Haaland talks about Norway's chances against Brazil: "Small" After advancing to the round of 16 of the World Cup, Brazil faces a team that usually takes to the stands one of the best-known symbols of Nordic history: the Viking paddle. But long before they inspired chants from the stands — and centuries before players like Erling Haaland turned heads on the field — the Vikings commanded a commercial network that stretched thousands of miles. ?? Do you have any reporting suggestions? Send to g1 Known for their military expeditions, the Vikings also built part of their prosperity through trade, according to studies gathered in the book Viking-Age Trade: Silver, Slaves and Gotland ("Trade in the Viking Age: silver, slaves and the island of Gotland", in free translation), by researchers from the universities of Oxford and Cambridge. Far beyond Scandinavia One of the engines of the Viking economy was silver. Between the years 800 and 1000 AD, hundreds of thousands of coins known as dirhams, minted in regions of present-day Iraq, North Africa and Central Asia, arrived in northern Europe. Much of this metal reached the island of Gotland, now the territory of Sweden. With dozens of ports, the island served as a meeting point between Eastern and Western European trade routes and, therefore, contains the largest quantity of silver treasures from the Viking Age ever found by archaeologists. But these currencies didn't work like today's money. Their value did not depend on the engraved number, but on the amount of silver they contained. Therefore, traders used to weigh them, fold them or make small cuts to check the purity of the metal. "An experienced observer could estimate, to a certain extent, the degree of adulteration of silver by the color of a freshly cut surface. Likewise, when bending a piece, it was possible to roughly understand whether it was made of purer silver or an alloy with a greater quantity of common metals", say the historians. In some commercial centers, specialized workshops refined silver to increase its purity before it was recirculated in commerce or made into jewelry. Viking rowing in parliament: Norwegian congress imitates fans' gesture to encourage selection Reproduction Not all wealth came from trade Researchers argue that the fur trade, in itself, does not explain the enormous volume of silver that arrived in Scandinavia during the Viking Age. The hypothesis defended in the book is that a significant portion of this wealth was obtained through the trafficking of enslaved people, which would have played a central role in the commercial routes of the time. According to historians, Slavic populations (inhabitants of regions that are now part of countries such as Ukraine, Poland, Belarus and western Russia) were captured and taken to markets along the Volga River and the Khazar Empire, where they were sold in exchange for silver. ? Young women and boys were among the most valued people in this trade, mainly focused on domestic work and sexual exploitation. The authors highlight that slavery was not only an economic activity, but also one of the pillars of Viking social organization. In a society based on honor and family ties, anyone who was enslaved lost not only their freedom, but also any legal protection and recognition of belonging to a community. "The slave was socially dead. Without recognized kinship and without honor value, he did not possess the rights that defined a free man", summarize the historians. The possession of enslaved people also functioned as a symbol of wealth and prestige. In addition to performing work on farms and in homes, these men and women reinforced the status of their owners. Historical accounts cited by researchers show, for example, that traders transformed part of the profits obtained from human trafficking into gold and silver jewelry worn by their wives to demonstrate prosperity. Where the Viking routes met All this circulation of silver — also of furs and enslaved people — was only possible thanks to a wide commercial network. One of the main connection points of this system was the island of Gotland. Located on the Baltic Sea, Gotland connected routes from Eastern Europe and Asia to markets in the North Sea and the Atlantic. Described by researchers as a true "mega-emporium" of the Viking Age, the island brought together around 50 ports and landing points distributed along the coast. ?? In addition to redistributing the silver that arrived from the East, artisans produced items such as glass beads and combs made from deer and elk antlers on a large scale — raw materials that needed to be imported, as these animals didn't even live on the island. But the silver journey did not end there. According to the researchers, the metal continued to circulate towards Western Europe and reached regions such as Ireland and England, demonstrating the reach of this trade network. "Silver, enslaved people and Gotland were interconnected elements in the functioning of what was appropriately called the 'Viking diaspora'", write the historians. In the authors' assessment, these trade routes connected the Middle East and Central Asia to the North Atlantic, forming a network that crossed much of Europe and helps explain how the Vikings built a broader economy than the traditional image of warriors usually suggests. Norway fans take part in the “Viking row” in Times Square, in New York, before the match against Senegal for the 2026 World Cup. REUTERS/John Sibley