Before the Vikings, Sweden was home to different groups of people. These included nomadic hunter-gatherers, farmers, and later on, tribes. Let’s break it down into simpler parts!
Around 10,000 BC, after the last Ice Age, the first people came to what we now call Sweden.
Who Were They? These early people were likely nomadic hunter-gatherers. This means they moved around to find food, like hunting animals, fishing, and gathering plants.
Lifestyle: They made tools from stone and bone, built simple shelters, and left behind rock carvings. These carvings show their lives and the animals they hunted.
As time passed into the Neolithic period around 4000 BC, people began to settle down and started farming.
Starting to Farm: They grew crops like barley and wheat. They also started keeping animals, such as cows, pigs, and sheep. This change let them form larger, more stable communities.
Building Homes: They built permanent homes called longhouses and traded with nearby groups.
Jumping ahead to the Bronze Age (around 1800 BC to 500 BC), the way people lived became more complicated.
Trade and Fortresses: During this time, trade increased, and people learned to work with metals. They built fortified settlements and connected with other cultures in Europe, sharing ideas and goods.
Art and Beliefs: They also made beautiful burial mounds and created many artifacts, which show that they had a social structure and spiritual beliefs.
In the Iron Age, around 500 BC, new changes appeared. This was when various tribes started to form, setting the stage for the Vikings.
In conclusion, the early people of Sweden were diverse and adapted to their surroundings in many ways. They built the foundations for future societies, including the famous Vikings. It’s interesting to see how these early groups influenced modern Swedish culture and identity!
Before the Vikings, Sweden was home to different groups of people. These included nomadic hunter-gatherers, farmers, and later on, tribes. Let’s break it down into simpler parts!
Around 10,000 BC, after the last Ice Age, the first people came to what we now call Sweden.
Who Were They? These early people were likely nomadic hunter-gatherers. This means they moved around to find food, like hunting animals, fishing, and gathering plants.
Lifestyle: They made tools from stone and bone, built simple shelters, and left behind rock carvings. These carvings show their lives and the animals they hunted.
As time passed into the Neolithic period around 4000 BC, people began to settle down and started farming.
Starting to Farm: They grew crops like barley and wheat. They also started keeping animals, such as cows, pigs, and sheep. This change let them form larger, more stable communities.
Building Homes: They built permanent homes called longhouses and traded with nearby groups.
Jumping ahead to the Bronze Age (around 1800 BC to 500 BC), the way people lived became more complicated.
Trade and Fortresses: During this time, trade increased, and people learned to work with metals. They built fortified settlements and connected with other cultures in Europe, sharing ideas and goods.
Art and Beliefs: They also made beautiful burial mounds and created many artifacts, which show that they had a social structure and spiritual beliefs.
In the Iron Age, around 500 BC, new changes appeared. This was when various tribes started to form, setting the stage for the Vikings.
In conclusion, the early people of Sweden were diverse and adapted to their surroundings in many ways. They built the foundations for future societies, including the famous Vikings. It’s interesting to see how these early groups influenced modern Swedish culture and identity!