Did Rome know about Scandinavia and the Vikings? (Short Animated Documentary)

Rome's reach extended across much of the European continent at one point or another during its life. The notable exception to this is northern Europe where Rome's relationship with Scandinavia is less well understood. So what did Rome know about Scandinavia and the people who lived there? Did they get along or fight wars with each other? To find out watch this short and simple animated history documentary.

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[JA]

I appreciate that Rome saw a frozen northern area and said “Nah we’re good”

[Theoneandonlytster]

Rome was so advanced 2000 years ago they knew the same two things about Scandinavia as an average American nowadays incredible

[napoleonibonaparte]

Because Rome didn't want to pay for a Scandinavia expansion DLC.

[SheerDexterity]

Scandinavians to the Roman Empire in the ancient period: "You comin' to me, or am I comin' to you?"
Scandinavians to the Roman Empire in the medieval period: "I guess I'm comin' to you."

[eirikbelisarius]

I studied the late antiquity. Procopius, who was a writer in the 6th century in Constantinopel, had detailed knowledge about Scandinavia. Some of the elite troops of the emperor Justinian were the Heruli. They came from Denmark. When the leader of the Heruli in Byzantium died, the Heruli sendt an envoy to Denmark to find a new leader. This new leader died on his way from Denmark to Constantinopel, so the envois went back to Denmark and found yet another new leader to go to Constantinopel.

Procopius also wrote about a place in the north were there is a river in the ocean. The way he described it made it clear that he was referring to Saltstraumen outside Bodø. This is a very distinct geographical phenomena were the current create a very strong "river" in a sound. He also said that farther north from this river in the ocean there was a land were the sun was away for 40 days and nights in the winter and was in the sky for 24 hours for 40 days in the summer. Now this is obviously the midnight sun. You have to go almost all the way to the top of Norway to find this. The educated elites in The Eastern Empire must have had a lot of information of even the northern part of the Scandinavian peninsula. Probably via mercenaries like the Heruli and Goths.

[kemarisite]

1:25 "really cold, and no interest in going there", probably because they couldn't grow grapes for wine.

[orlandowest]

Danish archaeologist here! Not only did the romans trade with the danes but danish armies very likely served in Rome. We have many (cant remember the exact number but ~15) so called Lübsow graves full of Roman goods, and especially goods associated with roman army officers. Just last week I visited the ongoing excavation at Hedegård, which is a roman iron age fort where a roman officers sword (called a pugio) was found. In all likelyhood danish units served the roman army for extended periods of time before returning home. Alternatively of course they might have been hired to harass and fight the Germans from the north, being given gifts, money and probably officers titles to ensure their loyalty.

[fabulouschild]

0:20 I love how Bjorn Vikingson over there just vanishes as soon as Julius Romanus sad "you don't exist"

[MercuryPin]

Some video ideas I’ve thought of

Why did German Unification fail in 1848?
Why wasn’t there an Italian Confederation?
Why didn’t Switzerland join Germany?
Why weren’t there German colonies in the Americas?
Why was Montenegro independent so early?
Why was it called the Second Polish Republic if there wasn’t a first one?

[TorIverWilhelmsen]

(Swedes row up a river)
"Well, this is as far as we can go, let us settle and call it Rus."
"There is this other river flowing the other way not too many miles away."
"Yes, but the ships are in this river and... you can't be serious."
(Ship carrying over land commences)
(And then they rowed to Miklagard.)

[TetsuShima]

There are actually some ancient Roman artifacts found in Finland, so it is possible that there was some kind of direct or indirect trade exchange between the Roman Empire and Scandinavia.

[jokuvaan]

Finland. The place no one from Romans to Mongols to English cared or even knew about until Sweden just decided to take it...
between 12th to mid 14th century. The oldest building in Finland is 600 year old stone church in the very south. Even vikings just stayed mostly trading near coastal regions because there was no centralized power structures to take over, Finnish tribes used the forest for guerilla warfare when threatened and some vikings thought they were weather wizards or something.

[Crick]

*Roman General reaches Scandinavia*
"For Ceaser! Wait, the snow is HOW deep in winter???" 😢
*Packs up and rushes back to Italy*

[supposedracoon]

1:20 I love the idea that Britain is the limit of cold the Romans were willing to put up with

[mijanhoque]

Romans vs Vikings would have been dope to see

[fligugigu_]

if it hadnt been for the legendary explorer James Bisonette, rome wouldnt have known about scandanavia at all.

[blauw]

I love that in the Hagia Sofia in Istanbul is still a runic inscription that says something along the lines of "Halfdan was here"

[SirGruff]

Shame you didn't mention the Volga and Dnieper trade routes that connected Scandinavia and Eastern Rome via rivers in Eastern Europe. The Varangians mostly came from this route rather than via the Med as hinted here. Riverine trade is always underappreciated.

[solsunman]

Fun fact: those English refugees from the Norman Conquest apparently were resettled by the Byzantines in southern Russia, which they renamed "New England", a semi independent colony with it's capital where the city of Novorossiysk now stands. There is some evidence that the "Londina" river is named after London, as there may have been an English colony of that name in Crimea. The later Principality of Theodoro is theorised to have owed some of its germanic nature to a lingering anglo-saxon presence.

[muhammadhabibieamiro]

You know is a good day when history matters upload an video and is about rome