Vikingology Podcast · The Art and Science of the Viking Age

Burning Down the House

·1 hr 3 min·5 clips

William Short reveals that Viking house fires killed people in just minutes, not hours as the sagas suggest.

Hosts Terri and C.J. interview researchers William Short and Rainer Oskarsson about their experimental archaeology project on Viking house burning tactics. They discuss building and burning turf houses in Iceland, analyzing fire spread, escape tunnels, and using sour whey for fire suppression, revealing insights into Viking combat and survival.

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