Thought and Memory 

Welcome
This is the first Journal of Hugin & Munin. I started this because I wasn't finding new Viking Period Archaeological Information on the Internet. Granted, this isn't much, and this first issue is kind of experimental. I think it is a good start and hope the next installment is a little more impressive - I plan to actually format future listings as a diary. I thought there should be something out there with fresh content and citations to print articles, but so far I haven't found it, and if you do please mention it to me. Hope you find this useful, enlightning, or at least entertaining.
To persons new to the internet The Viking Homepage is one of the best lists of links to Information of the Viking Period on the net. I expect most readers of this Journal are already very familiar with The Viking Homepage and the first page of links listed there. This Journal won't be listing similar webpages that consist of links to other pages. For more information please see the H&M General Information page.
---Birgit, editor

NEWS ON THE WEB
Saxon & Viking Trade in North Wales
10th century viking-style buildings of a farm at Llanbedrgoch on Anglesey have been found built on top of a previous Saxon settlement. It seems that the location was interacting in the Hiberno-Norse trade of the Danelaw. 10th century items in good condition have been found here. From: British Archaeology, no.33, April 1998: News See http://www.britarch.ac.uk/ba/ba33/ba33news.html for complete details. By the way, here's the link to Council for British Archaeology which lists a variety of British Archaeological Journals on-line, some with a couple month delay. These are not limited to V.P.500-1200 c.e. information.

Dublin - Norse Meatmarket
The December issue of Philosophical Transactions: Biological Sciences is slated to have an article on the DNA findings of Prof. Dan Bradley, Dr. David MacHugh, Finbar McCormick and Chris Troy on bones found at Wood Quay. Comparison between the site cows and other varieties of cattle seem to indicate market supply of native irish beef. No results indicate importing cattle from scandinavia. DNA studies on horses, salmon, and other species {I assume from Wood Quay} are ongoing. From: The Irish Times on the web, Science Today, 981012 Was at science2 at http://irish-times.com/irish-times/paper/1998/1012/science2.html ........um, note that I can currently access this only from the Irish Times main webpage.

Article on Dyes
Carolyn Priest-Dorman has added another excellent paper entitled
"Colors, Dyestuffs, and Mordants of the Viking Age: An Introduction" to her viking resource page. Several other well-written and well-researched papers can be found here. The paper on dyes is at Viking Age Dystuffs. It provides general information culled from dye analyses listed in a thorough bibliography and would also be of intrest to weavers and historical re-enactors.

Archaeological Finds
Fröjel, a west Gotland site uncovered several graves and artifacts this summer. A Comprehensive website is located at Fröjel Discovery Program Take a good look at the 'Weekly Reports from the summer' linked here. Week 30 discusses the find of Gotlandic Animal-head brooches.

Slöinge in Halland province, Sweden, excavated several years ago, has a similar site at http://lalu0144@hem1.passagen.se/lalu0144/slo_home.htm Check the great bibliography on the site and related information.

BOOK REVIEWS

Wooding, Jonathan (1996, 1998). The Vikings, 1998 ed.
Rizzoli Int'l Publications, NYC
ISBN 0-8478-2106-4     LC 97-76003     $13.97
1 raven
Part of a new 'accessible' history series from Rizzolli this is an introductory overveiw of Vikings and their culture. The text is up-to-date but generic and it's loaded with pretty pictures but provides minimal cross reference information. An overview of information, it may be a useful introduction for someone who knows nothing about the culture. I felt as if the 10-to-14 year age group would find it more interesting than I did. This isn't a source for primary documentation! General bibliograpy, general index, generously photo-illustrated & with picture credits and very limited mention of picture sources. Other titles in the series include The Celts, The Romans, & The Egyptians.

Fleming, Fergus (1997). The Viking Invader, 1998 printing.
Usborne Publishing, London.
ISBN not available     $6.95
1 raven (parody)
Norse History clashes with the National Inquirerer! 786-1016 reported in a tabloid fashion complete with ads! Heavy emphasis on grooming habits and danegeld! A quiz! The 10-to-14 year age group could get a good handle on the Vikings right here, and maybe a chuckle while reading it! * Another totally useless book for the historian, it is filled with silly comments and sight gags. For the most part it nails the historic high points right on the head! Could be good for that history reveiw that tells you maybe it's time to look up Harold Finehair one more time. No bibliography, no index, no cross-reference information.
* I'd recommend parental interaction for younger readers: an oppourtunity for literature comparision and contrast, explaining the difference between primary and secondary and tertiary source materials, & discussing parody as a literary style to the kid.

Sawyer, Peter, ed. (1997). The Oxford Illustrated History of the Vikings, 1997 ed. Oxford Univerity Press Inc., NYC
ISBN 0-19-820526-0     $45.00
4 ravens
Comprehensive chapters written by various authors on aspects of Norse culture also includes chapters on the Franks and 'Viking Romanticism' of the 19th and 20th century. Note a lack of flow from one chapter to the other, redeemed by the amount of current-to-date information. A very good detail reference, it supplements Else Roesdahl's 1987 The Vikings and her edit, with David M. Wilson, of the 1992 From Viking to Crusader: Scandinavia and Europe 800-1200 {2 books that should be on every serious viking-age history nut's shelf}. Great annotated bibliography, very good index, timeline, well illustrated throughout.

WE ARE Awaiting Publication Of......... A New Book by Michaël Fant and Roger Lundgren : An English ed. of "Vikingarnas gästabud" or "The Viking Feast". See the Book section at Viking Heritage for more details.