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71 of 79 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The tip of the iceberg...whets the appetite for more!, August 24, 2006
Right from the beginning I must tell you that I am from Ireland and have studied the history of the Vikings for over 30 years - so naturally I have a slight bias on this subject. This programme is really an overview and introduction of the subject rather than any attempt at intrepreting the influence of the Vikings in the modern world. The evidence stressed is on the material culture and doesn't trace the vestiges of the influence of the Vikings in Europe in any detail - Although Iceland is well represented as being the last home of the Vikings. For instance the latest genetic studies showing present decendants of the Vikings were not even considered - there are such studies. The people of the Orkney and Shetland Islands were notintroduced although they have their own unique Norse language - Norn. The exploration of the Rus is well done and the route of the Vikings to Bagdad was eye-opening. I especially liked the modern attempt to trace the journey by serious historians and archaeologists using boats constructed in the fashion of the age depicted. The Viking influence in France and their transition to Normans is cosidered but again not well developed. From this documentary one would hardly realise that the Vikings had quite an influence on the Mediterranean...Sardinia, Sicily and North Africa are not mentioned. Northwest Scotland was profoundly impacted by the Vikings but again we hear little mention of this...Danelaw in England while mentioned is not accorded its colonial status. One gets the impression that Dublin was the only town in Ireland founded by the Vikings and that aside from the bare mention of discovery of the largest Viking ship found thus far having been built in Ireland of native timber...the largest and possibly the most important Viking settlement in the world - Wood Quay in Dublin is not covered. The documentary does not cover very significant recent finds in Ireland of Woodstown caves and in Cumbria (Northwest England) of possibly Britain's most important Viking burial site...in addition to which another find in the same county close to Cumwhitton village.
History, out of necessity, needs to be interpreted with the most recent evidence available. I understand that a programme like Nova needs quite a lot of editing but seriously...hopefully Nova will revisit the subject of the Vikings again and this time address it from a more regional context. The reenactments are sparce and we see some scenes repeated...This programme could have used more reenactments to bring the subject to life. This show is still worth the money! I thoroughly enjoyed the production!
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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A complete history? No, but not a poor attempt., March 29, 2002
By A Customer
This review is from: NOVA - The Vikings [VHS] (VHS Tape)
There is a lot to recommend this video for those who want a general history of Viking civilization and wanderings but some elements stand out as absent. Notable, that is, what happened to the Vikings as the modern era approached? Perhaps the totality of Viking civilization is not what the intentions of the film were set to describe. Were that the case the film is excellent. Remember this is simply one tape, perhaps many more tapes would be needed to encompass the whole of their history. Norse civiliation is wonderful. With a written language, advanced metalurgy, tool making, and a civil law element that created a peaceful community. We can trace the advances to the present and the development of a wonderful civilivation that contributed to a world wide pool of knowlege. It's a shame that the Vikings frequently get passed over when in public schools, there is talk of multi-culturalism.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Well made documentary. Could have been better, though., December 11, 2008
This DVD is a well made production in the tradition of Nova. Generally well done, with a great deal of archeological fact to counter centuries of "bad press" in regards to a brave, industrious and adventurous people.
This documentary covers Viking history, alluding to the population pressures that drove these people to "go a viking". Covers their conquests and exploration to their west as well as their forays to the east into what is now Russia.
This is a very good introduction to the "viking age", but - imho - does not go as far as I would like to show not only what they did but also who they were. Given the length of television documentaries, this is somewhat understandable, but I would have liked to have seen them explore more of Norse culture, their art, manufacturing techniques (ship building was covered well, though), the role of women in society, etc.
This is a very good primer on the influence these people had on the late dark age/early medieval period and I reccomend it to those interested on the subject. I would hope that it would whet appetites for further reading on the subject.
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