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In the mid-20th century, archaeologists discovered a figure of the Buddha in the site at Helgö, an old viking village. Dating back to the 6th century, the Buddha was made in the Swat Valley in modern day Pakistan, and is believed to have been brought to Scandinavia along an ancient trade route, called, "Austrveg".

Image sources:
Av Holger.Ellgaard - Eget arbete, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
Av Berig - Eget arbete, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
Av Berig - Eget arbete, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
Viksbåten - by Gunnel Illonen/Sjöhistoriska museet: https://digitaltmuseum.se/02101597632...
Av I, Efarestv, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
The finished replica Lee's Island Log boat. Photo Credit: Brian MacDomhnaill
https://bau.nu/Historisk%20illustrati...
By Zefram - Self-photographed, CC BY 2.0 de, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...

Sources:
Ship and society - Gunilla Larsson
The Viking World - Stefan Brink
Islam and Scandinavia during the Viking Age - Egil Mikkelsen
http://old.stockholmslansmuseum.se/up...
http://www.erikskulle.se/vikboat.php

Timestamps:
0:00 Introduction
2:46 The Varjags
6:30 The boats they used
11:59 The route
16:00 Trade with the Caliphate
19:32 Aggression
13:17 Outro

#vikings #history #vikingage