Ships and Men in the Late Viking Age: The Vocabulary of Runic Inscriptions and Skaldic Verse
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.30 (938 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0851158269 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 344 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2015-02-03 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
JUDITH JESCH is Reader in Viking Studies at the University of Nottingham, and author of Women in the Viking Age.. The nautical vocabulary of the Viking Age, however, has been surprisingly neglected - the last comprehensive study was published in 1912 and was heavily dependent on post-Viking Age sources. This nautical vocabulary is studied within the larger context of "viking" activity in this period: what that activity was and where it took place, its social and military aspects, and its impact on developments in the nature of kingship in Scandinavia. Far better contemporary sources from the later Viking Age are available to document the activities of men and their uses of ships from c.950-1100, and Judith Jesch undertakes in this book the first systematic and comparative study of such evidence. Spectacular archaeological finds of whole or partial ships, from burial mounds or dredged from harbours, continue to give new and exciting evidence of their practical craftsmanship and urge to seek new shores. The Vikings were the master mariners and ship-builders of the middle ages: their success depended on these skills. The core is a critical survey of the vocabulary of ships and their crews, of fleets and sailing and battles at sea, based on runic inscriptions and skaldic evidence from c.950-1100
ENGLISH HISTORICAL REVIEW (Eric Christiansen) An excellent survey, thoroughgoing, erudite, most carefully produced, and very much up-to-date. A timely and impressive work, which will be indispensable to all students of Viking Age history and literature. SPECULUM Thorough and lucid an important contribution to Viking studies As a book to read from cover to cover it is illuminating and enjoyable; as a reference work for repeated use it will prove invaluable. SAGA-BOOK
Jane T. Sibley said Serious research for the serious scholar. Dr. Jesch keeps getting better and better. I have a number of her books and papers, and this one is a keeper. Just got it for Yule, and can't put it down. Of course, it helps if the reader is somewhat familiar with the runic tradition, as well as the sagas. Excellent illos (runes came out nice & clear) and clearly written, with an extensive bibliography, index, and footnotes. Probably the best researched volume on the topic of Viking period ships and the men who sai
JUDITH JESCH is Reader in Viking Studies at the University of Nottingham, and author of Women in the Viking Age.