Discussion board assignment.   

 The Vikings were more than marauders, although they did rape, pillage, and plunder parts of Europe and strike fear into the hearts of many.  Discuss Viking culture (you may choose to discuss any/all: religion, war, economy, gender constructs, life styles).  Why did the Vikings move from their homes, how did they do so and why were they so successful, and what occurred as a result in a few specific areas (you may choose from England, France, the Byzantine world, Ireland, Greenland, or Russia). The following web sites will help augment our book, which does not adequetly cover the Vikings:

http://www.thehistorychannel.co.uk/site/microsites/The_Vikings/index_microsite.php?target=Home

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/vikings/

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/vikings/

http://www.arkeodok.com/index1.html

The following link will take you to video segments from Ancient Warriors on the Vikings.  The clips are 9 minutes long and there are 5.  The second link is to a segment of the History Channel documentary "The Dark Ages." If you would like to supplement the reading with video take a look:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Um7pP14mNLI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stNxY5Aektw