4. The Wild East: Rise of the Rus

Iain Glen· Host0:00

[seagulls squawking] [waves crashing] It's the middle of the eighth century. We're on the island of Irsel in the Baltic Sea. In the distance, across the bay, there's a dark streak low across the horizon, the coastline of today's Estonia. [tense music] The pewter swell rolls beneath a blanket of oppressive cloud. The uneven crash of waves forms a mournful chorus. [fire crackling] A group of men sit around a campfire, feasting on cooked meats, though there's an air of moroseness in their demeanor. They lay some of the steaks to one side as if they're waiting for others to join them. Their shoulders are hunched, their heads hung in sorrow. This is a solemn banquet. At the end of it, they rise abruptly. Then they drag two boats up the shore, pulling them along a narrow spit of land. The first vessel is a small rowing boat. The second is larger, a longship. The men exchange terse nods before trudging over to a grim arrangement on the ground. A line of bodies stretches out before them, 41 of their comrades side by side in death. The marks of battle show on the