What was so special about Viking ships? - Jan Bill
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As the Roman Empire flourished, Scandinavians had small settlements and no central government. Yet by the 11th century, they had spread far from Scandinavia, gaining control of trade routes throughout Europe, conquering kingdoms as far as Africa, and building outposts in North America. What was the secret to their success? Jan Bill dives into the history of the formidable Viking longship.
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Meet The Creators
- Educator Jan Bill
- Director Franco Barroeta Fonseca
- Narrator Addison Anderson
- Storyboard Artist Franco Barroeta Fonseca
- Animator Vidal Barrera, José Ali Sánchez, Santiago Carreto, Angélica Morales, Sebastián Castillo, Mariana Maza, Daniela Leal
- Compositor Julián André
- Art Director Carolina Porrero
- Sound Designer Julián André
- Music Julián André, Blas Cernicchiaro
- Director of Production Gerta Xhelo, Gerta Xhelo
- Editorial Producer Alex Rosenthal, Alex Rosenthal
- Producer Bethany Cutmore-Scott, Bethany Cutmore-Scott
- Associate Editorial Producer Dan Kwartler, Elizabeth Cox
- Script Editor Alex Gendler
- Fact-Checker Eden Girma

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The Viking ships are famous for their beauty and their daring voyages. But were other phenomena more important for shaping the Viking era?
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Joshua JW5757
Lesson in progress
At the beginning of the Viking era we saw the collapse of Charlemagne's empire and as such another weakening stance in Europe left more space and time for the Vikings to set sail. The other event is the fact that icecap records show a decrease in temperatures in Europe leading to the idea that the Vikings set sail for lands better suited for crop growth.