Learnings: Destinations of the Voyagers

An engraving showing a scene of portage, from the Historia de Gentibus Septentrionalibus (by Olaus Magnus) / 1555

Travelling by rivers and other interior waterways would have involved "portaging." This is when sailors take the boat out of the water and transport it over land. The Scandinavians have used portage to avoid obstacles such as rapids or waterfalls, or to find and follow a new route. When possible, they would have carried the boat on their shoulders, as represented here. Otherwise, they would have dragged it behind them as they walked.

With their longships, Scandinavians sailed the Mediterranean and Black Seas. They journeyed to the White Sea and colonized Atlantic islands such as Iceland and Greenland. on their travels, they reached destinations as far east as Iraq and as far west as North America.