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Modern etymologists believe the country's name means "the northward route" (the way north), which in Old Norse would be nor veg or *norð vegr. The Old Norse name for Norway was Nóregr, in Anglo-Saxon Norþ weg, and in mediaeval Latin Northvegia. more...

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The present name of the Kingdom of Norway in Norwegian Nynorsk is "Kongeriket Noreg", which is only a couple of letters removed from the original "northern way"; "Nor(d)-(v)eg".

However, some sources suggest Norway may be from Old Norse nor-ay "northern island".

Earliest times 10 000 BC -

Recent archeological finds (2005) have it that hunters from the south - most likely the Hamburg culture - in summer time could travel far north along the Norwegian coast line as early as the start of Holocene, 12 000 years ago, when the icecap was still on the highland. Temporary settlements and traces of tipis have been found as far north as the Alta region. Bremsnes-hulen, a cave near Kristiansund and Fosna north of Trondheim are the earliest sites. The clue to travel the coastal tundra dryshod was the sea level being 50 m lower than today.

Settled since the end of the last ice age, modern-day Scandinavia contains finds from the Stone age and Bronze age, such as rock carvings. From the time of the Roman Empire until about 800 AD, Scandinavia is known for its Iron Age culture. Many stone inscriptions can be found, written in Runes. Then Scandinavia became famous in the Middle Ages for its fearless warriors, explorers and traders, the Vikings. Between AD 800 and AD 1100, the Vikings discovered and settled Iceland and Greenland, and conquered parts of Britain, and Ireland, and were also known to travel as far as Constantinople, Greece, Northern Africa and Newfoundland. By utilising their excellent boats and organisation they became master traders and warriors.

In the 12th and 13th centuries, several history works, known as the kings' sagas were written in Norway and Iceland, the best known of which is Snorri Sturluson's Heimskringla (c. 1220). These provide our main sources for the early history of Norway. However, their accuracy for the earliest period is uncertain, and a much debated topic among modern historians. The stories about the earliest times are partly legendary in nature, and are not taken as accurate history by modern historians.

The Viking kings

See also: Viking Age

By the time of the first historical records of Scandinavia, about the 700s AD, Norway was divided into many petty kingdoms. A number of small communities were gradually organised into larger regions in the 9th century, and in 872 King Harald Fairhair unified the realm and became its first supreme ruler. King Harald had many children, and his heirs ruled Norway with short interruptions until 1319. Religious influence from Europe (especially England and Ireland) led to the adoption of Christianity. Central in this was King Olav Haraldsson ("The Holy") who died in the Battle of Stiklestad on July 29, 1030. He became Norway's patron Saint Olav, and his tomb at Nidaros cathedral Trondheim became the most important pilgrimage destination in Northern Europe. The archdiocese of Nidaros was established in 1153. Between 1130 and 1240 Norway underwent a period known as the civil war era. Around 1200, the Norwegian king ruled over land from Man in the Irish Sea to the Kola Peninsula in the east. Greenland and Iceland were incorporated as dependencies in 1262.

Read more at Wikipedia.org