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Concept
Viking ring fortress
Summary
A Viking ring fortress, or Trelleborg-type fortress, is a type of circular fort of a special design, built in Scandinavia during the Viking Age. Collectively, they may also be known as trelleborgs. These fortresses have a strictly circular shape, with roads and gates pointing in the four cardinal directions. They are sometimes partially encircled by advanced ramparts, though not always circular.
There are a total of seven known Viking ring fortresses at present, located in Denmark and Scania, Sweden. Many of them have been dated to the reign of Harold Bluetooth of Denmark, c. 980. Their exact purpose is subject to debate.
This specific type of fortification was named after the first discovered example: Trelleborg near Slagelse, excavated in the years 1936–1941. Traditionally, the name trelleborg has been translated and explained as ′′a fortress built by slaves′′, since the Old Norse word for slave was thrall (The modern word is træl in Danish and träl in Swedish) and borg means fortress or city. The word trel (pl. trelle) is also a plausible explanation and relates to the wooden staves, covering both sides of the protective circular walls.
Around 974 the Danish Viking king Harald Bluetooth lost control of the Danevirke and parts of Southern Jutland to the Saxons. The entire complex of fortifications, bridges and roads which were built around 980 are presumed by some to be Harald's work, and part of a larger defensive system. Fortifications of a similar design and date have been found around other old towns in Scandinavia, like in Aarhus for example, but they lack the perfect circular geometry of the distinct ring fortresses. Most of the fortresses have been dated to the reign of Harald Bluetooth, which lasted from c. 958 until 986. The fort in Borgeby, however, has been dated to c. 1000, though as the precise date is undetermined, it is possible that it was also constructed as part of his fortification push.
The precise purpose of the fortresses, however, is unknown.
Official source
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