The Vikings

By: Kenneth W. Harl, The Great Courses

Narrated by: Kenneth W. Harl

Length: 17 hrs and 59 mins

Publisher's summary

As raiders and explorers, the Vikings played a decisive role in the formation of Latin Christendom, and particularly of western Europe.

Now, in a series of 36 vivid lectures by an honored teacher and classical scholar, you have the opportunity to understand this remarkable race as never before, studying the Vikings not only as warriors, but in all of the other roles in which they were equally extraordinary - merchants, artists, kings, raiders, seafarers, shipbuilders, and creators of a remarkable literature of myths and sagas. Professor Harl draws insights from an astonishing array of sources: The Russian Primary Chronicle (a Slavic text from medieval Kiev), 13th-century Icelandic poems and sagas, Byzantine accounts, Arab geographies, annals of Irish monks who faced Viking raids, Roman reports, and scores of other firsthand contemporary documents.

Among the topics you'll explore are the profound influence of the Norse gods and heroes on Viking culture and the Vikings' extraordinary accomplishments as explorers and settlers in Iceland, Greenland, and Vinland. And with the help of archaeological findings, you'll learn to analyze Viking ship burials, rune stones and runic inscriptions, Viking wood carving, jewelry, sculpture, and metalwork. By the end of the series, you'll have a new understanding of what it meant to be a Viking and a richer appreciation of this remarkable race - a people who truly defined the history of Europe, and whose brave, adventurous, and creative spirit still survives today.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2005 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2005 The Great Courses

Excellent

Logically organized and passionately delivered. Harl’s account is detailed, yet accessible, allowing a novice like me take in the basic origins, history, and legacy of the Vikings.

Thorough and lively

The lecturer presents a history of Scandinavia (Denmark, Norway, and Sweden) with a focus on the Vikings Age. The lectures start in the Bronze Age and end in the aftermath of the Black Death with a special emphasis on the politics, technical achievements in shipbuilding, society and religion, and interplay between Scandinavian societies and European ones. A lecture is dedicated to Iceland for its importance in recording sagas and events related to the period of interest. The course is quite informative and the lectures lively. Really enjoyable :)

Excellent course full of interesting material

I enjoyed the content as well as the presentation. This course was comprehensive and well organized.

Excellent Lecture Series!!!

Outstanding lecture series on the Viking Age! I enjoyed Dr. Harl’s coverage of the period before and after the Viking Age. This provided context to the historical facts. The overall exploration of historical cause, consequence, change, and continuity was excellent.

Wonderful

Interesting information, outstanding storytelling and a great listen. Covers early Scandinavia to just before the black death.

Broad view on viking age

Any additional comments?

It certainly broadened my view on the vikings, especially on the norman and slavic fronts. I think the author maybe devaluated the Icelandic achievement of making land fall in Newfoundland, but maybe this was purposley done to put more emphasis on the importance the vikings had on Carolingian empire and the birth of the russian identity? Very good story line I was never bored! Recommended! I might listen to it again!

Wonderful

Another outstanding series from the teaching company and Dr. Kenneth Harl. I've come to expect nothing less than excellence when I see Dr. Harl's name on a course. Once again he lives up to my expectations. This is an excellent survey of the Scandinavian world from prehistoric period through the early Middle Ages. Highly recommended for anyone who loves history.

Review of ‘The Vikings’, Great Courses Lecture(s)

If you are searching for an overview of Viking history that contextualizes the global impact the Scandinavian cultures had on Europe and the world, then this is worth listening to. Great for any college or university level students. This lecture does lack some depth of the distinct cultural differences of the Scandinavian peoples within Denmark, Norway, and Sweden and could do with focussing more on the reliability of the sources discussed in the lecture and the narrators own personal stance on how he interprets the sources. However, for anyone just getting into the subject, then this is a very good first port of call.

Great content

The content was great but it was hard not to fall asleep listening due to the mono tone of the lecturer.

Fascinating and deeper look at the Vikings

Prof. Harl iis one of the best presenters of the Great Courses and this one is no exception. He gives a comprehensive look at the history of the Viking Age and somewhat beyond. He covers the prehistory, and the settlement age, and what is known of Viking history and Norse Mythology and sagas.
Interesting to me - and different than other books - he also focused on the transition of these lands into Christian kingdoms and what that transformation meant politically and economically. I also learned a lot about what happened to the settlements they made in Russia and other places, which helped fill some of the gaps from the medieval and Byzantine history I had read previously.
Highly recommended if you have an interest in Medieval history or plan to travel to Scandinavia.