2 - Of Reindeer And (Fisher) Men
This is the first episode in a series about the history of Scandinavia before the Viking Age. We are starting today with the arrival of the first Reindeer Hunters in Southern Scandinavia around 13,000 BCE and culminating in a few weeks with the Germanic Iron Age ending around 700CE. This week we will explore the story of the first Scandinavians, and take a look at what their lives were like in the post-glacial landscape of the north. We'll follow them as they colonize the entire Western Coast of Scandinavia and successfully exploit the lands and seas they inhabited as sources of plentiful, varied food stuffs. Life as a Hunter Gatherer in Stone Age Scandinavia was pretty good, and this week will explore why. In the process we will look at their settlement patterns, burial practices and heavy reliance upon the sea for both transport and sustinance. These themes will remain of the utmost importance to us well through the Viking Age, and we get to explore them at even this early date.