About AD 800, mysterious long-ships made their first appearance along the North Sea coast of Britain. From Shetland to the Thames, these raiding ships appeared out of the sea mists, carrying warriors so fierce that no one could stand against them. By the middle of the 9th century, these raiders began to establish settlements, and the raids continued, from Norse bases in Orkney, Ireland, and the Isle of Man. The raiders eventually became rulers, creating Scandinavian colonies in Normandy, England, and Ireland. Around the same time, a few Viking explorers ventured across the Atlantic to America, while others sailed south to Africa, into the Mediterranean, and through the European river systems deep into Russia. This book chronicles their achievements, drawing on archaeological evidence as well as the rich source of Norse Sagas and mythology.

Atlas showing the range of Viking developments and exploration.

Examines the life, art, and technology of Vikings and discusses the extent of the travels

Forged in an age of faith and war and tempered by great statesmen, religious leaders and artists, medieval civilizations witnessed remarkable transformations. Far from being a homogeneous world of knights and castles, the era saw a multitude of contrasting and often competing cultures, many of which became the foundation stones for the emergence of modern societies. From the expansion of Islam across the Mediterranean to the appearance of centralized states and Christian monarchies, the Atlas of the Medieval World draws from new archival and archaeological evidence to reveal a period of astonishing cultural vibrancy and political diversity. Alongside stunning maps covering nearly a millennium of one of the most formative phases in history, hundreds of exquisite pictures of art and architecture accompany expertly written text edited by Rosamond McKitterick, Professor of Early Medieval History at Cambridge University to bring an extraordinary period to life as no reference has before. The Arab invasions of Europe, the empire of Charlemagne, the African kingdoms of Songhai and Mali, the Crusades, the Viking and Mongol invasions, the Delhi sultanate and the T'ang and Ming empires are just a few of the subjects explained in the Atlas of the Medieval World. What's more, cultural and economic trends such as the spread of literacy and the growth of towns receive equal attention alongside the emergence of kingdoms and the march of armies to form a comprehensive history of all major societies outside of the Americas during the Middle Ages.

"Every map, with its accompanying notes, is almost a chapter of history in itself....General readers as well as history students will value the atlas for its meticulously detailed information."-- Times Educational Supplement This outstanding historical atlas from Martin Gilbert offers a definitive visual history of World War I. In 164 finely detailed, easy-to-read maps, it covers the origins of the war, the quarrels of the great European powers and the mobilization of 1914, plus the major battles and all the individual campaigns--including the war at sea and in the air--putting them in the wider context of strategy. Beyond its thorough and precise military coverage, the atlas also explores the diplomatic, economic, and social aspects of the conflict, and many of the maps--such as a map of German food riots in 1916, a state-by-state map of opposition to the war in the United States in April, 1917, or a map analyzing India's manpower contribution to war--have put together normally scattered and diverse information with exceptional clarity. A final section of maps explores the political, economic, and human aftermath of the war. This fully revised Second Edition of The Atlas of World War I features new maps, including maps that detail the creation of Yugoslavia, and the Leipzig War Crimes Trials, and a map analyzing the manpower contribution of American soldiers, state-by-state.

Viking Empires, first published in 2005, is a definitive global history of the Viking World.

The Penguin Historical Atlas of Ancient Civilizations explores the world's earliest cultures, from the farming settlements of Mesopotamia to the Americas and Polynesia, via the birth of Greek city states and the foundation of Rome. It examines the development of civilizations in the Near East - Babylonian, Assyrian, Persian - as well as those in Europe - the Minoans, Etruscans and Celts. Across the continents of Africa, Asia and America, it covers such subjects as Egypt from its pre-dynastic roots to the age of the Pharaohs, China during the Shang and Zhou dynasties, and the great cities of the Incas and Aztecs. Vivid descriptions of civilizations are complemented by discussion of such key topics as colonization, agriculture and technology, and the rise of empires and city states. Richly illustrated with timelines, photographs, artwork re-creations and full-colour maps, this is an illuminating and multi-faceted one-volume introduction to early peoples and the worlds they created. - Back cover.