The Viking World

Catalog description

Terrorizing the locals across four continents with their swift attacks, the Vikings acquired a savage reputation in the minds and stories of their victims. Not only successful raiders, Vikings were also astute merchants, diligent farmers, skilled craftsmen, and savvy political players. Through an array of sources, including archaeological studies, medieval histories, and saga literature, this course examines the Viking presence in Russia, Byzantium, France, Britain, Ireland, and follows their western expansion across the North Atlantic to Iceland, Greenland, and North America. It considers Norse worldviews, literature, and artistic expressions, traces their transition from paganism to Christianity, unravels their political organizations, and delves into daily life and culture in medieval Scandinavia itself. Throughout the course, we will analyze how the Vikings have been (mis)understood and (mis)represented throughout the centuries, and will gain an understanding of how our knowledge of the Vikings is produced.