Inked Up – A brief history of Vikings and Tattoos Part 2 by Rob Shackleford

Were Vikings Inked? - Vikings and Tattoos Part 2 by Rob Shackleford Did Vikings have tattoos? Nobody really knows. Now, with popular media we want Vikings to have had tattoos, but did they really? Unfortunately, except in unique circumstances, human skin does not survive centuries of burial. Add to that, few Viking literary works survive, so we are forced to rely on outside accounts. Many come from Arab statesmen who carried on extensive trade and cultural exchange with Norsemen in the ninth and tenth centuries. One Arab traveler, Ahmad Ibn Fadlan, a scholar of Baghdad, was sent by the Abbasid…
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Inked Up – A brief History of Vikings and Tattoos by Rob Shackleford

Inked Up - A Brief History of Vikings and Tattoos by Rob Shackleford Did the Vikings have tattoos? There is some disagreement. The simple answer is, unless there is a discovery made of an intact Viking corpse, which includes their skin, we will never know one way or another. Let’s briefly look at the history of Tattoos. Tattoos and History The earliest evidence of tattoo art comes in the form of clay figurines that had their faces painted or engraved to represent tattoo marks. The oldest figures of this kind have been recovered from tombs in Japan dating to 5000 BCE…
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Vikings Loved Jewellery – Viking Jewellery Part 2 by Rob Shackleford

Vikings Loved Jewellery - Viking Jewellery Part 2 by Rob Shackleford   Viking Jewelry – Fashion with a Purpose Vikings enjoyed fashion and the allure of precious metals and they strived to incorporate this into their day-to-day lives by crafting beautiful ornate ornaments. However, unlike most cultures, jewelry pieces in Viking culture typically had a dual purpose, being used both for aesthetic appeal and as a form of currency, much like carrying money in your wallet or purse. Evidently, Vikings were not the barbarians most people assume they were, they were an organized, sophisticated people with a rich culture that has more…
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Vikings Loved Bling – Viking Jewellery Part 1 by Rob Shackleford

Vikings Loved Bling - Viking Jewellery Part 1 by Rob Shackleford   Humans love jewellery! Humans have always used jewellery and other personal adornments to reflect their identity. These adornments may have represented membership in a particular group or someone’s age, sex, and social status. Vikings also loved jewellery. Norse people of old made beautiful and intricate jewelry in the form of bracelets, rings, necklaces, etc., out of a variety of materials including bronze, iron, gold, silver, amber, and resin. Early on in the Viking era , which is around 800 AD, these ornaments were simple, but as time went by,…
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Viking Clothes – Looking Good was Important! by Rob Shackleford

Viking Clothes – Looking Good was Important! by Rob Shackleford For more on Vikings, check out the links of previous Viking Blogs below: Why Vikings? Who Were the Vikings? What did Vikings Look Like? Vikings - The Ginger Connection Vikings Dirty and Unkempt Viking Hygiene Viking Fashion – anything as long as it’s black? When it comes to Viking fashion, we really know very little on account of the limited archaeological evidence that is available. Materials and fabrics do not preserve well. When fragments are recovered, they are usually very small and damaged. However, we can also draw from written evidence such…
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Viking Hygiene by Rob Shackleford

Viking Hygiene by Rob Shackleford For more on Vikings, check out the links of previous Viking Blogs below: Why Vikings? Who Were the Vikings? What did Vikings Look Like? Vikings - The Ginger Connection Vikings Dirty and Unkempt So Vikings weren’t the unwashed heathens our popular media likes to engender. Archaeological finds of grooming items from the Viking period show that such equipment has not significantly changed over the years. In “the toilet bags” of the Vikings, we find beautifully patterned combs, ear picks and tweezers. Wear marks on teeth also indicate that tooth picks were used. Items used for…
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