- For another Viking Age site, see Kaupanger
Kaupanger is a village situated along the Sognefjord in the Sogndal municipality of Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. Originating from a Ice age settlement, Kaupanger had a population of 2486 in 2007. The Kaupanger stave church which was built in the 12th century is located here....
.
Kaupang is a town founded in the 780s during the time when the Vikings started to launch their raids against
BritainGreat Britain is an island lying to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island. With a population of about 59.6 million people, it is the third most populated island on Earth. Great Britain is surrounded by over 1000 smaller...
and other parts of Europe until it was abandoned for unknown reasons in the early 10th century. It was situated in
Vestfoldis a county in Norway, bordering Buskerud and Telemark. The county administration is in Tønsberg.Vestfold is located west of the Oslofjord, as the name indicates. It includes many smaller, but well-known towns in Norway, such as Larvik, Sandefjord, Tønsberg and Horten. The river Numedalslågen runs...
county in
NorwayNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a country in Northern Europe occupying the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, as well as Jan Mayen and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard under the Spitsbergen Treaty...
.
The first excavations of the area was done in 1867 by
Nicolay NicolaysenNicolay Nicolaysen was a Norwegian archaeologist. He is most famous for excavating the Gokstad ship burial at Gokstad farm in Sandar, Sandefjord, Vestfold, Norway, in 1880.-References:...
. 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 included
ironIron is a metallic chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. Iron is a group 8 and period 4 element and is therefore classified as a transition metal. Iron and iron alloys are by far the most common metals and the most common ferromagnetic materials in everyday use...
,
soapstoneSoapstone is a metamorphic rock, a talc-schist. It is largely composed of the mineral talc and is rich in magnesium. It is produced by dynamothermal metamorphism and metasomatism, which occurs in the areas where tectonic plates are subducted, changing rocks by heat and pressure, with influx of...
and perhaps
fishA fish is any aquatic vertebrate animal that is typically ectothermic , covered with scales, and equipped with two sets of paired fins and several unpaired fins...
.
Kaupang is mentioned under the name of
SkiringssalSkiringssal is the name of an area situated in the Norwegian municipalities of Larvik and Sandefjord, in the southern region of the county of Vestfold. Kaupang, the first known Norwegian trading outpost, was created at Skiringssal in the early 9th century and disappeared 930...
(or
Sciringesheal) in Ohthere from Hålogaland's tales. Ohthere visited Kaupang in the 9th century, and said that it served as a market.
In the summer of 2000, the
University of OsloThe University of Oslo is the oldest, largest and most prestigious university in Norway, situated in the Norwegian capital of Oslo.It was founded in 1811 as The Royal Frederick University...
began an extensive new excavation program at Kaupang. The leader of this new excavation process was Professor Dagfinn Skre.
Other references
- Helle, K. et al., Norsk Byhistorie, Pax forlag, Oslo
is the capital and largest city in Norway. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the town was largely destroyed by a fire in 1624. The Danish–Norwegian king Christian IV rebuilt the city as Christiania . Oslo, then an alternative name, became official again in 1925...
2006, ISBN 978-82-530-2882-8.
- Skre, Dagfinn; Stylegar Frans-Arne, Kaupang the viking town, Jac Trykk as, Oslo
is the capital and largest city in Norway. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the town was largely destroyed by a fire in 1624. The Danish–Norwegian king Christian IV rebuilt the city as Christiania . Oslo, then an alternative name, became official again in 1925...
2008, ISBN 82-8084-018-4.
External links