The history of Viking raiding, trading, exploration, and settlement, with attention to the socioeconomic structure, political organization, and naval technology of medieval Scandinavian societies. Focus on topics such as Norse mythology, ritual, and runes, Icelandic sagas, gender roles and social hierarchies in a warrior society, clan-based justice, and the collision between 'heroic' values and the new Christian ethic. Taught in English.
Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies