The A to Z of the Vikings 14. This book provides a comprehensive work of reference for people interested in the Vikings, including entries on the main historical figures involved in this dramatic period, important battles and treaties, significant archaeological finds, and key works and sources of information on the period. It also summarizes the impact the Vikings had on the areas where they traveled and settled. There is a chronological table, detailed and annotated bibliographies for different themes and geographical locations, and an introduction discussing the major events and developments of the Viking age | 108 GÖTAR did not visit them. The main source of written evidence for Götaland in the Viking Age is runic inscriptions carved on memorial stones. Among the rune-stones from the two provinces are the famous Rök and Spar-lösa stones from Östergötland and Västergötland respectively. The relative primacy of Svealand and Götaland has long been debated in Swedish historical scholarship. The traditional picture was of Svear dominance and conquest but in recent years many historians have argued for the primacy of the Götar. The first king known to have exercised power in both Svealand and Götaland is Olof Skötko-nung who was baptized at Husaby in Västergötland in 1010 apparently by an English bishop Sigfrid but it was not until after the end of the Viking Age that a properly unified kingdom of Sweden emerged. GÖTAR. See GÖTALAND. GOTLAND. Swedish island in the Baltic whose present-day capital Visby assumed its importance in the 11th century following the decline of its predecessor Paviken. During the Viking and early medieval periods Gotland was virtually independent of Sweden and this independence is also reflected in its distinctive cultural artifacts notably the Gotlandic picture stones that are decorated with mythological and heroic scenes. The limestone soils of the island provided abundant fertile land for both growing crops and grazing animals. Moreover Gotland s position in the Baltic made it a convenient stepping stone on the sea routes from Scandinavia to the East and the South and an obvious distribution and market center for merchants. During the Viking Age its closest relations seem to have been with the other Baltic island of Öland and the southeast Baltic coast. The wealth of the island can be clearly seen in its large number of coin hoards over 700 Viking-Age hoards of silver are known from the island although their deposition may also reflect the relative vulnerability of the island to piracy. Indeed the remains of about one hundred forts not all built in
