The Vikings - Ready for Reading

C1 Advanced · Cross Text Multiple Matching · Ready for C1 Advanced 4th Edition, Macmillan Education

You are going to read four extracts from articles in which experts discuss the Vikings. For questions 1–4, choose from the authors A-D. The authors may be chosen more than once.

The idea of war-like Vikings, sailing in constant search of villages to loot and burn, gained widespread popularity in the 18th century. It is, however, an idea that does them no justice and must be dismissed. Unfortunately, myths surrounding the Vikings have acquired such power that certain modern historians have been unable to resist turning assertion into fact, attributing purposes to relics for which there is no support, and imposing their interpretations of ritual when there is no reliable record. What has to be recognised above all else is the Vikings’ technological ability in boatbuilding and navigation, to which seafaring nations owe a debt of gratitude whether they realise it or not. On our own journey of discovery, we must stick with the facts, in particular when it comes to the limits of Viking territory. Reaching North America was a triumph of sailing know-how, courage and ambition. To imagine that they went further is, at best, wishful thinking.

The Vikings were one of the world’s greatest seafaring peoples, whose adventures and exploits have become legendary, and who must be singled out because of their enormous influence on boatbuilding and navigation skills, even down to the present day. Their history stretches from the late 8th century to the mid 11th, and within this time the sight of their longships evoked terror in the hearts of all that fled before them. Here, we will be considering the stories of these Scandinavians and what they mean to us. We will examine the growing evidence which suggests that the achievements of these mariners were greater than is currently recognised, and that indeed, they went beyond North America and Asia and reached the Australian continent long before other European explorers. Despite the refusal of many scholars to even consider this proposition, the proof is there, as we shall see in the coming chapter.

It is thanks to the perseverance of modern archaeologists at excavation sites, and the painstaking interpretation of written sources by fellow academics in the field, that our clichéd images of the Vikings as mere thieves can be dispelled. This is vital if we are to admire these peoples for what they truly were: master boatbuilders whose technological know-how was a turning point for ship design and construction in Europe. They were able not only to sail around the coastlines of Europe and North Africa but to reach distant Asia and North America. Some researchers have claimed evidence of Viking migration further afield, but this remains contentious speculation. Part of the problem facing Viking researchers is the lack of hard evidence: Vikings often cremated their warriors and heroes, along with their weapons and navigational instruments. Furthermore, these early Scandinavian peoples were illiterate, and thus left no record of their own.

What would it be like to sight a fleet of Viking longships making silent progress up the river towards your settlement? Ironically, it was not the Vikings that recorded their own fighting prowess, but the people they attacked, often Christian scholars writing in Latin, and perhaps centuries later as the stories grew with each telling. In this work, I hope to present a view of the Vikings based on unbiased investigation of original artefacts and objective interpretation of excavation sites. I choose such adjectives because the process of Viking research has not always been conducted in these ways. Even now, the current contention that the Vikings beat the Europeans to Australia shows how keen some Viking ‘authorities’ are to promote their own theories regardless of the truth. While the Vikings’ seafaring techniques cannot be underestimated, it is their contribution to language and artistry that has, to my mind, made the greater and more enduring impression on our European culture.

Which expert has a different opinion from the others on which aspect of the Viking legacy is most significant?

Which expert shares A's opinion on common modern beliefs about Viking lifestyles?

Which expert takes a similar view to D on the way previous archaeological evidence has been assessed?

Which expert expresses a different view from the others on the extent of Viking exploration?

The Vikings

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