Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology (773 page)

General term applied to Scandinavian communities from Denmark, Sweden, and Norway of the later 1st millennium
ad
who were great navigators, traders, and colonists. Widely regarded in the popular imagination as raiders well versed in rape and pillage, this seems to have been only part of the story. Their trading activities took them along the main river systems of eastern Europe to the Black Sea, Byzantium, and the Mediterranean. In the 8th and 9th centuries they raided the rivers and coasts of western Europe, including the Isle of Man and Ireland. In 865 their raids on eastern England led to the conquest of much of the eastern part of the country with a capital and major trading port at York (Jorvik). In the 10th century they briefly colonized Greenland and portions of the North American coast.

 
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Scandinavian words used to describe the seafaring raiders from Norway, Sweden, and Denmark who ravaged the coasts of Europe from about 800 ad onwards. The etymology of the word ‘Viking’ is disputed but its use signified ‘pirate’. The noun ‘viking’ means a pirate raid.

 
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A group of three or more early medieval houses forming a small discrete rural settlement which lacks the commercial, legal, and ecclesiastical services found in larger settlements. Widely scattered across midland and eastern England, dating to the 6th century
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through to the Norman conquest in the mid 11th century.

 
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In Roman times a villa was an independent rural settlement of some consequence, distinguished archaeologically by a central building with heated rooms, baths, mosaic pavements, or sophisticated architectural details such as columns. Around the central buildings there may be barns and agricultural facilities, since the villa was usually the social and economic focus of a substantial estate. In the Mediterranean world, from the 2nd century
bc
onwards, examples began to appear that showed less emphasis on farming and more on the function of a country house for the urban rich. Various architectural styles are represented, two of the most common being the
WINGED CORRIDOR VILLA
and the
COURTYARD VILLA
.

 
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Formerly classed as Upper
PLIOCENE
, now included in the Lower
PLEISTOCENE
.

 
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In northern Europe, a cluster of farmhouses and cottages, larger than a hamlet, and sometimes including a church and other communal buildings and facilities. In most cases villages develop out of earlier
VILLS
in the 11th century
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and many are still occupied.

 
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