K-12 Educator’s Guide
By visiting this extraordinary collection of artifacts on loan from the National Museum of Denmark combined with interactive things to do, your students will have the opportunity learn the story of how fearless explorers set sail from Scandinavian lands in search of knowledge, resources, and influence. Over a thousand years later, the legend of the Vikings persists, but the full story of their achievements is less known.
During your visit, students will: • Learn about Scandinavian cultures. • See 600 artifacts from the Age of the Vikings—approximately one thousand years ago.
After your visit, students will: • Think about how science and technology help us understand the past. • Understand that spiritual beliefs influence history.
Quick Tips
✓ The exhibit entrance is located on the upper level of the Nicholas and Athena Karabots Pavilion. Enter the exhibit via the main Bartol Atrium. Your students will walk up a ramp for access to the exhibit. ✓ On average, most groups will spend about 60 minutes in the exhibit, if carefully examining all of the displays. Restrooms are located in the Bartol Atrium. There are no restrooms inside the exhibit. ✓ The exhibition is located in two galleries—one in the Nicholas and Athena Karabots Pavilion and the other in the Mandell Center. Midway through the exhibit, you will exit the first gallery and follow a path along a ramp to enter the second gallery. ✓ There is no gift shop located within the exhibition. The Sci-Store in the Bartol Atrium has a selection of Vikings-themed merchandise available for purchase. ✓ No food or beverages are allowed in any of the exhibit galleries. ✓ Non-flash photography is permitted in the exhibit. ✓ Running through the exhibit is not allowed. Designate a meeting location within the exhibit when you arrive in case someone gets separated. Please do not congregate at the entrance/exit, however, so as to enable other guests to enter and exit easily.
How to Prepare
Students should know that the artifacts on display are priceless artifacts never before seen in Philadelphia. The objects on display—especially the full-size Vikings ships—are NOT TO BE TOUCHED!
While touching the artifacts is not allowed, there are several hands-on things for students to do throughout the galleries. Students should be encouraged to try all of these activities in order to enrich their learning experience.
Chaperones and students should know that the museum encourages conversation around the displays and children should ask questions and discuss what they see. Museum etiquette suggests that the conversation be kept to an appropriate indoor volume level.
About the Exhibit
THE VIKING AGE
Between 800 and 1050 CE, the pagan people of Scandinavia became known and feared throughout the world.
How did these small fragmented kingdoms of Northern Europe achieve such widespread influence?
Throughout the Viking Age, the centralization of power would lead to major changes in society that helped to improve the quality of life. Trade networks flourished as villages and towns developed specialized skills. Many kingdoms became three—Denmark, Norway, and Sweden—as life became more stable.
With growing stability at home, Viking explorers sailed farther and wider seeking treasure and dominance.
The exhibition is arranged around eight themes, each with its own section.
1. Introduction
Visitors begin by watching a short video that introduces the key themes of the exhibition.
2. A Wind Age–Ships, Sails, and Sea
This area showcases Viking shipbuilding, kinds of ships, life on board ship, and navigation.
A key artifact to notice is the reconstruction of a Viking ship called the Joanna (pronounced Yo-Ahna). This small ship is a reconstruction of the remains of a ship found in a burial mound in Gostak, Norway. Prominent Vikings were buried in ships with prized possessions to transport them to the afterlife. The modern reconstruction was made by hand for the exhibit using original tools and wood sourced to the site of the original ship in order to make it as authentic as possible.
Another artifact to notice is the Hevring Flak rudder which is 230 cm long and very well preserved. It is made of oak and has been cut from a single, solid root.
Today, the right side of a ship is known as its starboard side. This practice began with the Vikings who steered their ships using a rudder placed on the right side. The steering side of the ship became known as the starboard side and eventually came to mean the right side, even on ships where the rudder was elsewhere.
3. Connecting Continents
Viking raiding soon gave way to trading and exchange of resources between countries. Artifacts in this area help tell the story of how Viking travels bring stones and metals back to Scandinavian where crafters fashion complex jewelry and accessories.
For example, the Øster Halne tells the story of Viking exploration. It features Arabic coins, as well as beads from a variety of European stones.
4. With the Sword in Hand
Vikings were fearsome warriors known for their strength in battle. This section of the exhibit features several of their weapons.
Notice the case that features a sword, shield, and a fragment of a helmet. To date, archaeologists have found just one intact Viking helmet—and it does not have horns attached! The image of a Viking wearing a horned helmet is not based on any evidence. In fact, historians credit costume designers at a European opera house for creating it in the mid-1800s. The few helmet fragments found in Viking sites suggest that few warriors wore them and also that they were used for face protection.
Try It! In this section, there are swords and chainmail available for students to touch and lift. The swords are tethered to the counter, so students can just lift them slightly but enough to feel the heft of the weapon. Likewise, the chainmail is attached to a form, but students can feel the weight and imagine what it would be like to wear it.
5. Viking Way of Life
What was life like in Scandinavia one thousand years ago? This section features artifacts to help answer that question.
There are a few cases which show the work of the expert blacksmith who worked iron into all kinds of practical tools. An expert blacksmith could become quite wealthy and famous in Viking society. Notice the Anvil from Præstø. Anvils from the Viking Age have been found in different areas, demonstrating the importance of iron for warriors and farmers alike.
Try It!
There are three interactive options for students in this area: Viking Dress Up, Dress a Digital Viking, and the Norse Board Game known as Hnefatafl. (pronounced nefa-tafl)
Students are welcome to try on Viking clothing. You should plan ahead as to whether or not you will allow all students to take turns doing so, select a couple of representatives to try for the group, or bypass this activity as having every student take a turn will take a considerable amount of your time.
Likewise, the digital kiosk where students can dress Viking figures is available for students. Encourage them to try in small groups rather than having every student take a single turn.
The strategy game Hnefatafl can easily be played in small teams.
6. King and Power
This section explores how Viking social structures began to emerge over time. The ruling class depended on the support of the free people who were empowered to challenge their leadership if warranted. The vast majority of Vikings were free people— farmers, craftspeople, hunters, warriors, and merchants. The Vikings enslaved people who were captured during raids. People who were enslaved had no rights in Viking society, and supported a part of Viking economy.
Notice the Women’s Jewelry on display in this section. It features silver denarius coins from western Europe, two dirhams from the Arab world, and Carnelian beads, which could have come all the way from India. The silver could have come from Afghanistan or Central Asia. The mercury used for gilding came from Spain. This jewelry surely belonged to a wealthy woman, but it also showcases the Vikings’ access to international resources.
EXHIBIT MIDPOINT
As you exit the first gallery, you will find a photo op where students can place their faces in Viking cutouts for fun souvenir photos.
Proceed down the ramp and around the corner into the second gallery.
7. Splendour of the Seas–Roskilde 6
The centerpiece of the exhibit is the Viking longship called Roskilde 6 (pronounced Ross-keel-ee) which students will see immediately upon entering the second gallery.
It is the longest Viking ship yet found.
It was excavated in 1997 from Roskilde Fjord located about 25 miles from Copenhagen, Denmark.
About 25% of the ship—including much of the hull and inner timber—remained intact thanks to its waterlogged condition.
Scientists have traced the origin of the ship’s oak timber to Oslo and growth rings in the oak suggest the ship was built around 1025 CE and later repaired somewhere along the Baltic Sea around 1039 CE.
Therefore, the ship is nearly 1,000 years old! It was built for speed and to carry 100 warriors, 78 of whom would be pulling 39 pairs of oars.
The metal scaffolding or skeleton is modern. Only the wood pieces are original, authentic, 1,000 year old parts of the ship. The fact that they exist is remarkable! There is a viewing platform alongside the ship. There are two tablets for students to take turns using to see a digital visualization of the completed ship. As you point the tablet at the real ship, the tablet fills in the missing pieces and even adds digital figures to show how the warriors would have been situated.
Try It!
After viewing the Roskilde 6, there are several things for students to do: Build a Viking Ship digital kiosk, Viking Burial Dig digital kiosk, Write in Runes digital kiosk, and Row a Viking Ship.
Students can use the touchscreen to see how Viking ships were built as they follow the steps to build their own. Likewise, using a touchscreen, students can simulate excavating a Viking burial site to see what was beneath. Another kiosk invites students to enter their name and then watch as it is translated into Viking runes—the pictograph characters of their written language. Finally, students can take the oars and try to find to propel the digital ship forward along a simulated fjord.
8. Viking Mind
So much of Viking life and culture is guided by Norse mythology. The final section of the exhibit explores that mythology and their beliefs. The intermingling of pagan and Christian beliefs is also explored.
The centerpiece of this section is the replica Jelling Stone. The original stone at Jelling is both too heavy and too sacred to travel, so this replica was made to match the original for exhibition purposes. Erected at Jelling (pronounced as Yelling) by King Harald Bluetooth in 965 CE to mark his baptism as a Roman Catholic, the marker is often called “Denmark’s Birth Certificate.” Notice both the beast and crucifix in the design reflecting his change from pagan to Christian beliefs. With this stone, King Harald declared that all Vikings must set aside their pagan beliefs and practice Christianity.
Try It!
One last touchscreen awaits students at the very end of the exhibition. The Viking Knowledge quiz invites students to check their knowledge of Viking culture as they complete their journey through the exhibit.
Try This!
Where in the World?
Prepare for your visit to Vikings: Beyond the Legend by orienting students to the geography of Scandinavia. Use Google Maps to look at the region.
1. Go to maps.google.com. 2. Enter “Scandinavia” in the search box. 3. Use the map’s view controllers to switch between satellite and map views, comparing features of each. 4. Also, zoom in and zoom out to examine the borders of the countries that make up Scandinavia today—Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. 5. Notice the topographical features of the map and how elevation levels are presented. 6. Call attention to the North Sea which separates Scandinavia from England—Lindisfarne, is the site of the first recorded invasion by Viking warriors.
Discussion Questions
Why do you think Vikings became expert shipbuilders?
As you zoom in on Scandinavia, students should notice that there are countless waterways and also abundant forests. The access to timber and to waterways logically led to the development of a ship-based culture.
Archaeologists have found Viking settlements in North America. Where do you think they arrived first?
Zoom out to show the path between Scandinavia and easternmost North America— Newfoundland. L’Anse aux Meadows, the first Viking settlement found in North America, was discovered in 1960 by Norwegian explorer Helge Ingstad who was searching for early settlements in Canada and the United States. Zoom in on L’Anse aux Meadows to show the position.
Vikings: Beyond the Legend Suggested Resources for K-12 Classrooms and Libraries
Elementary School Vikings: A Nonfiction Companion to Magic Tree House #15: Viking Ships at Sunrise by Mary Pope Osborne and Natalie Pope Boyce 0385386389
National Geographic Kids Everything Vikings: All the Incredible Facts and Fierce Fun You Can Plunder by Nadia Higgins 1426320760
You Wouldn't Want to Be a Viking Explorer! By Andrew Langley 0531238547
Middle School DK Eyewitness Books: Viking: Discover the Story of the Vikings Their Ships, Weapons, Legends, and Saga of War by Susan Margeson 9780756658298
Viking World by Philippa Wingate 0746053746
Vikings – 100 Facts by Fiona Macdonald 1842369636
High School Norse Myths: Tales of Odin, Thor and Loki by Kevin Crossley-Holland 0763695009
Thor: Viking God of Thunder by Graeme Davis 1782000755
The Vikings (Cultures of the Past) by Kathryn Hinds 0761402713
Recommended Website Ancient History Encyclopedia – Vikings www.ancient.eu/Vikings
Curricular Standards An exploration of the Vikings: Beyond the Legend exhibition can help students achieve learning objectives as called for by national standards.
Next Generation Science Standards 3-LS2 Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics 5-LS2 Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics 5-ESS2 Earth’s Systems MS-LS2 Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics MS-ESS2 Earth’s Systems HS-LS2 Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics HS-ESS2 Earth’s Systems
Common Core English Language Arts K-5: Reading Informational Text 6-12: Literacy in History/Social Studies
National Standards for History K-4: Topic 4: Standard 7A, 7B, 8B 5-12: World Era 4: Standards 4A, 4B, 7A
National Curriculum Standards for Social Studies K-12: Theme 1: Culture K-12: Theme 2: Time, Continuity, & Change K-12: Theme 3: People, Places, & Environments K-12: Theme 5: Individuals, Groups, & Institutions K-12: Theme 6: Power, Authority, & Governance K-12: Theme 9: Global Connections
National Core Arts Standards – Visual Arts AS7: Perceive & analyze artistic work AS8: Interpret intent & meaning in artistic work AS9: Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work AS11: Relate artistic ideas & works with societal, cultural, & historical context to deepen understanding
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