Last modified: 25 Mar 2016 11:35
In their brief 300-year heyday, the peoples of Viking-Age Scandinavia transformed the northern world, and themselves. This course explores the Vikings at home, abroad, and in their new homes overseas in the developing colonies of the diaspora that stretched from the coasts of North America to the Asian steppe. In lectures and seminars, with hands-on classes looking at the finds, students will consider themes such as settlement and social structure, urbanism and commerce, pagan and Christian religion, and the political process that created the modern nation states of Norway, Sweden and Denmark
| Study Type | Undergraduate | Level | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Term | First Term | Credit Points | 15 credits (7.5 ECTS credits) |
| Campus | None. | Sustained Study | No |
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This course explores the archaeological evidence for the
origins, world-view, development and expansion of Scandinavian culture during
the Viking Age, c. AD 750-1100. Students will gain an understanding of a major
and catalytic period of European history that laid the foundations for many
institutions of the modern Western world. As an introduction to the archaeology
of the Viking Age, this course will provide students with:
- an insight into the nature of Viking Age Scandinavian society and culture,
including settlement and subsistence patterns, material culture, social
structures, issues of identity and ethnicity, and world-views and mentalities
from the traditional belief systems of the North to the introduction of
Christianity
- an understanding of the political developments in the Viking Age and the
transformation from tribal- to state-based societies in Norway, Sweden and
Denmark, including the development of urban centres, coinage, and Christian
monarchies
- detailed knowledge of the geographical scope of the Viking world, including
an understanding of the Viking diaspora and its long-term effects, including
the complex patterns of culture contacts and environmental impacts that
characterised Scandinavian raiding, warfare, trading, colonisation and
settlement activities
- an understanding of how archaeologists combine a range of sources (material,
textual and environmental) to achieve a synthetic understanding of a discrete
period of history
Please note that students will be asked to make a nominal contribution towards the cost of the museum trip.
This course may NOT be taken as part of a graduating curriculum with AY4008 Viking Archaeology (DISTANCE).
Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.
1st Attempt: One 3,000-word essay chosen from a range of options (50%) and a project presented in the form of an A0 poster representing the backboard of a museum display (50%).
Formative assessment is provided for a mock-up of the museum display board, and during the seminars.
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