Was Viking Society civilized or barbaric ?
The Vikings were barbaric and destructive in their raids. However, they did have civilized aspects to their society. They enjoyed music and poetry, and they memorized long complicated stories called sagas, about the exploits of their heroic ancestors and the gods. They also enjoyed playing complex board games, different sorts of variations on chess. they had fine metalworkers too, who produced beautiful jewellery , tableware and armour and weapons. And viking women were skilled weavers who produced beautiful tapestries, some of which have been found in Viking burial chambers. There are fantastically carved stone monuments produced by Viking craftsmen in Scandinavia. They also had a form of writing, the runic alphabet, which they used to inscribe their monuments.
