In this documentary, we look at the origins of the Kievan Rus. The Vikings who assailed the shores of Britain and France were mostly Norwegian or Danish. But Viking adventurers from Sweden were drawn east, to the Baltic Sea and beyond. What drove their wanderlust was the dirhem, a high-grade silver coin. In the 9th century, the Caliphate’s wealthy markets teemed with luxury goods. These coins found their way to Sweden, and sparked the curiosity of enterprising chiefs. On the Swedish island of Gotland, vast silver hoards filled with dirhems confirm the activity of Swedish Vikings trading and plundering in the Baltic.

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Sources:
-Ferguson, Robert - The Vikings, (Penguin, 2010)
-Haywood, John - Northmen: The Viking Saga, AD 793-1241, (Head of Zeus, 2020)
-Ibn-Fadlan and the Land of Darkness: Arab Travelers in the Far North, trans Paul Lunde, (Penguin, 20212)
-Logan, F. Donald - The Vikings in History, (Routledge, 1991)
-The Poetic Edda - Stories of the Norse Gods and Heroes, trans. Jackson Crawford, (Hackett, 2015)
-Plokhy, Serhii - The Gates of Europe: A History of Ukraine, (Basic, 2021)

Animated maps by Daniel Weiss
Narrated by Tom Wylde
Written and edited by J Stephen Roberts

#Vikings #KievanRus #ProjectUkraine

End credits song: "Isabel" by Roman Lion:
   • Isabel - Roman Lion