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Take a tour across three West African countries with Nathan Fluellen, known as "World Wide Nate," as your expert guide.

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1. The Vikings in Medieval History

32m

Hostile Christian sources demonize the Vikings; Muslim accounts render them exotic; and recent revisionist historians downplay the impact of Norse raids. Archeological finds such as ship burials, coin hoards, and human remains, combined with close study of the Norse sagas of Iceland, can enrich and balance our understanding of Scandinavia's place in medieval history.

2. Land and People of Medieval Scandinavia

30m

Scandinavia's landscape shaped its culture. Dense forestation led to small, close-knit communities, skill in woodworking, and to sailing as the primary means of long-distance transport. Long, harsh winters engendered skill in cold-weather travel, a unique

3. Scandinavian Society in the Bronze Age

30m

The physical evidence, expertly interpreted, paints a compelling picture of the Bronze Age in Scandinavia (2300 - 450 B.C.) Viking ancestors traded Arctic goods, amber, and slaves in exchange for foreign copper and tin to produce impressive bronze objects

4. Scandinavia in the Celtic and Roman Ages

30m

Scandinavia fed off of trade with the Celts (450 - 50 B.C.) importing improved cart, ship, and metalworking technology. Contact with Rome (c. 50 B.C. - A.D. 400) enriched the upper classes with fine silver, ceramics, and glass. More ominously, Scandinavia

5. The Age of Migrations

31m

As the Roman political order collapsed in Western Europe, Scandinavians poured in: Anglo-Saxons in England, Franks in Gaul, Swedish Goths in Italy and Spain, Danes in Frisia. Cultural ties were so close that Scandinavian legends celebrated legendary West

6. The Norse Gods

31m

Norse religion was integral to Scandinavian life. A creation myth tells of primeval frozen wastes and sacred trees. The pantheon contained gods of war (Odin), sky (Thor), and fertility (Frey and Freya). The afterlife in Valhalla and other great halls was

7. Runes, Poetry, and Visual Arts

30m

As a non-urbanized culture, Viking society expressed its visual genius in elaborate woodcarving and intricate jewelry, not architecture. Gods were represented by charming cult statues and contacted through magical runic drawings. Without writing, great my

8. Legendary Kings and Heroes

31m

The Epic of Beowulf (c. 675 - 725) and The Saga of Hrolf Kraki (c. 13th century) look back to the 6th century when legendary kings of Denmark and Sweden ruled from great halls and won great victories, albeit without the Viking longships of the 9th and 10t

9. A Revolution in Shipbuilding

31m

Without the advances in shipbuilding that occurred in the 9th and 10th centuries, Viking success in raiding and trading would have been impossible. Viking vessels evolved from the earliest paddleboats to the great cargo and war ships that carried Viking g

10. Warfare and Society in the Viking Age

30m

Swords, bows and arrows, javelins, spears, and axes made up the Viking arsenal, but their greatest weapon was unit cohesion. Trained since youth, they were expert in winter travel and foraging, the building of fortifications, and coordinated attack in adv

Extended Details

SeriesVikings (2005)

Closed CaptionsEnglish

Artists

The Great CoursesDirector

The Great CoursesProducer

Kenneth W. HarlActor

Vikings

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