Their culture and ideas had a profound effect on the development of European civilization.
A major factor in their dominance at sea was their efficient shipbuilding methods. Their swift, low-slung longboats were propelled by a few dozen oarsmen, often assisted by a single square sail. The hulls of Viking ships were clinker-built, with overlapping planks for extra strength and to reduce leaks. Vikings had no compass for navigation, or method to compute their longitude. However, they did have an instrument called a bearing dial, which could be used to track the position of the North Star and maintain a steady east-west course.
Eventually the success of the Vikings led to an increase in their population beyond what their Scandinavian homelands could comfortably support. Piracy and conquest had been their typical response to such a situation in the early days. But more integrated into the civilization of medieval Europe by this time, they were less inclined to fall upon their neighbors as berserkers, their name for warriors, and destroy everything in their paths. Concentrated along the seashore, and with their sturdy seagoing vessels at the ready, they naturally saw the uninhabited Atlantic islands to their west as offering opportunities for expansion.
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