Carleton University – Learning in Retirement
Late Spring Session 2015
Who Were the Vikings? A Look into the Society and Culture of the Viking Age
Fridays 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., April 24th – May 29th
Carleton University, Leeds House room 124
Instructor:
Dr. Teva Vidal
COURSE OUTLINE
Lecture 1: Introduction, Sources for the Study of the Viking Age (April 24th)
How do we study the Viking Age? Our sources: overview of the different advantages of archaeology and
writing; Written sources: who writes about Vikings? Foreign (non-Scandinavian) sources, their uses and
problems.
Lecture 2: Language, Literature and Runes (May 1st)
The importance of written sources; Scandinavians and Writing: Native sources for the Viking Age; Runes
and Runic Monuments; Oral culture and literature; After the Viking Age: the explosion of writing; Histories
and Sagas.
Lecture 3: Material Culture and Technology I: the Rural Context (May 8th)
The importance of material culture and archaeology; Artefacts vs. Ecofacts; Burial archaeology: advantages
and problems; Settlement archaeology; rural settlement and houses; domestic industry revealed through
archaeology; processes and behaviours revealed through archaeology.
Lecture 4: Material Culture and Technology II: the Urban Context (May 15th)
Urbanisation in the Viking Age; The urban setting: particularities and importance; Crafts and industry:
technology (partially) revealed through archaeology; A closer look at ships; Networking: evidence for longdistance trade and contact; Viking art and its styles.
Lecture 5: Mythology and Religion (May 22nd)
Uses of Nordic mythology in popular culture; Sources for Nordic mythology: written, pictorial and material;
An overview of Nordic mythology and cosmology; Paganism: the differences between mythology and
religion; Paganism vs. Christianity: how much of a conflict was there?; Christianisation.
Lecture 6: At Home: Domestic Life and the Family (May 29th)
Bringing it all together: how our sources allow us to focus on specific aspects of social history; Life at home:
what does that mean?; Archaeological and material sources; Literary sources; House and home; Gender
roles and domestic industry: dress, activities, social norms and stereotypes; Sex!; Children.