Konung’s house (Longhouse)
Longhouse is a type of a long narrow one-room house typical for various periods of history and various peoples from prehistoric Europe and America before Columbus to modern-day Asia. It is especially common for cattle-breeding cultures, and was often used as both a dwelling and an animal pen with storage spaces. A common example of a longhouse is a mead hall.
A mead hall (Old Norse mjöð-rann, also mjöðsal or mjöðhöllu, Old English meoduhealle) in Scandinavia at the time of the Vikings and for the Germanic peoples was initially a long one-room structure. Starting from the fifth century and until early Middle Ages, mead halls served as the residence of the rulers and the courtiers. Scandinavian sagas describe lavish feasts of gods and fallen warriors taking place in mead halls. The best known example is Valhalla, where Odin himself sits with the fallen.
Looking at historical facts, we should mention that the scientists (namely, A. Kirpichnikov) believe the classic northern five-wall houses derive from Scandinavian longhouses. There is, however, a different theory that the log house construction technique came to Scandinavia from Ancient Rus. In the territory of Ancient Rus, longhouses are best studied in Staraya Ladoga. However, the largest example of wooden architecture found in Staraya Ladoga was only 10.7 by 7.45 meters (77.5 square meters), which is way smaller than the classic Scandinavian structures.
The legendary 8th century Viking hall found in Lejre was 60 meters long. Similar structures found in Gudme, Denmark, in 1993 were 47 meters long and 8 meters wide. Supposedly the halls of Gudme were part of the religion and politics node and were a venue for king’s feasts. Similar halls were discovered all over Scandinavia: Sweden, Norway, and Denmark. One of the finds dating back to the Iron Age was 67 meters long, and a later find of the Viking period was as long as 83 meters. Starting from the year 500 and until Christianity (13th century) those halls were important political centers.
A mead hall (Old Norse mjöð-rann, also mjöðsal or mjöðhöllu, Old English meoduhealle) in Scandinavia at the time of the Vikings and for the Germanic peoples was initially a long one-room structure. Starting from the fifth century and until early Middle Ages, mead halls served as the residence of the rulers and the courtiers. Scandinavian sagas describe lavish feasts of gods and fallen warriors taking place in mead halls. The best known example is Valhalla, where Odin himself sits with the fallen.
Looking at historical facts, we should mention that the scientists (namely, A. Kirpichnikov) believe the classic northern five-wall houses derive from Scandinavian longhouses. There is, however, a different theory that the log house construction technique came to Scandinavia from Ancient Rus. In the territory of Ancient Rus, longhouses are best studied in Staraya Ladoga. However, the largest example of wooden architecture found in Staraya Ladoga was only 10.7 by 7.45 meters (77.5 square meters), which is way smaller than the classic Scandinavian structures.
The legendary 8th century Viking hall found in Lejre was 60 meters long. Similar structures found in Gudme, Denmark, in 1993 were 47 meters long and 8 meters wide. Supposedly the halls of Gudme were part of the religion and politics node and were a venue for king’s feasts. Similar halls were discovered all over Scandinavia: Sweden, Norway, and Denmark. One of the finds dating back to the Iron Age was 67 meters long, and a later find of the Viking period was as long as 83 meters. Starting from the year 500 and until Christianity (13th century) those halls were important political centers.
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Kilometer 33, 49К-1159, Shevelyovo village, Novgorod District.
An ancient settlement on the banks of the Volkhov River
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