The Vikings were a seafaring people living along the long coast of the Scandinavian countries (Denmark, Norway and Sweden) between 750 and 1050 AD. The term Viking more specifically refers to the part-time warrior/raiders who left their homelands and plundered the riches of France, England and other parts of Europe.

Artifacts found by archaeologists include many combs, pins, earwax removers and even an ironing board! It seems the Vikings were much cleaner than we think.

answers to your questiojn you will find in Questions and Answers about Language (QaAaL), click on FAQ (frequently asked questions) and look under FAQ #6. I've heard that there are still words which are the same in Hungarian and Finnish. Apparently, there's a sentence that is exactly the same in both languages, and menas exactly the same thing. can you tell me what that sentence looks like (I speak Finnish so I can understand the words).

Actually, Vikings lived in several countries. These notorious sea raiders and explorers hailed from three Scandinavian homelands: Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. The Danes made their mark in the British Isles and along the coastlines of Europe. The Norwegians sailed across the Atlantic Ocean to reach America. And the Swedes traveled up Russian rivers to reach Constantinople and the Orient.

Vikings developed in Scandinavia from the earlier clan-based cultures that formerly lived there. After raiding Europe, many Vikings brought back ideas that changed their culture, making them more like Europeans. By 1050 AD, Viking culture had undergone significant change, especially the conversion of many to Christianity. Afterwards, the descendants of the Vikings called themselves Norwegians, Danes, Swedes or Scandinavians.

Viking burials often used boats like we use caskets today. For the highest status people, large ships were often buried with the dead. Some Vikings preferred to be cremated. But even then, the ashes were buried with artifacts the dead had used in their life, perhaps because the Vikings believed they could reuse these objects in the next life. To learn more about Viking ship burials follow the link.

Historians say the Viking Age began in 793 AD with the raid on Lindisfarne monastery in England, and ended in 1066 AD with the defeat of the Viking king Harald by English king Harold.

Researchers are unsure of what became of the Vikings' Greenland colonies. Some believe that the colonies collapsed as a result of a dramatically cooling climate. Others propose that colonists suffered from overpopulation, were overcome by indigenous groups and left for North America or Iceland, or that trade with Europe robbed the colony of extra resources. Most believe a combination of causes added to the deteriorating situation, with no single cause being the decisive factor.

No helmets with horns have ever been found in all of the Viking warrior gear that researchers have found. In fact, Vikings rarely wore helmets at all!

The Vikings played a lot of card and board games, especially during the winter. One of the games Vikings used to play is a board game called Hnefatafl which means "king's board or game" in Old Norse. This chess-like game of strategy simulated a Viking raid and the object of the game was to trap the King's piece.

Until the 1960s, scholars had no evidence other than the sagas that proved Vikings had reached North America. However, the discovery of Viking house foundations and artifacts at L'Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland, Canada offers proof that Vikings did, in fact, reach North America 1000 years ago!