The Vikings were apparently not only a warlike people: In Søften, a small village in the Mid Jutland region north of Aarhus, archaeologists have uncovered the remains of an exceptionally large craft settlement. The complex dates from the 7th to 10th centuries and covers 100,000 square metres. In total, the archaeologists excavated 82 pit houses.
The area seems to have served as a specialised craft zone, with numerous workplaces operating in parallel. The large number of identical workshops suggests that division of labour, and possibly centralised control, played a role.
