Viking Travel: Where, Why, How? - Handy Information for Key Stage 2 Students
Updated: Feb 10, 2023
Where:
Vikings were expert sailors and navigators and, thanks to their advanced ships, they were able to travel to many distant lands.
Vikings travelled to places as varied as Britain, Russia, and Iran. Astonishingly Vikings even made it all the way to Greenland and North America.
Why:
Vikings travelled to raid and gather riches and slaves. Lindisfarne Monastery, York and even Paris fell victim to Vikings going "Vikinging".
Vikings also travelled to trade, this is why Viking artefacts can be found in countries all over the world.
Finally Vikings travelled to conquer and settle.
It is believed that farming conditions in Scandinavia did not provide enough food to support the population, forcing them to spread further afield.
How:
Vikings would travel on vessels called Longships (or Dragon Boats). Find out more about Longships here.
If you are a Primary School teacher then you'll definitely want Imagining History to bring their 'How to Launch a Viking Raid' Interactive workshop to your school.
Have your students got what it takes to launch a successful Viking raid?
In this award-winning workshop, our practitioners will use interactive activities with a drama and performance twist to teach your students everything they need to know to raid the Anglo-Saxon monastery on Lindisfarne. Your students will:
Create a timeline stretching from the first Viking raid to the end of the Viking era.
Construct a Viking Longship using just their bodies.
Interact with replica Viking Weapons, Armour and tools, including a sword, shield, spear, and sunstone.
Use their teamworking skills to test out Viking navigation techniques
Launch a raid on Lindisfarne & outsmart the Monks to steal their treasure.
Further Reading:
