Pre-modern European Migrations: Viking and Muslim Migrations

• Cultural influence in England• Personal names

• 40-60% of people in former kingdoms of East Anglia and Northumbria have Scandinavian names

• Place names• Kjarr—brushwood (Redcar, Yorkshire)• Mosi—moss (Rathmoss, Lancashire)• Ferja—ferry (Ferrybridge, Yorkshire)• Gil—ravine (Lowgill, Cumbria)• Thveit—clearing (Bassenthwaite, Cumbria)• Torp—marginal land (Milnthorpe, Lancashire)• By—farmstead (Grimsby, Yorkshire)• Myrr—marsh (Windermere, Cumbria)

• Linguistic changes• Þeir—they; skinn—skin; íss—ice; øx—axe; egg—egg.

• Governmental practices• Things (Thingwall, Merseyside), ridings (ON thriðjungr), wapentakes (ON

vápnatak)

Anglo-Scandinavia art: left—the Middleton Cross, Yorkshire; center and right—the Gosforth Cross, Cumbria. Left image from Middleton Church, Yorkshire, England. Center and right images from St. Mary’s Church, Gosforth, Cumbria, England.

Pre-modern European Migrations: Viking and Muslim Migrations

• Cultural influence in Scotland and the isles• Excavations at Jarlshof, Shetland, show 70 by 20 foot longhouse plus

outbuildings (byre, smithy, and bathhouse), dating to mid-800s• Genetic and place name studies show settlement of Vikings and indicate re-

naming of local sites• Shetland islands, Viking DNA found among 44% of male and female population• Orkney Islands, Viking DNA found among 31% of male and female population• Northwest coast of Scotland, Viking DNA found among 15% of male and female

population• Western Isles and Skye, Viking DNA found among 22.5% of male and 11% of female

population

Map of European ancestry of modern British DNA types, from Leslie et al., “The fine-scale genetic structure of the British population” Nature 519 (19 March 2015), 309-314.

Viking burials in Scotland and the isles: left—a boat burial in Westness, Orkney Islands; right—aerial view of Viking settlement at Jarlshof, Shetland. Images from Vikings: the North American Saga, edited by William Fitzhugh and Elisabeth Ward.

Pre-modern European Migrations: Viking and Muslim Migrations

• Cultural influence in Ireland• Dublin (from ON Dyflin), at an earlier Irish settlement known as Áth Cliath

• Evidence of Thing site near Trinity College, 240 ft in circumference and 40 ft high• The creation of the Viking kingdom at Dublin, 853; Viking presence maintained in Dublin

until 1052• Wicklow (ON Vikingaló)• Wexford (ON Veigsfjörthr)• Waterford (ON Vethrafjörthr)• Limerick (ON Hlymrekr)

• Cultural influence in Spain• Vikings known as al-madjus, Lordomani, Lormanes• Placenames—Lordemanos in Leon and Lordemão in Portugal.• Old Norse loan words in Basque

• Estribor = starboard, from ON styr and bord• Babor = port, from ON bak and bord

Replica of Skuldelev Wreck 2. A 100 foot longship found sunk in Roskilde Fjord, Denmark, made from Dublin oak dated to 1042.

Image from Wikipedia Commons.

Pre-modern European Migrations: Viking and Muslim Migrations

• Cultural influence in Normandy• Personal names

• Asbjørn—Osbernus—Auber• Ásfridr—Ansfridus—Anfray • Ásketill—Anschetillus—Anquetil • Thorvaldr—Turoldus—Thouroude

• Place names• Tomt/toft—plot or piece of land

(Routot and Bouquetot, Normandy)• Torp—marginal land (Le torp-Mesnil,

Normandy)• Londe—land (La Londe, Normandy)• Garðr—yard or garden (Auppegard,

Normandy)

• Cultural influence in Normandy• Linguistic changes

• Útlagr—ullac—outlaw • Heimsókn—hamfara—assault inside

a house• Marsvín—masouin—sea swine

(Harbour porpoise)• Bakborði—bâbord—port side• Bóglína—bouline—bowline

Pre-modern European Migrations: Viking and Muslim Migrations• Limited cultural influence in

Russia• Intermarriage with local Slavic

nobility by mid-900s leads to embracing of Slavic names, language, and alphabet• Contact with Byzantine Empire

leads to conversion to Byzantine Christianity and embracing of Byzantine administrative and educational structure

• Cultural influence in Iceland and Greenland• Settlers in Iceland and Greenland

bring Norse governmental, social, and cultural practices with them

• Contact with Norway maintained and conversion to Christianity takes place in late 900s through contact with Norse missionaries

• Greenland submits to Norway, 1261; Iceland submits to Norway, 1262-1264

• Viking DNA present in 75% of male population and 30% of female population

Pre-modern European Migrations: Viking and Muslim MigrationsMap of language families from Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza, The History and Geography of Human Genes.

• The Arabian Peninsula and tribes• Afro-Asiatic language family• Arabic developed between 500

BC-500 AD• Evidence of long distance trade,

pastoralism, use of bronze by 2500 in Oman• Evidence of settled agriculture by

2000 in Yemen• Influence of the Persian Empire,

550-330• Influence of Alexander the Great’s

empire and the Hellenistic kingdoms, 330-c. 180

Pre-modern European Migrations: Viking and Muslim MigrationsMap from William Ochsenwald and Sydney Nettleton Fisher, The Middle East: A History, 7th edition.

• Contact with Rome and Parthian/Sassanid Persia• Ghassanid tribe allies of

Rome/Byzantium• Lakhmid tribe allies of

Parthian/Sassanid Persia

• Mecca and the Quraysh tribe• The Hashim clan• Muhammed, c.571-632• Islam (submission)• Hijrah, 622• Medina, 622-630• Return to Mecca, 630

Pre-modern European Migrations: Viking and Muslim MigrationsMap from Barry Cunliffe, Europe Between the Oceans, 9000 BC-AD 1000.

• The Rashidun, 632-661• The Ridda Wars, 632-634• Battle of Yarmuk River, 636

• Conquest of Syria and Jerusalem followed

• Battle of Qadisiyaa, 636• Conquest of Persian territory followed

• Egyptian campaign, 640-654

• The Umayyad Caliphate, 661-750• Conquest of Carthage, 698• Conquest of Visigothic Spain, 711-714• Battle of Poitiers, 732• Umayyad Spain, 750-1031

• The Abbasid Caliphate, 750-946• Conquest of Sicily, 827-902

Pre-modern European Migrations: Viking and Muslim Migrations• Cultural influence of Islam• Preservation of and study of Greek and Roman texts

• Aristotle and Plato• Al-Kindi, d. 865; Al-Farabi, d. 950; Ibn Sina (Avicenna), d. 1037; Ibn Rushd (Averroës),

d. 1198

• Hippocrates and Galen

• Ibn Qurra, d. 901 (wrote a work on general hygiene); Al-Razi, d. 925 (wrote the first clinical description of measles and smallpox); Ibn Sina (wrote a work on infectious diseases and medications)

• Blending of eastern knowledge with western knowledge• Introduction of “Arabic numerals” and the concept of zero from contact with India;

Arabic sifr, meaning empty• Al-Khwarazmi, d. 850 (wrote a work on quadratic equations, introducing the concept of

al-jabr (algebra))• Irrigation a long-term practice in Mesopotamia and Egypt; practiced in Muslim-ruled

Valencia and continued when Valencia returned to Christian rule

Pre-modern European Migrations: Viking and Muslim Migrations• Words with Arabic origins

• Admiral, from amīr, commander• Adobe, from al-tuba, brick• Alcohol, from al-kohl, fine powder• Alfalfa, from al-fisfisa, alfalfa• Candy, from qandī, sugared• Chess, from shāh (with a hard final ‘h’), king• Lemon, from līmūn, lemon

• Spanish place names with Arabic origins• Guadalquivir River, from Arabic wadi al-kabir, the great river• Andalucía, from Arabic Al-Andalus• Cape Trafalgar, from Andalusi Arabic taraf-al-ghar, cape of the west• Gibraltar, from the Arabic name jabal Tariq, mountain of Tariq

• Genetic legacy: Northwest African haplotypes found in samples from Iberia, Italy, and Sicily (7.5%, 7.1%, and 18.6% of samples from Sicily, Portugal, and Cantabria, respectively)

The Great Mosque of Córdoba, Spain, built in stages from 784-987. Images from Wikipedia.

Chiesa di San Cataldo, Palermo, completed c. 1154. Images from Wikipedia.