An extraordinary journey into the Viking world
Inviting visitors to take a journey into the Viking world and explore the truth behind the popular myth of the bloodthirsty raiders, this two year exhibition ran from 20 March 205 – 2 January 2017. Read on to find out about the highlights….
Image: The vikings boatyard in the Viking Voyagers exhibition. Photo by Paul Abbitt
Full scale replica Viking cargo ship
Exploring the seafaring prowess and Celtic connections of the iconic Viking age, the exhibition showcased Viking-period artefacts and shone a spotlight on boatbuilding and seamanship, getting under the skin of the Vikings as a maritime people.
Image: A 14 metre full scale replica cargo ship, built in-house at The National Maritime Museum Cornwall, as part of the Viking Voyagers exhibition. Photo by Paul Abbitt
Treasured artefacts from the Viking world sat alongside a 14m full-scale replica cargo ship that visitors could climb aboard and imagine life as a Viking. Raiding and trading, navigation and seamanship, Viking beliefs and rituals and Cnut’s empire of the sea, were all explored.
Treasured artefacts from the Viking world
The exhibition offered the opportunity to get up close to rare antiquities on loan from the British Museum, National Museum of Ireland, National Museum of Denmark and Manx National Heritage.
Image: Treasured artefacts from the Viking world in the Vikings boat yard. Photo by Paul Abbitt
The exhibition also explored the history of the Vikings in Cornwall.
Dr Gareth Williams, co-curator on the exhibition and the British Museum’s world-leading Viking historian said: “The Vikings raided Cornwall, but they also allied with the Cornish against West Saxon expansion and Cornwall was an important point on a sailing route from Scandinavia round Scotland to the Irish Sea and on to Brittany. To a great extent the history of the Vikings is the history of their ships and boats.”
Hands on and interactive
The legacy of Norse men and women in popular culture, a Viking boatyard complete with an iconic 6m Viking boat and hands on weapons and tools added to the epic experience of Viking life 1000 years ago.
Image: View of the Viking Voyagers exhibition including Viking boat yard, replica cargo ship and treasured artefacts. Photo by Paul Abbitt.
