Life of the Ancient Vikings

Sandy Campbell is a reference librarian in the Science and Technology Library at the University of Alberta.

The study of ancient cultures is complex and difficult. Much of the
information has been lost over time. Some of it comes to us from
archeology and writers of antiquity. Some of the claims are conjecture
and extrapolation. Some are in dispute. In this Peoples of the Ancient
World series, however, Hazel Richardson does a good job of distilling as
much as 5500 years of a civilization’s history, striking a balance
between picking out highlights and oversimplification.

Richardson begins each book with an overview of the development of the
civilization; follows with 12 chapters devoted to broad topics, such as
social structure, economy, religion and belief, technology, and so on;
and ends with a small glossary and an index. Each chapter is made up of
50– to 150–word paragraphs that address a specific subject, such as
Harrappan art, Yayoi Group Graves, or Celtic medicine. The text is
readable and age-appropriate.

The images are the highlight of the books. A rich array of drawings and
photographs are used to illustrate the most important concepts from
these ancient cultures. Students will learn a lot just by thumbing
through the pages and reading picture captions.

These books are sufficiently detailed that they would serve as an
introduction for elementary and middle-school or junior-high-school
students. All are highly recommended.