What was Kaupang in Viking Age Norway?
Kaupang was a Viking Age village generally considered the first town or marketplace in Norway. It served as an important merchant and craft center and stands as Norway's first known trading outpost.
Questions about Kaupang
Short answers, pulled from the story.
Where was Kaupang located?
Kaupang was located near the present day village of Tjøllingvollen in Larvik Municipality, Vestfold county, Norway. It stood along Viksfjorden, a branch off the larger Larviksfjorden.
When was Kaupang founded and when was it abandoned?
Kaupang was founded in the 780s and was abandoned for unknown reasons in the early 10th century. It is also described as one of Scandinavia's earliest urban sites, established around the year 800.
What does the name Kaupang mean?
Kaupang is the Old Norse term for market place, combining a word meaning buy with a word meaning fjord harbor. The resulting sense, buy fjord or buy harbor, resembles the literal meaning behind the name Copenhagen.
What have excavations at Kaupang uncovered?
Excavations at Kaupang have uncovered a handicraft and commercial center that once housed around 1,000 inhabitants, along with roughly 100,000 finds including Arab silver coins, a gold coin from Dorestad, glass beads, jewelry, pottery, weapons and tools. Nicolay Nicolaysen conducted the first excavations in 1867, Charlotte Blindheim began work in 1947, and Dagfinn Skre led new excavations from 1997 through 2003.
Is Kaupang the same place as Skiringssal mentioned by Ohthere of Hålogaland?
There is a general perception that Kaupang is mentioned as Skiringssal in Ohthere of Hålogaland's account of his travels, but this is unconfirmed. The port Ohthere described is recorded only as Sciringes heal in Old English, and no scientific evidence proves it corresponds to Kaupang's Skiringssal.