The Vikings were farmers most of the time

 

Down on the Viking farm

I read an interesting article about the Vikings and how they dealt with climate change on their farms.  While they were famous for raiding and trading, like most societies back in their time, they kept their bellies full via agriculture.  The article noted that they had to deal with some significant climate shifts (partly due to volcanic activity) up in the the northern climes, and they shifted the livestock vs. crop balance depending on the prevailing winds and temperatures.

Food Security Lessons from the Vikings

“Our findings demonstrate that climate already changed in the past, it is not something new, and societies had to adapt to it already 1,500 years ago. This shows that we also have to adapt to the rapid climate change we observe today in order to maintain and improve our food production,” said Manon Bajard of the University of Oslo, who presented the research in April at the 2021 general assembly of the European Geosciences Union."

They examined cores from a lake near a big Viking barrow (mound), i.e., the garbage dump indicating the presence of a big Viking village or villages nearby.  Pollen and fungal spores indicated the crops and livestock intensity of the farming.

"The key finding was that warmer phases were dominated by the cultivation of crops, whereas cooler phases were dominated by livestock farming. Manon’s team, as well as archaeologists working at Rakni’s mound, suggest that it is, perhaps, not surprising that farmers would rely more on animals during colder periods (when crop yields are reduced) and are reexamining archaeological evidence to support this theory."

So, the next time you're quaffing a mug of mead, you can think about this.