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Trade during the Viking Age - wikipedia Trade during the Viking Age Jump to : navigation , search This article is an orphan , as no other articles link to it . Please introduce links to this page from related articles ; try the Find link tool for suggestions . ( April 2015 ) While the Vikings are perhaps best known for accumulating wealth through plunder , tribute , and conquest , they were also successful traders . The Vikings developed several trading centres and long - distance trade routes during the Viking Age ( c. 8th Century AD to 11th Century AD ) . The Vikings also established a `` bullion economy '' in which weighed silver , and to a lesser extent gold , was used as a means of exchange . Contents ( hide ) 1 Trade routes 2 Trading towns 3 Goods 3.1 Imports 3.2 Exports 4 Bullion economy 5 Exchange rates 6 References Trade routes ( edit ) The Vikings had a very vast , expansive , and planned out trade network . Trade took place on a gold level and over short distances . The majority of trade was conducted among the several ports that lined the Scandinavian coasts . The Vikings also engaged in trade with merchants throughout Europe , Asia and the Far East . The Volga and Dnieper Trade Routes were the two main trade routes that connected Northern Europe with Constantinople , Jerusalem , Baghdad , and the Caspian Sea . Several trade routes also ran through central Europe that connected Scandinavia with the Mediterranean . The Vikings are also believed to have sent merchants as far west as Greenland . Trading Towns ( edit ) At the beginning of the Viking Age , the first proper trading towns developed in Scandinavia . These appeared in central locations along Scandinavia 's coasts near natural harbors or fjords . Trading centers varied in size , character , and significance . Only a select few developed into international trading posts . Every town was ruled by a king who imposed taxes on imported and exported goods in exchange for military protection of the town 's citizens . The largest trading centers during the Viking Age were Ribe ( Denmark ) , Kaupang ( Norway ) , Hedeby ( Denmark ) , and Birka ( Sweden ) . Hedeby was the largest and most important trading center . Located along the southern border of Denmark in the inner part of the Schlei Fjord , Hedeby controlled both the north / south trade routes ( between Europe and Scandinavia ) and the east / west routes ( between the Baltic and the North Seas ) . At its peak , Hedeby 's population was around 1000 people . Ribe , located on the West coast of Denmark , was established in the early 8th century as the eastern end of a trading and monetary network that stretched around the North Sea . There were also several Viking trading centers located along several rivers in modern - day Russia including Gorodische , Gnezdovo , Cherigov , Novgorod , and Kiev . These towns became major trade destinations on the trading route from the Baltic Sea to Central Asia . Goods ( edit ) Imports ( edit ) Silver , silk , spices , weapons , wine , glassware , quern stones ( for grinding grain ) , fine textiles , pottery , slaves , both precious and non-precious weapons . Exports ( edit ) Honey , tin , wheat , wool , various types of fur and hides , feathers , falcons , whalebone , walrus ivory , reindeer antler , and amber . Slaves and furs were the most important trade items . The Vikings bought and sold slaves throughout their trade network . Viking slaves were known as thralls . The majority of imported slaves came from the Islamic world . Most of the trade during the Viking Age took place at the local level primarily involving agriculture products such as vegetables , grains , and cereals . Domestic animals were also traded among local peoples . These items were brought into town by farmers and traded for basic necessities , such as tools and clothes , and luxury items , such as glassware and jewelry . Bullion economy ( edit ) The Viking Age saw the development of a bullion economy . In this economic framework , traders and merchants exchanged goods for bullion ( precious metals , primarily gold and silver ) . Trade was usually accomplished by barter . Bullion lacked the formal quality control linked with coinage and therefore provided a highly flexible system . The durability of silver and gold made them more suited for a monetary role than many other commodities . By the 9th century , silver had become the basis for the Viking economy . Most of the silver was acquired from the Islamic world . When the silver mines near Baghdad ran dry in the late 10th century , the Vikings began to tap central Europe , specifically the Hraz Mountains in Germany . Bullion took the form of coins , ingots , and jewelry . The value of bullion was determined by its purity and mass . Methods used to test the purity of the metal included `` pricking '' and `` pecking '' the surface to test the hardness of the alloy and reveal plating . Determining bullion 's mass required the use of weights and scales . Many of the bronze scales used by Viking traders folded on themselves making them compact and easy to carry for travel . Anglo - Saxon - Viking Coin weight . Used for trading bullion and hack - silver . Material is lead and weighs approx 36 g . Embedded with an Anglo - Saxon sceat ( Series K type 32a ) dating to 720 - 750 AD and minted in Kent . It is edged in dotted triangle pattern . Origin is the Danelaw region and dates 870 - 930CE The two types of weights imported from foreign lands were cubo - octahedral weights ( Dice weights ) and oblate spheroids ( barrel weights ) . Both were produced in various sizes with markings indicating the weights they represented . The majority of imported weights came from the Islamic world and contained Arabic inscriptions . Vikings also produced their own weights for measuring quantities of silver and gold . These lead weights were decorated with enameling , insert coins , or cut up ornamental metalwork . Unlike the dice weights or barrel weights , each lead weight was unique so there was no danger of them being rearranged or switched during the course of an exchange . Exchange rates ( edit ) Estimated exchange rates at the beginning of the 11th century in Iceland were : 8 ounces of silver = 1 ounce of gold 8 ounces of silver = 4 milk cows 8 ounces of silver = 24 sheep 8 ounces of silver = 144 ells ( roughly 72 meters ) of wadmal 2 ells wide ( about 1 meter ) 12 ounces of silver = 1 adult male slave If the weight of a piece of jewelry was more than needed to complete a purchase , it was cut up into smaller bits until the correct weight needed for the transaction was reached . The term hack silver is used to describe these silver objects . Silver ingots were primarily used for large / high - value transactions . The largest found weights weigh more than 1 kilogram each . Precious metals were also used to display personal wealth and status . For example , Rus traders symbolized their wealth through silver neck rings . Silver or gold gifts were often exchanged to secure social and political relationships . References ( edit ) Jump up ^ `` Towns and Trading in the Viking Age '' . Hurstwic . Jump up ^ `` Trade in the Viking Period '' . The National Museum of Denmark . Jump up ^ Williams , Gareth ( 2014 ) . Vikings : Life and Legend . London : British Museum . Jump up ^ `` Towns and Trading in the Viking Age '' . Hurstwic . Jump up ^ Williams , Gareth ( 2014 ) . Vikings : Life and Legend . London : British Museum . Jump up ^ `` Trade in the Viking period '' . The National Museum of Denmark . Jump up ^ `` Towns and Trading in the Viking Age '' . Hurstwic . Jump up ^ Williams , Gareth ( 2014 ) . Vikings : Life and Legend . London : British Museum . Jump up ^ Vikings : Life and Legend . London : British Museum . 2014 . Jump up ^ Williams , Gareth ( 2007 ) . Vikings : Life and Legend . London : British Museum . Jump up ^ `` Imports in the Viking Age '' . The National Museum of Denmark . Jump up ^ `` Towns and Trading in the Viking Age '' . Hurstwic . Jump up ^ Graham - Campbell , James ( 2007 ) . Silver Economy in the Viking Age . Walnut Creek , CA : Left Coast . Jump up ^ `` Towns and Trading in the Viking Age '' . Hurstwic . Jump up ^ `` Vikings as Traders '' . SWIRK . Jump up ^ Williams , Gareth ( 2014 ) . Vikings : Life and Legend . London : British Museum . Jump up ^ Ashby , Steven P. ; Coutu , Ashley N. ; Sindbæk , Søren M. ( April 2015 ) . `` Urban Networks and Arctic Outlands : Craft Specialists and Reindeer Antler in Viking Towns '' . European Journal of Archaeology. 18 ( 4 ) : 679 -- 704 . doi : 10.1179 / 1461957115Y. 0000000003 . Jump up ^ `` Imports in the Viking Age '' . The National Museum of Denmark . Jump up ^ Williams , Gareth ( 2014 ) . Vikings : Life and Legend . London : British Museum . Jump up ^ `` Trade in the Viking Period '' . The National Museum of Denmark . Jump up ^ Williams , Gareth . `` Viking Money '' . BBC . Jump up ^ Graham - Campbell , James ( 2007 ) . Silver Economy in the Viking Age . Walnut Creek , CA : Left Coast . Jump up ^ Williams , Gareth ( 2014 ) . Vikings : Life and Legend . London : British Museum . Jump up ^ Williams , Gareth ( 2007 ) . Vikings : Life and Legend . London : British Museum . Jump up ^ `` Viking Weight '' . The National Museum of Ireland . Jump up ^ Williams , Gareth ( 2007 ) . Vikings : Life and Legend . London : British Museum . Jump up ^ `` Towns and Trading in the Viking Age '' . Hurstwic . Jump up ^ Williams , Gareth . `` Viking Money '' . BBC . Jump up ^ `` Vikings Scales and Weights '' . Teaching History.org . The British Museum . Jump up ^ Gareth , Williams ( 2007 ) . Vikings : Life and Legend . London : British Museum . Jump up ^ Williams , Gareth . `` Viking Money '' . BBC . Jump up ^ `` Vikings Scales and Weights '' . Teaching History.org . The British Museum . Graham - Campbell , James , and Gareth Williams . Silver Economy in the Viking Age . Walnut Creek , CA : Left Coast , 2007 . `` Imports in the Viking Age . '' The National Museum of Denmark . < http://natmus.dk/en/historical-knowledge/denmark/prehistoric-period-until-1050-ad/the-viking-age/expeditions-and-raids/imports/ > Short , William R. `` Hurstwic : Towns and Trading in the Viking Age . '' Hurstwic. < http://www.hurstwic.org/history/articles/daily_living/text/Towns.htm > . `` Trade in the Viking Period . '' The National Museum of Denmark . < http://natmus.dk/en/historical-knowledge/denmark/prehistoric-period-until-1050-ad/the-viking-age/expeditions-and-raids/trade-in-the-viking-period/ > . `` Viking Weight . '' The National Museum of Ireland . < http://www.museum.ie/en/list/artefacts.aspx?article=32976b0a-e67c-4f06-9921-782f3ba135d1 > . Williams , Gareth , Peter Pentz , Matthias Wemhoff , and Sunhild Kleingärtner . Vikings : Life and Legend . London : British Museum , 2014 . Williams , Gareth . `` Viking Money . '' BBC News . BBC , Feb. 2011 . < http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/vikings/money_01.shtml > . `` Vikings as Traders . '' SWIRK . N.p. , n.d. Web . < http://www.skwirk.com/p-c_s-56_u-473_t-1287_c-4945/SA/7/Vikings-as-traders/The-Viking-society/The-Vikings/SOSE-History/ > `` Viking Scales and Weights . '' Teaching History with 100 Objects . The British Museum . < http://teachinghistory100.org/objects/about_the_object/viking_scales_and_weights > . Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Trade_during_the_Viking_Age&oldid=832051626 '' Categories : International trade Viking Age Hidden categories : Orphaned articles from April 2015 All orphaned articles Talk Contents About Wikipedia Add links This page was last edited on 23 March 2018 , at 15 : 04 . Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply . By using this site , you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy . Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation , Inc. , a non-profit organization . About Wikipedia