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REVIEW BY AB
In AD 793, Scandinavian raiders launched an attack on the island of Lindisfarne that would go down in history, and thus the Viking Age began. Or did it? In this new book, Alex Harvey takes a wider look at these famous figures, following their story over almost a millennium, from the events of the 6th century that may have contributed to the creation of Viking identity, all the way up to the last colonies clinging on into the 15th century in Greenland. A ‘student of the latest generation of Early Medieval researchers’, Harvey brings together new discoveries and recent Viking scholarship to present an up-to-date overview of this ever-changing field. The book offers fresh examinations of popular topics, such as the act and impact of raiding and the influence of Norse mythology, as well as exploring less-obvious subjects, from Scandinavian settlers in Shetland to those in the Varangian Guard serving the Byzantine Empire. Well illustrated and engagingly written, this publication offers an accessible and thought-provoking look at the Vikings as we understand them today.
Forgotten Vikings
Alex Harvey
Amberley, £25
ISBN 978-1398122093
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