• 1: Who were the Vikings?
• 1: Warriors and Viking society
• 1: Raiding, plunder and slaves
• 1: Longships
• 1: Viking swords
• 1: Armour, clothing and other weapons
• 1: Fighting at sea
• 1: Battle tactics
• 1: Making camp
• 1: Warriors go east
• 1: Warriors go west
• 1: Valhalla and the afterlife
• 1: Warriors become Christian
• 1: Glossary
• 1: Further information & Timeline
• 1: Index

John. C Miles began his fascinating journey of discovery in Toronto, Canada where he trained as a classical musician. Moving to the UK, he spent many years as a parasite on the broad back of London whilst working as a children's non-fiction editor. Like Anthony à Wood, he is a snapper up of unconsidered historical trifles and has spent many years studying the past and wondering how and why. He now lives near Bath, growing parsnips, taking photographs with his collection of vintage film cameras and dressing as an 18th-century pirate.

Vikings have a fearsome reputation as terrifying and brutal warriors, raiding other lands and killing without mercy. They were expert fighters, but also pioneers of seafaring exploration and they traded far and wide. Through artefacts and excavations, Discover the Vikings: Warriors, Exploration and Trade explores the Viking world by examining - among other things - longships that were designed especially for fighting, the places they travelled to in order to populate new lands or trade goods such as silver and slaves, and the gods they worshiped to give them victory in battle or ensure a glorious afterlife.
The book also invites readers to use their own imaginations to think about what it would be like to live in Viking times. Would you have been brave enough to take part in a battle to capture an enemy town?
Find out even more about the Vikings in Discover the Vikings: Everyday Life, Art and Culture. For readers aged 7+.