Viking Britain - Everyday Life

1. Most Vikings were farmers, but some were craftsmen and traders.

2. The Viking social order was: kings, earls and chieftains, freemen and craftsmen, then slaves.

3. Vikings lived in wood, stone or turf houses with turf or thatched roofs or in wattle and daub dwellings.

4. Most Viking houses had only one room.

5. Rich Viking’s houses had an entrance hall, large main room, kitchen, bedroom and storage room.

6. Vikings made food last longer by smoking fish and meat and pickling and salting food.

7. Vikings ate meat, fish and plenty of fresh bread, fruit and honey and cheese.

8. The favourite Viking drink was beer and mead, which was made from honey.

9. Vikings used wooden bowls and plates, ate with a sharp, pointed knife and had wood, horn or animal bone spoons.

10. They drank from horns.

11. The blacksmith was very important in a Viking village.

12. He made nails, pots, tools, knives, weapons using similar tools to those used today.

13. Viking women did household jobs, helped on the farm, milking, making cheese, spinning, weaving and sewing.

14. Viking women wore long sleeved, floor-length under-dresses and overdresses made of linen or wool.

15. Viking men wore trousers and long-sleeved, long woollen tunics.

16. Both men and women wore leather shoes and fur in winter to keep warm.

17. Vikings made beautiful jewellery and all wore rings, bracelets, necklaces, brooches as these were symbols of wealth.

18. Vikings used silver to buy and sell - cut slivers from pieces of jewellery as currency.

19. Vikings wore belts to which they attached keys, clippers, scissors, because they had no pockets.

20. Animal bones were used for belt ends, needles and pins, and were hollowed out to make musical pipes.

21. Viking weddings, funerals and religious festivals were celebrated with big feasts lasting many days.

22. Vikings were pagans, worshipping many gods, but many turned to Christianity in England.

23. Vikings used runes as a form of lettering these were carved rather than written .

24. The Viking alphabet was called the futhork.