Retracing the Vikings in the East : A review of Scandinavian-Islamic interfaces
Roslund, Mats LU
(2023)
In Papers and Monographs from the Norwegian Institute at Athens
14.
p.147-167
- Abstract
- The most common contacts during the Viking Age from a Swedish perspective were to the East. Millions of Islamic coins flowed into Scandinavia from North Africa, the Caliphate, and the Samanid dominion in Central Asia. Their origins differed, and the temporality of the silver stream makes it possible to outline changing interfaces between the actors. Some well known artifacts from the same direction entered Scandinavia. Besides artefacts, Arabic written sources have contributed greatly to our understanding of the actors involved.
This contribution addresses two questions: how are Scandinavian contacts with Islamic regions presented and used in contemporary discourse, and what is the archaeological evidence for these contacts? Four... (More) - The most common contacts during the Viking Age from a Swedish perspective were to the East. Millions of Islamic coins flowed into Scandinavia from North Africa, the Caliphate, and the Samanid dominion in Central Asia. Their origins differed, and the temporality of the silver stream makes it possible to outline changing interfaces between the actors. Some well known artifacts from the same direction entered Scandinavia. Besides artefacts, Arabic written sources have contributed greatly to our understanding of the actors involved.
This contribution addresses two questions: how are Scandinavian contacts with Islamic regions presented and used in contemporary discourse, and what is the archaeological evidence for these contacts? Four exhibitions and published media have been chosen to demonstrate how connections between Sweden and the East are presented to the public. I also present a critical review of the contacts, by highlighting historical conditions in the region between Eastern Middle Sweden and the Caspian Sea. In this vast area, people who were engaged in the transfer of commodities relied on well-tried routes and routines in a ‘down-the-line’ system, engaging several of these groups. Instead of direct trade with the Caliphate, I argue that Khazars, Volga Bulgars and Finnic peoples were those the Scandinavians primarily interacted with.
Islamic objects were imported into Sweden in the past. However, the influx is dispersed over a long period of time and they were handled by intermediaries, thus giving little evidence of direct interfaces and possibilities for influences from Islam. I agree with Jan Peder Lamm; ‘The finds suggest that the contacts with the Islamic World mainly were indirect, and mainly as a result from an in-flow of minted and un-minted silver’. Therefore, it is essential that we find a way of solving contemporary political contradictions without violating the past. (Less) - Abstract (Swedish)
- De vanligaste kontakterna under vikingatiden ur ett svenskt perspektiv gick österut. Miljontals islamiska mynt flödade in i Skandinavien från Nordafrika, kalifatet och det samanidiska herraväldet i Centralasien. Deras ursprung varierade, och silverströmmens kronologi gör det möjligt att beskriva föränderliga relationer mellan aktörerna. Några välkända artefakter från samma riktning kom till Skandinavien. Förutom artefakter har arabiska skriftliga källor i hög grad bidragit till vår förståelse av de inblandade aktörerna.
Detta bidrag tar upp två frågor: hur presenteras och används skandinaviska kontakter med islamiska regioner i samtida diskurser, och vilka är de arkeologiska bevisen för dessa kontakter? Fyra utställningar och... (More) - De vanligaste kontakterna under vikingatiden ur ett svenskt perspektiv gick österut. Miljontals islamiska mynt flödade in i Skandinavien från Nordafrika, kalifatet och det samanidiska herraväldet i Centralasien. Deras ursprung varierade, och silverströmmens kronologi gör det möjligt att beskriva föränderliga relationer mellan aktörerna. Några välkända artefakter från samma riktning kom till Skandinavien. Förutom artefakter har arabiska skriftliga källor i hög grad bidragit till vår förståelse av de inblandade aktörerna.
Detta bidrag tar upp två frågor: hur presenteras och används skandinaviska kontakter med islamiska regioner i samtida diskurser, och vilka är de arkeologiska bevisen för dessa kontakter? Fyra utställningar och publicerade forskningsresultat i medier har valts ut för att visa hur kontakter mellan Sverige och öst presenteras för allmänheten. Jag presenterar också en kritisk granskning av kontakterna, genom att presentera föremålsgrupper som ansetts som ”orientaliska” och belysa historiska förhållanden i regionen mellan östra Mellansverige och Kaspiska havet. I detta vidsträckta område förlitade sig personer som var engagerade i överföring av varor på väl beprövade rutter och rutiner i ett "down-the-line"-system, vilket engagerade flera av dessa grupper. Istället för direkt handel med kalifatet och Centralasien hävdar jag att khazarer, volga-bulgarer och finska folk var de som skandinaverna främst interagerade med.
Islamiska föremål har uppenbarligen importerats till Sverige. Inflödet är dock spritt över en lång tidsperiod och de hanterades av mellanhänder, vilket ger få bevis på direkta kontakter och möjligheter till influenser från islam. Jag håller med Jan Peder Lamm: "Fynden tyder på att kontakterna med den islamiska världen huvudsakligen var indirekta och främst ett resultat av ett inflöde av myntat och omyntat silver". Därför är det viktigt att vi hittar ett sätt att lösa dagens politiska motsättningar utan att kränka det förflutna.
(Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/e3adaa6d-6161-42f8-9df8-5ca21a56d3d3
- author
- Roslund, Mats
LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2023
- type
- Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
- publication status
- published
- subject
- host publication
- Vikings in the Mediterranean : Proceedings of an International Conference Co-organized by the Norwegian, Swedish, and Danish Institutes at Athens - Proceedings of an International Conference Co-organized by the Norwegian, Swedish, and Danish Institutes at Athens
- series title
- Papers and Monographs from the Norwegian Institute at Athens
- volume
- 14
- pages
- 21 pages
- publisher
- Norwegian Institute at Athens
- ISSN
- 1105-4204
- ISBN
- 978-618-85360-4-3
- project
- "Followers of the Books"- Islamic and Jewish perspectives on medieval Europe.
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- e3adaa6d-6161-42f8-9df8-5ca21a56d3d3
- date added to LUP
- 2023-08-22 15:45:00
- date last changed
- 2024-02-09 13:32:41
@inproceedings{e3adaa6d-6161-42f8-9df8-5ca21a56d3d3,
abstract = {{The most common contacts during the Viking Age from a Swedish perspective were to the East. Millions of Islamic coins flowed into Scandinavia from North Africa, the Caliphate, and the Samanid dominion in Central Asia. Their origins differed, and the temporality of the silver stream makes it possible to outline changing interfaces between the actors. Some well known artifacts from the same direction entered Scandinavia. Besides artefacts, Arabic written sources have contributed greatly to our understanding of the actors involved.<br/><br/>This contribution addresses two questions: how are Scandinavian contacts with Islamic regions presented and used in contemporary discourse, and what is the archaeological evidence for these contacts? Four exhibitions and published media have been chosen to demonstrate how connections between Sweden and the East are presented to the public. I also present a critical review of the contacts, by highlighting historical conditions in the region between Eastern Middle Sweden and the Caspian Sea. In this vast area, people who were engaged in the transfer of commodities relied on well-tried routes and routines in a ‘down-the-line’ system, engaging several of these groups. Instead of direct trade with the Caliphate, I argue that Khazars, Volga Bulgars and Finnic peoples were those the Scandinavians primarily interacted with.<br/><br/>Islamic objects were imported into Sweden in the past. However, the influx is dispersed over a long period of time and they were handled by intermediaries, thus giving little evidence of direct interfaces and possibilities for influences from Islam. I agree with Jan Peder Lamm; ‘The finds suggest that the contacts with the Islamic World mainly were indirect, and mainly as a result from an in-flow of minted and un-minted silver’. Therefore, it is essential that we find a way of solving contemporary political contradictions without violating the past.}},
author = {{Roslund, Mats}},
booktitle = {{Vikings in the Mediterranean : Proceedings of an International Conference Co-organized by the Norwegian, Swedish, and Danish Institutes at Athens}},
isbn = {{978-618-85360-4-3}},
issn = {{1105-4204}},
language = {{eng}},
pages = {{147--167}},
publisher = {{Norwegian Institute at Athens}},
series = {{Papers and Monographs from the Norwegian Institute at Athens}},
title = {{Retracing the Vikings in the East : A review of Scandinavian-Islamic interfaces}},
volume = {{14}},
year = {{2023}},
}