。 As well as discussing history it also discusses the archeology and how the conclusions made/questions raised are able to be made through the various different dating mechanisms now available。It also describes barriers to understanding some things created through previous regimes prejudices which was also interesting。 Its fairly speculative in places but that is natural given its been 1000 years since the subject matter and whenever there is speculation it is clear that this is what is going on。 This focuses mainly on trade and what knowledge people would have had of other places in a way which is not something I have seen in other history books。 。。。more
Pickle。
，
A smidgeon of progress notes underneath， enjoyed this one。
Torsten
，
A more biophysical counterpart to Children of Ash & Elm that more quickly covers recent scholarship on Vikings。
Keenan
，
Extremely well-told account of the global reach of Vikings， the archaeological and scientific tools that allow researchers to learn more about them， and the gradual re-evaluation of long-held beliefs about who these Scandinavians are。 Also nice to see my town Uppsala mentioned in the literature， even if it's in the context of the ritual sacrifice of slave children :/This book is also broad in the best possible way， always going into just the right amount of depth regarding， say， strontium analys Extremely well-told account of the global reach of Vikings， the archaeological and scientific tools that allow researchers to learn more about them， and the gradual re-evaluation of long-held beliefs about who these Scandinavians are。 Also nice to see my town Uppsala mentioned in the literature， even if it's in the context of the ritual sacrifice of slave children :/This book is also broad in the best possible way， always going into just the right amount of depth regarding， say， strontium analysis of enamel to discover where geographically a specimen was likely to have grown up， or the political barriers that came with trying to understand Viking links to the East during the Soviet Union years， or the growing evidence that women likely played a crucial role （perhaps even on the battlefield？） in Viking life。 Jarman also avoids the need a lot of popular science books seem to have to exaggerate the evidence or make grandiose claims， rather letting her cool research speak for itself。 Five out of five beads。 。。。more
Andrew Russell
，
This is a truly well thought out and researched book， taking all readers on a unique yet interconnected journey of the "River Kings" through archaeological evidence。 Cat manages to make her research （as well as the research of countless other archaeologists and scholars） and writing accessible to everyone。 This book also helped me to even further appreciate the work that has been carried out and the vast amount of effort that goes in to our understanding of the past。 Anyone interested in history This is a truly well thought out and researched book， taking all readers on a unique yet interconnected journey of the "River Kings" through archaeological evidence。 Cat manages to make her research （as well as the research of countless other archaeologists and scholars） and writing accessible to everyone。 This book also helped me to even further appreciate the work that has been carried out and the vast amount of effort that goes in to our understanding of the past。 Anyone interested in history， archaeology， especially in regards to the Vikings， should read this book。 。。。more
Christina
，
A fascinating history of the Vikings， told from a very unusual perspective and incorporating all the latest finds and information available。 Dr Jarman writes engagingly and makes the narrative exciting throughout。 We see the Vikings as they really were and realise what an amazing and diverse group of people they were - not all from one country， but sharing a cultural heritage， customs and beliefs。 Their utter fearlessness and thirst for adventure （and silver！） shines through， but most of all， th A fascinating history of the Vikings， told from a very unusual perspective and incorporating all the latest finds and information available。 Dr Jarman writes engagingly and makes the narrative exciting throughout。 We see the Vikings as they really were and realise what an amazing and diverse group of people they were - not all from one country， but sharing a cultural heritage， customs and beliefs。 Their utter fearlessness and thirst for adventure （and silver！） shines through， but most of all， they are shown here as an awful lot more than just the feared raiders and marauders history has portrayed them as。 Highly recommended！ 。。。more
Patricia
，
This book really hit a sweet spot for me in so many ways: having studied archaeology and Old Norse at university， attending the University of Oslo （how did I ever miss the cache of Viking skeletons in the basement？！）， half a dozen trips along the Silk Road， married to a Brit and walking dogs through the countryside wondering why there were so many mounds in some fields。。。and writing （and ghost-writing） books on Norwegian life and culture。 So it was with pure anticipation that I settled down one This book really hit a sweet spot for me in so many ways: having studied archaeology and Old Norse at university， attending the University of Oslo （how did I ever miss the cache of Viking skeletons in the basement？！）， half a dozen trips along the Silk Road， married to a Brit and walking dogs through the countryside wondering why there were so many mounds in some fields。。。and writing （and ghost-writing） books on Norwegian life and culture。 So it was with pure anticipation that I settled down one rainy evening with River Kings and boy was I not disappointed。 Not only is Cat Jarman an archaeologist， but a non-squeamish forensic archaeologist who enjoys digging around （not only in graves） but also in history and language as much as I do。 This book works well on many levels。 It's a wonderfully easy introduction to Viking history and ways （sometimes with the author speaking with spade in hand， and other times as a University lecturer）， while also providing enough new material to keep those who already know quite a bit about the subject， turning the pages。 It was especially exciting learning about all the advances that have been made that are applicable to the work she does （I thought LIDAR--a remote sensing technology--was only helpful in spotting underground foundations， but I discovered it has many more tricks up its sleeves）， DNA sampling， mitochondrial tracing， etc。 It appears that science （facts） has finally caught up with fiction in forensics。 And I must have stood in front of the Oseberg ship in the Oslo Viking Museum a dozen times and I only learned now that the two skeletons were both women！ （I guess they didn't know that back in 1966 at the time of my first visit。） I hope the signage has been updated to share this fact with visitors。 If you're interested in any of the above topics， you'll definitely enjoy the book。 My only complaint was I didn't feel the maps were adequate for following the rivers and routes described， which was a major part of the story， and I wanted more photographs of the runes， gravesites， etc。 。。。more
Kerry Hennigan
，
“River Kings” is the best book on the world of the Vikings I have encountered to date。 Written by an academic， it is nevertheless suitable for the lay reader， particularly one with an interest in and some foreknowledge of Vikings and the period in which they travelled， raided and traded their ways west and east of their respective homelands。Cat Jarman is a bioarchaeologist and a field archaeologist， who has dug， tested and travelled the Viking routes in the course of completing her PhD and in wr “River Kings” is the best book on the world of the Vikings I have encountered to date。 Written by an academic， it is nevertheless suitable for the lay reader， particularly one with an interest in and some foreknowledge of Vikings and the period in which they travelled， raided and traded their ways west and east of their respective homelands。Cat Jarman is a bioarchaeologist and a field archaeologist， who has dug， tested and travelled the Viking routes in the course of completing her PhD and in writing this book。 I became interested in reading “River Kings” after hearing her talk on Dan Snow’s HistoryHit channel， and immediately ordered her book。Taking objects discovered in Viking graves and other sites as an entry point， she launches the reading on an investigation of the various groups of raiders and traders， and settlers， who not only crossed seas in their longships， but travelled up rivers， portaged overland， and reached points far from their homelands。Where did they come from， what did they believe， how far did they venture， and （let’s not forget that really ‘hot topic’） were there Viking warrior women， as mentioned in the sagas， and which some burials appear to verify。The wide-ranging travels of the Vikings （and Rus’， in the case of those who settled in Russia） opened up global trade routes， and， Jarman reveals， like the globalized world of today， has a down-side when it comes to the spread of deadly viruses。 But I don’t want to spoil the book for you; you should read it for yourself if the topic is of interest。 I heartily recommend it。 。。。more
Steve
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[WIP] ref http://marginalrevolution。com/margina。。。 [WIP] ref http://marginalrevolution。com/margina。。。 。。。more
Kirk Mayer
，