“Vikings: 1000” will take viewers on an unforgettable journey – as we follow teams of front-line researchers and interdisciplinary scientists on a quest to unearth new discoveries about the Vikings, on the 1000th anniversary of their arrival in the New World.
The legends of the Vikings have been passed orally, and down through medieval sagas – their image re-imagined by every generation since. But as more and more and clues are revealed - shedding new light on their history, culture, and voyages - it’s become increasingly clear the Vikings are NOT who we thought they were.
From the end of the 8th to the 11th century, a mass exodus of Scandinavians leaving their homelands to seek fortunes elsewhere changed the course of history forever. These strong sea-faring warriors - collectively known as “Vikings” or “Norsemen” - undertook large scale raiding, colonizing, conquest, and trading adventures through Europe and beyond. But until now, much of their history has been conjecture, hypothesis, and even fantasy – stories recorded long after the fact by contemporary historians and scribes.
Now, with exclusive access to ground-breaking archaeological excavations and new science, “Vikings: 1000” promises to uncover a new way of understanding the Vikings - from their genetic makeup and gender roles, to how they dealt with climate change and drought in their own changing world. Even more important, what drove them to explore new lands? The great mystery of their motivation lies at the heart of an ocean of mysteries about their rise and fall, their technology, their knowledge - and the question, just how far into the New World did they go?