Founded around A.D. 750, Birka, located on the Swedish island of Bjoerkoe in Lake Maelaren, emerged as a vital Viking Age trading center. Birka was part of a new economic order as one of the market cities that connected petty kingdoms and allowed them to conduct commerce as peers. In A.D. 829, Anskar, who would later become an archbishop, arrived in Birka on a mission to convert the Swedish Vikings to Christianity. His efforts, however, were largely unsuccessful.
While Anskar’s journal reportedly described Birka’s layout, our knowledge primarily comes from later accounts written about his life, raising questions about their accuracy.
Birka’s Layout
Lake Maelaren served as a deep-water harbor connected to the Baltic Sea, allowing Birka to thrive as a trading post. Birka’s streets ran in a crescent-shape paralleling the shores of the island. Wooden jetties, reinforced with stone foundations, extended into the lake, facilitating the loading and unloading of goods.
Birka’s interior was cramped and likely unhygienic. The wealthy likely lived in longhouses built on artificial terraces overlooking the lake, distancing themselves from the crowded and unsanitary squalor of the town below. Townsfolk built a hillfort at one end of the town. A wall divided the market from the ever-expanding cemeteries outside.
The local king’s residence was on a nearby island while his steward saw to the day-to-day workings of Birka.
Birka Abandoned
Birka seems to have been abandoned sometime between A.D. 960 and 975. While the reasons for Birka’s decline remain uncertain, several theories have been proposed. One theory holds that the town lost its economic importance. The decline of Birka coincides with the rise of the Christian town of Sigtuna.
Changes in Lake Maelaren’s water levels, caused by glacial melt and isostatic rebound, may have rendered the harbor inaccessible to deep-draft ships.
Some scholars suggest that Danes or another group attacked Birka. However, there is no archaeological evidence to support this theory.
Although abandoned, Birka’s archaeological significance has earned it recognition as Sweden’s first town and a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1993. The town continues to bring fame and attract new visitors.
Sources: Children of Ash and Elm: A History of the Vikings by Neil Price (2020).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%A4laren
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birka
https://www.birkavikingastaden.se/en/about-birka/
