Carnegie Science Center exhibit explores the Viking Age
Artifacts from the Viking Age are in the exhibit "Vikings: Warriors of the North Sea" at the Carnegie Science Center.
A rendering of a Viking ship in "Vikings: Warriors of the North Seas."
Brad Hundt/Observer-Reporter
Tom Kusiowski, a Viking reenactor, speaks at the media preview for “Vikings: Warriors of the North Sea” at the Carnegie Science Center.
Swords used by the Vikings in the exhibit "Vikings: Warriors of the North Sea" at the Carnegie Science Center.
Brad Hundt/Observer-Reporter
A bridge post from the Viking Age.
Brad Hundt/Observer-Reporter
Silver-plated stirrups from the Viking Age in the exhibit “Vikings: Warriors of the North Sea.”
Brad Hundt/Observer-Reporter
ON THE COVER: A reproduction of a Viking ship in “Vikings: Warriors of the North Sea.”
PITTSBURGH – The Vikings were kind of like a motorcycle gang.
Rather than zooming into some little town on Harleys to wreak havoc, like in the 1953 Marlon Brando movie “The Wild One,” the Vikings would come sailing in from their Scandinavian stronghold, quickly subdue the local population and make off with loads of loot before taking again to the high seas.
The online Encyclopedia Britannica even describes Vikings as “raiders,” “pirates” and “colonizers.” Another source sums up the Vikings as “seafaring warriors.”
But hold up a minute. What if the Vikings have been misunderstood all along?
Rather than being brutes, bullies and plunderers, what if the Vikings were actually just workaday farmers, struggling to scratch out a life in the unforgiving landscape of Northern Europe? What if they were highly-skilled craftsmen and able traders? What if, in the year 1000, they were just curious about what was going on in the world beyond their chilly corner of it?
A traveling exhibit that has settled into the Carnegie Science Center, “Vikings: Warriors of the North Sea,” takes a fresh look at what has been called the Viking Age by looking at the traditions and beliefs that guided the Vikings, the art they created, the weaponry and tools they used and the culture that grew up around them. Created in a partnership between the National Museum of Denmark, MuseumsPartner in Austria and Pointe-a-Calliere Museum in Montreal, the exhibit contains more than 140 artifacts, including jewelry, weapons, brooches, clothing, a full-size replica of a Viking boat and more.
Jason Brown, director of the Carnegie Science Center, explained that Vikings are prevalent in popular culture, “but they are often misrepresented and misunderstood. … What they created and accomplished entailed science, technology, engineering and math skill, and yielded productive results. Vikings built sturdy, lightweight ships, navigated without compasses, crafted beautiful jewelry, and are even credited with inventing combs.”
Vikings are “distant to most people,” said Peter Pentz, a curator at the National Museum of Denmark. “We hope by bringing these artifacts to Pittsburgh, it creates interest among youth. … Their history is still fascinating.”
Pentz added that there is still much to discover about the Vikings, whose heyday was a relatively short 250 years or so, from the 790s to the 1060s. The Viking Age was a time noted for its turbulence, as smaller kingdoms merged into larger kingdoms and, perhaps more crucially, belief systems were being radically altered, as paganism was being traded for Christianity. Vikings also ventured onto North American soil, so, as Pentz pointed out, “Viking history is part of American history.”
Along with looking at centuries-old artifacts, visitors to “Vikings: Warriors of the North Sea” will be able to build a Viking ship using a touch screen, test the balance between the blade and handle of a replica Viking sword, and play a digital version of a Viking strategy game that pre-dates the introduction of chess.
The artifacts “have the power of carrying the past into the present,” Pentz said.
“Vikings: Warriors of the North Sea” will be at the Carnegie Science Center through Monday, Sept. 4. Tickets and additional information are available at carnegiesciencecenter.org/exhibits/vikings.