The year was year 793 when a group of warriors from the icy lands of Scandinavia assaulted the Lindisfarne MonasteryThe attack on the monastery in the north-east of Britain, brutally killing hundreds of monks, marked the beginning of a bloody day. That bloody day marked the beginning of the Age of the Vikingsa brave, fierce, audacious and adventurous civilisation that for more than 250 years - between the 8th and 11th centuries - spread terror and domination by means of axe and drakkar all over the European continent, from Dublin to Kiev.
Now, the Archaeological Museum of Alicante recovers, by means of a unpublished exhibitionThe history and development of this fearsome Nordic people with a great shipbuilding expertise and, although it may seem paradoxical, with great talent for the creation of poems and literary sagas.
The President of the Provincial Government, César Sánchezpresented this morning at the National Archaeological Museum of Madrid This new exhibition will remain at the MARQ from 19 May to 16 January 2017. The event was also attended by the director of MAN, Andrés CarreteroThe cultural attaché of the Danish Embassy in Spain, Sarah Maria Bogantesthe deputy for Culture, César Augusto AsencioThe programme director of the National Museum of Denmark, Anni Mogensenthe curator of the exhibition, Anne-Kristine Larsenas well as the managing director and the technical director of the Alicante centre, Josep Albert Cortés and Manuel Olcinarespectively, among other authorities.
"This exhibition brings us closer to the reality of the Viking kings, their power struggles, their people and beliefs, their culture and craftsmanship, their ships and navigational skills, their trade and their famous warriors."explained the president, who added that ".The Viking Age is an essential part of Denmark's cultural and historical legacy, a unique heritage that the MARQ has set out to bring to all those who visit the exhibition during the exhibition period.".
He also stressed that "With this important exhibition we are working in two areas: cultural, but also one that is very important for us, tourism. Over the next few months the MARQ will be a window of Alicante to the world and through this event we are going to make a firm commitment, from a tourist point of view, to the Scandinavian world.".
A total of 663 piecesfrom the National Museum of DenmarkThe exhibition, under the title "Vikings.Northern Warriors.Giants of the Sea", will be located in the three temporary rooms of the MARQ. The first of these will be dedicated to the seawith ships as the main protagonist. These 'men of the north' possessed great expertise as naval engineers, a quality that led them to build a wide range of warships, merchant ships and fishing and transport vessels. The exhibition also explores the figure of the warrior as a profession - mercenary - and that of the merchant as a businessman who exploited trade along the shipping routes.
The second room will deal with Viking culture and societyThe exhibition also offers an overview of their city model, their housing typology and their palace complexes. The exhibition also offers an overview of their city model, the typology of their dwellings and their palace complexes.
Finally, the third instance will be dedicated to exalt their great religious devotionwith references to the Gods, Scandinavian myths and the beginning of their Christianisation. In addition, this space will contain the testimonies of the raids that took the Vikings to the Umayyad Emirate of Al-Andalus and also those that they carried out in Orihuela, the Lands of Tudmir and the Mediterranean coast.
In this sense, the curator of the exhibition has stated that ".this exhibition offers the public the opportunity to learn about many aspects of Viking life with scientific and professional rigour. Behind the popular and partial image we have of this civilisation, in which they have been defined as violent looters and murderers, lies a much richer cultural and political reality. The Vikings were also great traders, settlers, explorers, engineers, architects and craftsmen who founded cities and kingdoms.".
Among the most outstanding objects is the Jelling stonea unique piece erected in 965 by King Hararld Bluetooth to proclaim his baptism and, with it, the establishment of Christianity as the official religion of Denmark, as well as the Valkyriea solid silver-gilt figurine depicting a woman holding a sword and a circular shield.
A ship's rudder more than two metres in length, a set of coinsa hull fragment of Tjele, a double-edged sword with silver ornaments or a wooden yoke with ornamental bronze setting are other of the most representative objects that make up this collection.
Moreover, thanks to this exhibition, visitors will be able to discover such curious aspects as that The axe was the main weapon used by the Vikings against the enemy. or that the idea thatcarried horns on their hooves is a totally false myth..
The head of the Provincial Government, who thanked the ASISA and Caja Murcia foundations for their collaboration. in this new exhibition proposal, has vindicated the role of museums as essential centres that contribute to the custody and dissemination of cultural heritage".for the peaceful coexistence of the peoples of the world".
