I'm sure the Nordic Bronze Age culture was far more advanced than most people think. They were excellent ship builders and had an extensive trading network with all of Europe. Only they didn't live in large settlements of stone houses and because of that not much is preserved.
Yes they had benefited from the metal knowledge of Mesopotamia and elsewhere. They didn't need huge civilisations, they now had the technology. Small farms worked for them and it stayed that way until modern cities came about. Australian Aboriginals didn't receive that metal knowledge so continued doing what they had for eons. Their lifestyle had evolved to suit their climate etc.
@@mweskamppp Huns and Mongols , and unknown warrior plains horsemen were around. There is the North German plain. Great landscape for horsemen. They don't need organisations they are a self sufficient horde.
@@redtobertshateshandles In other parts of Europe cities were built much earlier. At about 3500bc the cucuteni-tripolje culture in today Romania and Ukraine had cities with app 20000 people.
@@redtobertshateshandles That time there was not much wood cleared. This was not an attack from the steppes. The DNA of the found skeletons is all middle european and the found horses where to young to ride. The last theory actually is that a trading caravan was raided and not a clash of two armies. That was a narrow crossing of a trading route from the baltic sea to the south and another route in east west direction, probably with a wooden bridge. It might fall together with the bronze age collapse where bronze trading ended. Might have triggered some greed for rare goods. lots of speculations.
Those are the leaders. People in simpler times thought, "if he's the big man he needs a big manly erect phallus that could impregnate a woman from a mile offshore."
Nordic Bronze Age is honestly the most intriguing time period to me, it is so mysterious and hints at such greatness and complexity, yet so little has remained due to the wet, dynamic and corrosive nature of the region.
i meant it more with regards to architecture, watercrafts and such. Like, for all we know it could have been common to have glyphs painted in wooden objects or fabrics or of other short-lived organic materials that have all withered away detailing rituals to do with the home, or community. Having more iron artifacts survive would've been great too I guess, but I wonder how much more could be learned from that compared to robust architecture and writings found around the Mediterranean and near-east
It was the lack of a writing system more than anything that doomed them to obscurity. The Later Runes of Viking fame originated from an ancient Latin Script from the Iron Age of Italy. as far as we can tell, there was no written record of anything in the North compared to the troves of clay tablets and steles in the south.
Swords being sheathed makes sense even in warfare scenes. Experts in archeology are not usually warfare experts, so this isn't surprising. But swords, generally speaking, were always secondary weapons. Spears & polearms or missile weapons were usually the primary weapons. Swords do tend to get the most hype & prestige, especially in modern times, but they were a sidearm weapon for when weapons or formations broke.
@jonathan hoose good analogy to pistols. The only situation that pistols are used more often than rifles or say as a daily sidearm for police or someone carrying a concealed weapon for self-defense. But even in those cases I think the analogy holds because if you were a town guard in the Middle ages or carrying a weapon for self-defense in the Middle ages of Renaissance it was usually a sizeable blade a large knife or a sword but that would not be the primary weapon you would have for war. So I'll let it slide if a medieval or fantasy movie has a character using a sword in a town or if a movie is about a cop but if it involves pitched battles or modern combat appropriate weaponss should be emphasized.
Your imagination isn't reliable either. As a Swede you should be aware of the fact that axe and spear was the primary weapons during all known time. Even the Vikings used axes as every man's daily tool and weapon. Decent swords were very expensive luxury items, and therefore seldom. Never mind what layman wish to dream about
@@OmmerSyssel I'm NOT Swedish. While swords were rarer in pre-viking times they were not rare in all times. In much of the latter Middle Ages a used sword could be purchased for a week or two's wages.
@@asa-punkatsouthvinland7145 Hahahaha. Thank you for clarification. Normally Swedish people isn't so clueless. Why are you gossiping about issues you have zero clue about? There is some 2.000 years technical development between your topics 🤪
@@OmmerSyssel 1) That should be "Normally Swedish people aren't so clueless." 2) I'm not gossiping I'm discussing. The definition of gossip is: casual or unconstrained conversation or reports about other people, typically involving details that are not confirmed as being true. I'm not talkig about other people I am talking about ancient weapons. 3) I was replying to your previous statement saying that axes and spears were the primary weapon through all times. All times would include the Middle ages. As such I was refuting your point. 4) not everyone who owned a sword in ancient times was wealthy swords were often gifted by those who had more money such as nobles or Kings. It is possible that the Rock carvings that show people with the item in question & we are discussing are depicting "heroes"; wealthy elite, professional Warriors & others who by their own means or being gifted would own a sword. Keep in mind that when saying sword I'm including large machete-like implements. Even before what we think of as a sword was prominent people would often carry a large knife. The Saxons get their name from the sax (sæx, seax) and the sax could be a small knife, a big knife, a machete sized knife or a sword sized knife especially in Viking age Norway. 5) no one living today knows exactly what those Rock carvings depict we are all speculating. Assuming that it could be a large machete like knife, which many myself included would call a short sword, then they would certainly wear this in a scabbard. But as you're so against it being a sword scabbard what would you propose that the carvings are trying to depict? You seem to be pointing the finger an awful lot and saying you're wrong you're wrong but you've given no counter possibilities.
I like the somewhat romanticised notion that the maritime trading/raiding/fishing lifestyle these people probably engaged in was very similar to that of their not too distant ancestors on the steppes. The seas simply replacing the open steppe and the horse and chariot by their ships. Theres a sort of poetry in the perenniality of their way of life.
@@alicelund147 Well of course the nordic bronze age wasn't started by a migration directly from the steppes and I didn't mean to imply so. As descendants of the corded ware people, however, they were ultimately derived from a culture which migrated westwards from the steppe. I have also never heard that the seine-oise-marne culture "replaced" the battle axe culture. It's my understanding that the nordic bronze age is largely a continuation of the battle axe (themselves a mix of the corded ware and funnelbeaker), as well as their gradual absorbtion and assimilation of the SHG pitted ware people.
@@alicelund147 That sounds contrary to contemporary science, do you have a source you could link? From what I understand the battle axe culture is either replaced or fused with Kurgan tumulus culture (probably by cultural diffusion, since there is not a corresponding gene flow), followed by transition into late nordic bronze age? Genetically, the battle axe culture is yamnaya/corded ware with admixture from the funnelbeaker culture. With the funnelbeakers being the local descendants from the neolithic anatolian farmer population (aka the Early European Farmers, EEFs). To my knowledge, there is no genetic flow associated with central Europe after the appearance of the battle axe culture. Also, the Seine-oise-marne culture is a neolithic/chalcolithic culture(?). To my knowledge, there is no chalcolithic culture in Scandinavia (which transitions directly from neolithic to bronze with the arrival of the Indo-Europeans). Further still, current Scandinavian genetics are VERY close to battle axe culture genetics. And medieval Scandinavian religion (old norse religion, aesir and vanir etc) is most likely descended from proto-Indo-European pantheon. So if the seine-oise-marne culture was in Scandinavia, then they left no genetic, cultural or archeological evidence? Unless you are trying to pass of Scandinavian passage graves as Seine-oise-marne gallery graves? But even then, those pre-date the battle axe culture by 500 years, and stops being constructed before the battle axe culture even arrives. I can't make it fit with my pressent understanding. But I would be very interested to read more, if you have any links to post.
@@Matt-ni8jh No the single graves of the battle Axe culture is replaced with the graves of the SOM-culture and their tools as well. The pitted where culture gets assimilated after that by the SOM-culture (In Sweden this is called the Late Neolithic, or sometimes called "dolkkulturen"/Dagger culture). The Battle Axe Culture was "only" in Scandinavia for 5-600 years and was replaced by a culture derived from the LBK-culture (I think the SOM-culture is pre-WSH-migrations?). And the pitted ware culture was there during all that time. I think they even expanded during the time of the Battle Axe Culture. It is a oversimplification to say that the WSH just replaced everything, everywhere in Europe. When it comes to genetics I haven't followed the last years findings but the SHG has EHG DNA like the WSH did. So all EHG DNA in Scandinavia is not from the WSH since we partly had the same origin as them in Eastern Europe. I can only link to Swedish since it is specifically for Scandinavia and not a general development in other parts of Europe. That's why Scandinavia developed differently and the Nordic Bronze Age Culture developed locally. sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senneolitikum
Similar boat scenes from the Bronze Age are even found deep inland in Finland, like the Pyhänpää rock art in Kuhmoinen. As a local oddity, there are a lot of moose scenes, even a moose/boat hybrd carrying men.
I am skeptical that the boat "art" represents real ships (large and complex ones) in Scandinavia in the Bronze Age. Find a real ship in the archaeological record rather than a representation of one in stones or rock carvings before you buy this. Far more likely, these ship images in Scandinavia represent what travelers saw in the Mediterranean (Mycenaean, Canaanite/Phoenician, Egyptian, later Greek, early Roman ships -- especially Mycenaean warships) and brought back as stories. The Brz. Age elites acquired bronze weaponry and other commodities from the Mediterranean world, and consequently also prestige, and brought back tales of great ships (maybe they even claimed to have sailed in them and fought abroad as mercenaries, like later Vikings did). But find a real example of such a complex ship before you believe they were common in the Nordic Bronze Age. Even copies of complex Medit. ships would be beyond them, I would guess. Notice how the most detailed examples appear earliest, and then they get "stylized"? They likely never made these in Scandinavia then.
I'm going to be unpopular here now, but "elk". Moose is an American word. In Europe, they are elk. The Americans took that word and put it on a completely different animal.
It's the silliest thing that even in Scandinavia, the Viking Age officially begins and ends with events in the British Isles. It's like one day in 793 they up and went to Lindisfarne with this brand new concept of murder and pillaging - not to mention their recent invention: the viking ship. Then, in 1066, they completely stopped all that and became backward landlubbers.
The invaders of lindisfarne would have been in the area before 796. How else would they know where all the gold and fine things are? That obviously implies a culture predating 796 and its ridiculous that history pretends otjerwise
"They were great traders from a maritime culture", but were not aware christians (Franks etc) had burned the Frisian fleet and massacred their neighbours the saxons, destroying their holiest place, the Irminsul 772 (when their leader Widukind (and other saxons) took refuge among the danes. Widukind even married the danish kings daughter. Later the Franks massacred 4.500 saxons in Verden 782 AD. It was a thirty-three years religious-war (named the saxon wars) from 772 to 804. In the middle of this, 793 AD the vikings attacked a monastery. Get it?!
@@maggan82 The marine time trading *only* started *after the viking age had begun* we have no evidence for it prior even if they were truelly ingaged on it before its unlikely to have been on a large scale if they truelly had heard of the saxon wars its very *VERY* unlikely to have cared about it as far as they were concerned it was just some tribes duking it out down south and it had nothing to do with them Please stop trying to shove your own romantisiced views into the minds of ancient people
At the very least the viking age should be extended to start at 789, when vikings from Hordaland in Norway landed on Portland, extorted money and killed the emissary of king Offa, and until 1103 when king Magnus Berrføtt died during a raid in Ireland. But it is quite probable that viking style raids had been common much earlier, especially in Scandinavia and The Baltics.
@@mwol5473 even if they thought that's what it was, it could only have been a depiction mediated by their own understanding of warfare for which it would remain a valuable source, albeit one that has to be taken with a grain of salt.
All those cave art in different parts of the world at various times show how ancient people longed for preserving their views and life events. It's totally amazing.
A key point is that humans have always been humans. Wherever we go, there is civilization, culture, and a desire to preserve it. The prevalence of ancient art from so many seemingly disconnected grounds is so fascinating!
I checked with my ancestors and we agree that this was very good! rock carvings are very beautiful, when you are looking at these works of art you can literally feel how you travel back in time. Greetings from Sweden!
I'd say there's no surprise in the peoples of Scandinavia having maritime traditions. The geography here really encourages it! So *many* islands, so much coastline, plenty of rivers & lakes too. Travelling by boat/ship must have been a thing since any travel at all become something anyone did here.
there's a boat, there are men with swords, some women and children, there's the chief with his antler helmet, and right around the chief's midsection, you can see that he has a third leg. If the ship stalls and the chief falls he might inadvertently doom his crew by putting a hole through the hull.
I do NOT know WHY I sleep on this channel when I see new video in my feed. I've NEVER been disappointed with your content. Excellent, informative, empowering, and fascinating.
"Ritualistic" or "ceremonial" are basically archeological codewords for "I haven't got a f*cking clue". Imagine if thousands years from now, someone found an iPhone among rubbles of long-dead human civilization, and similarily mistook it for some ceremonial object of ritualistic importance.
I couldn't agree more. I'm so sick of hearing/reading those words with absolutely no context whatsoever to back it up. I've lost all respect for most of the "experts" in the various studies of the past. Lol. Ok, I feel better now.
as a History Major that focuses on the viking age honestly none of this looks Ritualistic to me but I do understand that we cant be completely be sure either way. I would guess that the people of that time were trying to show that warfare and boats were a huge part of their culture. We do know that what we know as the Viking age was nearing the end of the Norse and Vikings as we would know them so honestly I wouldn't be surprised if indeed these were very early Vikings. Its possible that by adding imagines of ships and warriors to existing paintings they are trying to show their strength but this is my own thoughts I don't really have any proof of that.
@@daviebaggins yeah, these drawings could be child games or some sort of humor for all we know, they could've recorded their Chronicles on wood or slabs that were lost, stolen or Maybe they didn't even care to record or depict them, the fact that we don't understand or don't have enough material to help understand what their culture, lifestyle.... Was, doesn't mean they were primitive retarded barely capable of surviving, hell if something were to happen and end our own extremely advanced civilization, it will be barely recognizable 2000 years from now unless people who'll live in between now till then can remember us and keep the knowledge of us preserved Many Historians have a very narrow view on studying past people as somehow lesser beings compared to us
These are some of the best presentations of ancient history you will find, anywhere, in any venue. Dan, I am constantly impressed by the quality of your work and research. Keep up the great work.
Many years ago (30+, pre-internet) I stumbled over a very interesting article that argued for quite extensive contacts between eastern Mediterranean and parts of Scandinavia, this due to very similar rock carvings, in Bohuslän among other places. The author even suggested that it would be possible to identify individual rock carvers due to specific carving/napping techniques. I remember having a very good discussion on this with a scholar at the Historiska muséet, national museum of history, in central Stockholm. Unfortunately, I’ve lost the article and haven’t been able to find it again. Now, that would be an area to dive into.📚📖📕📗📚 Great video as always, man. Thanks a lot!
Near Helgoland (Holy Land) underwater Greek coins (depicting Poseidon) and Greek stone anchors were found. The Island was much bigger in the past. There is also said to be a stone circle underwater.
@@vanrensburgsgesicht4048 I think people have had this idea that our ancestors weren't "connected" in the past. There was likely far more extensive travel and trade than we imagine. I remember a Time Team episode dealing with a spot in Cornwall that had Mediterranean pottery, and probably in connection with the tin trade. This was in the Bronze Age.
There was certainly a connection between Scandinavia and Greece during the Bronze Age. By the similarities in weapon types and warrior material culture it is believed warriors would travel by trade routes and alliance routes to take service with certain lords or kings. Before ultimately returning home for burial.
Dear Dan Davis, To this day you remain one of my most highly valued historic youtube content creators. I love your narrative tone, the extensive research you base your wonderfully woven stories on. This, to me, is as good as it gets. After encountering this channel a couple of years back, I purchased and listened to your books, "Thunderer" and its sequel. Loved them! Keep up the good work - forever grateful for your passionate contributions!
Dan, found your channel only a few weeks ago and I'm still being blown away! You keep putting out genuinely incredible content. Your narration/storytelling is top notch, along with the editing and production value. Your passion for these subjects shines through in the best ways possible. THANK YOU for the time and effort you put into these amazing videos!
Reminds me of the Tlingit in the PNW, they used to raid down the coast from Alaska to California and they were some of the most feared sea-going warriors on the west coast well into European-american colonization times during the 1850's.
Get this, I said something about that to a Bella Cooloa man and he said he had a Tsimshian storyteller grandmother who knew the competing culture arrived in (Alaska) kinda suddenly and assimilated more than drove back, anybody or family groups, whatnot who was there, with a superior civilization and being numerous as well. Lookit the harbours and dikes on both sides of the Bering Strait, suitsble for agriculture from around 3800 BC to about 550 AD's the comet and volcanoes and fall of the Roman Empire coinciding more or less. It looks bombed back though, distinctly...and then frozen. Artifacts and pyramids of these redheaded giants and their Mongols held tight by a Federal Park law dont'cha know ..... ;)
Very interesting! Academia think of the Bronze age as peaceful and prosperous... Perhaps it was because in order for trade routes to function you need peace and stability. To keep the peace you have to be strong and sometimes violent... It has been so here in Scandinavia since the beginning of time. Perhaps all the boats in the carvings are symbols of the force the protected the trade routes..? One or many treaties... There is a very interesting rune stone called Rökstenen (early Viking age). Recent interpretations of it by a historian instead of linguists suggests that it commemorates a treaty of Östergötland supplying armed forces and ships (the Ledung) to keep trade routes open to be able to tax them... I live only 6km from Via Sacria (Brastad) - the fly over pics was over the area where I live...
9:40 : What you can clearly see here is that most of the ships are arranged along the small gullies carved on the stone by rainwater. When there's rain you can easily imagine the fleets driving down the river and that obviously is what the artists intended. This is a very nice example that you can't interprete such petroglyphs independent from the relief of the underground because they are real 3D art.
I envy you, my friend. I'm an American and the closest thing I have to that is admiring the offensive graffiti on bridges and train cars. Treasure your history for both of us.
@@bigatomicsloth3369 you should come visit Scandinavia! Especially Sweden has so so much carvings and rune stones and graves etc etc that it's often not even marked. It's just out in a random place. It's great
What a cool topic! I had never heard about this. When I think of bronze age sea raiders I immediately think of the Mediterranean. I love this video, and would appreciate more on the Nordic bronze age.
I live in Sörmland Sweden and there's many of these rock arts depicting different things such as animals. The ones in Släbro closest to me are very unique that looks like round beetles, suns or medals with decorated patterns. Many think those are in a different artstyle that is much more stylized than those stickfigure styles that most of the bronze age rock art have and are called the Släbro figures. The figures looks more like round symbols which makes it even more difficult to interpret but some of those figures have what it looks like legs. Many think that the bronze age people who lived in Släbro maybe had a different cult. I was confused at first when I found those figures when I walked around Slöbro and though those are fake drawings from a child because I never seen rock art like this before and they were market in white.
How do you only have 30k subs? As a history geek that's currently studying archeology I'm finding this channel one of the most interesting ones on the platform.
Great video. Interesting that the Bronze Age trade routes you show, roughly correspond with the location of higher levels of Y DNA R1b-L21 in Scandinavia. Presumably, Bell Beakers from the British Isles were coming to trade but settling aswell.
It's likely that many carriers of that haplogroup in Scandinavia and NBA-related places were from the original Corded Ware Culture and the later Battle Axe Culture. CWC is where Beaker got most of their IE ancestry, way more than Yamnaya. There was not that much bronze in that part of Europe prior to the Nordic Bronze Age and the trade routes would have been very important, unless groups like the Minoans and Mycenaeans really were sailing the Atlantic to get to Northern Europe for silver and amber, more than modern archeology accepts at least.
@@dirksharp9876 As far as I can see that could have happened. But with the commonality of R1b-L21 in the British Isles and that it's found on Atlantic side of Scandinavia, I would think that suggests its main source is there.
Hi! You might like to visit the American Swedish Museum in Philadelphia. My ancestor participated in a rebellion against a tyranical governor of New Sweden, and fled to Maryland. It was then an English colony. They refused to extradite him to the Swedes to be hanged, and here I am!
The history of Bohus is part of Norwegian history, as it was part of Viken and what was considered the Norwegian landscape even before the unification of Norway. Bohuslän or Båhus in Norwegian was leased to Sweden (later permanently) at the same time and as part of the same conflict that saw the Dutch take control of New Sweden.
Nice one Dan! It's a fascinating period, and includes the crossover from the old animalistic gods to the appearance of the Norse gods. The idea that the "present" age governed and protected by the Norse gods will eventually fall into a return of the old dark times of the ice giants seems to lay deep in the culture - a whole series there!
Would be cool if you covered the Vendel era, my most beloved part of Swedish history. It’s just before the Viking age and if you covered it I would suggest adding legends and everything else from this era.
Great video: those images are amazing! That they so emphasized a certain part of the male anatomy, especially with their leaders, must point to them being out to dominate, i.e. raiding.
I regret being late to this video, but I must commend you right away, because at 0:42 you got the pronunciation of Bohuslän very nearly right and at 12:36 it was almost perfect. Props also for "Skagerack" and "Kattegatt", especially how you pronounced the latter. Such details show that you really care about the topic, and the entire video is evidence of this.
Very interesting. Reminds me of the photographs me and my colleagues took in Afghanistan or Iraq. Posing with weapons, enemy vehicles, tanks, our own vehicles and tanks etc. Posing with each other. All carrying weapons, but not pointing them at each other, all non threatening, but a form of showing off and bragging. Never considered this before. Thanks for the great videos Dan, I'm a huge fan!
I am genuinely so pleased I came across your channel mate. Not only is there a distinct lack of content about these time periods on UA-cam but it is presented in a non-childish manner (not that there's anything wrong with that but its a breath of fresh air) with a focus on evidence and linking lots of things together. As a bonus you also write books which I cannot wait to check out as they sound like they are right up my street. Thanks for what you do mate all the best.
Thank you, again your video is vivid and brings long gone peoples back to life. The Vikings were arguably the last pure expression of the Indo-European tradition of sending out their young men to adventure and hopefully come back with wealth. That format continued, maybe diluted a bit, all the way into the founding of the USA dealing with the Native populations of the New World.
Another excellent video Dan. The stick men have plenty to tell, but I do wish we could further bridge the divide of ages. Maybe one day a key will reveal itself, if these are still being discovered and studied.
I’m new to this channel. I have to say, you do an amazing job not only presenting the factual content but also creating narratives out of the material that really brings the content to life. I imagine that is related to your literary skills. It is something that many other history channels lack. They’re either all dry content or embarrassingly vague and non-factual commentary. You’ve hit the sweet spot.
That is truly fascinating. Especially when you see the Hjortspring boat. The carvings just seem to spring to life! One thing that struck me was that the "Big men", shown in human form in the carvings (as opposed to just straight lines, crewing the boats, for the ordinary warriors) are depicted with what appears to be some form of headgear, fitted with what can only be described as horns. And in "common knowledge", who were the one type of warriors who wore HORNED HELMETS (yes, I know this wasn't strictly speaking true)? THE VIKINGS. This seems to me to be a direct parallel, and shows evidence that the mindset of the later "Vikings" (i.e. Scandanavians), had it's roots well within the Bronze Age. Could it have been that the later Viking warriors, all wore practical, state of the art, steel helmets, in line with the best common practice of the time, as they were the ones doing the "raping and pillaging". But the CHIEFS of the Vikings actually wore a CEREMONIAL type of helmet, which was closely modelled on those found depicted in the rock carvings. Thereby continuing the traditional dress which came from the Bronze Age? It's a very intriguing possibility. VERY Skyrim!
Those carvigs shaped the victorian and early XXth century idea of vikings, like the Halstat grave's goods screwed celtic depiction for more than 50 years.
My thoughts are that swords are known as a backup weapon for the elite. Swords being expensive and not as useful in a battlefield as a spear. So this would mean that the rock art of figures with swords areeant to show that the person is powerful, think the hero of a saga.
Man Dan, just 3 weeks ago ww were celebrating your channel reaching 20k subscribers. Now you’re almost at 40k! There are few channels that deserve it more! Another fantastic video. Can’t wait to see what comes next
i'm loving all your videos and im scared of running out of them. Please keep them coming! As a suggestion, it would be so cool if you did some video on Iberian cultures. Whether about paleolithic art, neolithic peoples, the influx of Indo-european peoples, or the old question of whether there were actual celtic peoples in the peninsula or rather just celtization. Anything really!
We must also remember that the Viking era did not pop up out of nowhere, there was an era prior to the Viking era called the Wendel era, where weaponry was more sofisticated & beautiful than during the Viking era. Compared with the Sutton Hoo weaponry they are almost the same!
In the Nibelungenied, Hagen Stabbed Siegfried in the back, with a spear. It is possible the drawing refers to the legend, which is the root of the Nibelunenlied, and the Volsung Saga.
Thanks Dan I'm going to lie in my nest with a cup of lyons tea and A smoke and learn a bit of history. A small things do count. Great work and love you narrating.
I live quite near the Vitlycke site and Tanumshede. You become quite ”home blind” if you live nearby a fascinating place-but I highly recommend a visit if anyone should be passing by there.
Fascinating video. Loved the exploration of a metaphysical change in being to permit the profession of war. I believe such a practice is traced to the Proto-Indo-European koryos. I applaud you for not out of hand dismissing ritualistic practice, which so many so-called scholars and educated men abuse to describe things they do not understand, and who effectively seek to delegitimise the ancient practises of these peoples by burying them under a mask of some primitive superstition not worth exploring, effectively to assert their own sense of reason and understanding. The more I, a non-scholar with an interest in ancient history, learn about such peoples, the more I am convinced of the incredible sophistication and even genius of such folk, who lived lives in full connection with spiritual elements that in no way reveal a primitive or unintelligent nature.
Can't help but notice the slight (but very distinct) differences in the bow of the ships. Even if the style is pretty rough, theses precise differences could very well be what helped them recognize each family/clans depicted in the scenes.
Great vid as always. As in so much of the archeology, which often states, "it started here, at this time". Only To continually pushed back in time, I've often wondered about viking culture just suddenly appearing.
3 роки тому+5
Bronze age. Lot's of swords and combat. Even more boats. Sea peoples? No - never heard of them.
A lovely Sunday morning installment. I’m originally from the north east of Scotland now living in the Pacific Northwest of USA that’s heavily populated by Scandinavians and Eastern Europeans. Many of the locals think I’m Russian because of my looks. I’m certain that’s a result of the raiders who hit up the NE of Scotland “back in the day.”
Thank you very much. Yeah it could be but also Northern Europeans are actually very closely related. I believe A Scotsman is more closely related to a Pole than to an Italian for example. This is surely down to a shared Corded Ware culture ancestry - amongst other things. And the North Sea enabled exchange of goods and genetics for a long time before the Viking era.
I’m blonde,blue eyed but several native Canadian friends say I’ve a heavy influence of them. Others say that I may be Slavic. I was adopted,so I’ve always taken on my family’s Irish heritage.
One does not need to be a professor to understand that the Viking culture derived from the Bronze Age culture we could witness, documented for us to still see. Made by our ancestors for us to interpretate, admire and feel with the fingers still today. I'm priviliged to live very close to the area (Vitlycke and Tanum in Sweden) most densed with this beautiful and interesting rock art / petroglyphs that you show in the video. You also find this typical petroglyphs in Skåne and Östergötland as well in Sweden. Imagine how many of these rock carvings that are not found yet... We still find gold treasures from the Bronze Age at these days. Thats great to be able to get more to the pulse of our history.
Maybe they depict practice, and then them going away on raids/war with the boats? A way to honor or remember daily life and important events taking place.
I was thinking that the very long ones might have been the only way that the carvers could depict the crew as being side-by-side, like the later drakars. The boats might have that long (and possibly unwieldy) but wider.
Ever thought of your books being made into a tv series? What if Amazon or Netflix came to you and said "hey, dan! We need a period drama, and your books fit the bill." Would you do it?
@@DanDavisHistory thats an interesting answer. "id consider it". how many episodes do you think there would be? thats at least $8m. I'm sure that would be pretty persuasive. Nothing wrong with $8m or more.
I mean $8m production budget per episode like Game of Thrones or something like that! Honestly, I would love to see my characters in TV or movies - but I wonder how much of "my" characters would ultimately make it to the screen? Very little I imagine.
@@DanDavisHistory yeah, i know you were thinking of how much your material would actually be in the production. im sure you would come to the conclusion that tv is tv, books are bookis, and $8m is a lot of money, and thats really important
Great episode Dan. I've often thought about going to Scandinavia to check out these glyphs. They are terribly intriguing aren't they? Also I can't help but think that if I went there I would be able to see a lot more or this art/pictography than has so far been recognised and recorded. For example with Australian rock carvings I have seen so many that document only the obvious and disregard the partials, because of who knows what requirements were in place when the original documentation and recording was happening. Same with the glyphs in the Ukraine. the glyphs at Gobekli Tepe, and even seeing much more in the geophys from the old Time-Team series. One day when my crypto has made enough money for me to go travelling maybe eh?
Great video. I've often found similarities between the Nordic bronze age rock art/culture and some artefacts on the Humber in Yorkshire. Wooden figures which match the art style of the nordic rock art and the bronze age boats/canoes found at Ferriby. Whether that's coincidental or potentially due to trade networks like you mentioned is fascinating. Your content is covering some really good topics 👍
You can find similarities between prehistoric Asian artefacts and prehistoric South and North American culture. It proves nothing, but similar way of thinking and expressions...
@@OmmerSyssel this is true but the Humber lies directly across the North Sea from Scandinavia. South America, North America and Asia are vast continents very far apart...
@@robertbrumfitt6548 No Bronze Age boat were able of reaching England from any Scandinavian Coast line. It took almost 2000 years of further technological development to create the magnificent Viking longboats.
@@OmmerSyssel but an interconnected culture around the North Sea coast lines couldn't spread cultural similarities? A set of bronze age people from Denmark couldn't sail down the North Sea coast lines then across to Britain? The Humber is pretty easy to access from Holland... a man can swim the channel. See what I'm saying? I'm not saying some men in the Ferriby boat with no sails rowed across from Norway. Fuck me why is UA-cam full of choppers
Where I went along the western Swedish coast most of the rock art consisted of cups - shallow round depressions. There must be thousands of them, and I have no idea what they represented.
The same kind of carvings stretch up the coast into Norway too. Along side the ships theres also alot of sun symbols there. Lone circles with a dot in the middle. Strange that they don't appear on the swedish stones. All the other carvings seem identical, but the representation of the sun seems distinct. Though come to think of it there seems to be one, a big circle with a plus sign in it. Right above the red circle you have on the map there for Bohuslan is the Halden and Fredrikstad regions in Norway which was also known for forging bronze swords near a collection of stone circles, and a stone pile with a fort behind it up the hill in a place called the Hunnfeltene. The stone circles are younger, but the stone pile and fort are from the bronze age. Around that region alot of these kind of carvings including the sun exists.
The north of bohuslän had only been a part of Sweden for the last 400 years. The dialect of people is very strong with Norwegian hints. From this area and can trace my roots back to this area for as long as the records show.
I imagine some of these boats traveled along the great waterways of Eastern Europe, meeting and trading with Minoans rowing north. The remarkable wealth of the princes of the Nordic Bronze Age was surely based on trade, as the land (even in the warmer climate back then) did not support a large population. Maybe some of the warriors even became mercenaries for the inner-Mediterranean civilizations, similar to the Varangians millennia later. If they had boats that could sail from Scandinavia to England, getting to Greece by rivers would mostly be a matter of surviving the locals.
Yes absolutely. The similarities between the swords and other equipment of Mycenaean warriors and Nordic BA warriors means there was almost certainly a kind of pan-European warrior culture. At least the warrior elites traveled between Scandinavia and Mycenaean Greece, guarding trade routes and joining retinues and taking service for lords and kings in one place or the other. I am working on some future videos about this very thing.
Oh yes, there's actually plenty of evidence of bronze age Scandinavians taking the rivers to Greece and trading. Especially Baltic amber was seen as very valuable by the Greeks.
Wish I could go back to congratulate the kids who created these and congratulate them on leaving historians guessing 100s of years later what their imaginative scribbles are about 🤣
Fascinating! 3 of 4 of my grandparents are Icelandic, the other being of English origin, but that family tree has been traced back to Normandy, at the time of the Norman Conquest of England. The spelling of my last name was originally Danish, I think. So, basically, although the Normans integrated with the Franks for generations, I consider my ancestors Nordic. This is the first time I have come across reference to the Nordic Peoples of the Bronze Age. Thanks you!
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Please do one other bronze era for other european countries
How did people prepare for war and train for it
I think I will do a video on ancient warrior training.
@@DanDavisHistory that's good
@@DanDavisHistory also how and why they were masculine
I'm sure the Nordic Bronze Age culture was far more advanced than most people think. They were excellent ship builders and had an extensive trading network with all of Europe. Only they didn't live in large settlements of stone houses and because of that not much is preserved.
definitely. Historians love to dumb things down so their books are easier to write x)
Yes they had benefited from the metal knowledge of Mesopotamia and elsewhere. They didn't need huge civilisations, they now had the technology. Small farms worked for them and it stayed that way until modern cities came about. Australian Aboriginals didn't receive that metal knowledge so continued doing what they had for eons. Their lifestyle had evolved to suit their climate etc.
@@mweskamppp Huns and Mongols , and unknown warrior plains horsemen were around. There is the North German plain. Great landscape for horsemen. They don't need organisations they are a self sufficient horde.
@@redtobertshateshandles In other parts of Europe cities were built much earlier. At about 3500bc the cucuteni-tripolje culture in today Romania and Ukraine had cities with app 20000 people.
@@redtobertshateshandles That time there was not much wood cleared. This was not an attack from the steppes. The DNA of the found skeletons is all middle european and the found horses where to young to ride. The last theory actually is that a trading caravan was raided and not a clash of two armies. That was a narrow crossing of a trading route from the baltic sea to the south and another route in east west direction, probably with a wooden bridge. It might fall together with the bronze age collapse where bronze trading ended. Might have triggered some greed for rare goods. lots of speculations.
They seem to be armed with more than just spears, swords and axes.
They are just happy to see us.....
Well a raid isn't a good one without a bit of rape at the conclusion.
Those are the leaders. People in simpler times thought, "if he's the big man he needs a big manly erect phallus that could impregnate a woman from a mile offshore."
their goal was to screw the enemies
They must be having rabbits in their pockets.
Nordic Bronze Age is honestly the most intriguing time period to me, it is so mysterious and hints at such greatness and complexity, yet so little has remained due to the wet, dynamic and corrosive nature of the region.
i meant it more with regards to architecture, watercrafts and such. Like, for all we know it could have been common to have glyphs painted in wooden objects or fabrics or of other short-lived organic materials that have all withered away detailing rituals to do with the home, or community. Having more iron artifacts survive would've been great too I guess, but I wonder how much more could be learned from that compared to robust architecture and writings found around the Mediterranean and near-east
It was the lack of a writing system more than anything that doomed them to obscurity. The Later Runes of Viking fame originated from an ancient Latin Script from the Iron Age of Italy. as far as we can tell, there was no written record of anything in the North compared to the troves of clay tablets and steles in the south.
Not only that. The current swedish government had no interest keeping these historical masterpiece safe
@@andreasolsen3962
So there might be a change now, hopefully. What's your estimation?
And they also wore horned helmets lol.
Another lie about vikings that we told didn't happen hahah
Swords being sheathed makes sense even in warfare scenes.
Experts in archeology are not usually warfare experts, so this isn't surprising.
But swords, generally speaking, were always secondary weapons. Spears & polearms or missile weapons were usually the primary weapons.
Swords do tend to get the most hype & prestige, especially in modern times, but they were a sidearm weapon for when weapons or formations broke.
@jonathan hoose good analogy to pistols.
The only situation that pistols are used more often than rifles or say as a daily sidearm for police or someone carrying a concealed weapon for self-defense.
But even in those cases I think the analogy holds because if you were a town guard in the Middle ages or carrying a weapon for self-defense in the Middle ages of Renaissance it was usually a sizeable blade a large knife or a sword but that would not be the primary weapon you would have for war.
So I'll let it slide if a medieval or fantasy movie has a character using a sword in a town or if a movie is about a cop but if it involves pitched battles or modern combat appropriate weaponss should be emphasized.
Your imagination isn't reliable either. As a Swede you should be aware of the fact that axe and spear was the primary weapons during all known time.
Even the Vikings used axes as every man's daily tool and weapon.
Decent swords were very expensive luxury items, and therefore seldom. Never mind what layman wish to dream about
@@OmmerSyssel I'm NOT Swedish.
While swords were rarer in pre-viking times they were not rare in all times. In much of the latter Middle Ages a used sword could be purchased for a week or two's wages.
@@asa-punkatsouthvinland7145 Hahahaha. Thank you for clarification.
Normally Swedish people isn't so clueless.
Why are you gossiping about issues you have zero clue about?
There is some 2.000 years technical development between your topics 🤪
@@OmmerSyssel 1) That should be "Normally Swedish people aren't so clueless."
2) I'm not gossiping I'm discussing. The definition of gossip is: casual or unconstrained conversation or reports about other people, typically involving details that are not confirmed as being true.
I'm not talkig about other people I am talking about ancient weapons.
3) I was replying to your previous statement saying that axes and spears were the primary weapon through all times. All times would include the Middle ages. As such I was refuting your point.
4) not everyone who owned a sword in ancient times was wealthy swords were often gifted by those who had more money such as nobles or Kings. It is possible that the Rock carvings that show people with the item in question & we are discussing are depicting "heroes"; wealthy elite, professional Warriors & others who by their own means or being gifted would own a sword. Keep in mind that when saying sword I'm including large machete-like implements. Even before what we think of as a sword was prominent people would often carry a large knife. The Saxons get their name from the sax (sæx, seax) and the sax could be a small knife, a big knife, a machete sized knife or a sword sized knife especially in Viking age Norway.
5) no one living today knows exactly what those Rock carvings depict we are all speculating.
Assuming that it could be a large machete like knife, which many myself included would call a short sword, then they would certainly wear this in a scabbard.
But as you're so against it being a sword scabbard what would you propose that the carvings are trying to depict?
You seem to be pointing the finger an awful lot and saying you're wrong you're wrong but you've given no counter possibilities.
I like the somewhat romanticised notion that the maritime trading/raiding/fishing lifestyle these people probably engaged in was very similar to that of their not too distant ancestors on the steppes. The seas simply replacing the open steppe and the horse and chariot by their ships. Theres a sort of poetry in the perenniality of their way of life.
But the Battle Axe Culture had already been replaced by the Seine-Oise-Marne-culture that was from Belgium not from the Steppes.
@@alicelund147 Well of course the nordic bronze age wasn't started by a migration directly from the steppes and I didn't mean to imply so. As descendants of the corded ware people, however, they were ultimately derived from a culture which migrated westwards from the steppe.
I have also never heard that the seine-oise-marne culture "replaced" the battle axe culture. It's my understanding that the nordic bronze age is largely a continuation of the battle axe (themselves a mix of the corded ware and funnelbeaker), as well as their gradual absorbtion and assimilation of the SHG pitted ware people.
@@alicelund147
That sounds contrary to contemporary science, do you have a source you could link? From what I understand the battle axe culture is either replaced or fused with Kurgan tumulus culture (probably by cultural diffusion, since there is not a corresponding gene flow), followed by transition into late nordic bronze age?
Genetically, the battle axe culture is yamnaya/corded ware with admixture from the funnelbeaker culture. With the funnelbeakers being the local descendants from the neolithic anatolian farmer population (aka the Early European Farmers, EEFs).
To my knowledge, there is no genetic flow associated with central Europe after the appearance of the battle axe culture.
Also, the Seine-oise-marne culture is a neolithic/chalcolithic culture(?). To my knowledge, there is no chalcolithic culture in Scandinavia (which transitions directly from neolithic to bronze with the arrival of the Indo-Europeans).
Further still, current Scandinavian genetics are VERY close to battle axe culture genetics. And medieval Scandinavian religion (old norse religion, aesir and vanir etc) is most likely descended from proto-Indo-European pantheon.
So if the seine-oise-marne culture was in Scandinavia, then they left no genetic, cultural or archeological evidence? Unless you are trying to pass of Scandinavian passage graves as Seine-oise-marne gallery graves? But even then, those pre-date the battle axe culture by 500 years, and stops being constructed before the battle axe culture even arrives.
I can't make it fit with my pressent understanding. But I would be very interested to read more, if you have any links to post.
@@Matt-ni8jh No the single graves of the battle Axe culture is replaced with the graves of the SOM-culture and their tools as well. The pitted where culture gets assimilated after that by the SOM-culture (In Sweden this is called the Late Neolithic, or sometimes called "dolkkulturen"/Dagger culture).
The Battle Axe Culture was "only" in Scandinavia for 5-600 years and was replaced by a culture derived from the LBK-culture (I think the SOM-culture is pre-WSH-migrations?). And the pitted ware culture was there during all that time. I think they even expanded during the time of the Battle Axe Culture. It is a oversimplification to say that the WSH just replaced everything, everywhere in Europe.
When it comes to genetics I haven't followed the last years findings but the SHG has EHG DNA like the WSH did. So all EHG DNA in Scandinavia is not from the WSH since we partly had the same origin as them in Eastern Europe.
I can only link to Swedish since it is specifically for Scandinavia and not a general development in other parts of Europe. That's why Scandinavia developed differently and the Nordic Bronze Age Culture developed locally. sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senneolitikum
@@hamstsorkxxor Please see my reply to Matty.
Similar boat scenes from the Bronze Age are even found deep inland in Finland, like the Pyhänpää rock art in Kuhmoinen. As a local oddity, there are a lot of moose scenes, even a moose/boat hybrd carrying men.
Mist likely this was done all over the populated areas
I am skeptical that the boat "art" represents real ships (large and complex ones) in Scandinavia in the Bronze Age. Find a real ship in the archaeological record rather than a representation of one in stones or rock carvings before you buy this. Far more likely, these ship images in Scandinavia represent what travelers saw in the Mediterranean (Mycenaean, Canaanite/Phoenician, Egyptian, later Greek, early Roman ships -- especially Mycenaean warships) and brought back as stories. The Brz. Age elites acquired bronze weaponry and other commodities from the Mediterranean world, and consequently also prestige, and brought back tales of great ships (maybe they even claimed to have sailed in them and fought abroad as mercenaries, like later Vikings did). But find a real example of such a complex ship before you believe they were common in the Nordic Bronze Age. Even copies of complex Medit. ships would be beyond them, I would guess. Notice how the most detailed examples appear earliest, and then they get "stylized"? They likely never made these in Scandinavia then.
I'm going to be unpopular here now, but "elk". Moose is an American word. In Europe, they are elk. The Americans took that word and put it on a completely different animal.
It's the silliest thing that even in Scandinavia, the Viking Age officially begins and ends with events in the British Isles. It's like one day in 793 they up and went to Lindisfarne with this brand new concept of murder and pillaging - not to mention their recent invention: the viking ship.
Then, in 1066, they completely stopped all that and became backward landlubbers.
The invaders of lindisfarne would have been in the area before 796. How else would they know where all the gold and fine things are? That obviously implies a culture predating 796 and its ridiculous that history pretends otjerwise
"They were great traders from a maritime culture", but were not aware christians (Franks etc) had burned the Frisian fleet and massacred their neighbours the saxons, destroying their holiest place, the Irminsul 772 (when their leader Widukind (and other saxons) took refuge among the danes. Widukind even married the danish kings daughter. Later the Franks massacred 4.500 saxons in Verden 782 AD. It was a thirty-three years religious-war (named the saxon wars) from 772 to 804. In the middle of this, 793 AD the vikings attacked a monastery. Get it?!
@@maggan82 The marine time trading *only* started *after the viking age had begun* we have no evidence for it prior even if they were truelly ingaged on it before its unlikely to have been on a large scale if they truelly had heard of the saxon wars its very *VERY* unlikely to have cared about it as far as they were concerned it was just some tribes duking it out down south and it had nothing to do with them
Please stop trying to shove your own romantisiced views into the minds of ancient people
@@dirckthedork-knight1201 Whatever makes your boat float as the vikings used to say
At the very least the viking age should be extended to start at 789, when vikings from Hordaland in Norway landed on Portland, extorted money and killed the emissary of king Offa, and until 1103 when king Magnus Berrføtt died during a raid in Ireland. But it is quite probable that viking style raids had been common much earlier, especially in Scandinavia and The Baltics.
Very well researched. Fascinating to compare the crew size with settlement size. I wasn't aware of this theory
Thank you.
@@DanDavisHistory would have been really something to see the inventor of the very first chariot!
Just like Benz producing the first car in 1886
I think it's a depiction of the Wars between Aesir Vanir and Jotuns
@@mwol5473 even if they thought that's what it was, it could only have been a depiction mediated by their own understanding of warfare for which it would remain a valuable source, albeit one that has to be taken with a grain of salt.
@@mwol5473 it's one jotun and several jotner (plural) not important
All those cave art in different parts of the world at various times show how ancient people longed for preserving their views and life events. It's totally amazing.
Why did they add so many dicks tho?
A key point is that humans have always been humans. Wherever we go, there is civilization, culture, and a desire to preserve it.
The prevalence of ancient art from so many seemingly disconnected grounds is so fascinating!
The last bit about connecting warriors, canoes, social structure and production structure was brilliant.
I checked with my ancestors and we agree that this was very good!
rock carvings are very beautiful, when you are looking at these works of art you can literally feel how you travel back in time.
Greetings from Sweden!
Thank you and your ancestors!
Why are all you swedes so damn hot?? The rest of the world would like to know how we can learn this power.
@@ChristAliveForevermore because we are the children of the gods and goddesses.
I have rock paintings/carvings 4km from me
@@mistarnoob1495 awesome!
"Why do we go on raids dad?"
"Because we have always gone on raids."
”Because of *RAID SHADOW LEGENDS* son.”
@@topiheimola69 Wrong channel. Lol!
Norsemen?? :D
I'd say there's no surprise in the peoples of Scandinavia having maritime traditions. The geography here really encourages it! So *many* islands, so much coastline, plenty of rivers & lakes too. Travelling by boat/ship must have been a thing since any travel at all become something anyone did here.
there's a boat, there are men with swords, some women and children, there's the chief with his antler helmet, and right around the chief's midsection, you can see that he has a third leg. If the ship stalls and the chief falls he might inadvertently doom his crew by putting a hole through the hull.
lol
Yep lol
I do NOT know WHY I sleep on this channel when I see new video in my feed. I've NEVER been disappointed with your content. Excellent, informative, empowering, and fascinating.
Thank you very much, I appreciate it.
They look like they're 'armed' with a little something extra. ☺️
Well a raid isn't a good one without a bit of rape at the conclusion.
🥒💦
Your comment deserves to remain at 69 likes so I’ll not give you a 70th like. I hope you can forgive me.
@@bombfog1 haha, good one. 😜. Looks like someone did after
@@seamusoblainn I have no excuse now, Ha Ha Ha! 👍 given.
"Ritualistic" or "ceremonial" are basically archeological codewords for "I haven't got a f*cking clue". Imagine if thousands years from now, someone found an iPhone among rubbles of long-dead human civilization, and similarily mistook it for some ceremonial object of ritualistic importance.
I couldn't agree more. I'm so sick of hearing/reading those words with absolutely no context whatsoever to back it up. I've lost all respect for most of the "experts" in the various studies of the past.
Lol. Ok, I feel better now.
Using an iPhone is indeed in many ways an “ritualistic” practice. It is the most “revered” object in many peoples minds, it seems!
as a History Major that focuses on the viking age honestly none of this looks Ritualistic to me but I do understand that we cant be completely be sure either way. I would guess that the people of that time were trying to show that warfare and boats were a huge part of their culture. We do know that what we know as the Viking age was nearing the end of the Norse and Vikings as we would know them so honestly I wouldn't be surprised if indeed these were very early Vikings. Its possible that by adding imagines of ships and warriors to existing paintings they are trying to show their strength but this is my own thoughts I don't really have any proof of that.
Or the constantly used phrase "primitive people seem more advanced than we ever thought" over and over as if our ancestors were retarded .
@@daviebaggins yeah, these drawings could be child games or some sort of humor for all we know, they could've recorded their Chronicles on wood or slabs that were lost, stolen or Maybe they didn't even care to record or depict them, the fact that we don't understand or don't have enough material to help understand what their culture, lifestyle.... Was, doesn't mean they were primitive retarded barely capable of surviving, hell if something were to happen and end our own extremely advanced civilization, it will be barely recognizable 2000 years from now unless people who'll live in between now till then can remember us and keep the knowledge of us preserved
Many Historians have a very narrow view on studying past people as somehow lesser beings compared to us
Fun I was at the Vitlycke museum just a week ago and have lived in Bohuslän most of my life. Nice hearing something about it on here.
Awesome!
These are some of the best presentations of ancient history you will find, anywhere, in any venue. Dan, I am constantly impressed by the quality of your work and research. Keep up the great work.
Thank you very much, I appreciate it.
Many years ago (30+, pre-internet) I stumbled over a very interesting article that argued for quite extensive contacts between eastern Mediterranean and parts of Scandinavia, this due to very similar rock carvings, in Bohuslän among other places. The author even suggested that it would be possible to identify individual rock carvers due to specific carving/napping techniques. I remember having a very good discussion on this with a scholar at the Historiska muséet, national museum of history, in central Stockholm. Unfortunately, I’ve lost the article and haven’t been able to find it again. Now, that would be an area to dive into.📚📖📕📗📚
Great video as always, man. Thanks a lot!
Near Helgoland (Holy Land) underwater Greek coins (depicting Poseidon) and Greek stone anchors were found. The Island was much bigger in the past. There is also said to be a stone circle underwater.
@@vanrensburgsgesicht4048 I think people have had this idea that our ancestors weren't "connected" in the past. There was likely far more extensive travel and trade than we imagine. I remember a Time Team episode dealing with a spot in Cornwall that had Mediterranean pottery, and probably in connection with the tin trade. This was in the Bronze Age.
There was certainly a connection between Scandinavia and Greece during the Bronze Age. By the similarities in weapon types and warrior material culture it is believed warriors would travel by trade routes and alliance routes to take service with certain lords or kings. Before ultimately returning home for burial.
Dear Dan Davis,
To this day you remain one of my most highly valued historic youtube content creators. I love your narrative tone, the extensive research you base your wonderfully woven stories on. This, to me, is as good as it gets.
After encountering this channel a couple of years back, I purchased and listened to your books, "Thunderer" and its sequel. Loved them!
Keep up the good work - forever grateful for your passionate contributions!
Thank you very much.
Dan, found your channel only a few weeks ago and I'm still being blown away! You keep putting out genuinely incredible content. Your narration/storytelling is top notch, along with the editing and production value. Your passion for these subjects shines through in the best ways possible. THANK YOU for the time and effort you put into these amazing videos!
Thank you, that's very kind of you, I appreciate it.
Reminds me of the Tlingit in the PNW, they used to raid down the coast from Alaska to California and they were some of the most feared sea-going warriors on the west coast well into European-american colonization times during the 1850's.
A really remarkable people.
Get this, I said something about that to a Bella Cooloa man and he said he had a Tsimshian storyteller grandmother who knew the competing culture arrived in (Alaska) kinda suddenly and assimilated more than drove back, anybody or family groups, whatnot who was there, with a superior civilization and being numerous as well. Lookit the harbours and dikes on both sides of the Bering Strait, suitsble for agriculture from around 3800 BC to about 550 AD's the comet and volcanoes and fall of the Roman Empire coinciding more or less. It looks bombed back though, distinctly...and then frozen. Artifacts and pyramids of these redheaded giants and their Mongols held tight by a Federal Park law dont'cha know ..... ;)
Very interesting! Academia think of the Bronze age as peaceful and prosperous... Perhaps it was because in order for trade routes to function you need peace and stability. To keep the peace you have to be strong and sometimes violent... It has been so here in Scandinavia since the beginning of time. Perhaps all the boats in the carvings are symbols of the force the protected the trade routes..? One or many treaties...
There is a very interesting rune stone called Rökstenen (early Viking age). Recent interpretations of it by a historian instead of linguists suggests that it commemorates a treaty of Östergötland supplying armed forces and ships (the Ledung) to keep trade routes open to be able to tax them...
I live only 6km from Via Sacria (Brastad) - the fly over pics was over the area where I live...
9:40 : What you can clearly see here is that most of the ships are arranged along the small gullies carved on the stone by rainwater. When there's rain you can easily imagine the fleets driving down the river and that obviously is what the artists intended. This is a very nice example that you can't interprete such petroglyphs independent from the relief of the underground because they are real 3D art.
I'm Swedish and I love to go and visit random runestones and stone carvings etc.
I envy you, my friend. I'm an American and the closest thing I have to that is admiring the offensive graffiti on bridges and train cars. Treasure your history for both of us.
@@bigatomicsloth3369 you should come visit Scandinavia! Especially Sweden has so so much carvings and rune stones and graves etc etc that it's often not even marked. It's just out in a random place. It's great
What a cool topic! I had never heard about this. When I think of bronze age sea raiders I immediately think of the Mediterranean. I love this video, and would appreciate more on the Nordic bronze age.
Can’t wait to watch!! Content & quality are always spectacular 🌟!!
Thank you Olina.
I live in Sörmland Sweden and there's many of these rock arts depicting different things such as animals. The ones in Släbro closest to me are very unique that looks like round beetles, suns or medals with decorated patterns. Many think those are in a different artstyle that is much more stylized than those stickfigure styles that most of the bronze age rock art have and are called the Släbro figures. The figures looks more like round symbols which makes it even more difficult to interpret but some of those figures have what it looks like legs. Many think that the bronze age people who lived in Släbro maybe had a different cult. I was confused at first when I found those figures when I walked around Slöbro and though those are fake drawings from a child because I never seen rock art like this before and they were market in white.
If it was Bronze age, it wasn't Scandinavian Rock but Swedish Metal.
Jes!
Sweden IS part of Scandinavia.
@@andriesscheper2022 Yes, like metal is a part of rock
How do you only have 30k subs? As a history geek that's currently studying archeology I'm finding this channel one of the most interesting ones on the platform.
Thank you.
Great video. Interesting that the Bronze Age trade routes you show, roughly correspond with the location of higher levels of Y DNA R1b-L21 in Scandinavia.
Presumably, Bell Beakers from the British Isles were coming to trade but settling aswell.
It's likely that many carriers of that haplogroup in Scandinavia and NBA-related places were from the original Corded Ware Culture and the later Battle Axe Culture. CWC is where Beaker got most of their IE ancestry, way more than Yamnaya. There was not that much bronze in that part of Europe prior to the Nordic Bronze Age and the trade routes would have been very important, unless groups like the Minoans and Mycenaeans really were sailing the Atlantic to get to Northern Europe for silver and amber, more than modern archeology accepts at least.
@@dirksharp9876 As far as I can see that could have happened. But with the commonality of R1b-L21 in the British Isles and that it's found on Atlantic side of Scandinavia, I would think that suggests its main source is there.
I have Swedish ancestry from the Swedish Colony in the Delaware River Valley in the U.S.. So am really interested in early Scandinavian history.
Hi! You might like to visit the American Swedish Museum in Philadelphia. My ancestor participated in a rebellion against a tyranical governor of New Sweden, and fled to Maryland. It was then an English colony. They refused to extradite him to the Swedes to be hanged, and here I am!
The history of Bohus is part of Norwegian history, as it was part of Viken and what was considered the Norwegian landscape even before the unification of Norway. Bohuslän or Båhus in Norwegian was leased to Sweden (later permanently) at the same time and as part of the same conflict that saw the Dutch take control of New Sweden.
@@fredrikz This art is from before Norway or Sweden was even a thing.
@@fredrikzNo Scandinavian countries at that time man
I actually live in bohuslän and very close to rock carvings as well as an old grave from the bronze age. Interesting video!
Awesome. It's so great you have history etched into the landscape. Glad you enjoyed the video.
Nice one Dan! It's a fascinating period, and includes the crossover from the old animalistic gods to the appearance of the Norse gods. The idea that the "present" age governed and protected by the Norse gods will eventually fall into a return of the old dark times of the ice giants seems to lay deep in the culture - a whole series there!
Thank you.
Another awesome video! Thanks for the upload.
Its always fascinating to learn about these ancient cultures and how they must have behaved and conducted war with each other.
Would be cool if you covered the Vendel era, my most beloved part of Swedish history. It’s just before the Viking age and if you covered it I would suggest adding legends and everything else from this era.
Excellent video. Cannot get enough bronze age content. Thank you for all your hard work.
Great video: those images are amazing!
That they so emphasized a certain part of the male anatomy, especially with their leaders, must point to them being out to dominate, i.e. raiding.
I regret being late to this video, but I must commend you right away, because at 0:42 you got the pronunciation of Bohuslän very nearly right and at 12:36 it was almost perfect. Props also for "Skagerack" and "Kattegatt", especially how you pronounced the latter. Such details show that you really care about the topic, and the entire video is evidence of this.
Very interesting. Reminds me of the photographs me and my colleagues took in Afghanistan or Iraq. Posing with weapons, enemy vehicles, tanks, our own vehicles and tanks etc. Posing with each other. All carrying weapons, but not pointing them at each other, all non threatening, but a form of showing off and bragging. Never considered this before.
Thanks for the great videos Dan, I'm a huge fan!
Great point! Cheers Mike.
I am genuinely so pleased I came across your channel mate. Not only is there a distinct lack of content about these time periods on UA-cam but it is presented in a non-childish manner (not that there's anything wrong with that but its a breath of fresh air) with a focus on evidence and linking lots of things together.
As a bonus you also write books which I cannot wait to check out as they sound like they are right up my street. Thanks for what you do mate all the best.
You also forget that Svea rike had a big and ancient navy making up of around 660 ships or more, which Tacitus also wrote about in his chronicle
The same kind of carvings are also near Norrkoping on the east coast. To me it points to the same people all around the Scandinavian coastlines.
I see they remembered to depict their horns along with their weapons.
They're very horn-y, indeed.
In the music videos of Heilung they did a pretty good job at bringing these cave paintings to life.
Thank you, again your video is vivid and brings long gone peoples back to life. The Vikings were arguably the last pure expression of the Indo-European tradition of sending out their young men to adventure and hopefully come back with wealth. That format continued, maybe diluted a bit, all the way into the founding of the USA dealing with the Native populations of the New World.
Wow, this is a great video! You've done great research and your voice is pleasant to listen to. I'm very happy I came across it!
Another excellent video Dan. The stick men have plenty to tell, but I do wish we could further bridge the divide of ages. Maybe one day a key will reveal itself, if these are still being discovered and studied.
Thank you Ben.
I’m new to this channel. I have to say, you do an amazing job not only presenting the factual content but also creating narratives out of the material that really brings the content to life. I imagine that is related to your literary skills. It is something that many other history channels lack. They’re either all dry content or embarrassingly vague and non-factual commentary. You’ve hit the sweet spot.
That is truly fascinating. Especially when you see the Hjortspring boat. The carvings just seem to spring to life! One thing that struck me was that the "Big men", shown in human form in the carvings (as opposed to just straight lines, crewing the boats, for the ordinary warriors) are depicted with what appears to be some form of headgear, fitted with what can only be described as horns. And in "common knowledge", who were the one type of warriors who wore HORNED HELMETS (yes, I know this wasn't strictly speaking true)? THE VIKINGS. This seems to me to be a direct parallel, and shows evidence that the mindset of the later "Vikings" (i.e. Scandanavians), had it's roots well within the Bronze Age. Could it have been that the later Viking warriors, all wore practical, state of the art, steel helmets, in line with the best common practice of the time, as they were the ones doing the "raping and pillaging". But the CHIEFS of the Vikings actually wore a CEREMONIAL type of helmet, which was closely modelled on those found depicted in the rock carvings. Thereby continuing the traditional dress which came from the Bronze Age? It's a very intriguing possibility.
VERY Skyrim!
Yes, it seems likely that chiefs wore such headgear, probably in imitation or in honour of one of their Gods...
Those carvigs shaped the victorian and early XXth century idea of vikings, like the Halstat grave's goods screwed celtic depiction for more than 50 years.
My thoughts are that swords are known as a backup weapon for the elite. Swords being expensive and not as useful in a battlefield as a spear. So this would mean that the rock art of figures with swords areeant to show that the person is powerful, think the hero of a saga.
Man Dan, just 3 weeks ago ww were celebrating your channel reaching 20k subscribers. Now you’re almost at 40k! There are few channels that deserve it more! Another fantastic video. Can’t wait to see what comes next
Thank you very much, I really appreciate your support.
i'm loving all your videos and im scared of running out of them. Please keep them coming!
As a suggestion, it would be so cool if you did some video on Iberian cultures. Whether about paleolithic art, neolithic peoples, the influx of Indo-european peoples, or the old question of whether there were actual celtic peoples in the peninsula or rather just celtization. Anything really!
Thank you. Yes I certainly have Iberian videos planned.
@@DanDavisHistory so grateful
i cant believe that you dont have much more subscribers when your content is so awesome
We must also remember that the Viking era did not pop up out of nowhere, there was an era prior to the Viking era called the Wendel era, where weaponry was more sofisticated & beautiful than during the Viking era. Compared with the Sutton Hoo weaponry they are almost the same!
In the Nibelungenied, Hagen Stabbed Siegfried in the back, with a spear. It is possible the drawing refers to the legend, which is the root of the Nibelunenlied, and the Volsung Saga.
Thanks Dan I'm going to lie in my nest with a cup of lyons tea and A smoke and learn a bit of history. A small things do count. Great work and love you narrating.
Nice one Sean.
Another superb offering, Dan.
Cheers mate.
Incredible job Danny boy! Just putting this out there... What about a bronze age video on Ireland?? I love your work brother
Thank you. Good suggestion. The land of my ancestors.
I live quite near the Vitlycke site and Tanumshede. You become quite ”home blind” if you live nearby a fascinating place-but I highly recommend a visit if anyone should be passing by there.
Fascinating video. Loved the exploration of a metaphysical change in being to permit the profession of war. I believe such a practice is traced to the Proto-Indo-European koryos.
I applaud you for not out of hand dismissing ritualistic practice, which so many so-called scholars and educated men abuse to describe things they do not understand, and who effectively seek to delegitimise the ancient practises of these peoples by burying them under a mask of some primitive superstition not worth exploring, effectively to assert their own sense of reason and understanding.
The more I, a non-scholar with an interest in ancient history, learn about such peoples, the more I am convinced of the incredible sophistication and even genius of such folk, who lived lives in full connection with spiritual elements that in no way reveal a primitive or unintelligent nature.
Spectacular documentary!
Can't help but notice the slight (but very distinct) differences in the bow of the ships. Even if the style is pretty rough, theses precise differences could very well be what helped them recognize each family/clans depicted in the scenes.
Great vid as always. As in so much of the archeology, which often states, "it started here, at this time". Only To continually pushed back in time, I've often wondered about viking culture just suddenly appearing.
Bronze age. Lot's of swords and combat. Even more boats. Sea peoples? No - never heard of them.
Wow! Great video. The band Heilung has a song called krigsgaldr that has an animated video depicting this art.
A lovely Sunday morning installment. I’m originally from the north east of Scotland now living in the Pacific Northwest of USA that’s heavily populated by Scandinavians and Eastern Europeans. Many of the locals think I’m Russian because of my looks. I’m certain that’s a result of the raiders who hit up the NE of Scotland “back in the day.”
Thank you very much. Yeah it could be but also Northern Europeans are actually very closely related. I believe A Scotsman is more closely related to a Pole than to an Italian for example. This is surely down to a shared Corded Ware culture ancestry - amongst other things. And the North Sea enabled exchange of goods and genetics for a long time before the Viking era.
@Katniss Cullen Awesome! I’m in Portland OR. I just recently stumbled across this excellent channel.
I’m blonde,blue eyed but several native Canadian friends say I’ve a heavy influence of them. Others say that I may be Slavic. I was adopted,so I’ve always taken on my family’s Irish heritage.
@@jackalister1662 I wonder if in 500 years they will be saying “I have a little bit of East Martian DNA in me” 😉😎
@@18Bees damned good point!
tbh just fall asleep to these playing voice is calming
6:26 that's actually a prehistoric rave, that long line is just the edge of the dance floor.
There is also an image of mega conga line at 16:40
Techno Viking 😂
@@paul6925 They knew how to party!
@@ian_b the guy in that old techno Viking meme was just channelling his ancestors 😂
The Vikings were into magic mushrooms.
Maybe they were continuing an older tradition.
One does not need to be a professor to understand that the Viking culture derived from the Bronze Age culture we could witness, documented for us to still see. Made by our ancestors for us to interpretate, admire and feel with the fingers still today. I'm priviliged to live very close to the area (Vitlycke and Tanum in Sweden) most densed with this beautiful and interesting rock art / petroglyphs that you show in the video. You also find this typical petroglyphs in Skåne and Östergötland as well in Sweden. Imagine how many of these rock carvings that are not found yet... We still find gold treasures from the Bronze Age at these days. Thats great to be able to get more to the pulse of our history.
Maybe they depict practice, and then them going away on raids/war with the boats? A way to honor or remember daily life and important events taking place.
Fantastic! Good stuff! Thanks
The Nordic Bronze age is immensely fascinating. Very thankful I found this channel!
Thank you.
I am from Bohuslän.
I love that someone talks about our bronze age.
I imagine carving false information into stone would have always had been dishonorable. So the big boats are very likely very accurate
I was thinking that the very long ones might have been the only way that the carvers could depict the crew as being side-by-side, like the later drakars. The boats might have that long (and possibly unwieldy) but wider.
@@thhseeking exactly!! Those rocks are like family history records. Grampa had 15p on board, dad had 20, etc. etc.
Yes I think the other big things here was also clearly made in accurate size.
Which man would ever lie about their size down there.
Fantastic show thanks
Ever thought of your books being made into a tv series? What if Amazon or Netflix came to you and said "hey, dan! We need a period drama, and your books fit the bill." Would you do it?
I don't expect that would ever happen. But sure if HBO wanna throw $8m an episode at it, I'd consider it.
@@DanDavisHistory thats an interesting answer. "id consider it". how many episodes do you think there would be? thats at least $8m. I'm sure that would be pretty persuasive. Nothing wrong with $8m or more.
I mean $8m production budget per episode like Game of Thrones or something like that! Honestly, I would love to see my characters in TV or movies - but I wonder how much of "my" characters would ultimately make it to the screen? Very little I imagine.
@@DanDavisHistory yeah, i know you were thinking of how much your material would actually be in the production. im sure you would come to the conclusion that tv is tv, books are bookis, and $8m is a lot of money, and thats really important
That would be absolutely fantastic, I vote for that.
Another excellent video!
Thank you.
Perhaps the larger beings being attacked by singular individuals represent the Thurs? Or Jotun of later Medieval Viking mythos?
That's what I was thinking. A skunk ape/yowie/rock ape/swamp booger etc
For the algorithm and the best content available!
Great episode Dan.
I've often thought about going to Scandinavia to check out these glyphs. They are terribly intriguing aren't they?
Also I can't help but think that if I went there I would be able to see a lot more or this art/pictography than has so far been recognised and recorded.
For example with Australian rock carvings I have seen so many that document only the obvious and disregard the partials, because of who knows what requirements were in place when the original documentation and recording was happening. Same with the glyphs in the Ukraine. the glyphs at Gobekli Tepe, and even seeing much more in the geophys from the old Time-Team series.
One day when my crypto has made enough money for me to go travelling maybe eh?
very interesting, in particular the part about the connection between settlemen's size and boat's crew sizes.
Great video. I've often found similarities between the Nordic bronze age rock art/culture and some artefacts on the Humber in Yorkshire. Wooden figures which match the art style of the nordic rock art and the bronze age boats/canoes found at Ferriby. Whether that's coincidental or potentially due to trade networks like you mentioned is fascinating. Your content is covering some really good topics 👍
Thank you.
You can find similarities between prehistoric Asian artefacts and prehistoric South and North American culture.
It proves nothing, but similar way of thinking and expressions...
@@OmmerSyssel this is true but the Humber lies directly across the North Sea from Scandinavia. South America, North America and Asia are vast continents very far apart...
@@robertbrumfitt6548 No Bronze Age boat were able of reaching England from any Scandinavian Coast line.
It took almost 2000 years of further technological development to create the magnificent Viking longboats.
@@OmmerSyssel but an interconnected culture around the North Sea coast lines couldn't spread cultural similarities? A set of bronze age people from Denmark couldn't sail down the North Sea coast lines then across to Britain? The Humber is pretty easy to access from Holland... a man can swim the channel. See what I'm saying? I'm not saying some men in the Ferriby boat with no sails rowed across from Norway. Fuck me why is UA-cam full of choppers
Very interesting.
Subscribed.
I'm a Proud Norse-Gael 78.8% Irish and 21.2% Danish Skål/Sláinte 🇮🇪🇩🇰💪
Quite facinating information
Where I went along the western Swedish coast most of the rock art consisted of cups - shallow round depressions. There must be thousands of them, and I have no idea what they represented.
Thank you 🤗
The same kind of carvings stretch up the coast into Norway too. Along side the ships theres also alot of sun symbols there. Lone circles with a dot in the middle. Strange that they don't appear on the swedish stones. All the other carvings seem identical, but the representation of the sun seems distinct. Though come to think of it there seems to be one, a big circle with a plus sign in it.
Right above the red circle you have on the map there for Bohuslan is the Halden and Fredrikstad regions in Norway which was also known for forging bronze swords near a collection of stone circles, and a stone pile with a fort behind it up the hill in a place called the Hunnfeltene. The stone circles are younger, but the stone pile and fort are from the bronze age. Around that region alot of these kind of carvings including the sun exists.
The north of bohuslän had only been a part of Sweden for the last 400 years. The dialect of people is very strong with Norwegian hints. From this area and can trace my roots back to this area for as long as the records show.
There's most certainly found loads of sun symbols in Sweden and Denmark.
There is lots of them in Sweden as well
@@ceciliadoyle5118To be fair Sweden and norway did not exist back in those days. The part that bohus been swedish for 400 years is irrelevant
Your videos are inspiring.
Interesting; I live in coastal British Columbia. This sounds a heck of a lot like the coastal nations here historically.
Grew up on Vancouver Island, thought the same.
Remember hearing about the Haida coming across the channel in there 30 man war canoes.
Chilling.
Thank you!
I imagine some of these boats traveled along the great waterways of Eastern Europe, meeting and trading with Minoans rowing north. The remarkable wealth of the princes of the Nordic Bronze Age was surely based on trade, as the land (even in the warmer climate back then) did not support a large population. Maybe some of the warriors even became mercenaries for the inner-Mediterranean civilizations, similar to the Varangians millennia later. If they had boats that could sail from Scandinavia to England, getting to Greece by rivers would mostly be a matter of surviving the locals.
Yes absolutely. The similarities between the swords and other equipment of Mycenaean warriors and Nordic BA warriors means there was almost certainly a kind of pan-European warrior culture. At least the warrior elites traveled between Scandinavia and Mycenaean Greece, guarding trade routes and joining retinues and taking service for lords and kings in one place or the other. I am working on some future videos about this very thing.
Roots of the Kievan Rus.
Oh yes, there's actually plenty of evidence of bronze age Scandinavians taking the rivers to Greece and trading. Especially Baltic amber was seen as very valuable by the Greeks.
Amazing video, as usual.
Cheers mate, glad you enjoyed it.
Wish I could go back to congratulate the kids who created these and congratulate them on leaving historians guessing 100s of years later what their imaginative scribbles are about 🤣
Fascinating! 3 of 4 of my grandparents are Icelandic, the other being of English origin, but that family tree has been traced back to Normandy, at the time of the Norman Conquest of England. The spelling of my last name was originally Danish, I think. So, basically, although the Normans integrated with the Franks for generations, I consider my ancestors Nordic. This is the first time I have come across reference to the Nordic Peoples of the Bronze Age. Thanks you!
7:28
That was absolutely done on purpose.