Captivity and Slavery in Viking Age Scandinavia

Perceptions of Viking raiding have often considered these activities to have been primarily motivated by the acquisition of portable wealth and plunder. However, explicit accounts in historical sources and sagas demonstrate that many Viking groups sought not only material wealth but also to abduct large numbers of captives. While some captives were quickly ransomed or killed, there is also evidence attesting to the long-distance trafficking, employment and exploitation of slaves across a geographical area that would encompass much of the Viking world, ranging from southern Spain to the lands of the Rūs in the east.

In recent years, the evidence for captivity and slavery has become better conceptualised within theoretical and methodological frameworks. Recent novel and innovative analyses of archaeological material have similarly allowed light to be shed on the nuances of slavery among Scandinavian societies. This session will provide a multidisciplinary forum for the presentation of both new and continuing research on captivity and slavery during the Viking Age, in addition to the discussion of these practices within their wider contexts.