Viking Trade Routes Extended Desk Mat | Vinland to Baghdad Map

The Vikings reached further than almost anyone in their time. Norse sailors settled Iceland and Greenland and landed on the coast of North America. Others raided and settled in Britain and Ireland, and Scandinavian traders took the rivers of Eastern Europe south, where they exchanged furs, silver, and enslaved people with the cities of Byzantium and the Islamic world.

This extended desk mat puts that network on a single antique-style map in navy and antique gold. Red dashed arrows trace raid and settlement routes across the North Atlantic and into Britain, Ireland, and beyond. Blue arrows follow trade routes from Birka through Novgorod and Kyiv toward Constantinople, which the Norse called Miklagard, and on to Baghdad. Dublin, York, Iceland, Greenland, and Vinland are all marked, and the borders are decorated with dragon heads and knotwork.

Along the bottom, a key sets out the difference between the langskip, the sleek warship built for raids and speed, and the knarr, the broader cargo ship used for trade and long voyages. A pair of Islamic silver dirhams stands for the silver that flowed north to Scandinavia, where tens of thousands of such coins have been found.

The mat measures 15.5" x 31.5", enough for a full-size keyboard, a mouse, and a notebook. It’s made of 3 mm neoprene with anti-slip backing, so it stays in place on the desk and is soft under the wrists. It suits readers of Viking history, map lovers, and anyone who works better with a world to look at. For more, browse Viking explorer and raider designs or maps, artifacts, and stories from the past.