Embers of the Hands: Hidden Histories of the Viking Age

The Viking Age, often thought of as a time of continuous terror, receives a new focus in this intriguing book. Its purpose is to look at the everyday lives of ordinary people rather than warriors and kings. Historian and BBC broadcaster Barraclough does this by using historical records (chronicles, sagas, missives, letters, and documents) and archeological artifacts (combs, textiles, cutting boards, farm equipment, looms, drawings, and runic inscriptions, as well as skeletal remains) to search for clues about daily Viking life. Barraclough looks beyond the surface of these sources for glimpses of ordinary humanity: for example, gleaning information about hairstyles and hygiene from an abbot’s complaints, sensing someone’s boredom from graffiti on a boat, or perceiving a wife’s annoyance with her husband in a runic message. In so doing, Barraclough takes readers on a fascinating journey that looks for the voices of ordinary people through a wide range of everyday human experiences, such as travel, childbirth, beliefs, home life, and play.