Although we think of the Vikings as seagoing people, their main occupation was farming. Nearly everything they needed had to be produced on the farm; not only food, but also clothes, furniture, tools, and weapons. In the summer enough food had to be grown to last through the long winter, and if harvests were poor, people sometimes starved. A large farm like this was owned by a local chieftain. Besides his family, he had thralls (slaves) and karls (free men who did not own their own land) to help with the work. Smaller farms were sometimes grouped in villages, especially in Denmark. In Norway there were few large areas of good land, and farms were often isolated. To visit the nearest neighbour might take a day's journey, and the easiest way was by boat.
(A) OUTBUILDINGS
Separate buildings contained a bakery, sometimes a brewery, a blacksmith's workshop, and barns for storage. Every few years the farm was abandoned and another built close by.
(B) ANIMALS
Animals were allowed to wander in and out of their stables.
(C) CROPS
Farmers grew cereals such as oats, barley, and rye, but not much wheat, except in Denmark.
(D) FARMERS
Nearly all Vikings were farmers, even if they were also hunters, raiders, or fishermen. In flat, fertile Denmark, farming was easy. In mountainous Norway, good land was scarce.
|
