Have you ever wondered how Viking houses were built and out of what? It turns out, even archeologists had it wrong for a very long time. In this episode we talk to historian and archaeologist Sigurlaugur Ingólfsson, director of operations at the Árbæjarsafn Open Air Museum in Reykjavík, Iceland, who tells us how Viking houses were built, why they were built that way, and what we can learn from modern reconstructions.
As always, our conversation takes a couple of interesting detours such as Viking Age bathrooms, garbage dumps, and why Icelandic sheep are so special, which Terri has experienced firsthand.
We also talk about several places you can go to experience historic Nordic housing. Check out the Norsk Folkemuseum in Norway, as well as Stöng Settlement and the Viking Settlement Exhibition, both in Iceland.
The video version of this episode is available on our Substack.
How to Build a Viking House