What, if anything, is the historical basis for some of these views? Who were these people we call 'Vikings' and how did they live? What were the roles of family, law, art and literature in Viking society? And, what has been the influence and legacy of he Vikings on western civilization and our own time? Historically, Vikings have inspired, and occasionally been romanticized by, writers and musicians alike, from Richard Wagner in the nineteenth century, to J.R.R. Included in this overview will be Viking activity in Russia, Byzantium, Germany, France, England, Ireland, and Scotland as well as the North Sea islands of the Faroes, Iceland, Greenland and Vinland (in North America). The second half of the course will focus on the expansion of Viking society and the international contacts through exploration, settlement, trading and raiding. The structure and significance of the pre-Christian pagan religion of the Scandinavian North will also be discussed. We will also examine the political, social and cultural expressions of Viking society, such as commercial expansion, military conflict and religious expression. This will include an examination of the origins of Vikings society in the pre-historical period, including aspects of the great migrations and subsequent settlement patterns, the establishment of family farms, and the development of Viking material culture (such as the Viking ship). The first half of the course will focus on the Vikings at home in Scandinavia. Following a largely chronological sequence, but not rigidly bound by it, the class will exam the history of Scandinavia during the 'viking age,' approximately AD 750 - AD 1100, through the written and archeological records. This is a lecture/discussion course on the history of the Vikings. Center for the Study of the Pacific Northwest.

Students Admitted to History Doctoral Program.Ancient Mediterranean & Late Antique Near East.

Historical atlas of the vikings