By: Elizabeth Romo

-Several historians find them unimportant and simply overlook them. -Not much different to other raiders -Simply Romanticized... But their knowledge on their environment and unique development (the longship)

 No information of navigation through stars  No Compass (unaware of N. E. S. W.)  Aware of heavy wind  made the sails extremely long(around seventy feet)  Knowledge of underwater currents  made keel deeper under the center of their ship (helped resist tug of underwater currents)  Knowledge of waves capable of breaking into the boat in rough weather  The raised bow(symmetrical on both ends)

 Before A.D. 700 Scandinavians used narrow vessels useful for navigation within narrow rivers, fjords, and inlets. (“Vik” – means inlet in the northern Germanic language so when the Scandinavians emerged from an inlet to attack or raid a foreign shore it became known as “aviking”  Around A.D. 700 long, heavy keels were added to the ships (greater stability),large mainsail made of wool cloth helped their ships travel through the monsoons  Two Viking voyages (Summer and Autumn )  Eventually raids had become national migrations