There was no bathroom inside, but the Vikings kept clean by washing in a wooden bucket or beside a stream. Instead of toilets, people used a cesspit, which was a hole outside dug for toilet waste.
Description: The waterlogged areas of the excavation at Whithorn uncovered preserved 'sheets' of moss, which had been discarded. Closer analysis revealed them to be studded with fragments of hazel nut shells, and blackberry pips.
Vikings were known for their excellent hygiene.
Excavations of Viking sites have turned up tweezers, razors, combs and ear cleaners made from animal bones and antlers. Vikings also bathed at least once a week—much more frequently than other Europeans of their day—and enjoyed dips in natural hot springs.
In sailing ships, the toilet was placed in the bow somewhat above the water line with vents or slots cut near the floor level allowing normal wave action to wash out the facility. Only the captain had a private toilet near his quarters, at the stern of the ship in the quarter gallery.
The ship's one toilet is a small transportable camp-toilet which is placed under deck in the bow. Under deck does not mean that you can go UNDER deck and hide. It just means that you will have to remove a few deck planks to reveal the toilet.
The ships were made watertight by filling the spaces between the planks with wool, moss or animal hair, mixed with tar or tallow. The ships were all the same long narrow shape, with shallow draughts. This meant that they could be used in shallow water. Vikings used longships to make raids and carry their warriors.
Vikings would have used lanolin-rich wool, which is naturally water-repellent and has the advantage of retaining heat even when wet. They might also have used leather “waterproofs,” which had been treated with animal fat.
A Viking's trousers could be worn tight or loose and were held up by a belt or by a string passed through a loop. Made from wool, trousers were also warm and could be tucked into boots or left loose.
They drank water, brought on board in barrels or troughs. In the Norwegian ship graves, Oseberg and Gokstad, large troughs were found that could hold 500 litres and 750 litres, and several sources mention that there had to be a minimum of 4 litres per person per day.
Centuries ago, the Vikings used water from peat moss bogs because it would stay fresh during their months of sailing aboard longboats. Scandinavian freshwater fishermen traditionally used peat bogs to preserve their catches until they could pick them up on their way out of the mountains.
Viking Household Items
Beds were most likely lined with straw and animal skin. However, some historians believe that the Vikings actually slept sitting up with their backs against the wall given the limited and confined space that was available on the benches.
They were usually on the upper front teeth, and these grooves could be thin or deep, mostly horizontal but in a few cases vertical. Many were just straight lines, but we could also see crescent-shaped marks as well. The first major study of the phenomenon was made by Caroline Arcini in 2005.
The Vikings needed all the energy that they could get in the form of fat – especially in winter. Meat, fish, vegetables, cereals and milk products were all an important part of their diet. Sweet food was consumed in the form of berries, fruit and honey. In England the Vikings were often described as gluttonous.
The Romans cleaned their behinds with sea sponges attached to a stick, and the gutter supplied clean flowing water to dip the sponges in. This soft, gentle tool was called a tersorium, which literally meant “a wiping thing.”
Interesting enough, according to the BBC Primary History site, there were no bathrooms in the Viking home. Most people probably washed in a wooden bucket or the nearest stream. Instead of toilets, people used cesspits, which are holes dug outside for toilet waste.
Common causes include: Chronic diarrhea Constipation Hemorrhoids Crohn's disease The skin of the anus can stick to the stool and make it difficult to clean the anorectal area after a bowel movement. Leaky gut Leaky gut is also known as fecal incontinence.
The children would have porridge and dried fruit or perhaps buttermilk and bread. The evening meal could be fish or meat, stewed with vegetables. They might also eat some more dried fruit with honey as a sweet treat. Honey was the only sweetener the Vikings knew.
A Viking family would typically eat two meals per day. Dagmal was the morning meal in which the adults would eat leftover stew from the night before with bread and fruit. The children would usually have porridge and dried fruit or, on occasion, buttermilk and bread.
There was, of course, many differences on how the Vikings washed themselves due to their natural surroundings, in Denmark, they would probably have been bathing in the local lakes or in a wooden tub, while on Iceland they would most likely have jumped into one of the many hot springs, and it is probably from Iceland ...
The faces of men and women in the Viking Age were more alike than they are today. The women's faces were more masculine than women's today, with prominent brow ridges. On the other hand, the Viking man's appearance was more feminine than that of men today, with a less prominent jaw and brow ridges.
Diet is probably a big factor in why the Vikings were so tall. While most Europeans were living in agricultural societies, and therefore ate a lot of carbohydrates, the Vikings prioritized animal husbandry and fishing, which meant that they had more protein in their diet.
Most Vikings would also have a warm, thick, woolen cloak, or fur for some of the wealthy. Iceland was renowned in Viking times for the very warm, shaggy, woolen cloaks they made which conferred a high degree of protection from the rain.
Draken Harald Hårfagre is a Dragonship. The Viking longships owned by kings and chieftains often had a head from a mythological animal in the bow, it offered protection from sea monsters and men, bad weather and raids along the voyages.
The ship burial is a viking funeral practice traditionally reserved for individuals of high honor. The practice includes the burying of the individual within a ship, using the ship to contain the departed and their grave goods.