Product Details

• Actors: Neil Ross, Liev Schreiber, Jay O. Sanders, Will Lyman, Stacy Keach
• Writers: Mark Davis, Mark Hobson
• Producers: D.J. Roller, John Angier
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
• Language: English
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Wgbh Boston
• VHS Release Date: October 13, 2000
• Run Time: 120 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00004U2MT
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #28,422 in Video (See Bestsellers in Video)

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  #9 in	Video > Television > WGBH Boston > Nova > Culture & Exploration
  #83 in	Video > Documentary > History > World History & Culture

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

When most people think of the Vikings, they think of marauding hordes arriving in long ships, looting, pillaging, and mercilessly slaughtering anyone who dared stand in their way. Nova's look at the early Norse culture doesn't deny the Vikings their violent reputation, but at the same time examines the other roles they played in medieval history. The Vikings were excellent artisans, metalsmiths, and even engineers, with shipbuilding capabilities that far outstripped their contemporaries.

Historians and archaeologists have been able to trace the Vikings to Ireland, with plenty of evidence that Dublin was originally settled by the Norsemen. Much of early religious iconography from the British Isles even absorbed elements of the Vikings' pagan beliefs. Nova follows scientists as they research evidence that the Vikings were the first to land in North America (their stay was cut short by hostile natives), predating Columbus by several hundred years, and as they reconstruct an ancient village and trading outpost on the island of Labrador. In typically exhaustive Nova fashion, the second installment of the two-hour video retraces a Viking trade expedition through Russia and considers the theory that the Vikings may have actually been the first to settle the country. A Swedish research team even reconstructs a Viking-style trading ship and takes it on Russia's rivers, building a small trailer to portage the ship by hand when the river becomes too shallow to navigate. This fascinating look at medieval Norse life casts the Vikings in a different light, one that looks far beyond their barbaric reputation. --Jerry Renshaw

Product Description

This riveting two-hour special investigates a new image of the Vikings that goes far deeper than their savage stereotype as raiding marauders. Faithful replicas of their magnificent ships, life-like computer animation and fascinating recreations reveal the Vikings as canny merchants, expert shipbuilders, superb artisans, and bold colonizers of lands that lay beyond the edge of the known world.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 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

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.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent documentary, June 16, 2005

By	Oavde "oavde" (Australia) - See all my reviews

OK, so this documentary isn't perfect, and doesn't cover everything about the vikings - you'll have to read some books for that, you cannot cram it all into a few hours.

But this documentary is truly excellent. They have much footage of people re-enacting viking times, not just battles as most documentaries focus on, but everyday life, working in the farm, chopping wood, building ships, something to look at as the narrator describes the various topics. Much footage of ships recreated and sailing around (fast, too).

Many experts in different fields, not just a single narrator yabbering on for a couple of hours (like some documentaries) ... different locations, and computer enhanced recreations of villages.

I do not hesitate to say that it is an absolute MUST HAVE for anyone interested in studying the vikings.

Buy it, you will be very pleased. I just wish it was on DVD.

13 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The Vikings, June 14, 2000

By A Customer

I thought that this movie was really good. I had to watch for a Social Studies summer assignment. I wasnt too psyched about reading it, but it turned out to be really good. I would recomend it to anyone who likes history.