At about 250 people, this is a pretty substantial community and probably would have been spread out along a fjord or across a sufficient area of farmland, probably connected by a waterway or lake. There would likely have been a headman or two who were significant players in regional politics. And the community would probably have maintained periodic links to one of the major trading towns, such as Kaupang, Hedeby, or Birka, whose sizeable populations might have numbered anywhere from 2,000 to 6,000 permanent inhabitants.

It's hard to calculate demographics, since not everybody got buried, at least not at home, and even if they did, chances are archaeologists wouldn't find them all. But based on the cemeteries we've excavated and what we know about premodern populations, there would be a lot of kids, with a high mortality rate among both infants and their mothers. That would leave an imbalance of males among the adult population, which might be evened out if some of them went raiding, trading, or simply seeking patronage among regional elites. A small percent of the population would be older than 40, although a few individuals may have reached truly advanced ages.

Overall, the population would not only have been younger than most modern populations, but they would have also looked younger. Periodic food shortages common in premodern societies would have meant that pretty much everyone experienced famine at some point during their youth, leaving them malnourished during key stages of their childhood. Depending on the degree and duration of food shortages, substantial segments of the population might have suffered problems of physical or mental development.

There might be anywhere between 10 and 30 longhouses. A few of these might have been clustered fairly close together, but chances are some were spread pretty far away to allow ample room for farms and flocks. The placement of buildings likely reflected the social order, with a few larger longhouses—maybe four or so—surrounded by several more modest satellite longhouses. Each longhouse probably had its own outbuildings: workshops, barns, stores, and living spaces for dependents (slave or free). These were mostly made by digging a shallow pit in the earth and then putting in (or packing down) a floor, walls, and a roof.

Although this isn't Game of Thrones, both the old gods and the new would have been celebrated at home. The few places where we find traces of pre-Christian rituals also seem to have been regularly used as dwelling places. Perhaps the largest longhouse in the neighborhood would be singled out as a ritual site of particular significance, and visitors might tack images to the walls or share food and drink in glassware reserved for special use. Or if the community were Christianized, maybe a headman would host a visiting priest, or even take on the role of being a priest himself.

There would have been a lot of animals, depending on the time of year. I would guess that 250 people would have somewhere on the order of 400 sheep, 300 cattle, 200 pigs, and 100 goats, for a ratio of 4 animals per person. More pastoral societies might average as many as 7 animals per person, but I suspect agriculture and fishing constituted a more substantial part of Viking-Age diets. There would also be chickens and cats and dogs, as well as a small number of horses. During the summer, the animals and a portion of the younger population would move out to the highlands for grazing, and during the winter, the animals would be kept in the longhouses to generate and receive warmth.

What else? The community would likely have a cemetery or two, likely marked out by burial mounds that earlier head men and women had received. Probably some boathouses large enough to house ships capable of coastal navigation. And if the headman was powerful enough to command a regional following, there might even be a warship. In addition to the settlement area, surrounding farmland and pastures, the community would also need to lay claim to woodland for construction, fuel, and hunting.

Of course, this is all conjecture—informed conjecture, but conjecture nonetheless. I've tried to paint a picture that relies on recent research: demographics, diet, settlement and landscape archaeology. But these are all sciences reliant on the partial truths preserved by the archaeological record. Only in very exceptional circumstances, such as at Pompeii, do archaeologists discover what a complete community looked like at a particular living moment. In all other cases, they need to make provisional guesses, which is a difficult and often unrewarding task, since these are always open to critique and rebuttal. So I won't defend this picture as an authentic snapshot of Viking-Age life, but I would posit it as one very realistic guess, given the current state of research. I hope that's good enough!