Das Buch von Cat Jarman ist eine meisterhafte Erzählung über die Entdeckung einer Karneolperle in der Wikingerstätte Repton. Mit wissenschaftlicher Neugier verfolgt sie deren Ursprung bis nach Bagdad und Indien und zeigt die vielfältigen Verbindungen zwischen den Kontinenten im Mittelalter auf.
Follow an epic story of the Viking Age that traces the historical trail of an ancient piece of jewelry found in a Viking grave in England to its origins thousands of miles east in India.An acclaimed bioarchaeologist, Catrine Jarman has used cutting-edge forensic techniques to spark her investigation into the history of the Vikings who came to rest in British soil. By examining teeth that are now over one thousand years old, she can determine childhood diet—and thereby where a person was likely born. With radiocarbon dating, she can ascertain a death-date down to the range of a few years. And her research offers enlightening new visions of the roles of women and children in Viking culture. Three years ago, a Carnelian bead came into her temporary possession. River Kings sees her trace the path of this ancient piece of jewelry back to eighth-century Baghdad and India, discovering along the way that the Vikings’ route was far more varied than we might think—that with them came people from the Middle East, not just Scandinavia, and that the reason for this unexpected integration between the Eastern and Western worlds may well have been a slave trade running through the Silk Road, all the way to Britain. Told as a riveting history of the Vikings and the methods we use to understand them, this is a major reassessment of the fierce, often-mythologized voyagers of the North—and of the global medieval world as we know it.
'Astonishing and compelling' Bernard Cornwell 'Replete with witches, human sacrifice, Greek fire and funeral orgies... one of the most thrilling works of archaeological detective work I have ever read' William Dalrymple, FT
Celebrated as a Book of the Year by Time, this work delves into significant historical events and their impact on the present. It offers a compelling narrative that intertwines personal stories with broader historical themes, providing readers with a multifaceted understanding of the past. Through meticulous research and engaging storytelling, it illuminates how history shapes our lives today, making it an essential read for history enthusiasts and casual readers alike.
'A diligent historian and a superb writer'TIMES, BOOK OF THE WEEKFrom bioarchaeologist and bestselling author of River Kings, a gripping new history of the making of England as a nation, told through six bone chests, stored for over a thousand years in Winchester Cathedral.