From TV to film, Vikings have been storming screens around the world. But what about the real Vikings? On Friday, February 6, from 9 AM-1 PM in Commons Rm. 331, Dr. Lila Kopár, Director of the Center for Medieval and Byzantine Studies at Catholic University, will present a workshop entitled, “The World of the Vikings Through Ten Objects.” It will offer an introduction to the material culture, history, literature, language, and religion of early medieval Scandinavia, concluding with a report on recent excavations at Bamburgh Castle in the UK.
Then, don’t miss the MEMS Annual Colloquium on Thursday, February 26, featuring Dr. Anders Winroth of Yale University’s Department of History. Dr.Winroth will speak on “The Glory of the Viking Ship” from 4-5:30 PM in the Albin O. Kuhn Library Gallery. Challenging conventional wisdom about Viking violence, he will show how the Vikings developed extraordinary arts and literature but also capitalized upon the longship, using it to venture to Europe for plunder, to open new trade routes and settle in lands as distant as Russia, Greenland, and the Byzantine Empire. Catered reception to follow.
The event is sponsored by Medieval & Early Modern Studies, Departments of English & History, the Dresher Center for the Humanities, and MLLIC.
