How did the Vikings trade and explore?

The Vikings were great explorers and travellers with their ships reaching France, Italy and North Africa.

The Vikings were great traders and bought goods such as silk, spices and glass because they were not available in their empire. Trading was usually done by bartering (exchanging things). To ensure they got a fair deal, the Vikings used scales to weigh coins.

The Vikings did not use maps, so they looked for landmarks. To help them navigate, they used the sun and the stars.

Viking longships were built from shaped, wooden planks held together with iron rivets and wooden frames. With crews of 70 men, these ships could travel far and transport animals, weapons and tools.

The Vikings were great explorers and travellers. Most of the explorers came from Norway because their land was crowded and there was not much farmland. In search of new land, the Viking ships reached Britain,France, Spain, Italy and North Africa.

Archaeologists know about longships from their excavations on farms in Norway.

Traders made long journeys overland through Russia, reaching as far south as Constantinople in modern-day Turkey. The Vikings also travelled inland along the Volga River in Russia to the Caspian Sea between Europe and Asia. Some merchants traveled further east to Baghdad in Iraq.

A few daring explorers made voyages to Iceland and beyond, travelling across the Atlantic Ocean to North America.

Explorer Leif Erikson travelled to Newfoundland in modern-day Canada.Eric the Red travelled to Greenland.

Trading was important to the Vikings. It was usually done by bartering.

The Vikings bought goods and materials such as silver, silk, spices, wine, jewellery, glass and pottery.

They sold items like honey, tin, wheat, wool, wood, iron, fur, leather, fish and walrus ivory.

The Vikings began to use coins in the late 9th century. They used scales to weigh coins and get a fair deal.

The Vikings did not use maps. They sailed near the coast whenever possible, watching for landmarks.

Out of sight of land, they looked for the sun:

• West (towards the sunset) meant they were headed for England.

• East (towards the sunrise) meant home to Denmark or Norway.

• They used the stars to find their way at night.

• They also knew a lot about winds and sea currents.

Have a look at the thinking points below and think about your answer to each question. You could even write them down on a piece of paper or discuss them with somebody else if you want to.

• Which countries did the Vikings travel to?

• How did the Vikings ensure they got a fair deal when trading?

• How did the Vikings find their way across the seas?

Click on each of the Vikings to find out how far they travelled and what they discovered.

Are you a parent, carer or teacher? Take a look at some of the links below with your children on KS2 History which are packed full of knowledge, videos and activities.