Befolkningen The population

Samfundets opbygning The construction of society Vikingens samfund var hierarkisk opbygget med kongen society was hierarchical, with the king at the i toppen omgivet af en aristokratisk elite. En lille gruppe top and surrounded by an aristocratic elite. This very small mennesker, som var meget velhavende og ejede meget group of people was very wealthy, and owned much land. jord. Det var samfundets top, der satte sig de tydeligste spor The upper third of society has left by far the most sources, i de kilder, som danner grundlaget for nutidens kendskab forming the core of our knowledge of the period. Therefore, til vikingetiden. Det er derfor også den gruppe, vi i dag ved they are also the ones that we know best. mest om. The free De frie Freemen constituted by far the majority of the population. De frie folk udgjorde størstedelen af samfundet. De fleste Most were peasants, but the category contains all social var bønder, men denne gruppe rummede alle samfundets classes, from poor people who owned no land to the rich lag. Fra de fattige jordløse til det rige aristokrati som ejede aristocracy who owned huge areas. A freeman enjoyed enorme mængder af gods. Som fri mand nød man godt af the protection of the King’s Law. He had the right to carry den beskyttelse, som kongens lov gav. Man måtte bære weapons, and to be heard at the Thing. våben, og man havde ret til at blive hørt på tinge. The mobile society Det bevægelige samfund The group of freemen also contained craftsmen, hunters, Til gruppen af frie mænd hørte også håndværkere, jægere, professional warriors and merchants. They could either be professionelle krigere og købmænd. De kunne enten tage employed on the larger farmsteads, or they could travel tjeneste på de store gårde, eller de kunne rejse rundt til around the country for markets, offering their services and markederne for at sælge deres varer og tjenesteydelser. goods. This group was more mobile than the rest of society, Denne gruppe var mere mobil end andre dele af sam- and they could therefore exploit the possibilities offered fundet, og kunne derfor udnytte de muligheder, som den by an increasingly sophisticated social structure. By enter- stadig mere avancerede samfundsstruktur kunne tilbyde. ing the service of the King, or by trading with foreign lands, Ved at gå i kongens tjeneste og deltage i togter udenlands much wealth could be accumulated by artful and compe- eller ved at handle med udlandet var der mange penge at tent people. Some of them succeeded in acquiring wealth tjene for driftige og dygtige folk. Det lykkedes således for and lands, and thus improve their social status considera- enkelte i gruppen at skaffe sig formue og jord, og derved bly. rykke op på den sociale rangstige.

Permanet udstilling 2009 TB.indd 1 19-05-2009 11:09:16 Bemandingen The garrison

Hvem var de? Såvel oldsagerne som gravpladsen afslører, Who were they? Artefacts and burial ground alike reveal at befolkningen på borgen bestod af både krigere, hånd- the inhabitants of Trelleborg to have been a mix of warriors, værkere, kvinder og børn. Selvom Trelleborg er et forsvars- craftsmen, women and children. Even if Trelleborg was a anlæg giver fundene også indtryk af en rimelig fredelig fortified military installation, the finds reflect a reasonable hverdag med alle de dagligdags sysler, der forgik i og om- peaceful daily life with normal activities taking place in and kring borgen. Håndværkerne har været beskæftiget med outside the fortress. Craftsmen were probably employed borgens fornødenheder, våben og andet udstyr til borgens in maintaining such military necessities as weaponry and funktioner. Enkelte af dem har arbejdet med guld, sølv og other equipment for use by the garrison. A small handful of bronzeprodukter til fremstilling af finere genstande. people, however, were employed in processing gold, silver and bronze for more delicate objects. Kongens hird Krigerne har haft et tilhørsforhold til kongen, sikkert som The King’s guard en del af hans ’lið’/ ’hird’. Hirden var en flok dygtige krigere The warriors were bound to the king, most likely as mem- eller skjalde som konge og stormænd omgav sig med. Deres bers of his ‘lid’ - his personal army or guard. The guard con- funktion var først og fremmest at beskytte deres herre. sisted of very skilled warriors and bards connected to the Men hirden fungerede også som kongens forlængede arm kings or magnates. The main duty of the warrior was to i administrative sager som foged. De var kongemagtens protect his lord, if necessary with his own life. But the guard repræsentanter i lokalsamfundene, og lokalsamfundenes also acted as their lord’s extended arm in matters of admin- talsmænd ved hoffet. Indbyrdes har hirdmændene, og istration, such as a bailiff. They were the king’s representa- måske også herren, opfattet sig som ’brødre’, og forseelser tive in the local society and the local society’s representa- mod en ’broder’ blev straffet hårdt. tive at the Court. The warriors – and possible also the lord – saw themselves as a band of brothers, and crimes against En hirdmands løn bestod af kost, logi og æren ved at tjene a ‘brother’ were severely punished. en fornem mand. Desuden spillede gaver en stor rolle i forholdet mellem hirdmand og herre. Det kunne være bytte The wages of such a man consisted of food, lodgings, and fra krigstogter eller guld- og sølvsmykker, som ikke bare var the honour of serving a noble man. Furthermore, gifts til pynt, men også hård valuta. played an important role in the relationship between a warrior and his lord; it could for instance be spoils of war, e.g. gold or silver jewellery, which served not only as orna- ments but also as hard cash.

Permanet udstilling 2009 TB.indd 2 19-05-2009 11:09:26 Dateringsmetoder Dating methods

Når man vil datere arkæologiske genstande eller anlæg kan When dating archaeological sites, several methods can be man bruge flere forskellige metoder bl.a. typologi, strati- used - e.g. typology, stratigraphy, Radiocarbon dating and grafi, kulstof 14 analyse og årringe-datering. dendrochronology.

Typologi Typology Oldtiden er opdelt i tre forskellige perioder efter det for- Prehistoric time is divided traditionally into three periods, trukne materiale til fremstilling af redskaber, sten, bronze named after the materials used in tool manufacture – og jern (stenalder, bronzealder og jernalder). Indenfor de stone, bronze and iron (the Stone, Bronze and Iron Ages). enkelte perioder vil der være en vis udvikling over tid i red- Within the different periods, a certain degree of develop- skaber, smykker og husgeråds funktion og dekoration. På ment will often take place in the design and use of tools baggrund af disse ændringer etableres en typologi for de and jewellery. On the bases of these changes it is possible enkelte genstande. Ved typologisering kan genstandes ind- to establish a ‘typology’ of the individual objects and their byrdes alder således vurderes. relative age. By using typology, a reasonably certain date for each item can thus be established. Stratigrafi Ved stratigrafiske iagttagelser kan man vurdere den ind- Stratigraphy byrdes alder mellem f.eks. to vikingetidsgrave, der er an- Stratigraphy is an archaeological method whereby the age lagt over hinanden. Her vil den øverste grav være den between e.g. two Viking Age graves established on top of yngste grav, og denne grav er nedgravet i den ældre under- each other can be determined. Here the grave situated at liggende grav. the top is the youngest grave – and this grave will have been dug into the older underlying grave. Kulstof 14 analyse Alle levende organismer optager den radioaktive isotop Radiocarbon dating C14, så længe de lever. Når de dør stopper optagelsen. All living organisms accumulate the radioactive isotope 14C Derefter bliver der gradvis mindre af det radioaktive C14. as long as they live. When they die, the accumulation stops. Ved at måle mængden af C14 i organiske rester, bliver det As 14C is radioactive, the amount present in the organism derfor muligt at regne ud, hvor mange år, der er gået siden diminishes in time. By measuring the content of 14C in the organismens død. organic remains, the amount of time passed since the death of the organism can be calculated.

Permanet udstilling 2009 TB.indd 3 19-05-2009 11:09:31 Forsvarsværkerne The defences

Trelleborg er placeret på et smalt næs med adgang fra fast- Trelleborg is situated on a promontory flanked by the Tude landet til næsset fra øst og sydøst. Borgen er på de andre and Vårby rivers; the fortress was almost impregnable. sider omkranset af Tude og Vårby Å, og den har således været næsten umulig at indtage. The construction of the ramparts The ramparts are the most impressive feature of the for- Voldene tress. On both sides it had heavy oak palisades connected Voldene udgør den mest imponerende konstruktion på by horizontal beams. The front of the palisade was about borgen. På begge sider havde de kraftige egetræspalisader 8 m in height and in-filled with turf, stone and clay – they forbundet med tværgående tømmer. Palisadens forside have survived a millennium. To reach the inner part of the har været op imod 8 m høj. Udfyldt med græstørv, sten fortress, it is necessary to pass the outer ward with a narrow og ler har de overlevet i mere end tusind år. Vil man ind i moat in front. The only crossing point over the outer moat selve borgen, passerer man først forborgen med en foran- is located near its southern end. Inside the outer ward, 15 liggende smal voldgrav. Den eneste overgang over den long houses are situated along the inner part of the outer ydre voldgrav findes mod syd. Indenfor forborgen findes 15 rampart. The bridge leading to the inner part of the for- langhuse, der er placeret langs indersiden af den yderste tress, which has a narrow ledge, is in the south-east. The vold. Broen over til den indre borg, der har en smal afsats, inner moat is considerable deeper, steeper and wider than er placeret i sydøst. Den indre voldgrav er betydelig dybere, the outer moat – being 17 m wide and almost 4 m deep, it stejlere og bredere end den ydre grav – 17 m bred og op would have been difficult to take by storm. The impressive mod 4 m dyb – og den har været vanskelig at forcere. Den and large ring-fortress was 5 m high, 17 m wide and built imponerende store ringvold har været 5 m høj, 17 m bred of 25,000 square metres of soil, stones and timber. og bygget af 25.000 kubikmeter jord, sten og tømmer. The gates Portene The four gates were the weakest point in the defences. They De fire porte har været forsvarets svage led. De har ligget were situated at the four points of the compass. Probably parvis overfor hinanden i hvert sit verdenshjørne og har for- they have been covered tunnels which towards the outer mentlig været overdækkede tunneler, der yderst har været side of the rampart have been closed off with two gates. In lukket med to portfløje. I alle fire portrum er der fundet all four gateways, charred planks were found, suggesting forkullede planker, der viser, at de har været brændt. that they were destroyed by fire.

Permanet udstilling 2009 TB.indd 4 19-05-2009 11:09:31 Gaderne The streets Gaderne, hvoraf to går vinkelret på hinanden som forbind- The streets, of which two are at right angles to each other elsesveje mellem portene, har været dækket af tværlagte as connecting routes between the gates, were surfaced planker. Deres omhyggelige konstruktion viser, at der har with crosswise planks. The careful construction of the været mange mennesker og dermed tæt trafik på Trelle- streets suggests that they were well used and that Trelle- borg. borg was very busy!

Husene The houses Bebyggelsen består af 15 huse mellem forborgen og selve The settlement consisted of 15 houses between the outer borgen og fire ens karreer med hver fire langhuse indenfor ward and the inner fortress, with four identical blocks each ringborgen. Trelleborg-husene er ligesom borgen præget consisting of four long houses inside the fortress. Like the af ensartethed og symmetri. Husene er ca. 30 m lange med fortress, the Trelleborg houses were characterized by uni- to mindre gavlrum og et stort 18 m langt rum i midten. formity and symmetry. The houses are ca. 30 m long, with Der har været indgang i hver langvæg og i gavlene samt two smaller gable rooms and a large room of 18 m in length en langild i midten. De buede vægge har været bygget af in the middle. Doors led from each of the long walls and kraftige, lodretstående egeplanker, og udenfor væggene from the gables, and there was a long hearth in the middle har der været skrå støttestolper, der har været med til at of the house. The curved walls were built of sturdy vertical- bære det tunge tag. ly-placed oak planks, and outside the walls there was a row of slanting support-posts which helped bear the weight of År 980 the heavy roof. I vinterhalvåret 980 – 981 blev den indre voldgrav forsynet med en spærring. Der blev sat stolper af unge træer med to AD 980 til tre meters mellemrum. Disse stolper kan have været op In the winter of AD 980 – 981, the inner moat was rein- til syv meter høje, og måske var deres funktion at danne en forced by yet another obstruction, when smaller beams at skærm for volden. intervals of 2-3 m were erected. These may have been up to 7 m in height, and perhaps their aim was to shade the ram- part.

Permanet udstilling 2009 TB.indd 5 19-05-2009 11:09:32 Gravpladsen The burial ground

Trelleborgs gravplads rummer mindst 135 grave med 157 The graveyard of Trelleborg contains at least 135 graves and døde. De fleste skeletter er dårligt bevarede og gravene er 157 dead. Most skeletons are badly preserved, and most sparsomt udstyrede eller helt uden gravgods. I den ældre graves have very little in the way of grave goods and often del af gravpladsen har nogle af de døde dog fået grav- none. In the older section, some of the graves contain gifts - gods med. Det er f.eks. jernknive og små hvæssesten, men e.g. knives and hones, but also a few axes, beads and some også enkelte økseblade, perler og andre smykker er fundet jewellery. One of the male graves contained very impressive i gravene. En af mandsgravene var særligt fornemt uds- equipment - a small bowl made from bronze sheet and a tyret med bl.a. dele af en lille skål i bronzeblik og en stor magnificent battle axe inlaid with silver. A rich female grave økse med sølvindlægning. En rig kvindegrav indeholdt bl.a. contained a bronze brooch, beads, a wooden shrine and bronzespænde, perler, træskrin og spillebrikker. De yngste gaming pieces. The younger graves have no grave goods at grave er helt tomme. De er anlagt, da man var gået over til all. They were established when Christianisation had taken kristendommen, og gravgods ikke længere blev brugt. over and grave goods were no longer used.

Massegrave Mass graves Der er fundet tre massegrave med i alt 20 lig. De døde har Three mass graves contained 20 bodies. All the dead seem tilsyneladende været mænd mellem 20 og 35 år. En af to have been men aged between 20 and 35 years. One of gravene indeholdt ligene af 10 personer, hvoraf den ene the graves contained 10 people of which one had had his person havde fået det ene ben hugget af over knæet. Måske leg cut above the knee. Perhaps these were warriors who var de krigere, der var faldet i kamp? Selvom der er over- had fallen in battle. Even if most of the graves contained vægt af yngre mænd i gravene, er også midaldrende mænd the bodies of younger men, middle aged men as well as samt kvinde og børn begravet på gravpladsen. women and children have been buried at the burial ground.

Menneskeofringer Human sacrifices I nogle af brøndene på borgpladsen blev der fundet men- Human remains were found in some of the wells inside the neskerester. To af disse indeholdt hver to børn: Den ene rampart. Two of the wells contained two children each: one, brønd, som er udstillet her, indeholdt en fire årig og en syv which is on display at the museum, contained a four year årig samt bl.a. mange husdyrknogler. Den anden to børn old child and one of seven years and many bones from do- på fire år, en hel ko og en hund, samt resterne af fire heste, mestic animals. In the other well, two four- year old chil- fem svin og to får. dren was found together with the bones of a cow, a dog and parts of four horses, five pigs and two sheep.

Permanet udstilling 2009 TB.indd 6 19-05-2009 11:09:37 Kilder til vikingetiden Sources of the Viking Age

Hvor ved vi det fra? Age How do we know? Vores viden om den skandinaviske vikingetid bygger på en Our knowledge of the Scandinavian Viking Age stems from lang række forskellige kilder. Arkæologer, historikere, bi- many and varied sources. Archaeologists, historians, biolo- ologer, sprogforskere, geologer og andre har igennem egen gists, geologists and many other scientists have contributed og fælles forskning bidraget til den viden, vi har om vi- to our present understanding of the period through their kingernes verden. combined efforts.

Arkæologi Archaeology Der bliver ofte fundet nye arkæologiske spor efter viking- All over Europe new finds of Viking activity are frequently erne rundt omkring i Europa. Det er f.eks. spor efter vi- discovered, such as traces of settlements and the graves of kingernes byer, boliger eller grave. Ofte er det helt almin- the people. Very often the finds consist of everyday tools delige hverdagsgenstande, men sammen med de øvrige and artefacts, but together with the rest of the finds from fund fra arkæologiske udgravninger hjælper de forskerne archaeological excavations they add little pieces to the til at tegne et stadig mere nuanceret billede af vikingernes huge jigsaw of our knowledge of Viking Age society. samfund. During the past three decades, experimental archaeology Igennem de sidste tredive år har den eksperimenterende has advance greatly. By using authentic building techniques arkæologi vundet frem. Ved at bruge vikingernes byggetek- and replicas of Viking Age tools, archaeologists have gained nikker og rekonstruktioner af deres værktøj, har arkæolog- a better insight into the conditions of life and the function erne fået bedre indsigt i vikingernes levevilkår, og hvordan and use of, for instance, the ships and houses of the Vikings. bl.a. vikingernes skibe og huse fungerede. The writing of the Vikings Vikingernes skriftsprog Viking Age writing was based on a runic alphabet consist- Runerne var vikingernes skriftsprog og i vikingetiden an- ing of 16 signs or “letters”. Most runes are short messages, vendte man den såkaldte 16-tegns futhark. De fleste ind- which have been carved into the surface of wood and bone skrifter er korte meddelelser, der er indridset på genstande or on large stones. The texts on the rune stones often state af f.eks. træ og ben eller på store sten. Teksten på rune- the lands owned by and deeds performed by deceased peo- stenene beskriver ofte hvilke besiddelser og gerninger, den ple. In this way, the runic stone is a source of understanding afdøde ejede eller udførte. Runestenene bliver derved en of social ties, land ownership, and events. kilde til forståelse af sociale bånd, besiddelser og begiven- heder.

Permanet udstilling 2009 TB.indd 7 19-05-2009 11:09:43 Samtidige kilder Contemporary sources Viking Age I Skandinavien var der ikke nogen boglig tradition. Det var Scandinavia had no written literary tradition, unlike Chris- der derimod i det kristne Vesteuropa syd for den danske tian Western Europe south of the border. Among the most grænse. Blandt de vigtigste kilder vi har til forståelse af important sources for understanding the life and society of vikingernes liv og samfund, er således udenlandske his- the Vikings are foreign chroniclers, missionaries and clerks, torikere, missionærer og andre gejstlige, der beskriver deres describing their meetings with the people of the north. Es- møde med folkeslagene i Norden. Vigtige er især Ansgars pecially important are the written papers by Ansgar and og Adam af Bremens beretninger. Adam of Bremen.

Saxo og Sagaer Saxo and the Sagas De islandske sagaer er næsten alle nedskrevet i 1200-tallet. The Icelandic Sagas were almost exclusively written down Sagaerne omhandler perioden fra Islands kolonisering og during the 13th century. The Sagas deal with the pe- frem til efter kristningen omkring år 1000. De udgør en stor riod from the colonization of Iceland to its Christianiza- og meget vigtig kildegruppe til forståelse af vikingernes tion around AD 1000. This is a vast and important group of dagligliv, juridiske system, samfundsidealer osv. Et an- sources for the understanding of daily life, legal thought det kendt skrift er forfattet af Snorre Sturlasson. I sit værk and ideals. Another well known document is one by the Heimskringla beskriver Sturlasson bl.a. koloniseringen af poet Snorre Sturlasson. In his work Heimskringla, Sturlas- Island. son speaks, for example, about the colonization of Iceland.

I Danmark skrev Saxo danernes historie omkring år 1200. In , Saxo Grammaticus wrote the History of the Hans berømte krønike var bestilt af ærkebiskop Absalon, Danes around AD 1200. His famous chronicle was written og værket bærer kraftigt præg af hans politiske stillingta- on the order of the Archbishop Absalon, and the work is gen. Fælles for både sagaerne og Saxos krønike er, at de er highly coloured by his political views. Common to both the skrevet godt to hundrede år efter de begivenheder, som de Sagas and Saxo´s chronicles is that they were written two beskriver. Dette giver naturligvis problemer for deres værdi centuries after the events they describe. This, of course, di- som kilder til vikingetiden. minishes their value as historical sources of the Viking Age.

Permanet udstilling 2009 TB.indd 8 19-05-2009 11:09:50 Kong Harald Blåtand King Harold Bluetooth

Harald Blåtand (ca. 930 – 987), der var søn af Gorm den Harold Bluetooth (ca. AD 930 – 987), son of Gorm, was king Gamle, var konge, da Trelleborg blev opført. Harald var when Trelleborg was built. Harold was king of the present- konge over det nuværende Danmark, Nordtyskland, det day Denmark, northern Germany, southern Sweden and sydlige Sverige og en del af Norge. Han havde politiske al- parts of . He had political alliances with many of the liancer med en del af de slaviske samfund syd for Østersøen Slavic societies south of the Baltic Sea and with the Norman og den normanniske hertug i Nordfrankrig. duke of northern France.

Danmark var et valgkongedømme, hvor alle frie mænd i Denmark was an elective kingdom, where in principle all princippet udpegede kongen. Det gjaldt om at få samlet free men elected the king. It was essential to gather the opbakning af tilstrækkeligt mange våbenføre mænd og support of enough armed men to win the Crown. As elect- herigennem vinde kongemagten. Som valgt konge sad ed king, Harold was never completely safe on his throne. Harald aldrig helt trygt på tronen. I de islandske sagaer er The Icelandic Sagas describe how some Norwegians re- det beskrevet, hvordan nordmændene gjorde oprør mod belled against him and the throne was claimed by his ham, og hvor hans broders søn gjorde krav på tronen. brother’s son.

Harald blev efterfulgt af sin søn, Svend Tveskæg Harold was succeeded by his son Swein Forkbeard (ca. 960 – 1014). Svend nåede tillige at erobre England kort (ca. 960 – 1014). Swein managed to conquer England før sin død i 1014. shortly before his death in 1014.

Knud den Store (995 – 1035) var søn af Svend Tveskæg og Knut the Great (995 – 1035) was son of Swein Forkbeard nåede at blive den største danske konge inden han døde and he became the greatest Danish king before he died ca. 40 år gammel. Han startede med at underlægge sig at the age of ca. 40. He started by conquering England in England i 1016, og i 1019 blev han konge i Danmark, hvor 1016, and in 1019 he became king of Denmark where he han efterfulgte sin broder Harald den Anden. succeeded his brother Harold the Second.

Permanet udstilling 2009 TB.indd 9 19-05-2009 11:10:00 Konstruktion og mål The construction and measurements

Konstruktion The construction Trelleborg er anlagt ud fra geometriske og symmetriske The design of Trelleborg is based on geometry and symme- principper. Planen viser, at bygmesteren har udstukket try. The layout shows that the builder had the ‘four corners verdenshjørnerne med stor nøjagtighed i det cirkelrunde of the world’ marked out in the circular fortress great accu- anlæg. Vejanlægget mødes i et vinkelret kryds i borgens racy. The inner street system meets in a right-angled cross midte og forbinder anlæggets porte. Indenfor cirklen er fire and connects the four gates. Within the circle, four identical karreer med hver fire ens langhuse blevet opført i hver sin blocks consisting of four houses forming a square are situ- kvadrant. ated in each quadrant.

I byggeriets anden fase er broen og de 15 huse i forborgen In the second phase of the building, the bridge and 15 blevet anlagt ud fra voldfronten. Hele anlægget dækker houses on the bailey are added from outside of the ram- seks hektar, det svarer til 12 fodboldbaner. part. The whole installation covers an area of six hectares which is equivalent to 12 football pitches. Mål Anlæggets præcision viser, at der er anvendt en fast Measurements målestok i byggeriet. Den såkaldte ’Trelleborg alen’, der er The degree of precision in the structure is so great that 49, 3 cm, er fremkommet gennem en analyse og edb-be- there can be no doubt that a fixed unit of measurement was handling af tegningerne fra udgravningerne af Trelleborg. used. The so-called ‘Trelleborg ell’, which is 49.3 cm, has Tidligere antog udgraverne, at der var anvendt en ’Romersk been uncovered on the basis of an analysis and computer- alen’ i en forkortet udgave. Forholdet mellem de to måle- processing of the excavation drawings from Trelleborg. Be- enheder er 12 til 10 således at 12 ’Trelleborg alen’ svarer til fore this, the excavators presumed that a shortened version 10 ’Romerske alen’. of the ‘Roman ell’ was used. The relationship between the two units of measurement is 12 to 10, so that the 12 ‘Trelle- borg ells’ equals 10 ‘Roman ells’.

Permanet udstilling 2009 TB.indd 10 19-05-2009 11:10:04 Rundt om borgen Around the fortress

Landskabet var dengang som nu præget af agerdyrkning. The landscape was then, as now, strongly characterized by Selv om der forud for borgbyggeriet sikkert har været en del agriculture, although there was probably extensive shrub- kratbevoksning og småskove i enge og moseområder, er de and woodland in meadows and bogs which were removed helt sikkert blevet ryddet for at indgå i byggeriet. Åerne har for use in the building process. The waterways followed the haft samme forløb og størrelse omkring borgen som i dag, same routes as now, but closer to the coast the landscape men ude ved kysten var landskabet meget anderledes end was much different from that of today. nu. The fortress, however, was not alone in the area. It was situ- Borgen lå ikke ensomt hen men midt imellem de omkring- ated between villages. These probably provided food and liggende landsbyer, som sandsynligvis har leveret mad, other necessities for the garrison. The food consisted mostly råvarer og andre fornødenheder til borgens indbyggere. of cooked and fried meat but also of bread and vegetables. Føden bestod mest af kogt og stegt kød men også en del If some 500 people lived at the fortress, their annual con- brød og grøntsager. Hvis der har boet ca. 500 mennesker sumption of food would have been about 125 tons of meat, på borgen, skulle de årligt have: 125 tons kød, 180 tons 180 tons of grain and 55 tons of vegetables. Furthermore korn og 55 tons grøntsager. Derudover har der været leveret clothing, iron, firewood, hides, rope and many other provi- klæder, jern, brænde, skind, reb m.m., som borgen har haft sions would have been required. behov for.

Permanet udstilling 2009 TB.indd 11 19-05-2009 11:10:10 Trelleborgene The ring fortresses

I Danmark og Skåne findes der ialt fem ringborge - forsvars- There are five ring-fortresses in Denmark and Skåne from værker - fra vikingetiden: Trelleborg i Skåne, Trelleborg på the Viking Age – Trelleborg in Skåne, Trelleborg in , Sjælland, på Fyn samt og i Nonnebakken in and Fyrkat as well as Aggersborg in Jylland. Jutland.

Bygning af trelleborgene må have krævet meget store res- The building of the ring-castles must have required such sourcer, og de opfattes derfor som kongelige bygnings- immense resources as to be thought of as royal building værker opført af Kong Harald Blåtand. Tiden var præget af works erected by King Harold Bluetooth. The period was uro, og kongen havde derfor brug for militære baser, hvor- characterized by turbulence and the king needed military fra besiddelserne kunne kontrolleres. Muligvis har borgene bases from which he could control his possessions. Possibly også fungeret som centre for administration og handel. the fortresses also served as centres for administration and Ringborgene er alle bygget inden for en kort årrække om- trade. The ring-fortresses were all built within a limited pe- kring år 980. Ringborgene er ikke de eneste storbyggerier, riod of time around AD 980. The fortresses are not the only der er blevet knyttet til kongemagten. Også større broer large installations which have been connected with royal og vejanlæg, der har sikret transporten på land, kendes fra power. Both bridges and roads – essential for transport on vikingetiden. land – are known from the Viking Age.

De danske ringborge er på en række punkter forskellige, The Danish ring-fortresses differ from one another in a men er bygget efter bestemte måleenheder og efter den number of ways, but they are all constructed using the samme geometriske grundidé med en cirkelrund vold om- same measurements and geometric layout, with a circular kring en karrélignende bebyggelse. De symmetrisk pla- rampart surrounding a block-like settlement. The symmet- cerede karréer er adskilt af snorlige vejforløb. ric place blocks are separated by ruler-straight streets.

Trelleborgene var kun i brug i en begrænset periode inden The ring-castles were only used for a limited time before de blev opgivet. Efter Harald Blåtands død havde Svend they were abandoned. It seems likely that after the death Tveskæg måske mere styr på den indenrigspolitiske situ- of Harold Bluetooth, Swein Forkbeard probably had a bet- ation i landet – og således var trelleborgene ikke længere ter grip on the internal political situation in the country – in nødvendige som forsvarsværker. that way the ring-fortresses were no longer needed as de- fensive installations.

1 2 3

Planer af tre militærlejre fra vikingetiden: 1. Trelleborg, 2 Aggersborg, 3 Fyrkat.

Permanet udstilling 2009 TB.indd 12 19-05-2009 11:10:12 Trællene The thralls

De ufrie The unfree Slaveri eller trældom virker frastødende på moderne men- Slavery and serfdom seem objectionable today. The nesker. Tanken om, at en mand kan eje et andet menneske, thought of one man owning another offends our concept of strider fundamentalt mod vores humanistiske forståelse af, morality. But in the world of the Vikings, slavery was proba- hvordan man kan behandle andre. I vikingernes verden var bly not “evil” - it was a condition of life. A human being had slaveri formentlig ikke en ond gerning, men et livsvilkår. For value only as a part of a group or family. vikingerne havde mennesket kun værdi gennem den slægt eller gruppe, som man tilhørte. Purchase and sale Thralls were unfree. They were owned by another man, and Køb og salg therefore had no right to their own life. They were either Trællene var ufrie mennesker, som ikke havde ret til at be- bought, or obtained in raids around Europe. The main goal stemme over deres eget liv. De blev enten købt eller hjem- of many Viking raids was the acquisition of thralls for their ført fra togter rundt om i Europa. Formålet med mange af own use, or for selling. Contemporary sources tell of slave vikingernes togter var, at skaffe trælle til eget forbrug og markets in Denmark. Ansgar wrote in the mid 9th century til videresalg. Samtidige kilder beskriver trællemarkeder i how thralls were traded in Haithabu (Hedeby). Large farm- Danmark. Ansgar beskrev i midten af 800-tallet, hvorledes steads were partly self-sufficient in thralls, as the child of der blev handlet med trælle i Hedeby. Store husstande var two thralls automatically became a thrall. We do not know delvist selvforsynende med trælle - når to trælle fik børn, the number of thralls in Viking Age Denmark, but they must fik barnet automatisk forældrenes status. Vi ved ikke, hvor have been present in most farmsteads which could afford mange trælle der har været i Danmark, men der har været them. The work of thralls could vary greatly, but it must pri- trælle på de gårde, som havde råd til at anskaffe sig denne marily have involved hard physical labour. arbejdskraft. Det var ofte det tunge, og i sagens natur træl- somme arbejde trællene udførte. The thralls given freedom It was possible for a thrall to be given their freedom, or to De frigivne trælle buy it themselves. The Icelandic sagas describe in several Det var muligt for trælle at blive frigivet eller frikøbt. De is- places how a master would free a thrall if he or she had de- landske sagaer beskriver flere steder, at en husherre sætter served it in some way. en træl fri, hvis vedkommende har gjort sig fortjent hertil.

Permanet udstilling 2009 TB.indd 13 19-05-2009 11:10:18 Veje og landtransport Roads and land-based transport

Det stigende behov for transport Increased need for transport På grund af den stigende samhandel og den mere Due to the increase in trade and the more complex struc- avancerede samfundsstruktur steg behovet for færdsel over ture of society, the demand for land transport grew strong- land stærkt igennem vikingetiden. Transporten til hest og er during the Viking Age. Transport by horse and in wagons i vogn over land var langt mere langsommelig og besvær- over land was much slower and more troublesome than lig, end hvis man sejlede. I perioder med hård frost kunne sailing. During harsh winters, land-based transport could transporten også foregå på ski og skøjter eller med slæder. include skiing, skating or sleighing. This increased the need Igennem vikingetiden blev behovet for broer og veje større. for bridges and roads.

Jyllands hovedvej The Jutland highway Jyllands langsgående hovedvej, der senere er blevet The Jutland highway, which was later named Hærvejen kendt som Hærvejen eller Oksevejen, løb langs den jyske (“the Army Road”) or Oksevejen (“Cattle Road”), cut its way højderyg. Således kunne man undgå de fleste åer og along the Jutland Ridge, making it possible to avoid most vandløb. Fra Hærvejen udgik der mindre sideveje til de streams and rivers. From the Hærvejen, smaller roads con- jyske byer, der ikke som nu var direkte forbundet. nected to the cities of Jutland, which were not then inter- nally connected. Haralds broer De vigtigste vidnesbyrd om vikingernes vejnet ses ved Harold’s bridges opførelsen af broer og dæmninger, der lettede landtrans- The most important testimony to the infrastructure of the porten og knyttede landet tættere sammen. Det mest Vikings is found in the construction of bridges and dams, imponerende af disse byggerier er broen over Vejle ådal which made land-based transportation easier and helped i Ravning Enge nær Jelling. Den er godt 700 meter lang, tie the nation together. Most impressive was the bridge 5,5 meter bred og det samlede egetræsforbrug har været across the valley of the Vejle Stream in Ravning Enge near kolossalt. Dendrokronologiske undersøgelser har vist, at Jelling. It was well over 700 metres long, 5.5 metres wide, broen er opført omkring 980 dvs. samtidig med Trelleborg. and used colossal amounts of oak timber. It has been den- Broen er formentlig blevet opført af Kong Harald Blåtand drochronologically-dated to around AD 980 like Trelleborg. og har givetvist indgået i den samme generelle militære The bridge was probably built by King Harold Bluetooth and oprustning og kongelige magtdemonstration, som Trelle- must have been part of the same general military rearma- borg også var en del af. Broen ved Ravning Enge har lige- ment and display of Royal power as Trelleborg. Like Trelle- som Trelleborg kun fungeret i en begrænset periode. borg, the bridge was only in use for a limited time.

Udsnit fra vej i Wollin ca. år 950 Udsnit af Oseberg tapetet A piece of road from Wollin, approximately year 950 A bit from the Oseberg tapestry

Permanet udstilling 2009 TB.indd 14 19-05-2009 11:10:25 Vikingernes byer The Viking cities

De første handelsbyer The earliest trading cities Før vikingetiden boede man på spredte enkeltgårde eller i Earlier, habitation had been scattered across single farms små landsbyer. Med vikingetiden, hvor byerne blev grund- or small villages. During the Viking Age, when the towns lagt, boede man nu også i byerne. Flere af byerne opstod, were founded, the Vikings also lived in cities. Several cities hvor der tidligere havde været kult- og tingsteder. Den were founded where earlier cult- and thing-sites had been tidligste by i Danmark er Ribe, der blev grundlagt omkring established. The earliest Danish city is Ribe which was es- år 710 og voksede op omkring en markedsplads. Markedet tablished around AD 710 and developed around a market lå ned til Ribe Å, hvorfra man kunne sejle varer ud til Vester- place. The market was situated by the Ribe Stream, from havet. which goods could be sailed into the North Sea and beyond.

Hedeby ved Slesvig fjord var et andet handelscentrum i Haithabu, by the Schleswig Fiord, was a trading centre Danmark. Hedeby blev hurtigt en stor by, der husede mere too. Haithabu quickly became a large city with more than end tusind faste indbyggere. Der blev opført en forsvars- a thousand inhabitants. A huge rampart was construct- vold uden om byen, der skulle beskytte byens handlende ed around the city to protect it from raids and plunder. It mod overfald. Alligevel blev Hedeby udsat for adskillige did not, however, serve its purpose well, as Haithabu was plyndringer og afbrændinger. Den lidt yngre by Århus var, sacked and burned several times. Like Haithabu the young- ligesom Hedeby, omgivet af en vold. Både Ribe, Hedeby og er city of Århus was surrounded by a rampart. Ribe, Haith- Århus fik i løbet af 900 årene bispesæder, og byerne havde abu and Aarhus all acquired bishop’s seats during the 10th en fremtrædende position allerede før årtusindskiftet. Century, which testifies to the status attained by the three cities towards the turn of the millennium. De kongelige byer Omkring årtusindskiftet fremskyndte Kong Svend Tveskæg The royal cities og senere Kong Knud den Store anlæggelsen af nye byer. Around that time, Kings Sweyn Forkbeard and later King Byerne stod under kongens beskyttelse og måtte til Knuth the Great, encouraged the founding of new cities. gengæld for denne beskyttelse, betale skat af byens han- These cities were under the protection of the king, and del, og to gange årligt en leje til kongen. Byerne Ringsted in return the inhabitants had to pay a tax on trade, pay- og er gode eksempler herpå. Slagelse har været en ing rent to the king twice a year. Ringsted and Slagelse are kongelig by i den sidste del af vikingetiden. Knud den Store good examples of this. The status of Slagelse as a royal city slog mønt i byen i 1020. Skt. Mikkels kirke dateres også til in late Viking Age is known from Knuth the Great´s minting denne periode of coins there in AD 1020. The main church, St. Michael’s, also dates from this period.

Permanet udstilling 2009 TB.indd 15 19-05-2009 11:10:31 Vikingernes skibe The ships of the Vikings

Ikke uden grund er vikingernes skibe blevet symbol på vi- The ships of the Vikings have become a symbol of the Viking kingetiden. Skibene gjorde det muligt at rejse overalt i Age. In these, the Vikings were able to sail everywhere in den kendte verden - fra den nordamerikanske kyst i vest til the known world - from North America in the West to Bagh- Bagdad i øst – enten for at føre krig, plyndre, handle eller dad in the East - for war, to plunder, to trade or to settle. bosætte sig. Construction Konstruktionen Viking ships were clinker-built - they had a hull of overlap- Vikingeskibene var klinkbyggede med overlappende bord ping planks, fastened by iron rivets. The planks were made (planker), der var samlet med jernnagler. Tømmeret blev by cleaving tree trunks and working them by axe. This fremstillet ved at kløve de store egestammer og derefter method of construction resulted in a very strong ship which bearbejde dem med økser. Herved bibeholdt man træets could interact with the waves and remain flexible. The rig- fleksibilitet, og skibene blev smidige og kunne vride sig i ging consisted of a large rectangular sail. With a good wind, bølgerne. Riggen bestod af et stort rektangulært sejl – et they could travel up to 10 knots - about 18 km/hour. The såkaldt råsejl. Under gunstige forhold kunne skibene sejle square sail was most efficient in a sideways or following op i mod 10 knob, ca. 18 km. i timen. Råsejlet fungerede wind. When sailing against the wind, tacking was neces- bedst, når vinden kommer ind fra siden eller agten fra. Hvis sary. man skulle sejle mod vinden, måtte man krydse sig frem. Two types To typer skibe Viking ships are divided into two main types: warships and Vikingeskibene kan inddeles i to hovedtyper: Krigsskibe og trading vessels. The warships were long and slender, and handelsskibe. Krigsskibene var lange og smalle, og kunne could be powered by sail and oar. They were very suitable drives frem både med sejl og årer. De egnede sig godt til for rowing which was important for manoeuvring in a bat- at blive roet, og kunne manøvreres frit i en kampsitua- tle situation. The rig could be taken down and the shallow tion. Riggen kunne lægges ned, og med den flade bund draft made it possible to land the ships quickly and unno- kunne skibene komme hurtigt og forholdsvis uset ind på de ticed on hostile beaches. fjendtlige strande. Trading vessels were shorter and wider. They were not as Handelsskibene var kortere og bredere, og blev drevet frem fast as the warships, but they could hold a larger cargo. The med sejl. De var ikke lige så hurtige som krigsskibene, men smaller ships were used in coastal waters, whereas ocean- kunne til gengæld rumme en større last. De mindre han- going traders were able to sail the rough seas of the North delsskibe blev brugt i de indre danske farvande, mens de Atlantic. store havgående fragtskibe uden problemer kunne sejle un- der de barske forhold i f.eks. Nordatlanten.

Handelsskib Krigsskib Cargo ship War ship

Permanet udstilling 2009 TB.indd 16 19-05-2009 11:10:37 Vikingetiden The Viking Age

Introduktion Introduction Vikingetiden er en periode i Skandinaviens historie, som The Viking Age is a period of Scandinavian history which for eftertiden står i et helt specielt lys. Det var tiden, hvor holds a very special place in our minds. It was a time when de skandinaviske lande udfordrede de største magter i the people of Scandinavia challenged the powers of Europe. Europa. I løbet af vikingetiden skete der store forandringer. Great changes took place: the first real cities were founded De første byer blev grundlagt, og der skete en samling af de and the Scandinavian kingdoms took shape, testifying to nordiske riger, hvilket vidner om opbyggelsen af en effektiv the creation of an efficient and strong central power. og magtfuld centralmagt. The time Perioden The Viking Age covers approximately three centuries from Vikingetiden strakte sig over ca. tre hundrede år fra slut- the end of the 8th century to the end of the 11th century ningen af 700-tallet til slutningen af 1000-tallet. Den første AD. The first written account of a Viking raid is from AD 793, skriftlige kilde om vikingernes togter er fra 793, hvor munk- when the monk Alcuin described the brutal plunder of the en Alkuin beskriver det brutale angreb på klostret ved Lin- monastery of Lindisfarne on the northeastern coast of Eng- disfarne ud for Nordenglands østkyst. Slaget ved Hastings i land. The Battle of Hastings which took place in southern 1066 markerer afslutningen på vikingetiden. England in 1066 marks the ending of the Viking Age.

Vikingetiden er overgangstiden mellem oldtiden og mid- The period is one of transition from prehistoric times to the delalderen. I denne periode skete der en markant teknolo- Middle Ages. It was witness to a massive development of gisk, samfundsmæssig og religiøs udvikling i Skandinavien. technology and of social and governmental structure, as Samfundet havde udviklet sig fra at være baseret hoved- well as to religious changes in Scandinavia. Society had de- sagelig på landbrug og fiskeri til nu at have en mere blan- veloped from one based mainly on farming and fishing to det økonomi. Byerne var centrum for specialiserede hånd- one based on a more mixed economy. The towns were cen- værk og handel med et veludviklet distributionssystem og tres of specialised crafts and trade, with well developed dis- med en velorganiseret administration. tribution systems and a well organised administration.

Fra at være et område der bestod af flere små kongedøm- From being an area consisting of several petty kingdoms, mer, udviklede Danmark sig i løbet af vikingetiden til et the state of Denmark evolved during the Viking Age into a samlet kristent rige i tæt samspil med den europæiske ud- firmly established Christian country, closely related to the vikling. rest of Europe.

Permanet udstilling 2009 TB.indd 17 19-05-2009 11:10:41 Trelleborg i tal Trelleborg in numbers

Vældige mængder Huge amounts Til opbygningen af borgen blev der brugt enorme mænger The building of the fortress required enormous quantities of af materialer alt sammen fremskaffet og indsamlet med building materials, all gathered by simple means. It is not simple redskaber. Vi ved ikke, hvor mange folk der deltog i known how many people took part in the work, but in an byggearbejdet, men på den tid hvor det eneste graveredsk- age when the only tool for digging was a simple wooden ab var en træspade, og alt jord skulle slæbes på kærrer eller spade and masses of earth had to be moved on carts or slæder, må der have været flere tusinde mand i gang. sledges, then several thousand people must have been in- volved. Til opfyldning af det sydvestlige terræn forud for borgbyg- geriet blev der brugt ca. 8000 m3 lerjord. 8,000 cubic metres of clay-filled earth was used for raising and levelling the south-western area of the fortress prior to I volden blev der opstablet græstørv skrællet af 650.000 m2 building. engareal. Det svarer til hele Tude Ådal fra Trelleborg til kys- ten eller 130 fodboldbaner. Inside the rampart, a turf core was laid, made from the turf of 650,000 square metres of meadowland – equal to 130 Til stenpakningerne ved portene og langs voldfoden blev football pitches. der indsamlet ca. 3000 m3 marksten. For the stone packing of the gates and along the foot of the Fra voldgaven blev ca.12.500 m3 lerjord opgravet og brugt rampart, approximately 3,000 cubic metres of stone was re- til voldfyld, sammen med yderligere ca. 5.500 m3 andet- quired. steds fra. For the moat, about 12,500 cubic metres of clay-filled earth Til vidjeflet i den underste del af voldfoden blev ca.1800 was dug out and used in the rampart along with some unge asketræer fældet. 5,500 cubic metres of material from other places.

Til bygning af palisader, huse og veje m.v. er der brugt om- Around 1,800 young ash trees were used for wickerwork at kring 8000 store egetræer. De fleste er ca. 200 år gamle the foot of the rampart. med et tværmål på 120 – 130 cm og en længde på 8 til 10 meter. For the construction of palisades, houses and streets and so on, some 8,000 fully grown oak trees were used, the major- ity of which were about 200 years old, with a diameter of 120-130 cm and 8 to 10 metres in length.

Permanet udstilling 2009 TB.indd 18 19-05-2009 11:10:41 Årringe-datering Dendrochronology

Årringe-datering eller dendrokronologi er en naturvidensk- Dendrochronology is a scientific method used for calculat- abelig dateringsmetode, som bliver brugt til at bestemme ing the precise age of wooden artefacts using tree-rings. alderen på et stykke træ. Trees grow mainly during the summer, thereby creating a Træer vokser mest i sommerhalvåret, og der dannes ka- characteristic pattern of circular tree-rings - each leaving rakteristiske cirkler i stammens tværsnit - de såkaldte år- its ‘mark’ in the wood. On the cut surface of a tree, you may ringe. På endefladen af et fældet træ kan man derfor tælle count the amount of circles, and thereby the numbers of sig frem til træets alder. Hvert år dannes en ny årring, hvis years represented by that piece of wood. Each year a new bredde varierer fra område til område afhængig af vækst- growth ring is created and the width varies from area to betingelserne og vejrforholdene. Træer, der har vokset in- area depending especially upon the effect of climatic cir- denfor samme geografiske område, vil have de samme vari- cumstances. Trees which have been growing within the ationer i årringe-bredden over tid. same geographical area will normally have the same varia- tions in the width of the growth rings over time. Hvis et træ er 120 år gammelt, og man sammenligner det med et stykke træ fra en bygning, der er 80 år gammel, vil If the tree is for example 120 years old, and it is compared 40 af de to træstykkers årringe være ens. Man kan komme to a building which is e.g. 80 years old, 80 of the two pat- længere og længere tilbage i historien, ved gradvist at terns of circles will be identical. By comparing overlapping stykke de overlappende trædele sammen til en lang samlet material, a complete master profile can be established, and kurve. one may reach very far back into history.

Her ses en prøve fra en af brostolperne i den ydre voldgrav Here you can see a sample of one of the carrying beams på Trelleborg. Der er 52 årringe i prøven. Den yderste ring from the bridge across the outer moat of Trelleborg, con- er den sidste vækstring, og den er færdigdannet. Træet må taining 52 annular rings. The outermost ring is the young- derfor være blevet fældet efter august i det år, ringen blev est, and it is complete. The tree must therefore have been dannet og inden maj i det efterfølgende år. cut down after August of that year, and before May of the following year.

Permanet udstilling 2009 TB.indd 19 19-05-2009 11:10:45