Ebook: Rus’, Varangians and Birka Warriors

In book: The Martial Society. Aspects of warriors, fortifications and social change in Scandinavia, eds. L. Holmquist Olausson and M. Olausson. — Stockholm, 2009. — pp. 159-178.Viking Age remains displaying a number of distinct similarities stand in strategic locations along the Eastern trade routes from Birka to Kiev. They consist of fortified settlements with many Scandinavian features and a considerable military presence. Some artefacts obviously associated with warriors’ dress or equipment are so diagnostic in their design that questions about common origin and manufacture have been raised. Who were the bearers of this equipment and what was the relationship between these warriors and the fortified settlements?