In twelve lectures, The Viking Age: New Perspectives on History and Culture corrects the record on a transformative period in world history. With Dr. Jennifer Paxton as your expert guide, you will use archeological, textual, and literature evidence to unpack the scope and scale of Viking exploits in Europe. You’ll examine what it meant to be a Viking, get to know the Viking women who broke out of their ascribed gender roles and affected change, investigate whether Vikings deserve their bloodthirsty reputation, and look at how the Norse religion and Christianity alike informed politics, society, and everyday life across the Viking world.
The Viking Age: New Perspectives on History and Culture
Get to know the real Vikings, focusing not only on their famous raids and bloody conquests but also on their settlements, societies, spiritual beliefs, and more.
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Randalljay from
Great Story
Well presented and not too long. I saw the criticism of the talking head and I agree. I much prefer to have the presenter walking about...much like a real prof.
Date published: 2025-02-09
Rated 3 out of
5
by
DaGeek from
Mixed bag
If I were rating this course solely on content, I would give it a 4 or 5 star rating. However, I found the production style so disturbing that I would rate that as a 2. However, Professor Paxton deserves better than that so I am going with a 3.
Some of this material was a bit of a rehash for me as I am a bit of history buff, and have thus watched a lot GCP’s offering in this field. There were, however, quite a few things I had no idea about. Like the Vikings settling in the area that was the southwest corner of the old USSR. Or that they traded as far south as what is now Turkey.
Only thing I can figure out is that it must be a method of cutting production cost, but GCP producers seem to have fallen in love with what I term talking head – or perhaps talking torso, presentation. I just find them hard to watch as I spend way too much time worried about the presenter’s appearance. Also they teachers really do not act naturally when they nail their feet to one location. I could have taken this course in the audio format, which is almost what I did, as I could not look at the screen with the camera focused so closely on the presenter. I have gotten when I discover one their new offerings using this style to just pass it by. I had a fairly high degree of interest in this subject so I, more or less, dealt with.
If this style of production does not bother you, then you will probably enjoy this course. It bothered me sufficiently that I cannot recommend this offering.
Date published: 2025-02-04
Rated 5 out of
5
by
SJ Malarkey from
A fascinating attempt at reality for a fascinating
Viking history is so dramatic that it's hard to discover the truth behind it. This course is a great start. It's to some extent my own heritage. My grandfather was Swedish, and was actually born on a Swedish ship saying the China trade out of Boston, so I've heard about this all my life. Now I'm inspired to learn more and really start digging!
Date published: 2025-01-15
Rated 5 out of
5
by
olmACE from
Captivating
My participation in this course was to get a better understanding of Viking history and this purpose was achieved. I was captivated right from the beginning lecture to the last. Professor Paxton presents her historical knowledge concisely with a tone of her passion for the subject matter. I have reviewed her lectures multiple times and having this series in my library I'm certain I will rewatch her lectures.
Date published: 2025-01-12
Rated 5 out of
5
by
nadhun from
A Very Complex Topic Illiminated
I join the millions who are fascinated by the Vikings, however, much of what we think we know about them is based more on fiction than fact (which are still elusive). Professor Paxton does an excellent job of presenting a balanced view based on the most recent scholarship that is slowly peeling away the stereotypes.
It's hard to cover such an enormous topic in six hours, but she is quite successful, and what I really appreciated was her emphasis on the everyday culture and historical context, including some controversial topics head-on.
Overall, it's a balanced presentation, utilizing the latest archeology, technology and scholarship (don't mess with Viking women). Her delivery shows her deep interest in the subject and is given in a less formal manner than many other courses.
P.S. Does anyone know why the lectures are not recorded in the order in which they are presented in the final product? Watch closely - the presenter's clothes and sometime jewelry give them away.
P.P.S. Good-by DVDs!
Date published: 2024-12-19
Rated 3 out of
5
by
Fanoflearning from
Useful if not a little dry
This was a quick, but detailed walkthrough about the Viking Age. It helps provide reality to a historical topic that is wildly imagined. The context is particularly useful, taking us from images of Vikings as a one-off to, instead, an amalgamation of various cultures and geographies. Unfortunately, the delivery is somewhat dry. A little more emotion would spice up the lectures, but again, the information is useful
Date published: 2024-12-15
Rated 5 out of
5
by
czechm8d from
Excellent Short Course Review of the Vikings
This was a short, but entertaining review of the history and culture of the Vikings. I was happy to see Dr, Paxton include a lecture on Vikings and Popular Culture at the end of the course. She hit all the right notes, bringing in the work of Richard Wager, Tolkien's Ring Trilogy, the History Channel's Vikings and the film Northman as modern examples of Viking impact on modern culture.
If students of this topic are looking for a more detailed study of the Vikings in a more chronological perspective, I wholeheartedly recommend Kenneth Harl's The Vikings, a GC offering from 2005 that touches on the events of the Viking Age in much greater detail.
Date published: 2024-12-09
Rated 5 out of
5
by
the professor from
A Compressed History of the Vikings
Professor Jennifer Paxton delivers another educationally solid Great Courses lecture set. It is difficult for a professor to thoroughly teach an in-depth topic in 12, 30 minute lectures, but this Professor does so. Dr. Paxton is smooth and somewhat dynamic in her delivery: I use Dr. Robert Greenberg as the exemplar benchmark for TGCs faculty: and Professor Paxton's enthusiasm and passion for the subject makes the course lively, informative and very enjoyable. Jennifer supports each viking with current and updated scientific evidence, such as the latest scanning technologies, and historical documents updated by research experts. I enjoyed how the Vikings evolved and their destructive path through Europe, and beyond. Viking life, death, religion, were interesting.
This is an excellent course for the Viking historical novice, delivered in a lively and pleasurable fashion. Just was with Dr. Paxton's previous courses, this was enjoyable and well worth the investment. I highly recommend this course and all the others which Professor Paxton has delivered for TGCs. I look forward to her future courses.
Date published: 2024-11-21
Overview
About
Jennifer Paxton is a Clinical Associate Professor of History at The Catholic University of America. She is also the director of the University Honors Program. She received her PhD in History from Harvard University, where she also taught and earned a Certificate of Distinction in Teaching. She is a widely published, award-winning writer and a highly regarded scholar, earning both a Mellon Fellowship in the Humanities and a Frank Knox Memorial Fellowship.
Trailer
01: The Viking Age Begins
The raid on the British island of Lindisfarne marks the beginning of the Viking Age. But should the story really start there? How did the Vikings engage with the world around them prior to and during the late 8th century? And do written sources reveal how the Vikings are remembered today?
36 min
02: The Viking Homelands
It is impossible to understand the Vikings without understanding the climate, geography, and society that produced them. Trace the history of the term “Scandinavia” before surveying the region's early topography, dialectal development, and social and legal organization. And explore the influence of Rome on Scandinavian culture before the dawn of the Viking period.
36 min
03: The Vikings at War
Today, the Vikings have exceedingly violent reputations, remembered in history and popular culture for terrorizing Christian Europe through raiding, pillaging, and conquest.Investigate the enduring but misguided trope that has for centuries characterized Viking activities around Europe. Then, examine the weapons, armor, and ideas that propped up violence at home.
32 min
04: Viking Women: Fact and Fiction
For centuries, women have been excluded from scholarship on the Vikings despite their profound impact within local society and politics, at the market, and on the battlefield. Correct the record with a lecture focused on how women warriors, weavers, queens, goddesses, and priestesses made waves in what was otherwise a rigidly patriarchal society.
29 min
05: Religion and Myth among the Vikings
Norse religion shaped the comic books, films, and even operas we know and love today. Become acquainted with the gods and giants at the center of it all. Dig into Norse cosmology and beliefs about the afterlife. And survey the purpose and power of common religious practices like feasting and sacrifice.
31 min
06: The Viking Way of Death
Continue your exploration of Norse religion with a focus on death and dying. Examine how burials and afterlife trajectories differed based on class, gender, and even battlefield experience. See how researchers use stable isotope analysis and ground penetrating radar to not only locate gravesites but to also study their contents—bones, booty, and all.
33 min
07: The Vikings in Eastern Europe
Go global by examining Viking activities in Eastern Europe, Byzantium, and Asia. Get to know the Rus people—the eastern descendants of Vikings, depending on who you ask—and the powerful polities they built through trade and military might. Investigate the powerful trade connections that bound Viking merchants to Constantinople, Syria, and even China.
33 min
08: The Vikings in Britain
Turn your attention toward the British Isles. What spurred Vikings to invade and subsequently settle England—children, livestock, and wives in tow? How did the Viking threat shape culture, language, and politics in Britain, transforming what was once a spattering of kingdoms into a formidable world power for centuries to follow?
32 min
09: The Vikings in Ireland and France
The Vikings raided the Irish and French coastlines ferociously, but their involvement with the polities of both nations was complicated. Explore how the Vikings successfully integrated themselves in Ireland through political alliances, wealth, warfare, and marriage. And study the history of the French province of Normandy, from its Viking roots to its dominance in the region.
35 min
10: Vikings in Iceland, Greenland, and Vinland
Turn west, focusing on Viking exploits in Iceland, Greenland, and Vinland. Study the history of Viking settlement in Iceland, from Náttfari the slave’s arrival to the rise of proto-democratic government. And evaluate why Northmen—famous for their global reach—could not stick it out for long in North America.
32 min
11: Viking Kings and Christian Conversion
Examine how Christian conversion and state building worked together to produce a Scandinavia we can recognize today. Track the slow and often tedious rise of Christianity within the Viking world—first around European settlements and then within Scandinavia itself. And get to know the Viking kings who used Christianity to unify their respective kingdoms.
35 min
12: The Vikings in Popular Culture
Dive into the convergent political and military forces that pushed marauding Northmen out of Europe and back to Scandinavia around AD 1066. Track the rise of Viking Age scholarship across academic disciplines. And assess the Vikings’ enduring legacy on both high and popular culture today.
38 min
