Dublina and the Vilking World

Statue of Olaf the White, a Viking King in Dublin c. 842

After I visited the two religious buildings on Friday I walked over the Dublina, which is connected to Christ Chruch with an archway.   Dublina and the Viking World is a well done exhibit that is interesting for children and adults alike.  The Vikings arrived in Dublin in 841, Not all Vikings were farmers, most of them were farmers, and some were traders  Contrary to popular belief the vikings did not wear horned hats into battle, but may have worn the hats for cerimoncial purposes.  The horned hat would have put them at a great disadvantage to their enemies by providing a hand hold to readily slit thier viking throats.   They wore simple, padded tunics and did not wear armor until later.

Their boats where the same on both sides to making it easier to raid places like monasteries.  They attacked the monasteries because they were undefended and they were able to readily get grain and cattle for nourishment. 



In 1348 the Black Plauge reached Dublin, killing thousands of people.  Since people did not know about germs they thought that the sickness was a punishment sent from god.  The diaese is believed to have been spread through the fleas found on rats, which spread rapidly due to the large shipping industry operating throughout Europe.

In 1961, when construction on the current City Council building began, one of the largest Viking compounds containing the ruins of around 200 Viking houses was unearthed in Dublin.  Despite the protests from many of the local people, the city proceeded to construct the building on the chosen site. The city gave only three years to excavate as many artifacts as possible, many of which are now on display in the National Museum of Archaeology of Dublin.