Norwegian historians divide the thousands of years between then and today into sub-periods, characterised by how people lived and the cultures that developed.
These are the main eras of Norwegian history. Please note that the Scandinavian historical periods may differ from similarly named periods in other parts of the world.
The ice ages
2.5 million – 9500 BC
The Early Stone Age
9500 – 4000 BC
The Later Stone Age
4000 – 1700 BC
The Bronze Age
1700 – 500 BC
Pre-Roman Iron Age
500 BC – AD 0
The Roman Age
AD 0 – 400
The Migration Period
AD 400 – 550
The Merovingian Age
AD 550 – 800
The Viking Age
AD 800 – 1050
The High Middle Ages
AD 1050 – 1350
The Late Middle Ages
AD 1350 – 1500
The Church-state
AD 1500 – 1660
Absolute monarchy
AD 1660 – 1780
Constitution and a new union
AD 1780 – 1830
Building the state and nation
AD 1830 – 1870
Industrialisation and democracy
AD 1870 – 1914
World War I and interwar period
AD 1914 – 1940
World War II
AD 1940 – 1945
Welfare state and new alliances
AD 1945 – 1970
Oil age and abundance
AD 1970 – today
Source: Universitetet i Oslo. norgeshistorie.no | EGP.00004
