HOW DID GEOGRAPHY EFFECT THE VIKING SOCIETY?
The Viking society was shaped by geography to an immense extent by many major topics and points such as, the clothing the Vikings wore in everyday life, the way they lived and there housing, and all of the natural recourses that surrounded them at their particular location, whether it be in Norway, Sweden or Denmark.
Many people today still believe that the Vikings wore several thick layers of clothing throughout the entire year to keep themselves warm, because in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark there are only winter temperatures even during the warmer seasons. This is a false fact and a myth because in some places like Sweden, there is dry land where no snow or rain has fallen on it for decades. (1)
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Some Vikings that were on offensive majority of the time would use some natural recourses such as strong and sturdy wood to create weapons that could pierce through the defensive side. (4) They would also use some other materials such as stone to build houses or huts, but this particular recourse would be only for the wealthy because it was such a valuable item at the time. Nowadays majority of the people who live in places such as Denmark, Norway or Sweden would easily be able to afford these things as if they were air. Other than just the construction of housing there was also other times that nature was useful. One of these things were the crops and farming. Not only was it the obvious things that you could visually see above ground such as wood, stone, metal, copper etc. but geography also immensely changed the Viking times with the soil. This will also link together with the location and climate easily because the rainfall and sun can change the soil in the ground. When the sun is out the ground will obviously get drier and when it starts to rain the soil will become damp. When the ground is like this it will easily change the way that the crops would grow. When the Vikings were around there were a lot less resources that are available as there are in today's time.
The Vikings didn’t start their raids immediately, they started by “looting” for precious metals and goods to further advance their technology. After taking Northern Europe, they went south and east to take the Arabs and Byzantine empire. The end of Viking raids were taken down domestically and politically by countries such as Scandinavia, Sweden, and Denmark. Before this the Vikings created a rule for them to establish some places and “loot” others places. Historians during that time credit the rule, their momentum of building a nation in Europe.
Life in the ancient river valley civilizations was different for each region. A perfect example would be the Egyptians river and the Yellow river both are river valley civilizations but each have different geography, social structures, beliefs, gender roles, literature, weapons and technology. In the Egyptian river valley geography is very important, they relied on the Nile rivers floodings that lasted about 4 months providing them with fresh waste free soil the many seas surrounding this civilization acted as a barrier aiding them in war and fighting off diseases. As for the Yellow river civilization geography affected them negatively its surroundings make it difficult to trade crops and livestock so they have to dedicate themselves greatly to producing their own food.
Their common weaponry included swords, axes, saxes, shields, and helms which were made from iron ore, commonly found in Baltic islands in Northern Europe. The most commonly valued weapon of Viking raiders was the shield. Made from solid wood planks and attached to an iron wrist loop, shields were very simple but very sturdy. Contrary to popular belief Vikings didn't wear helmets with horns; they wore iron helms. The Vikings helms were crafted out of a single piece of rounded iron with a simple nose gaurd.
The western Europeans were scared of Vikings for many reasons. One of the reasons they were scared of them is because they destroyed the Europeans' churches. This affected many people because, religion was a big part of people's lives and in some cases, monks were at the church so that means that their home was destroyed. Another reason the western Europeans were scared was that the Vikings were a very strong group of men and they could destroy any small, local village or town army. Also, the people were afraid of the Vikings because of their terrifying appearance
Chapter Review (pg. 6-29) A: Human migration across the globe was the complete spread of the human species over much of the earth’s surface. The species began in eastern Africa; most types of humans come from this region, in the present day countries of Tazmania, Kenya, and Uganda. Main discoveries, especially fire and the use of animal skins for clothing-both of which allowed people to live in colder climates-facilitated the spread of Paleolithic groups. The first people moved out of Africa about 750,000 years ago.
The Vikings were a group of Germanic sea dwellers who traded with and raided towns all across Europe out of their Scandinavian homeland. During the late 8th to 11th centuries they ruled all of Europe through their barbaric ways. Even other cultures outside of Europe saw the barbaric ways in which the Vikings acted towards the villages that they encountered. One such case of this was a Muslim Chronicler, Ibn Fadlan, recounting of the Vikings as “[T]he filthiest of God’s creatures.” While they were very savage in their actions, this very trait gave them the ability to be able to roam through and ravage an entire town fully unopposed and within a very miniscule timeframe.
Many things effected the classical ages. The five classical ages being compared and contrasted are Greece, Rome, Han China, Gupta India, and Olmec. The size of territory and religion effected the legacy. Each age was impacted on either mathematical and scientific theories or their practical technology. Most classical ages had monumental buildings or important things.
Of the many Native tribes, two of them were the Iroquois and the Cherokee. These two tribes had many interesting characteristics and ways of life. Some of which they share. In some ways, they differ. The Iroquois were located and lived in present-day New York, at the northeastern woodlands area.
The Navajo are a Native American tribe, whose reservation land spreads over 14,000 square miles. Their homes, food, tools, clothing, and culture are not the same as ours. Yet they still have their similarities and differences. The Navajos live in four states, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico.
Geography's effect on the early North American colonies is undeniable, but the way location affected the people of the early colonies is much more significant. Primarily, the economy was the biggest aspect of life affected by geography. From the Atlantic Ocean acting as a barrier from the New World to the Old World, and to the climate difference between the cold winters of the New England colonies to the hot summers in the Southern colonies, each played a central role in the development of the colonies. Good or bad, geography was always an essential factor economically for those who lived in the early southern, middle, and northern colonies. Geography has continually influenced the way people live and the early colonies were no different.
As we have seen, the introduction of Christianity to the Vikings had significantly contributed to the end of the Viking Age in mid 11th Century, not only due to the persuasive Christian missionaries, and the realization of the benefits of Christianity, but also the forcible nature of Scandinavia king’s conversion of their subjects (which will be looked into in more detailed in due course). One must bear in mind that most of the evidence we have on the conversion of the Vikings is through archaeological excavations, as Gareth Williams explains that “we can see it in the archaeological evidences [that] Pagans buried their dead with grave goods, but Christians normally didn't, and this makes it relatively easy to spot the change in religion.”
Geography and Its Vital Effects during the American Revolution What is the most important factor to winning a war? Is it the army, the country, or the leader? No, it’s actually none of those. It’s geography that is the most important! The side with the better geographical features usually ends up winning.
Viking long-ships were lean, speedy, lightweight ships that could easily cut through the most vicious waves that the ocean could throw at them. At the time, no other civilization had been able to achieve such an amazing naval feat, so this gave the Vikings a great advantage over medieval combat, political affairs, and even the trading industry. Since the ships were so fast, the ships were great for transportation of soldiers, or merchandise. “The Viking longboat was the key to the Vikings success in traveling.” (Legends and Chronicles, Paragraph 14).
Ancient civilizations began in areas that had arable land and other features such as rivers. Civilizations succeeded in these environments because they could settle down and not live a nomadic lifestyle. Because the land was arable, agriculture prospered and people relied on the geography to grant them the elements needed for survival. In China and Egypt, geography greatly influenced and affected the lives of the people living there because of the prosperous rivers and large natural barriers.
Food -Deer had many uses, their meat is eaten fresh and smoke dried. -The easiest way to hunt seals was to sneak up on the seal that was basking in the sun. -In the summer, they would eat elk, bear, salmon or even mountain goats. -For the Haida, they would consume shellfish and sea mammals which were the staples for them.