The Vikings – their origins, exploits, culture, religion and – perhaps the best-kept Viking secret – their eventual decision (and it was their decision) to become Christians.
Meet our guests
Søren Sindbæk is a Professor in the Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies at Aarhus University in Denmark. He has, among other things, uncovered how cities worldwide were connected to each other in the Viking Age, and what the widespread networks meant for development.
Morten Søvsø is Chief Curator and Head of Archaeology at the Museum of Southwest Jutland, based in Ribe, Denmark.
Sarah Croix is Assistant Professor at the School of Culture and Society, Center for Urban Network Evolution, Aarhus University. She has a particular research interest in Vikings and Medieval Denmark archaeology.
Michael Drout is Professor of English; Chair, English Department; Director of the Center for the Study of the Medieval at Wheaton College, Massachusetts. He is the creator of The Modern Scholar audio series: The Norsemen – Understanding Vikings and Their Culture.
Links
For a full transcript of this episode, click here.
This episode was sponsored by Zondervan’s new book Four Views of Heaven edited by Michael Wittmer.
- The word ‘Scandinavia’ first occurs in the Naturalis historia of Pliny the Elder (d. AD 79), in the form of Scadinavia or Scatinavia.
- Watch How to Train Your Dragon.
- The Vikings series
- Vikings Valhalla series
- The Last Kingdom series
- What does a Viking helmet actually look like?
- More on the Carolingian Empire – the big political reality in Viking times.
- More on Charlemagne.
- Watch the Lindisfarne attack scene from The Vikings TV series.
- Read more from the BBC about the history of the Lindisfarne attack.
- Visit the Museum of Southwest Jutland.
- Here’s one book to read from Tom Shippey, Laughing, Shall They Die: Lives and Deaths of the Great Vikings and read a review of it from The Washington Post.
- Read The Anglo Saxon Chronicles for yourself.
- Discover the Cuerdale Hoard – the largest Viking silver treasure trove ever found, outside Russia.
- Check out the Oseberg ship, found in 1904: the most beautiful Viking tomb ever found.
- The Trelleborg Viking Fortress are the remains of one of the Vikings’ great ring fortresses, originally constructed around AD980 by King Harald Bluetooth.
- Our guest, Soren Sindbaek, was part of the team who discovered a fifth ring fortress—the first such discovery in more than 60 years—which reveals even more about these architecturally gifted warriors.
- Find out more about Snorri Sturluson.
- Read Njal’s Saga.
- Learn more about the mysterious Valkyries.
- Here’s some more detail about the Valkyrie jewellery archaeological finds that our guest Sarah Croix has taken a close look at.
- On the Vikings and human sacrifice, from archaeological evidence found at Trelleborg.
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