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The viking combat team

The scarcity of archaeological finds from the Viking Age makes it difficult, today, to completely reconstruct Viking armor. In fact, the most viable way of representing the military technology of the time is through pictorial representations already interpretation of sagas and manuscripts.

Armor as a sign of social status

War was at that time themore prestigious activity, therefore, those who could afford it, enjoyed better combat equipment, ornate to the extent that their pockets allowed. In fact, in the Nordic society it was allowed to carry weapons in the course of daily activities.

In general, a basic combat equipment, that is to say of the status of a humble peasant for example, consisted of a spear, a wooden shield and a common ax or long knife (seax). If the individual had more status and therefore more wealth, he could complement his equipment by replacing the common ax with a battle axe, or the long knife with a sword, and even get a helmet.

Armor is thought to have been reserved for the nobility and their best warriors and personal guards.

The poor materials

There is evidenceevidence that Viking metallurgy was not exactly the best. They were considered good blacksmiths, but the raw materials available to them were quite poor and their designs were obsolete.

The iron mines from which they extracted the raw material were insufficient and of low quality, the precious metals with which the upper class decorated their weapons and armor with filigree had to be exported through trade. In fact, weapons ended up being exported as well, with the Franks being the main suppliers, whose weapons, with higher carbon content, which made them more durable, and better design were more manageable. Spearheads and swords ended up being imported, while smaller weapons such as knives and arrowheads continued to be made in Scandinavia.

The Viking helmet, the most exclusive piece

As for the helmet, as we have already mentioned before, only those individuals with more wealth could afford it. The scarcity of this piece of armor back then is evident today, as only a total of five Viking helmets have been found in the entire world.

Contrary to what general culture, literature and movies have taught us, the Viking helmet did not have horns or winged ornaments, in fact, it was quite the opposite.

They were very simple pieces, generally formed by a hemispherical cap (formed in turn by four concave pieces riveted together) with a protruding sheet to protect the nose, or, in the most complex case, an additional piece in the shape of glasses that surrounded the eyes and protected these and the nose, as the famous 10th century Gjermundbu helmet found in Norway.

However, despite the aforementioned, the possibility that the aforementioned horned or winged helmets were used in ceremonies with ritual contexts is considered.

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