I`m spending parts of Easter in the second largest town in Denmark, Århus. Århus had her city rights in 1441 but one can trace back the city to the 8th century. Århus, or Aros, as they believe the city was called back then, is celebrating her Viking history my inviting all visitors to their Viking museum. This museum is tiny but it was free and it offered some interesting information.
Long houses and pit houses
In most Viking museums and village reconstructions they`ve rebuilt the typical Viking long houses where 20-30 people lived and slept in one large (long) room. I`ve already visited plenty of those places and have also posted about them here. But the museum in Århus has reconstructed a different kind of house – a pit house. Apparently this was a type of house for the poorer and less well connected people.
The museum was dark so my pictures of the reconstruction weren`t very good but here`s a picture of their drawing of a larger house and a pit house. The museum dated these houses to around year 1000:
Small Viking pit house situated below ground level.
The pit houses were situated about one meter below ground level to keep them warm in the winter and, as you can see from the picture, they were really tiny.
So with this small tale of pit houses I`ll let the Vikings of Aros bid you goodnight 🙂
Viking museum in Århus – Aros – Viking family greeting visitors at the door.
I had never heard of ‘pit houses’. That’s an interesting bit if history. Thanks! : )
I`d heard about them but never connected to the Viking age. Always nice to learn new things 🙂
You`re welcome!