ISBN10: 0199262217, ISBN13: 9780199262212, [publisher: Oxford University Press, Oxford] Softcover Paperback. There are over 3,000 runic inscriptions on stone made in Scandinavia in the late Viking Age. This book is the first attempt by a historian to study the material as a whole. The analysis reveals significant regional variations that reflect the different stages in the process of conversion to Christianity and the growth of royal power. Many monuments were declarations of faith or manifestations of status; but virtually all reflect inheritance customs found inlater Scandinavian law codes. The results of this analysis make a significant contribution to understanding developments in other parts of the Germanic world, as well as Scandinavia. The inclusion of adigest of the data-base on which this book is based will facilitate further study of this rich vein of evidence. This is the first historical study of the whole body of late Viking runic inscription stones in Scandinavia. The 3,000 inscriptions which are more or less complete yield unexpected information on a wide range of topics, including the conversion of Scandinavia to Christianity, the growth of royal power, and, most important of all, the inheritance customs of the period. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.
[Wilmington, DE, U.S.A.] [Publication Year: ...
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