Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Images of the sleek keels, elegant planks, and dragon-headed prows of Viking longships have been reproduced countless times on postcards, book covers, souvenirs and in television shows and movies. These vessels are, quite literally, the poster-ships for the Viking Age, which was between around 750 and 1100 CE. So what made these ships so special? And why were these advanced shipbuilding techniques so crucial to the Vikings' success? What drove this shipbuilding boom? In Old Norse, there are two words for Viking: víkingr refers to a person, while víking is an activity. Neither word is inherently negative nor associated with violence. A víkingr is someone (who may or may not identify as a pirate) who undertakes víking expeditions (sometimes to pillage, sometimes not), and whose life and livelihood have strong connections to the sea. By the mid-eighth century, these people were keen to expand their horizons and branch out from local economies.…