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I spent some time living in Iceland in the 1970s. When I studied the early roots of pre-Norman English legal traditions and institutions, I noted the tremendous contribution of the Viking concepts of indvidualism, property, tort, family feud and tribal assembly to the English common law and notion of the "rights of Englishman."

I also studied the Roman contribution and how that was integrated.

The Vikings ruled much of Great Britain for centuries. There was even an area of the eastern part called the Danelaw. Many of the towns in certain parts of England still bear names traced back to Viking traditions.

If you will think about the early mid-eastern (Iraq) bronze short swords, they were copied in bronze and iron by the Greeks and Romans.

The Vikings copied the Roman short sword and eventually the Scots did also as the Vikings conquered and settled Ireland and the Scottish Isles as well as parts of England.

Eventually that ancient straight broad short sword was lengthened and became the Scottish Claymore swords we all see in movies.

I spotted a bronze short sword circa 2200bc that a London antiques auction dealer thought was Greek or Roman but was appreciative when I told him that it was mideastern made in what is now Iraq.

He sent me his elaborate antiques auction catalog and I ended up selling him a London Model Colt Pocket .36 silver-plated percussion cap revolver made in the 1850s with a 3 digit serial number to match one he had in his catalog only 40 SN digits higher.

A pair of matched silver-plated 1850 London Colt Pocket revolvers doubles the value of both, each selling for over $3800, or $7600 the pair to one winning bidder.

Your studies are on the mark; the Vikings quickly established order, laws, and rules to improve life and security.

The conquered local citizens instantly got the point.

Occasionally the same type of Viking short sword is found in a British riverbank, much the same swords were found buried with Scandanavian farmers in their graves.

I recall one instance where a child's size Viking short sword was found buried with a young boy who had died of disease at an age of under ten years.