Viking Trade - An Easy Guide for Kids
Updated: Feb 10, 2023
Vikings didn’t just travel to raid and claim land. They travelled to establish trading routes and make a fortune exchanging goods.
Where Did They Trade?
The Vikings from Norway and Denmark often travelled West to England, Scotland and France to trade. Here they would trade amber from the Baltic area, arctic furs, animal skins and walrus tusks.
The Vikings from Sweden often went East along rivers to Russia and as far South as Constantinople. In Constantinople they would frequently trade slaves in exchange for silk and spices. Other imported items included Arabic silver, coins, fruits and wines.
Exchanging Goods
Early Viking traders would barter and exchange their goods for other items. But as Viking trade and travel increased, they started to obtain more silver and coins to do trade with instead.
In the Viking established trade towns they used weights to make sure that everyone paid enough silver for the goods they were buying.
Trade Cities
The Vikings established trade cities and marketing towns to sell off the items they acquired from their travels around the globe.
In Scandinavia this included places such as Birka, Hedeby and Skiringsal. Both Vikings and international traders would come from miles around to buy anything from clothing to imported food.
Soon, Viking craftsmen and blacksmiths would seize the opportunity by settling in these areas and plying their trade. Their workshops produced a variety of weaponry and armour, tableware and pottery, jewellery, clothing and more.
If you are a Primary School teacher then you'll definitely want Imagining History to bring their 'How to Launch a Viking Raid' Interactive workshop to your school.
Have your students got what it takes to launch a successful Viking raid?
In this award-winning workshop, our practitioners will use interactive activities with a drama and performance twist to teach your students everything they need to know to raid the Anglo-Saxon monastery on Lindisfarne. Your students will:
Create a timeline stretching from the first Viking raid to the end of the Viking era.
Construct a Viking Longship using just their bodies.
Interact with replica Viking Weapons, Armour and tools, including a sword, shield, spear, and sunstone.
Use their teamworking skills to test out Viking navigation techniques
Launch a raid on Lindisfarne & outsmart the Monks to steal their treasure.
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