All language subtitles for Unearthed.(2016).S03E01.Viking.City.of.the.Dead.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DD+2.0.H.264-Cinefeel_track3_[eng]

Narrator: THE MYSTERIOUS
RING FORT OF TRELLEBORG...

AN EXTRAORDINARY MONUMENT
BUILT BY A PEOPLE

WHO HAVE FADED INTO LEGEND...

THE VIKINGS.

TRELLEBORG STILL HAS
SO MANY SECRETS.

THERE'S SO MUCH MORE
WE DON'T KNOW.

Narrator: THE VIKINGS ARE FAMOUS
FOR BEING MARAUDING PIRATES

WHO PLUNDERED WITHOUT MERCY.

BUT WHY DID THEIR REIGN
OF TERROR COME TO AN END?

NOW, NEW INVESTIGATIONS
COULD REVEAL THE ANSWER.

DID THIS MIGHTY FORTRESS SPARK
A REVOLUTION THAT CHANGED

THE TRADITIONAL VIKING
WAY OF LIFE FOREVER?

THEY REALLY DO TELL US
AN AWFUL LOT

ABOUT THE VIKING
SOCIETY AT THE TIME.

Narrator: AND WAS THE MOST
FAMOUS AND FEARED

OF ALL THE VIKING KINGS --
HARALD BLUETOOTH --

BEHIND THE BUILDING
OF THESE MAGNIFICENT FORTS?

TO UNCOVER THE VIKINGS'
DEEPEST SECRETS...

WE WILL DECONSTRUCT THIS
GREAT MONUMENT LAYER BY LAYER.

WE WILL DIVE INSIDE
ITS HIGH WALLS

AND BENEATH THE FROZEN GROUND

TO UNEARTH THE ASTONISHING STORY

OF THE END OF THE VIKING AGE.

--Captions by VITAC--
www.vitac.com

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY
DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

Narrator: TRELLEBORG IN DENMARK
IS A MIGHTY,

BUT MYSTERIOUS MEDIEVAL
MEGA-STRUCTURE...

AN ENORMOUS CIRCULAR FORT
BUILT BY A PEOPLE

WHOSE NAME STILL STRIKES
FEAR INTO THE HEART...

THE VIKINGS.

MORE THEN 1,200 YEARS AGO,

THESE LEGENDARY WARRIORS
TERRORIZED MEDIEVAL EUROPE...

SAILING FROM ICY SCANDINAVIA
TO RAID AND PILLAGE.

BUT TRELLEBORG'S TRUE
PURPOSE REMAINS A MYSTERY.

WHY DID A PEOPLE BETTER KNOWN
AS SEABORNE RAIDERS AND TRADERS

BUILD SUCH A GIGANTIC STRUCTURE?

WHEN PEOPLE FIRST FOUND
TRELLEBORG,

THEY COULDN'T BELIEVE
WHAT THEY SAW.

IT WAS NOTHING LIKE WHAT YOU
EXPECTED FROM THE VIKINGS.

Narrator: NOW, NEW DISCOVERIES
ARE STARTING TO REVEAL

WHY THIS ENORMOUS FORT
AND OTHERS LIKE IT

SUDDENLY APPEARED AT THE HEIGHT
OF THE VIKING AGE

IN THE LATE 10th CENTURY.

DID MASSIVE MONUMENTS
LIKE THIS

HERALD A TRANSFORMATION
IN VIKING SOCIETY

THAT BROUGHT ALMOST 300 YEARS

OF INDEPENDENT VIKING RAIDS
TO AN END?

♪♪

AT TRELLEBORG, ALMOST 900,000
CUBIC FEET OF EARTH, STONE,

AND CLAY MAKE UP NEARLY
A THIRD OF A MILE

OF 56-FOOT-THICK EARTH RAMPARTS.

♪♪

JUST OUTSIDE THE WALLS
LIES A BURIAL SITE

WITH OVER A HUNDRED SKELETONS,
SOME IN MASS GRAVES.

♪♪

CLUES SUGGEST THAT
16 VIKING LONG HOUSES

SIT BEHIND
HEAVILY-DEFENDED WALLS.

♪♪

SO WHAT EXACTLY IS TRELLEBORG?

AND WHY WAS IT BUILT?

♪♪

TRELLEBORG DOESN'T APPEAR
IN ANY WRITTEN RECORDS.

ARCHEOLOGISTS DIDN'T
EVEN REALIZE

IT WAS A VIKING STRUCTURE

UNTIL THE 1930s.

Narrator: ANNE-CHRISTINE LARSEN
IS TRELLEBORG'S DIRECTOR.

UNTIL EXPERTS STARTED
DIGGING HERE,

IT WAS THOUGHT MOST
VIKINGS ONLY LIVED

IN SMALL FARMS
AND VILLAGES.

Narrator: TRELLEBORG LOOKS LIKE
A SIMPLE STRUCTURE WITH RAMPARTS

MADE OF EARTH
AND PILED STONES.

BUT ARCHEOLOGISTS
LIKE ANNE-CHRISTINE

CAN TELL FROM DETAILED SURVEYS

THAT TRELLEBORG IS A MASTERPIECE
OF ADVANCED ENGINEERING.

A GEOMETRICALLY PERFECT
CIRCLE SOME 450 FEET ACROSS

ALIGNED TO THE COMPASS.

Narrator: ANNE-CHRISTINE
THINKS TRELLEBORG SHOWCASES

AN ASTONISHING NEW LEVEL
OF SOPHISTICATION

IN VIKING ARCHITECTURE.

Narrator: A RING IS THE PERFECT
SHAPE FOR A FORTRESS

WITH A CLEAR LINE OF SIGHT
FROM EVERY POINT ON THE WALL.

BUT ANNE-CHRISTINE SUSPECTS

THAT TRELLEBORG'S PRECISE
GEOMETRY GOES FAR

BEYOND WHAT'S NEEDED
FOR DEFENSE.

THIS WAS DESIGNED TO DISPLAY
PRESTIGE AND POWER.

SO WHAT EXACTLY WENT ON HERE?

A CLUE MIGHT BE HIDDEN ON THE
OTHER SIDE OF THESE RAMPARTS.

OUTSIDE THE VIKING STRUCTURE...

ARCHEOLOGISTS HAVE UNCOVERED
A GRISLY SURPRISE...

♪♪

157 SKELETONS
IN A MAJOR VIKING CEMETERY.

BURIED WITH ONE OF THE BODIES

ARE THE REMAINS OF
A MASSIVE BATTLE AXE

ADORNED WITH INTRICATE
SILVER INLAY.

ITS BLADE OVER A FOOT LONG.

IN ITS DAY, THIS WOULD
HAVE BEEN A VALUABLE

AND LETHALLY EFFECTIVE WEAPON.

BUT WERE ALL OF THE PEOPLE
BURIED HERE WARRIORS?

AND CAN THEY REVEAL
WHY TRELLEBORG WAS BUILT?

♪♪

TODAY, THE HUNDREDS
OF BONE FRAGMENTS DISCOVERED

AT TRELLEBORG

ARE LOCKED AWAY
SECURELY UNDERGROUND...

HERE AT THE UNIVERSITY
OF COPENHAGEN.

FORENSIC ANTHROPOLOGIST
NIELS LYNNERUP

IS TRYING TO SOLVE THE MYSTERY

OF WHAT THESE WARRIORS
WERE DOING HERE.

HAVING THE BONES REALLY ADDS
AN EXTRA DIMENSION

TO WHAT WE KNOW
ABOUT TRELLEBORG.

Narrator: THE SHEER NUMBER
OF BONE FRAGMENTS

MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO WORK OUT

HOW MANY INDIVIDUALS

WERE BURIED AT TRELLEBORG.

Lynnerup:
IN THIS BOX HERE, FOR INSTANCE,

IT'S CLEAR THAT
WE HAVE FRAGMENTS

OF SEVERAL OF THE LIMB BONES,

THE LONG BONES
AND OF THE SKULL.

WELL, WE REALLY HAVE
ONLY THE MANDIBLES

WITH A COUPLE OF TEETH IN.

Narrator: AS HE EXPECTS,
MOST OF THE BONES DO APPEAR

TO BELONG TO YOUNG WARRIORS.

Lynnerup:
THERE'S VERY LITTLE ABRASION
ON THE THIRD MOLAR,

WHICH ERUPT WHEN YOU'RE 18.

AT TRELLEBORG, WE FIND MORE
YOUNG MALES THAN WHAT WE DO

IN THAT SAME ORDINARY
VILLAGE CEMETERY.

Narrator: BUT WHAT
REALLY SHOCKS NIELS

ARE SOME OF THE OTHER SKELETONS
BURIED WITH THESE FIGHTERS.

SURPRISINGLY, EVEN THOUGH
WE HAVE A LOT OF YOUNG MALES...

THIS IS AN OLD INDIVIDUAL,

WHICH CAN BE SEEN AGAIN
FROM THE MANDIBLE.

THIS IS PROBABLY AN OLD FEMALE,
MAYBE 40, 50 YEARS OF AGE.

Narrator: SO WHY WAS A WOMAN,
CONSIDERED ELDERLY FOR THE TIME,

LIVING ALONGSIDE A FORCE
OF VIKING SOLDIERS?

NIELS BELIEVES SHE WAS
PART OF AN ARMY OF WORKERS

WHO SUPPORTED
THE YOUNG WARRIORS.

♪♪

INSIDE TRELLEBORG, ARCHEOLOGISTS
FOUND PARTS OF A LOOM,

REVEALING THAT
SKILLED FEMALE WEAVERS

MADE CLOTH FOR
TUNICS AND CLOAKS.

♪♪

THE PEOPLE HERE ALSO SMELTED
RAW MATERIALS INTO PURE METALS.

♪♪

ANVILS FOUND WITHIN TRELLEBORG

REVEAL BLACKSMITHS REPAIRED
WEAPONS AND FORGED NEW ONES.

♪♪

THIS WAS A HUGELY
SOPHISTICATED FORTRESS,

ONE OF THE MOST IMPRESSIVE
IN NORTHERN EUROPE,

BUILT WITH INCREDIBLE PRECISION
ON AN EXTRAORDINARY SCALE.

♪♪

THE VIKINGS' TRADITIONAL WAY
OF LIFE WAS RAIDING AND FIGHTING

BEFORE RETURNING HOME
TO TEND TO THEIR FARMS.

BUT THESE VIKINGS APPEARED
TO BE A GARRISON,

STATIONED INSIDE
A PERMANENT MILITARY BASE.

Lynnerup:
PROBABLY BE COMPARED A BIT
TO ROMAN CAMPS IN ENGLAND.

SO I THINK IT REFLECTS SORT OF
A MILITARY ENCAMPMENT

WHERE AN ARMY HAS BEEN
STATIONED FOR SOME TIME.

Narrator: SO WHY DID THE VIKINGS
LEAVE THEIR ISOLATED FARMS

TO BUILD AN ENORMOUS FORTRESS?

AND COULD TREASURES BURIED
BENEATH THE GROUND

REVEAL THE SECRETS
OF HOW THE VIKING AGE BEGAN?

Narrator: THE MYSTERIOUS
VIKING RING FORTS OF DENMARK

ARE FORCING ARCHEOLOGISTS
TO THINK AGAIN

ABOUT THESE LEGENDARY WARRIORS.

AFTER CENTURIES OF RAIDING,
THE VIKINGS CONSTRUCTED

PRECISELY ENGINEERED
FORTIFICATIONS.

BUT WHY DID THESE NOTORIOUSLY
INDEPENDENT SEAFARERS

EVENTUALLY SETTLE DOWN
IN ORGANIZED CAMPS?

♪♪

TO UNDERSTAND THEIR JOURNEY, WE
MUST REWIND HUNDREDS OF YEARS...

TO THE DAWN OF THE VIKING AGE.

♪♪

DECONSTRUCTING THE TOWERING
WALLS OF TRELLEBORG

REVEALS CLUES
FROM DECADES BEFORE...

THE BURIED REMAINS FROM
A MUCH OLDER SETTLEMENT,

CEREMONIAL PITS
CONTAINING OFFERINGS

THOUGHT TO BE
TO THE VIKING GODS,

A BRONZE BOWL AND POTTERY.

BUT BEYOND THE FORTRESS WALLS,

THE EARTH ALSO CONTAINS
EXOTIC OBJECTS

FROM AROUND THE WORLD --
SILVER ARTIFACTS...

ARABIC COINS AND SILVER INGOTS.

THE VIKINGS GOT THEIR HANDS
ON INCREDIBLE RICHES

FROM DISTANT LANDS.

CAN THESE TREASURES HELP
TO EXPLAIN THE RISE

OF THIS REMARKABLE FORTRESS?

ARCHEOLOGIST SOREN SINDBAEK
THINKS THAT THE JOURNEY

FROM FARMSTEAD TO FORTRESS...

BEGAN HERE IN RIBE,
DENMARK'S FIRST URBAN CENTER.

IT'S THE FIRST PLACE
IN SCANDINAVIA,

IN THE HOMELANDS OF THE VIKINGS

WHERE THERE'S SOMETHING
WE WOULD CALL A TOWN.

Narrator: RIBE IS AN
ARCHEOLOGICAL TREASURE TROVE,

A MARKETPLACE FOUNDED CENTURIES
BEFORE TRELLEBORG WAS BUILT.

THE VIKING AGE
BEGAN IN THE 700s

WHEN SCANDINAVIANS STARTED
TO TRAVEL AND TRADE.

AT FIRST, THEY ONLY MOVED
WITHIN NORTHERN EUROPE,

TO PLACES LIKE RIBE.

Sindbaek: THIS IS, IN FACT,
A PIECE OF REINDEER ANTLER.

AND REINDEER WERE NOT
NATIVE TO DENMARK.

THEY HAD TO GO FAR INTO NORWAY
TO FIND THIS MATERIAL.

THIS WAS BROUGHT BY SOMEBODY
WHO CAME HERE IN A BOAT

AND KNEW THAT THIS WAS A VALUED
MATERIAL HERE TO TRADE WITH.

Narrator: BUT ALONGSIDE THESE
OBJECTS FROM SCANDINAVIA,

SOREN FINDS RELICS AND TREASURES
FROM EVEN MORE DISTANT LANDS.

THESE BEADS WERE BROUGHT
ALL THE WAY

FROM THE MIDDLE EAST TO RIBE.

Narrator: COULD TRADE
BE THE CATALYST

THAT CHANGED SOCIETY HERE

AND SET THE VIKINGS ON A PATH
TO BUILDING FORTRESSES

LIKE TRELLEBORG
OVER 250 YEARS LATER?

IN ORDER TO PUT TOGETHER
TRADING EXPEDITIONS LIKE THIS,

YOU NEED TO BUILD THE BOAT,
YOU NEED TO PRODUCE

ALL THE TRADE GOODS
THAT YOU'RE BRINGING.

IT BRINGS TOGETHER
A WHOLE SOCIETY,

SO IT TAKES A LOT
OF ORGANIZATION.

THE INTERESTING THING
IS THAT HERE IN RIBE,

WE CAN SEE THAT JUST AT THE TIME
THAT WE USUALLY SAY

IS THE BEGINNING
OF THE VIKING AGE,

THE 790s,

THIS IS WHEN WE START TO FIND
THIS MATERIAL FROM NORWAY.

Narrator: THIS IS BECAUSE
THE FIRST SCANDINAVIAN EXPLORERS

WERE TRADERS.

BUT WHAT TURNED THEM
INTO THE DISCIPLINED,

FEARSOME WARRIORS WHO BUILD
HUGE MILITARY STRUCTURES

LIKE TRELLEBORG?

♪♪

A CLUE LIES
WITH THE VIKINGS' LONGSHIPS.

BUILT FROM DOZENS OF TREES,

THESE BOATS WERE THE MOST
ADVANCED VESSELS OF THEIR DAY.

♪♪

LONGSHIPS WERE VERSATILE.

DESIGNED WITH A VERY
SHALLOW KEEL,

THEY COULD EVEN
BE MOVED OVER LAND.

♪♪

THEY COULD TRAVERSE
BOTH SHALLOW RIVERS

AND THE DEEPEST OCEANS
TO TAKE THE VIKINGS EVERYWHERE,

FROM THE MIDDLE EAST
TO NORTH AMERICA.

BUT THE LONGSHIPS WERE ALSO
PERFECTLY ADAPTED FOR WARFARE.

SAILORS
ON A TRADING MISSION

COULD EASILY BECOME
AN ORGANIZED FIGHTING FORCE.

♪♪

SOREN THINKS THE VIKINGS
SOON REALIZED

THAT THEY COULD SIMPLY
TAKE WHAT THEY WANTED.

EACH SHIP HAD A SAILING CREW
OF DOZENS OF MEN,

A SMALL ARMY OF WARRIORS.

Sindbaek: TRADING PREPARES A WAY
FOR RAIDING.

ONCE YOU HAVE LEARNED HOW
TO TAKE A SAILING EXPEDITION

TO A MARKET,

YOU CAN ALSO USE THAT
KNOWLEDGE FOR SOMETHING ELSE.

YOU CAN GO ACROSS THE SEA
TO DO RAIDING.

Narrator: THE COOPERATION
AND ORGANIZATION

REQUIRED TO BUILD THE FORTRESSES
WAS BORN AT SEA,

AS THE VIKINGS BECAME THE MOST
FEARED WARRIORS IN EUROPE.

♪♪

SO WHY DID THIS HUGELY
SUCCESSFUL WAY OF LIFE

COME TO AN END?

AND WHO WAS THE POWERFUL LEADER
WHO UNITED DENMARK'S INDEPENDENT

VIKING TRIBES TO FORM
A SINGLE FIGHTING FORCE?

Narrator: THE VIKINGS.

FROM THE YEAR 793,

THESE RAMPAGING WARRIORS
WAGED A CAMPAIGN OF TERROR

THAT SHOOK MEDIEVAL EUROPE
FOR OVER TWO CENTURIES.

BUT THE FORTRESS OF TRELLEBORG

REVEALS A WHOLE NEW LEVEL
OF SOPHISTICATION

AND MILITARY TECHNOLOGY

TOWARD THE END
OF THE VIKING ERA.

SO WHAT OR WHO DRAGGED
THESE FIERCE RAIDERS

OUT OF THE DARK AGES?

TRELLEBORG
IS A MILITARY MASTERPIECE.

THE VIKINGS REINFORCED THE HUGE
EARTH RAMPARTS WITH WOOD

TO FORM A FORMIDABLE BARRIER.

ON ITS OUTER FACE, A TOWERING
26-FOOT-HIGH OAK PALISADE.

IN FRONT OF THE RAMPARTS,
A 13-FOOT-DEEP DITCH...

THAT COULD HAVE BEEN FILED
WITH SHARP WOODEN STAKES.

WHO HAD THE POWER TO CONSTRUCT
SUCH A FORMIDABLE FORTRESS?

♪♪

COULD A CLUE LIE BURIED
INSIDE THESE TIMBER DEFENSES?

♪♪

ARCHEOLOGIST NANNA HOLM THINKS
THAT EVIDENCE

LIES NOT JUST AT TRELLEBORG,

BUT OVER 30 MILES AWAY.

THIS IS BORGRING, A RECENTLY
DISCOVERED RINGED FORT

WITH A STRIKING SIMILARITY
TO TRELLEBORG.

NANNA AND HER TEAM SPOTTED IT
IN AERIAL MAPPING DATA.

Narrator: NANNA BELIEVES THAT
THE SIZE AND SCALE OF BOTH FORTS

IS SO GREAT THAT ONLY A KING
COULD HAVE BUILT THEM.

Narrator: UNTIL NOW,
MOST VIKINGS HAD LIVED IN SMALL,

SCATTERED VILLAGES.

WHICH RULER WAS POWERFUL ENOUGH
TO WRENCH THEM AWAY

FROM THIS OLD WAY OF LIFE?

NANNA THINKS DATING
THE ARTIFACTS

AND REMAINS BURIED
IN THE GROUND AT BORGRING

COULD PROVIDE THE ANSWER.

Narrator: NANNA HAS DISCOVERED
FRAGMENTS OF WOOD

FROM BORGRING'S
TIMBER DEFENSES.

SHE WORKS WITH
DENDROCHRONOLOGIST AOIFE DALY

TO DATE THEM.

AOIFE THINKS THE WOOD
SAMPLES COULD REVEAL

WHEN BORGRING WAS BUILT,

AND IF SO,
WHICH RULER WAS IN CHARGE.

Narrator: THIS WOODEN
FRAGMENT WAS ACTUALLY

PART OF BORGRING ITSELF.

COULD THE AGE OF THE FORT
BE HIDDEN INSIDE?

♪♪

AOIFE STARTS BY HUNTING
FOR RINGS IN THE WOOD.

A RING REPRESENTS A YEAR'S
GROWTH IN THE LIFE OF A TREE.

Narrator: AOIFE CAN
CALCULATE THE YEAR

IN WHICH ANCIENT TREES
WERE CUT DOWN...

Daly: THERE YOU GO.

...BY MEASURING THESE RINGS

AND COMPARING THEM
TO THOSE FROM OTHER TREES.

BUT SHE STRUGGLES TO GET
A CLEAR READING

FROM THIS BORGRING FRAGMENT.

Narrator: THIS SAMPLE OF WOOD IS
TOO DAMAGED TO DATE PRECISELY,

BUT AOIFE HAS MANAGED TO DATE
ANOTHER PIECE FOUND AT BORGRING,

AND MATCHED IT TO WOOD
FOUND AT TRELLEBORG.

Narrator: IT'S JUST ONE SAMPLE,
BUT THE IMPLICATIONS ARE HUGE.

IT SUGGESTS BOTH BORGRING AND
TRELLEBORG DATE TO THE SAME ERA,

THE LATE 900s A.D. --

THE REIGN OF DENMARK'S
MOST FAMOUS VIKING KING.

THE FIRST VIKING RULERS
WERE GREAT WAR LEADERS...

WHO DREW IN WARRIORS
WITH THE PROMISE OF PLUNDER.

♪♪

BUT THEY OFTEN FAILED
TO INSPIRE LASTING LOYALTY.

THEIR SUCCESS DEPENDED
ON THEIR FORTUNES IN BATTLE.

BUT JUST OVER
A THOUSAND YEARS AGO,

ONE WARLORD STAMPED HIS
AUTHORITY OVER DENMARK --

A KING KNOWN AS
HARALD BLUETOOTH.

BLUETOOTH RULED DENMARK
FROM 958 A.D.

HE'S FAMOUS AS THE KING
WHO POPULARIZED CHRISTIANITY

AMONG THE VIKINGS.

BUT HE WAS ALSO
A FEROCIOUS WARRIOR

AND RELENTLESS CONQUEROR,

DETERMINED TO EXPAND
THE VIKING KINGDOM.

♪♪

THESE FORTS WERE CERTAINLY
IMPRESSIVE ENOUGH

FOR SUCH A POWERFUL RULER.

BUT THE DATE ALONE DOESN'T PROVE
THAT HARALD BUILT THEM BOTH.

SO NANNA AND HER TEAM SCOUR
THE SOIL BENEATH BORGRING.

EACH YEAR BRINGS
NEW DISCOVERIES --

METAL ARTIFACTS,
BEADS, AND TOOLS.

BUT THE MOST BEAUTIFUL
AND INTRIGUING

IS A PIECE OF VIKING JEWELRY.

Narrator: THIS IS A FRAGMENT
FROM AN ORNATE SILVER CASKET.

INCREDIBLY, WHAT COULD BE
THE REST OF THE ARTIFACT

WAS DISCOVERED
ALMOST 150 MILES AWAY

AT YET ANOTHER RING FORT.

Narrator: THIS BROACH WAS FOUND
IN THE GRAVE OF A WOMAN

WITH OTHER ARTIFACTS

THAT INDICATE SHE COULD BE
A PRIESTESS OR FORTUNETELLER.

PERHAPS SHE SERVED AS
AN ADVISOR TO KING HARALD,

TRAVELING WITH HIM
AS HE VISITED HIS FORTS.

Narrator: ALL THE EVIDENCE
POINTS IN THE SAME DIRECTION.

THE GREAT KING HARALD
BLUETOOTH BUILD

BOTH THE TRELLEBORG
AND BORGRING FORTRESSES.

THIS RULER WHO HAD DESIGNS ON
CONQUERING MUCH OF SCANDINAVIA

WAS ALSO BUILDING BIG
BACK HOME IN DENMARK.

BUT MYSTERY SURROUNDS
THE FORT'S SUDDEN APPEARANCE.

WHY DID HE CONSTRUCT THEM
IN THESE SPECIFIC LOCATIONS?

AND HOW DID HAROLD BLUETOOTH
UNITE THE VIKING TRIBES

INTO AN ORGANIZED
FORT-BUILDING SOCIETY?

♪♪

Narrator:
NEW DISCOVERIES IN DENMARK

REVEAL A TRANSFORMATION
IN VIKING SOCIETY.

UNDER THE RULE OF KING
HARALD BLUETOOTH,

THE VIKINGS EVOLVED FROM
SEAFARING TRADERS AND PILLAGERS

TO AN ORGANIZED
FORTRESS-BUILDING FORCE.

BUT WHERE DID HE GET HIS IDEAS?

DECADES BEFORE
TRELLEBORG WAS BUILT,

ARMIES OF VIKING WARRIORS
INVADED THE ESTABLISHED

MILITARY KINGDOMS
OF MEDIEVAL EUROPE.

SO DID THESE OVERSEAS INVASIONS
INSPIRE KING BLUETOOTH

TO BUILD HIS OWN
FORTRESSES AT HOME?

ARCHEOLOGIST CAT JARMAN
INVESTIGATES

A VIKING SITE IN ENGLAND.

COULD A CLUE TO TRELLEBORG'S
ORIGINS BE FOUND HERE?

SO THIS IS THE 25-,
30-CENTIGRADE,

SO WE'RE GOING TO GET
BETTER RESOLUTION.

CAT HAS COME TO THE GROUNDS OF A
MEDIEVAL CHURCH IN REPTON.

SHE COMBINES GEOPHYSICS,
A KIND OF RADAR,

WITH DRONE FOOTAGE...

[ DRONE BUZZING ]

TO INVESTIGATE THE REMAINS
OF AN EARLY VIKING ARMY.

Jarman:
IN THE RECENT EXCAVATIONS,

WE FOUND SOME MORE EVIDENCE
OF THAT VIKING PRESENCE.

WE DON'T QUITE KNOW WHAT OR HOW,
BUT IN THIS TRENCH,

WE FOUND EVIDENCE,

ARTIFACTS THAT
WE CAN CLEARLY LINK

WITH THE VIKING GREAT ARMIES.

Narrator: ARCHEOLOGISTS
HAVE DISCOVERED

HUNDREDS OF SKELETONS HERE...

♪♪

WARRIORS FROM A GREAT
VIKING ARMY

THAT INVADED ANGLO-SAXON ENGLAND
IN THE MID 800s...

MORE THAN A CENTURY
BEFORE TRELLEBORG WAS BUILT.

Jarman:
ENGLAND WAS A GREAT DESTINATION.

SO MANY RICHES, SOME OF THEM
EASY PICKINGS, IT SEEMS --

MONASTERIES.

THERE'S A LOT OF WEALTH HERE

THAT IS QUITE EASILY
OBTAINABLE BY AN ARMY.

♪♪

Narrator: CHRONICLES SAY
THAT THE VIKINGS

CAPTURED THIS
IMPORTANT ROYAL CHURCH

AND BUILT A FORTRESS AROUND IT.

Jarman:
WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR HERE
IS SOME KIND OF DEFENSIVE DITCH

OR RAMPARTS
OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT

THAT ENCLOSES A CENTRAL SPACE

AND KEEPING IT SAFE.

♪♪

Narrator: THE RADAR PICKS UP
WHAT LOOKS LIKE

A MASSIVE EARTHWORK

AROUND THE CHURCH...

JUST LIKE TRELLEBORG.

THE CAMP LOOKS BIG ENOUGH
TO HAVE PROTECTED

HUNDREDS OF WARRIORS.

Man:
WELL, WE'LL GO AND HAVE A LOOK.

WE'LL GET IT ON THE COMPUTER
AND THEN HAVE A SEE.

YEAH.

SO WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT NOW,
THIS IS THE PLOT

OF WHAT WE'VE BEEN FINDING WITH
THE RADAR IN THE GARDEN HERE.

SO WE'VE PUT THAT ALL
WITH THE DRONE SHOTS AS WELL.

THIS IS SHOWING TO US THAT
THERE'S A LOT MORE GOING ON,

THE CAMP IS MUCH BIGGER THAN
WHAT WE PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT.

IT COULD CORRESPOND
TO A MUCH BIGGER GRID

AND A MUCH BIGGER ARMY.

BUT THIS CAMP
SEEMS TOO ROUGH AND READY

TO BE A PROTOTYPE
FOR TRELLEBORG.

Jarman:
THIS IS VERY MUCH A BASE WHERE
YOU'RE STAYING OVER THE WINTER,

PERHAPS PLUNDERING
THE SURROUNDING AREAS

FOR FOOD AND RESOURCES
AND MAKING EQUIPMENT,

MAKING WEAPONS READY
FOR THAT NEXT BIG ATTACK.

Narrator: THE VIKINGS
WERE EXPERTS AT BUILDING QUICK,

TEMPORARY CAMPS
LIKE THE ONE HERE AT REPTON.

BUT, ULTIMATELY, THESE
EARLY MILITARY BASES

WEREN'T ENOUGH FOR THE VIKINGS
TO CONQUER ENGLAND COMPLETELY.

THEIR ENEMIES, THE ENGLISH, USED
A SUPERIOR MILITARY STRATEGY

WHICH MAY HAVE INSPIRED
KING BLUETOOTH.

TO DEFEAT THE VIKINGS,

THE ENGLISH FORTIFIED
MANY OF THEIR TOWNS,

CALLING THEM BURHS.

THEY SPACED THEM ALL OUT
EQUALLY TO MAKE IT EASY

FOR ONE BUR TO CALL
FOR REINFORCEMENTS.

AFTER DECADES OF RAIDS,
BATTLES, AND SKIRMISHES,

THE NETWORK OF FORTIFIED BURHS

HELPED TO END THE VIKINGS'
REIGN OF TERROR IN ENGLAND.

♪♪

THE VIKINGS RETURNED HOME
TO SCANDINAVIA.

OVER TIME, FORTRESSES
BEGIN TO APPEAR

ACROSS THE DANISH LANDSCAPE.

DID THE EXPERIENCE
OF BEING BEATEN IN ENGLAND

TEACH THE EARLY
VIKING ARMIES A LESSON

THAT THEIR DESCENDENTS
NEVER FORGOT?

I THINK YOU CAN DEFINITELY
DRAW SOME COMPARISON

TO WHAT YOU'RE SEEING
LATER IN DENMARK

WITH THE BUILDING
OF THE RING FORTS.

IT'S VERY POSSIBLE THAT
WE HAVE THESE SAME PEOPLE

WHO HAVE BEEN OBSERVING
THIS STRATEGY OF BUILDING

THESE BURHS THAT'S BEEN
TAKEN BACK TO DENMARK.

PERHAPS THAT COULD BE
TRACED BACK TO SEEING

THESE EARLY FORTIFICATIONS
HERE IN ENGLAND.

Narrator: THE VIKINGS BROUGHT
HOME MORE THAN JUST PLUNDER.

THEIR FAILURE TAUGHT THEM
A VALUABLE LESSON.

A SINGLE MILITARY BASE
IS NO MATCH

FOR A NETWORK OF
ORGANIZED FORTIFICATIONS.

NOW ARCHEOLOGISTS WANT TO FIND
OUT IF TRELLEBORG AND BORGRING

ARE JUST SEPARATE
INDIVIDUAL OUTPOSTS

OR PART OF A NETWORK
OF INTERCONNECTED DEFENSES.

AND DID THIS PAINFUL DEFEAT
FOR THE VIKINGS

INSPIRE HAROLD BLUETOOTH

TO MASTERMIND A NATIONWIDE
MILITARY STRATEGY DECADES LATER?

Narrator: AFTER 100
YEARS OF TERROR,

THE VIKINGS SUFFERED
A MONUMENTAL DEFEAT.

THE ENGLISH FINALLY DISCOVERED

HOW TO FIGHT OFF
THE VIKING HOARDS,

THANKS TO THEIR CHAIN
OF IMPRESSIVE FORTIFICATIONS.

SO MORE THAN 100 YEARS LATER,

DID THIS FAILURE INSPIRE
THE VIKING RULER,

KING HAROLD BLUETOOTH,
TO BUILD FORTS OF HIS OWN?

AND CAN THEY ALSO REVEAL
WHY THE AGE OF THE MARAUDING

VIKING WARRIOR
CAME TO AN END?

ARCHEOLOGIST SOREN SINDBAEK
THINKS HARALD NOT ONLY BUILD

THE GREAT RING FORTS,

HE PLANNED THEM
AS PART OF A SINGLE

MODERNIZING MILITARY STRATEGY.

WHAT'S REALLY SPECIAL
ABOUT TRELLEBORG

IS THE FACT THAT EVERYTHING
IS SO PERFECTLY LAID OUT.

AND THIS IS WHAT WE ARE
LOOKING FOR HERE AS WELL.

Narrator: HE BELIEVES
ALL THE FORTRESSES FOLLOW

TRELLEBORG'S DISTINCTIVE
SHAPE AND DESIGN.

TRELLEBORG
ISN'T JUST A PERFECT CIRCLE.

EVEN ITS WOODEN BUILDINGS
ARE PLACED IN A PRECISE ORDER.

EVENLY-SPACED HOLES
IN THE GROUND

REVEAL THE LOCATION
OF STURDY TIMBER POSTS.

CURVED PLANKS LAID OUT
IN THE SHAPE

OF A SHIP'S HULL
SUPPORT A HEAVY ROOF

COVERED BY A LAYER
OF WOODEN SHINGLES.

A LONG HOUSE IS THE HEART OF THE
TRADITIONAL VIKING COMMUNITY.

BUT HERE, THERE ARE 16...

ARRANGED IN FOUR
PERFECT SQUARES --

ENOUGH ROOM TO HOUSE
HUNDREDS OF WARRIORS.

SO DID BLUETOOTH ROLL OUT
THIS DESIGN ACROSS DENMARK,

MIMICKING THE ENGLISH KINGS
WHO DEFEATED HIS ANCESTORS?

♪♪

IF SOREN'S SUSPICIONS ARE RIGHT,
THEN THE FORTRESS AT BORGRING

SHOULD BE A MIRROR IMAGE
OF TRELLEBORG.

WE'RE BASICALLY OUT
IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE.

WE'RE BETWEEN FARM FIELD
AND HIGHWAY.

THIS IS NOW WHERE YOU'D
EXPECT TO FIND

SOMETHING IMPORTANT
FROM THE VIKING AGE.

HE CARRIES OUT
A GEOPHYSICAL SURVEY

TO INVESTIGATE
THE FORTRESS AT BORGRING.

BUT WE NEED TO COVER
ABOUT 200 METERS,

100 METERS THAT DIRECTION,

AND THEN A HUNDRED METERS
OVER TO THAT DIRECTION.

SCANNING THIS 140-ACRE SITE
IS A HUGE CHALLENGE.

♪♪

JUST GO DOWN, AND SEE
IF YOU CAN TURN AROUND.

PERHAPS YOU CAN GO
INTO THE PLOW FIELD.

AND COME BACK TO THE TOP.

YEAH.

♪♪

USING THIS
CUTTING-EDGE TECHNOLOGY,

SOREN IS ABLE TO
WATCH THE RESULTS

OF THE SURVEY COME THROUGH.

A VIKING FORT EMERGES
AFTER A THOUSAND YEARS.

THIS IS REALLY ONE OF THE MOST
FASCINATING THINGS

ABOUT ARCHEOLOGY,
WHEN YOU'RE THERE,

AND YOU SEE SOMETHING
THAT'S NOT BEEN SEEN BEFORE,

NOBODY'S SEEN IT BEFORE,

AND YOU SEE IT COMING
OUT OF THE GROUND

OR ON YOUR SCREEN
AS IT HAPPENS.

Narrator: BUT IS BORGRING
IDENTICAL TO TRELLEBORG?

WE NEED TO COVER
EVERY BIT OF THE GROUND.

WE'RE STARTING TO SEE PATTERNS
OF WHAT IS BURIED HERE,

AND WE CAN SEE THAT
THERE'S SOME STRUCTURE

IN THE MIDDLE OF THE MAP
THAT'S COMING HERE.

I CAN SEE A GREAT BIG RING.

IT LOOKS PERFECTLY CIRCULAR
FROM WHAT I CAN SEE HERE.

Narrator: THE RADAR
DOESN'T PICK UP

ANY BUILDINGS INSIDE THE FORT,

BUT TO SOREN,
THE CIRCULAR MONUMENT

THAT EMERGES FROM THE EARTH

IS STRIKINGLY SIMILAR
TO TRELLEBORG.

BORGRING IS A PERFECTLY CIRCULAR
STRUCTURE WITH FOUR GATES

IN THE FOUR CORNERS
OF THE COMPASS.

IT LOOKS AMAZINGLY
LIKE TRELLEBORG,

JUST LIKE THE SAME STRUCTURE.

WE ARE ALMOST 50 MILES
FROM TRELLEBORG,

AND HERE'S SOMETHING
THAT LOOKS SO VERY SIMILAR.

THAT'S WHAT SO'S FASCINATING
ABOUT THIS PLACE.

Narrator: SOREN BELIEVES
THAT THE ONLY EXPLANATION

FOR THEIR SIMILARITY

IS THAT BOTH SITES
WERE BUILT TO A SPECIFIC PLAN.

SO WHY STOP AT TWO?

TODAY, ARCHEOLOGISTS
HAVE DISCOVERED NO LESS

THAN SIX REMARKABLY
SIMILAR FORTRESSES.

ALL OF THESE SITES,
TRELLEBORG, BORGRING,

AND THE OTHER RINGED FORTRESSES,

THEY ALL FOLLOW
THE SAME PATTERN.

THERE MUST BE
A VERY CLOSE CONNECTION.

Narrator: SO HOW DID
THIS SERIES OF FORTS WORK?

HARALD BLUETOOTH RULED
A SCATTERED EMPIRE.

HIS INFLUENCE EXTENDED
INTO THE FJORDS AND VALLEYS

OF MODERN DAY
DENMARK, NORWAY,

AND EVEN NORTHERN GERMANY.

VERY FEW STRUCTURES
SURVIVE FROM THE VIKING AGE.

BUT TRELLEBORG'S
DISTINCTIVE SHAPE

STANDS OUT IN THE LANDSCAPE.

ARCHEOLOGISTS BELIEVE THE OTHER
HANDFUL OF FORTS

DISCOVERED ACROSS DENMARK

SHARE THIS SAME
INTRIGUING DESIGN.

♪♪

EACH FORT IS FOUND
NEAR THE COAST.

BORGRING APPEARS TO PLUG
A GAP BETWEEN THEM.

♪♪

SOREN THINKS THIS
NEWLY-DISCOVERED FORT

REVEALS HARALD'S MASTER PLAN --

TO SECURE DENMARK WITH A CHAIN
OF ALMOST IDENTICAL FORTS

LINKING FORTIFIED TOWNS

ALL WITHIN FIGHTING
DISTANCE OF EACH OTHER.

THE RING FORTRESSES ARE NOT
JUST INDIVIDUAL PLACES

FOR HIDING OUT.

THEY'RE SPREAD OUT AS A NETWORK
ACROSS DIFFERENT PROVINCES,

SO THEY'RE ABOUT CONTROLLING,
THEY'RE NOT JUST ABOUT HIDING.

AND THAT'S THE IDEA
WHICH THE VIKINGS

BORROWED FROM THE ENGLISH.

Narrator: A HUGE
COORDINATED EFFORT

WAS NEEDED TO BUILD THESE FORTS.

THEY SIGNIFY HOW VIKING
SOCIETY HAD CHANGED.

SO IT'S MASSIVE AMOUNTS
OF PEOPLE

BEING ORGANIZED IN THESE PLACES,

NOT JUST ORGANIZING
FOR BUILDING THEM,

BUT ACTUALLY ORGANIZED FOR
MANNING THEM, DEFENDING THEM.

THEY WERE ALL WORKING
LIKE ONE BIG MACHINE.

IT'S SOMETHING WE ABSOLUTELY
DON'T ASSOCIATE

WITH THE VIKINGS.

Narrator: BUT IF HARALD DID
BUILD ALL THESE FORTS,

WHY DID HE EMBARK ON SUCH A
COSTLY AND AMBITIOUS ENTERPRISE.

WERE THE FORTRESSES DESIGNED
TO SHOW OFF HIS POWER

AND SOPHISTICATION
TO HIS OWN PEOPLE?

OR WERE THE VIKINGS
THEMSELVES UNDER THREAT?

Narrator: THE VIKING
FORTRESS OF TRELLEBORG

IS THE MOST IMPRESSIVE
IN A SERIES OF MILITARY BASES

THAT APPEAR TO DATE TO THE REIGN
OF DENMARK'S GREATEST KING --

HARALD BLUETOOTH.

BUT THEIR SUDDEN APPEARANCE
JUST OVER A THOUSAND YEARS AGO

PUZZLES ARCHEOLOGISTS.

WERE THESE STRUCTURES
MERELY DESIGNED TO SHOW OFF

THE KING'S POWER
TO HIS SUBJECTS,

OR TO KEEP OUT HIS ENEMIES?

THE ANSWER MAY LIE BURIED
IN THE FORTRESS ITSELF.

HIDDEN INSIDE TRELLEBORG
ARE CLUES THAT HINT

AT SAVAGE BATTLES.

THE FORT WAS
A FORMIDABLE OBSTACLE.

STRONG WOODEN GATES PROVIDED
THE ONLY WAY IN OR OUT.

AND TO MAKE LIFE
WORSE FOR ATTACKERS,

A ROOF TURNED THE GATES
INTO A KILL ZONE.

BUT ARROWHEADS UNEARTHED
AT THE SCENE

PROVIDE EVIDENCE OF AN ASSAULT.

CHARRED TIMBER SUGGESTS
THESE GATES

WERE ONCE BURNED TO THE GROUND.

AND 130 FEET
FROM THE SOUTHERN GATE,

ARCHEOLOGISTS DISCOVERED

THE ONLY VIKING SHIELD

EVER FOUND IN DENMARK.

COULD THIS LOST SHIELD REVEAL
WHO WAS FIGHTING

WHO AT TRELLEBORG --

AND EVEN WHY
THE FORTRESS WAS BUILT?

THE FINAL PIECE IN THE PUZZLE
COULD LIE HUNDREDS OF MILES AWAY

IN THE FROZEN FJORDS
OF OSLO, NORWAY.

VEGARD VIKE IS ONE OF THE
WORLD'S LEADING EXPERTS

ON VIKING WEAPONRY.

FOR HIM, THE DISCOVERY OF THE
TRELLEBORG SHIELD IS RARE

AND EXCITING.

Vike:
THE TRELLEBORG SHIELD SEEMED
TO BE JUST A LOOSE FIND

OR A THROWAWAY.

AND THAT IT WAS PRESERVED
IS QUITE UNIQUE.

Narrator: MOST VIKING WEAPONS
ARE FOUND IN GRAVES.

THESE GREAT WARRIORS WERE
SO ATTACHED TO THEIR AXES,

SWORDS, AND SHIELDS, THAT THEY
EVEN HELD ONTO THEM IN DEATH.

Vike: THE WEAPONS WERE THE TOOLS
OF THE WARRIOR --

BOTH IN LIFE
AND IN AFTERLIFE, IT SEEMS.

Narrator: IN HIS LABORATORY,

VEGARD CAREFULLY
RESTORES METAL WEAPONS

LIKE SWORDS, AXES,

AND VIKING HELMETS.

BUT AMONG HIS MOST RARE FINDS
IS A SIMPLE WOODEN SHIELD

FROM A VIKING SHIP DISCOVERED
HERE IN SOUTHERN NORWAY.

Vike:
SO, THIS IS ONE OF THE SHIELDS
FROM THE GOKSTAD SHIP BURIAL.

Narrator: WHAT MAKES THIS
SHIELD REMARKABLE

IS THAT ITS CONSTRUCTION
APPEARS TO BE ALMOST IDENTICAL

TO THE SHIELD FOUND
BACK AT TRELLEBORG...

DESPITE BEING FOUND
260 MILES AWAY.

AND USUALLY WHEN
WE HAVE VIKING AGE

GRAVES, WE ONLY HAVE
THESE METAL BALLS.

THE REST IS GONE.

AND IN THIS UNIQUE GRAVE FIND,

WE HAVE A LOT OF ORGANIC
MATERIAL PRESERVED.

SO WE HAVE THIS FABULOUS SHIELD
ALMOST COMPLETE.

Narrator: THE PRESERVATION
OF THIS SHIELD IS TRULY SPECIAL.

ITS WOODEN PLANKS ARE MORE
THAN A THOUSAND YEARS OLD.

♪♪

Vike: THIS SHIELD FROM GOKSTAD
IS VERY SIMILAR

TO THE TRELLEBORG SHIELD.

IT'S BUILT UP FROM SEVEN
OR EIGHT PLANKS IN THE SAME WAY.

THE PLANKS ARE MORE OR LESS
THE SAME THICKNESS

AS THE TRELLEBORG SHIELD.

THEY ARE BOTH A LITTLE BIT
LESS THAN A CENTIMETER THICK.

AND THEY'RE BOTH MADE
FROM VERY LIGHT TYPES OF WOOD.

THE TRELLEBORG SHIELD FROM PINE,
AND THIS ONE FROM SPRUCE.

Narrator: VEGARD CAN TELL
THAT BOTH SHIELDS

MAY WELL HAVE COME
FROM THE SAME PLACE.

THE ANALYSIS OF THE WOOD
FROM THE TRELLEBORG SHIELD SHOW

THAT THE WOOD WAS
ACTUALLY FROM NORWAY.

THESE TWO SHIELDS ARE SO SIMILAR
THAT ONE COULD POSSIBLY THINK

THAT THEY COULD HAVE BEEN
MADE BY THE SAME WORKSHOP.

OR AT LEAST
IN THE SAME TRADITION.

Narrator: IF VEGARD IS RIGHT,
HOW DID A NORWEIGIAN SHIELD

END UP AT TRELLEBORG IN DENMARK?

THE PEOPLE IN THE ARMY
OF TRELLEBORG...

COULD HAVE BEEN BROUGHT TOGETHER
BY PEOPLE FROM VARIOUS PLACES.

THE TRELLEBORG SHIELD COULD BE
VIEWED AS EVIDENCE

FOR NORWEIGIAN WARRIORS
BEING AT TRELLEBORG.

Narrator: SO WAS THE
TRELLEBORG SHIELD

CARRIED BY A NORWEIGIAN WARRIOR,

PERHAPS A MERCENARY
FIGHTING FOR KING HARALD?

THE ANSWER COULD LIE
WITH SOME OF THE SKELETONS

BURIED AT THE FORTRESS.

ANALYSIS OF THEIR TEETH REVEALS

THAT MANY OF THE YOUNG WARRIORS
BURIED HERE

AREN'T VIKINGS FROM DENMARK.

THEY GREW UP IN MODERN DAY
NORWAY, FAR TO THE NORTH,

OR IN THE BALTIC SEA REGIONS.

THESE MEN TRAVELED HUNDREDS
OF MILES TO FIGHT AT TRELLEBORG.

AS HARALD BLUETOOTH
GREW IN POWER,

HE ALSO SEIZED
THE THRONE OF NORWAY.

BUT AS HIS VIKINGS SETTLED DOWN,
THEY BECAME TARGETS.

THE TRELLEBORG SHIELD COULD BE
EVIDENCE THAT VIKINGS

FROM ALL OVER SCANDINAVIA

WERE BANDING TOGETHER
TO FIGHT OFF

COMMON ENEMIES
UNDER HARALD BLUETOOTH.

♪♪

A NEW PICTURE EMERGES
OF THE CRUCIAL ROLE

THAT THESE FORCES PLAY
IN VIKING HISTORY.

TRELLEBORG REVEALS HOW UNDER
HARALD BLUETOOTH'S RULE,

VIKING SOCIETY IN DENMARK

BECAME UNITED UNDER
A SINGLE NATIONAL IDENTITY.

Narrator: CENTURIES
OF ORGANIZATION, TRADE,

AND WARFARE BROUGHT
THE VIKINGS TO THIS POINT.

THE FORTS PROVE THAT THESE
WARRIORS BECAME FAR MORE

THAN JUST THE MARAUDING
PILLAGERS OF LEGEND.

Jarman: I THINK WHAT ESPECIALLY
WE ARE APPRECIATING NOW

IS THAT THE VIKING AGE
IS NOT ALL ABOUT THE MEN,

IT'S NOT JUST
ABOUT THE VIOLENCE.

IT'S VERY MUCH TO DO
WITH CONTACTS, NETWORKS,

TRADE, A LOT OF CULTURE,
ART, AND SO ON.

SO IT'S A MUCH MORE COMPLICATED
AND NUANCED PICTURE

THAN WHAT WE
TYPICALLY THINK ABOUT

WHEN WE THINK
ABOUT THE VIKING AGE.

Narrator:
BY BUILDING TRELLEBORG,

HARALD BLUETOOTH LAID DOWN
THE BLUEPRINTS

FOR MODERN DAY DENMARK.

BUT IN DOING SO, HE ALSO USHERED
IN THE END OF THE INDEPENDENT,

DARING VIKING WARRIOR.

Narrator: TRELLEBORG REVEALS
A LITTLE-KNOWN CHAPTER

IN THE HISTORY
OF THESE LEGENDARY PEOPLE.

FROM THEIR ORIGINS AS
INDEPENDENT TRADERS AND PIRATES,

THE VIKINGS BANDED TOGETHER...

UNITED UNDER THE LEADERSHIP
OF HARALD BLUETOOTH.

♪♪

THIS NEWLY-COORDINATED FORCE

BUILT A NETWORK
OF VAST EARTHWORKS

WITH FORMIDABLE WALLS

AND ENORMOUS LONG HOUSES
UNLIKE ANYTHING ELSE IN EUROPE.

TRELLEBORG
WAS THE CROWNING GLORY

OF A NEWLY-MODERNIZE
MILITARY NATION.

BUT IT'S ALSO A TESTAMENT
TO A DYING WAY OF LIFE --

THE END OF THE VIKING AGE.

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪