Birka the viking town

The Viking town Birka, situated on the island Bjorko in Malaren, is Sweden's oldest commercial town. It was set up in the late 700s by Sweden's king to control and improve the trade in the region. To Birka came both local and foreign businessmen and several handicraftsmen lived there all the time. In Birka you find the nine hectare big village city "Svarta Jorden" (Black Earth) made by charcoal and rubbish. There are also three graveyards "Hemlanden" (The Homelands) where a couple of thousand graves have been found, "Kvarnbacken" (The Millhill) and "Borgs Hage" (The Stronghold's Pasture). There was also a Viking stronghold, a city wall with some gates, a few bridges and three harbours. It was in Birka the Christian Ansgar tried to convert the heathen inhabitants in 830. The city was ruled by the king's men and things where held where every free man joined. When Birka was at it's greatest it had a population of 700- 1000 persons. Foundings from Birka have been scales, glass, silk and coins (mostly Danish, but also German and Arabic). Some local produced things like horn and pots have also been found. The most important trade city in Norway by this time was Kaupang in the Oslofjord and Denmark had it's Hedeby by the Slienfjord. Birka was probably ruined by Danish Vikings, but it wasn't completely demolished before the missionary Olav Haraldsson's devastation year 1007. After that Sigtuna took Birka's place as Sweden's foremost commercial town.