The term Viking (from Old Norse vikingr) or Viking is customarily used to refer to explorers, warriors, merchants and pirates Norse (Scandinavian) who invaded, colonized and explored large areas of Europe and the North Atlantic islands from the late eighth century until the mid-eleventh century.
These Vikings wore their famous dragon ships to travel from the far east as Constantinople and the Volga River in Russia, to the far west as Iceland, Greenland and Newfoundland, and as far south as Al-Andalus.  This period Viking expansion - known as the Viking Age - forms an important part of the medieval history of Scandinavia, Britain, Ireland and the rest of Europe in general.
Popular conceptions of the Vikings often differ from the complex picture that emerges from archeology and written sources. A romanticized picture of Vikings as Germanic noble savages began to take root in the eighteenth century, and this developed and became widely propagated during the nineteenth century Viking revival.  The fame of the Vikings raw and violent or intrepid adventurers owe much the modern viking myth which took shape in the early twentieth century. Current popular representations are typically highly clichéd, presenting the Vikings as caricatures.  They have also founded villages and trade peacefully. The historical image of the Vikings changed a bit over time, and today it is accepted that they had a huge contribution in maritime technology and building cities.