HIST 322 - The Viking Age: c. AD 800-1200

Credit Hours: 3

The image of the fierce Vikings, spreading fear and dread across Europe, has been transmitted into the popular culture of today through literature, music and movies, but is this the only legacy of the Vikings? This course will use both primary texts and material culture to not only consider what gave the Vikings their military prowess, but to examine also the economic, political and cultural impact they made in their original homelands, and across Europe, Russia, and Byzantium. Some of the topics considered will be their ship building, religious beliefs, literature, daily life, their role in the growing urbanization of Europe, the creation of economic markets, legal tradition, place-name elements, their military ability, and their roles as mercenaries for Byzantium.