Vendel Period

Vendel Period

In Scandinavian prehistory, especially in Swedish prehistory, the Vendel Period, also called the Vendel Age (Swedish: Vendeltiden), lasted from about 550 to 800 AD. It came after the Migration Period and before the Viking Age, beginning after the Volcanic winter of 536. The period gets its name from a rich burial site found near Vendel parish church in Uppland.

During this time, people made many beautiful artworks from copper, especially pictures of animals. They also created tiny gold foil pictures called guldgubbar and made helmets with special designs, like ones found at Sutton Hoo in England.

People from Sweden traveled through rivers and lands that later became Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus. They stopped using the old Elder Futhark writing system and began using the Younger Futhark instead. There are not many written records from this time, but some runestones survive, like the ones at Rök and Sparlösa, made around 800 AD. Other sources include a few Icelandic stories, the tale of Beowulf, and writings from southern Europe, but these can be hard to understand.

Background

The Germanic Iron Age has two parts: the Early and the Late. In Sweden, the Late part from about 550 to 800 AD is called the Vendel era. In Norway, people call this time the Merovingian Age, and in Denmark, it is known as the Younger Germanic Iron Age.

This time began after the fall of the Western Roman Empire. New kingdoms grew in Europe, like those of the Franks, Lombards, and Avar Khaganate. Gold became hard to find, so Scandinavian artists used bronze and made designs with animals. Over time, these designs became more detailed and abstract, with twisting and overlapping shapes.

Places like Old Uppsala in Sweden were important for religion and leadership. They had sacred groves and large royal burial mounds.

Burial customs

Some places have been found with rich gifts, showing high status or royalty. These include well-preserved boat graves at Vendel and Valsgärde, and large mounds at Gamla Uppsala. These graves were used for many generations.

Some treasures may have come from controlling mining areas and making iron. Leaders had skilled warriors on horseback with expensive armor. Their graves contain items like stirrups and saddle decorations made of gilded bronze with shiny stones. Chess pieces made of ivory in the Roman style were found, along with three Middle Eastern cameos and buttons made of gold. Clothes made of gold thread from the Frankish people were also discovered. Games were popular, as shown by finds of tafl games, including pieces and dice.

The Sutton Hoo helmet looks very similar to helmets found in Gamla Uppsala, Vendel, and Valsgärde. They share features like boar imagery and special foil decoration, indicating that the Anglo-Saxon leaders had strong connections with Swedish leaders.

Written sources

Stories from the 6th century tell of elite warriors on horseback. The Goth scholar Jordanes wrote that the Swedes had very good horses, almost as good as the Thuringians. Later stories, like those by Snorri Sturluson, talk about a king named Adils who was a great fighter on horseback. He fought against warriors such as Áli and Hrólf Kraki. The well-known story of Beowulf describes big wars, called the Swedish-Geatish wars, between two royal families: the Scylfling family of the Swedes and the Wulfling family of the Geats.

Some of these Swedish stories might have been based on real people. The Geats may have been one of the groups that helped settle Britain with the Anglo-Saxons. They could be the people the English called the Jutes. The Wulfling dynasty from Geatland might be connected to another royal family known as the Wuffingas.

Timeline of Swedish history

The Vendel Period, also called the Vendel Age, was a time in Scandinavian history between about 550 and 800 AD. It came after a big change in the climate and before the Viking Age. This period is named after a place called Vendel, where important old burial sites were found. During this time, people created beautiful animal designs on copper items.