For most Vikings, the family longhouse was where they spent most of their time. There was space for sitting, sleeping, cooking and for leisure activities such as story-telling around the fire.
How Was a Viking Longhouse Constructed?
Archaeological investigations have found than a longhouse could be up to seven metres wide and 75 metres long.
The type of material used to construct a longhouse depended upon the resources available in the area. The most common material used was wood, from which the walls were constructed, with stone footings as a base and wattle-and-daub filling the spaces between the wood. The roof was usually made from turf, which could be replaced periodically.
Where wood was in short supply, peat could be used instead, which acted as an insulator, but could be a fire hazard. The roof of the longhouse had a hole, through which smoke from the central fire, which was used for cooking and as a source of heat, could escape. The floor was packed dirt, which could easily be swept of food debris.
Life in a Viking Longhouse
The main living area of the longhouse was around the fire, where much of the domestic activity centred. The inhabitants of the house would be drawn towards the light and heat of the fire, which was kept burning all day, often with a pot of food cooking over it.
Around the outside of the room were benches, covered in animal fur or skin, to provide extra warmth and comfort. The only light came from the door, roof opening and the fire. These benches were often also used for sleeping, with the master and mistress of the house sometimes having a separate box bed.
Valuables were kept in wooden chests, which were kept in the room with the rest of the family’s belongings. Weapons could be stored in the chest, or hung on the walls.
There is some evidence that some longhouses were divided into two or three rooms, with a curtain separating the different living and sleeping areas. Wealthier people were more likely to be able to afford to create private sleeping spaces, because they could afford to create bigger houses.
At the other extreme, the poorest families were obliged to share their living quarters with the family’s animals. Although this may have been unpleasant, it would have provided extra warmth in winter.
Outside the Viking Longhouse
Most families had access to at least a small yard, where animals and non-perishable belongings could be kept. Creatures such as hens and pigs would have been free to roam the fenced yard and would have provided welcome supplements to the family’s diet. Wealthier Vikings had wood or stone storage buildings, in which to keep tools and provisions.
The majority of longhouses were grouped together, probably to provide protection in an uncertain and often violent age. Most were in urban settings, however, towards the beginning of the tenth century, it became more common to live in an urban setting, such as York, where trade and industry could be carried out easily.
Source
Chartrand R, Durham K, Harrison M, Heath I The Vikings: Voyagers of Discovery and Plunder [Osprey, 2006]
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