Viking Age in Estonia

Viking Age Estonia
793 AD – 1066 AD
The Iru fort in Northern Estonia
Chronology Pre-Viking Age Estonia Danish Estonia, Terra Mariana

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The Viking Age in Estonia was a period in the history of Estonia, part of the Viking Age (793–1066 AD).^[1] It was not a unified country at the time, and the area of Ancient Estonia was divided among loosely allied regions.^[2] It was preceded by the Bronze and Early Iron Ages in Estonia, during which an agrarian society had developed,^[3] the Migration Period (450–550 AD), and Pre-Viking Age (550–800 AD) with the Viking Age itself lasting between 800 and 1050 AD.^[4][1] It is often considered to be part of the Iron Age period which started around 400 AD and ended around 1200 AD. Some 16th-century Swedish chronicles attribute the Pillage of Sigtuna in 1187 to Estonian raiders.^[5]

The society, economy, settlement and culture of the territory of what is in the present-day the country of Estonia is studied mainly through archaeological sources. The era is seen to have been a period of rapid change. The Estonian peasant culture came into existence by the end of the Viking Age. The overall understanding of the Viking Age in Estonia is deemed to be fragmentary and superficial, because of the limited amount of surviving source material. The main sources for understanding the period are remains of the farms and fortresses of the era, cemeteries and a large amount of excavated objects.^[4]

The landscape of Ancient Estonia featured numerous hillforts, some later hillforts on Saaremaa heavily fortified during the Viking Age and on to the 12th century.^[6] The areas of Northern and Western Estonia belonged in the Scandinavian cultural sphere during the Viking Age.^[7] There were a number of late prehistoric or medieval harbour sites on the coast of Saaremaa, but none have been found that are large enough to be international trade centres.^[6] The Estonian islands also have a number of graves from the Viking Age, both individual and collective, with weapons and jewellery.^[6] Weapons found in Estonian Viking Age graves are common to types found throughout Northern Europe and Scandinavia.^[8]