Vikings had windows, another shift away from their image as barbaric Norsemen, Danish museum says

The Vikings, often portrayed as barbaric Norsemen, are now revealed to have had windows, a feature typically associated with medieval churches and castles. Danish researchers have made this discovery, shedding new light on the sophistication of the Norse culture. According to findings presented on Thursday, glass panes were used in Viking structures, predating the use of glazed windows in churches and castles from the Middle Ages.

Mads Dengsø Jessen, a senior researcher at the National Museum in Copenhagen, emphasized that this finding challenges the stereotypical image of Vikings as unsophisticated warriors. Over the past 25 years, archaeologists have unearthed glass fragments in various excavations across southern Sweden, Denmark, and northern Germany.

In Copenhagen, an analysis of 61 glass pane fragments indicated that Vikings had windows with glass panes between 800 and 1100, a period encompassing the Viking Age from 793 to 1066. This revelation challenges the conventional belief that early window glass was exclusive to the Middle Ages. The National Museum stated, “We only associated early window glass with the Middle Ages, therefore assuming that the glass could not originate from the Viking Age.”

Torben Sode, a conservator at the museum, connected the dots, concluding that the glass fragments indeed date back to the Viking Age. These windows were likely utilized by the upper echelons of society and for religious purposes, similar to trends in the rest of Europe. While they differed from modern transparent windows, they were probably smaller in size, composed of flat pane glass in various shades of green and brown. Their purpose was not to provide views but to introduce colorful light into the building.

The museum suggests that the Vikings most likely acquired this glass through trade, consistent with their reputation for extensive trading endeavors alongside raiding, colonizing, and conquest across Europe, even reaching North America.

Dengsø Jessen underlines the presence of a cultivated Viking elite with royal power comparable to that of Charlemagne, the Frankish king. This revelation challenges the simplistic Hollywood portrayal of Vikings and highlights their complexity as a culture.

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• National Museum in Copenhagen
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• Viking Trade and Exploration