Varangian Guard

King of Norway from 1046 to 1066

elite unit of the Byzantine Army from the 10th to 14th century

runic inscriptions that are left in Hagia Sophia

ancient sculpted lion now in Venice arsenal

about 30 runestones about voyages made by Norsemen to the Byzantine Empire

Akolouthos () was a Byzantine office with varying functions over time. Originally a subaltern officer of the imperial guard regiment (tagma) of the Vigla, it was associated with the command over the famed Varangian Guard in the 11th–12th centuries.

group of Swedish runestones