Infopanel 20

The houses of the Vikings

The typical form of Viking-era dwellings was the longhouse. The building materials varied depending on the region: while wattle and daub houses with or without clay plaster, covered with thatch, predominated in Denmark, England, and Ireland, wooden houses were more common in Norway and Sweden. On the Atlantic islands from the Faroe Islands to Iceland, Greenland, and Newfoundland, turf houses were the norm. These were built on a wide stone platform made of natural stones, which formed the foundation, and a thick wall of stacked turf, cut bricks made of turf and/or peat. On top of this was a roof frame, often made of driftwood, which was also covered with turf bricks, as can still be seen today on the North Atlantic islands. 

While the end of the longhouse, separated by a partition wall, served as a cattle shed, the rest was used as living space. A long fire provided both light and heat and was used for cooking. Along the long walls were low, solid wooden benches that served as seats during the day and beds at night. On larger farms and in princely halls, the master's seat was highlighted as a raised seat in the middle of the room. Otherwise, the interior furnishings were sparse. Tables were made by placing boards over simple frames, which were stowed away again after meals.

Workshops were built separately outside the residential buildings to minimize the risk of fire. For example, a small smithy and a smelting furnace for ore were found at a respectable distance from the three residential buildings in a small settlement that existed for a few years in Newfoundland.