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The story of the Vikings begins in the year 793 AD, after Norwegian Vikings landed in England on the first official Viking raid. To this day, these fierce raids are the most famous of Viking stories.
Now, a new study suggests a more peaceful start to Viking seafaring -- and it all began in Denmark.
Three archaeologists from the University of Aarhus (Denmark) and the University of York (UK) have shown that maritime voyages from Norway to Ribe, the oldest commercial centre in Denmark, occurred long before the Viking age officially began.
The study shows that early Vikings travelled to Ribe in South Denmark as early as 725 AD.
The researchers discovered deer antlers in the oldest archaeological deposits of Ribe’s old marketplace and they turned out to be the remains of Norwegian reindeer.
"This is the first time we have proof that seafaring culture, which was the basis for the Viking era, has a history in Ribe. It's fascinating," says Professor Søren Sindbæk, one of the authors of the new study, which has just been published in the European Journal of Archaeology.
Norwegian professor Dagfinn Skre from the Museum of Cultural History in Oslo speaks positively about the research.
"I was happy when I read it for it's something that archaeologists have believed for many years -- but now it has been demonstrated," says Skre. "It's absolutely wonderful and it's a tremendously persuasive study."
Archaeologists divided into two camps
The question of whether Ribe was central to the early Viking culture, had divided archaeologists into two camps. A connection between the biggest Nordic commercial centre of the day and the beginning of the Viking voyages seemed obvious, but there was no evidence to confirm it.
The reindeer antlers are the first archaeological evidence that Ribe really did play a central role. Commercial trips between Norway and Denmark allowed them to develop the maritime skills and geographical knowledge needed for future raids.
"It is a nice example of archaeology providing solid data that goes directly to the heart of major debates. It’s one thing to have a qualified idea of how something should be, it's another to show it," says archaeologist Morten Søvsø, curator for Museums of Southwest Jutland in Denmark. He was not involved in the new study, but thinks that it fits with current research.
Vikings developed their maritime expertise sailing between Denmark and Norway
