Figure 1.--Here Danish Boy Scouts help to recreate a Viking village escavated at New Hedebyby archaeologists in the 1970s. The boy here is working on straw for thatching. He is in front of a house with a turf (sod) roof.

Viking built their homes out of wood, stone or turf. Scandanavia was heavily forested and thus wood was commonly used. Where wood was not available, slabs of turf on a stone base were common. The specific choices depended on what was available locally. The houses were built in the shape of long boxes and the saffluent night add on to the original small house. This was the origin of the term long houses. The houses had with sloping thatched or turf (sod) roofs. The thath was made from straw or reeds. The Vikings might allow the keep to leep on growing on the roof which helped to keep the house warm in wibnter and cool in the summer. The walls were commonly made of made of wattle. This involved driving upright poles into the ground and connecting them with woven sticks whicvh were then packed with mud. This was an easy and effective way common people could create a structure to keep out wind and rain. The Vikings commonly dug out their floors below ground-level. Archaeologisdts are not sure just why this was done. Flooding was not a problem. Some speculate it helped keep out drafts. Commoners built with only one room for the entire family. The better off might have somewhat larger homes with a small entrance hall, a large main room, a kitchen, a bedroom, and a store room depending on their affluence. Houses in a tyoical Vikig cillage were crowded together along narrow lanes. The women would tend vegetable gardens around the house where the farm animals were alsdo tended. Trees were cut doen for firewood and stacked near the house for cooking fires and to keep the home warm in winter.

Created: 6:08 PM 2/3/2010
Last updated: 6:08 PM 2/3/2010