Does the name Ikea ring a bell? When you think of Viking ships, do you think of the greatest technical achievement of the European dark ages? Have you ever seen an early American log cabin?
You’ve probably heard of these things, but what is the story of their origination. Here is a little glimpse into that history.
Old Norse literature noted that early dwellers were expert home builders and carpenters, first constructing simple log structures at the beginning of the Bronze Age (around 3500 BC).
Carpentry expertise in Northern Europe improved exponentially as the Iron Age drew to a close thanks to the wider use of wood axes. As the Viking Age commenced in the late eighth century AD, this began to have a significant effect on the way of life.
Previously, the vast majority of Norse people lived on small farms, sharing a single longhouse with their animals. Unsurprisingly, as know how improved people began to build more complex structures, undoubtedly spurred by the discomfort endured inside the shared living environment. Homes, barns and other buildings soon began popping up around the region, and more complex household objects and farming equipment were created from wood.
Source: Jørgen Deleuran
The Viking Age was especially notable for the ship-building craftsmanship that emerged during this time. These impressive longships set out overseas to explore and pillage in equal measures, with the Vikings they carried often armed with battle axes appropriated from their original carpentry purpose. So important were they to the culture, that when chieftains eventually passed away they would be buried with their ship.
Local carpentry skills would continue developing throughout history, yet it was with the humble wood cabin that Nordic carpenters would next make an impact abroad. In the 1630s, when Northern European settlers first arrived in the USA, they brought with them their cabin building skills. These simple wooden structures would go on to become symbolic of the early European colonies in the United States.
