- Kaupang
:"For another Viking Age site, see
Kaupanger ."Kaupang is a town founded in the 780s during the time when theVikings started to launch their raids against Britain and other parts of Europe until it was abandoned for unknown reasons in the early10th Century . It was situated inVestfold county inNorway , and in the 800s was the largest trading town.The first excavations of the area was done in 1867 by
Nicolay Nicolaysen . Most archaeologists believe it was the first urban settlement of some significance in Norway. Excavations and studies have found that Kaupang was a handcraft and commercial center, with around 1,000 inhabitants. Commodities traded includediron ,soapstone and perhapsfish .cite book |title=The Vikings in History |author=Logan, F. Donald |publisher=Routledge |year=1992 |pages=p. 20]Kaupang is mentioned under the name of
Skiringssal (or "Sciringesheal") inOhthere from Hålogaland 's tales. Ohthere visited Kaupang in the9th century , and said that it served as a market.In the summer of
2000 , theUniversity of Oslo began an extensive new excavation program at Kaupang. The leader of this new excavation process was Professor Dagfinn Skre.References
Other references
* Helle, K. et al., "Norsk Byhistorie", Pax forlag,
Oslo 2006, ISBN 978-82-530-2882-8.
* Skre, Dagfinn; Stylegar Frans-Arne, "Kaupang the viking town", Jac Trykk as,Oslo 2008, ISBN 82-8084-018-4.External links
* [http://www.apollon.uio.no/2000_english/articles/kaupang.shtml Was Kaupang Norway’s first town?]
* [http://www.kaupang.uio.no/eng/index.html The Kaupang Excavation Project]
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