Vikings: The Battle at the End of Time - Softcover

Viking artifacts discovered across a vast expanse from Russia and Turkey to Greenland and North America bear witness to an artistic legacy that amazes with its richness and diversity, giving lie to the popular conception of the Vikings as a seafaring horde of barbarous plunderers. Vikings is an opulent survey of their culture, presenting an artistry of immense sophistication, whose artifacts range from exquisite gold jewelry to ornate weapons and intricate wood carvings. It explores themes that have long preoccupied the popular imagination: the restless spirit of these Scandinavian seafarers and their voyages in quest of adventure, riches, conquest, glory and trade; their gods and goddesses; the mysteries of the afterlife; their belief in magic, enchantment and transformation; the veneration of heroes and the cult of the warrior; and their ceremonies and sacrifices. These and other themes are interpreted visually through iconography, pattern, motif, and symbolism, as well as in terms of their underlying historical and spiritual significance. A splendid addition to any library of art and the imagination.

Tony Allan served as Series Editor of the Time-Life History of the World and worked as author and consultant on their Myth and Mankind series. His books include Ancient Rome, The Archaeology of the Afterlife, The Symbol Detective and The Mythic Bestiary (all published by DBP).