Kaupang

Not to be confused with Kaupanger.
Map showing locations of Kaupang, Skíringssalr (Huseby) and Tjølling in Vestfold county, Norway, with location in Norway inset.

Kaupang was a Viking Age village that is generally considered to be the first town/marketplace in Norway. It is located near the present-day village of Tjøllingvollen in Larvik Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The village of Kaupang was located along the Viksfjorden, a branch off the main Larviksfjorden. The ancient Viking hall, Skiringssal, was located just inland from the fjord. Kaupang was an important merchant and craft center during the Viking Age and as yet the first known Norwegian trading outpost.[1][2]

Kaupang is the site of the remains of one of Scandinavia's earliest urban sites, established in year 800. Kaupang was abandoned in the mid-10th century.[3] Kaupang has been described as Norway's most important monument from the Viking Age.[4]

  1. ^ "Kaupangen i Skiringssal".
  2. ^ "Vikings' Home Reveals Extent of Their Wanderlust". National Geographic Society. Archived from the original on February 23, 2001.
  3. ^ Skre, Dagfinn (2007). Kaupang in Skiringssal. Aarhus University Press. p. 13. ISBN 9788779342590.
  4. ^ Lund, Arild; Jørgensen, Charlotte (2001). Larvik. Capella Media. p. 14. ISBN 9788299606912.