JL he early Scandinavian sea-warriors whose daring 

 raids were feared from Spain to Constantinople, who es- 

 tablished kingdoms in England and Russia, who traded 

 with China, colonized Greenland, and explored the coasts 

 of the New World, are the subject of a new exhibit — 

 "Vikings" — opening at the Museum on April 6. 



O, 



"ur bulletin cover reproduces a design carved on the 

 portal of an eleventh century stave church found at Ur- 

 ness, Norway — one of the first Christian churches built 

 by Vikings after their conversion from paganism. A rep- 

 lica of this church front has also been obtained for the 

 exhibit. 



VIKINGS 



special exhibit April 6 — May 8 



Replicas of stirrup 

 and belt ornaments 

 °f g° ld /'Hgree 

 work. Part of fa- 

 mous Viking hoard 

 from Vaernes Klo- 

 ster in Ostfold, 

 Norway, a.d. 800- 

 1100. 



To most of us, the thought of Vikings immediately 

 evokes the bold "dragon" ship, with its carved snake- 

 head prow and ranks of blazoned shields along the bows. 

 In the new exhibit are models of two of the most famous 

 of these ships, excavated at the Oseberg and Gokstad 

 sites in Norway. These replicas, together with the re- 

 production of a ship prowhead and a map of the Vikings' 

 far-roving voyages, suggest the maritime adventures that 

 made the Viking name a dreaded one among contem- 

 porary nations. 



The weapons used in Viking raids were the axe, spear, 

 javelin, bow and arrows, and the sword. Among the 

 original pieces obtained for the exhibit are parts of a 

 sword and shield, an iron axe head, and spear- and arrow- 

 heads excavated from Viking sites. Because these speci- 

 mens are Norwegian national treasures, only a very few 

 of them have been released from the collections of the 

 Oslo University Museum of National Antiquities for this 

 exhibition. This will be the first time these original Viking 

 relics have been exhibited in the United States. 



Page i APRIL 



At 4 p.m. on the day of the exhibition opening (Monday, 

 April 6), Mr. Helge Ingstad, Norwegian scholar, will 

 lecture on his recent excavation in Newfoundland of what 

 appears to be the first authenticated Viking site discovered 

 in the New World. The lecture will be given in the Mu- 

 seum's James Simpson Theatre and is open to the public. 



The new exhibit has been arranged in cooperation with 

 the Oslo University Museum of National Antiquities, the 

 Oslo Marine Museum, and the Bergen University Mu- 

 seum, who have made the original relics and the replicas 

 available. These materials have been brought to Chicago 

 through the courtesy of Scandinavian Airlines System 

 (SAS). In charge of the exhibition is Mr. George I. 

 Quimby, Curator of North American Archaeology and 

 Ethnology. The designer is Mr. Theodore Halkin, Artist 

 in the Department of Anthropology. 



"Vikings" will be on display in Hall 9 on the first floor 

 of the Museum through May 8. 



