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The Vikings
Parts one,two, and three. Each part contains six audio cassettes and course guidebook in a clamshell case.
Audio Cassette
First published January 1, 2005
About the author
Kenneth W. Harl
32 books108 followersDr. Kenneth W. Harl is Professor of Classical and Byzantine History at Tulane University in New Orleans, where he teaches courses in Greek, Roman, Byzantine, and Crusader history. He earned his B.A. from Trinity College and his M.A. and Ph.D. from Yale University.
Recognized as an outstanding lecturer, Professor Harl has received numerous teaching awards at Tulane, including the coveted Sheldon H. Hackney Award two times. He has earned Tulane's annual Student Body Award for Excellence in Teaching nine times and is the recipient of Baylor University's nationwide Robert Foster Cherry Award for Great Teachers.
In 2007, he was the Lewis P. Jones Visiting Professor in History at Wofford College. An expert on classical Anatolia, he has taken students with him into the field on excursions and to assist in excavations of Hellenistic and Roman sites in Turkey.
Professor Harl has also published a wide variety of articles and books, including his current work on coins unearthed in an excavation of Gordion, Turkey, and a new book on Rome and her Iranian foes. A fellow and trustee of the American Numismatic Society, Professor Harl is well known for his studies of ancient coinage. He is the author of Civic Coins and Civic Politics in the Roman East, A.D. 180–275 and Coinage in the Roman Economy, 300 B.C. to A.D. 700.
Recognized as an outstanding lecturer, Professor Harl has received numerous teaching awards at Tulane, including the coveted Sheldon H. Hackney Award two times. He has earned Tulane's annual Student Body Award for Excellence in Teaching nine times and is the recipient of Baylor University's nationwide Robert Foster Cherry Award for Great Teachers.
In 2007, he was the Lewis P. Jones Visiting Professor in History at Wofford College. An expert on classical Anatolia, he has taken students with him into the field on excursions and to assist in excavations of Hellenistic and Roman sites in Turkey.
Professor Harl has also published a wide variety of articles and books, including his current work on coins unearthed in an excavation of Gordion, Turkey, and a new book on Rome and her Iranian foes. A fellow and trustee of the American Numismatic Society, Professor Harl is well known for his studies of ancient coinage. He is the author of Civic Coins and Civic Politics in the Roman East, A.D. 180–275 and Coinage in the Roman Economy, 300 B.C. to A.D. 700.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 180 reviews
February 20, 2015
I love Audible's The Great Courses collection of books. They're informative, educational and, sometimes, even exciting.
I chose to listen to this lecture because I love Viking fiction and thought it'd be fun to get the real scoop on these sexy men. Well... so they aren't all as sexy as my favorite authors make them, clearly, but I still enjoyed learning their about their culture, their traditions, and their history.
Kenneth W. Harl does a great job of sharing his knowledge and opinions on the early Vikings. His enthusiasm, coupled with that knowledge, makes this an interesting, entertaining,
January 21, 2022
Listened to this Audio course. It is quite good, but a bit too detailed. Harl is very knowledgeable and eliminates many myths about the Vikings. He (almost too) comprehensively explores what they were all about, where they came from, how they interacted with the rest of the world, their beliefs, their successes and failures, etc.
If you don't mind much detail, it's great. He's a very good and enthusiastic speaker. No daydreaming while he's speaking.
He's also very good at explaining sources and evidence of why historians think such and such happened.
I loved hearing about the anarchy period of the Icelandic Settlements, with the "Althing" non-government meetings and wise men who knew, could recite and apply all the laws to the current circumstance. This period went on for over 2-300 years. Coincides with my remembrance of what I heard David D. Friedman say about the period in several lectures or informal gatherings. This essay of his is very enlightening too: daviddfriedman[dot]com/Academic/Iceland/Iceland.html
This set of lectures also treats the Icelandic Sagas in great detail, which also coincides with my memories of David Friedman's intro to the subject for me in his public libertarian speeches referring to them of 10-20 years ago.
If you don't mind much detail, it's great. He's a very good and enthusiastic speaker. No daydreaming while he's speaking.
He's also very good at explaining sources and evidence of why historians think such and such happened.
I loved hearing about the anarchy period of the Icelandic Settlements, with the "Althing" non-government meetings and wise men who knew, could recite and apply all the laws to the current circumstance. This period went on for over 2-300 years. Coincides with my remembrance of what I heard David D. Friedman say about the period in several lectures or informal gatherings. This essay of his is very enlightening too: daviddfriedman[dot]com/Academic/Iceland/Iceland.html
This set of lectures also treats the Icelandic Sagas in great detail, which also coincides with my memories of David Friedman's intro to the subject for me in his public libertarian speeches referring to them of 10-20 years ago.
June 21, 2017
After watching the Vikings series, I am even more intrigued with the history of these traditionally feared and stereotyped 'barbarians'.
Extremely enlightening course about the history of Vikings and how they shaped Western Europe to be what it is today. Almost strange how the seemingly uncivilised Northmen influenced the unity and strength of the countries that they invaded.
This is a comprehensive audiobook course which comes with a pdf download of the course notes. Highly recommended if you like medieval history in measured doses and delivered with a bit of humour.
Extremely enlightening course about the history of Vikings and how they shaped Western Europe to be what it is today. Almost strange how the seemingly uncivilised Northmen influenced the unity and strength of the countries that they invaded.
This is a comprehensive audiobook course which comes with a pdf download of the course notes. Highly recommended if you like medieval history in measured doses and delivered with a bit of humour.
May 16, 2024
36 (30 minute) lectures presented adroitly with academic precision. Recommended.
July 22, 2018
Interesting and covered a much broader subject matter than I anticipated. More Scandinavian than Viking.
April 13, 2022
This is a very detailed and entertaining course about The Viking Age. Professor Harl has extensive knowledge of the material and his lectures are very entertaning. I will probably revisit some lectures that seemed a bit confusing at times (too many similar names!) and will definitely use the course as reference material. I recommend this one if you want to get a detailed course on The Viking Age.
October 12, 2018
There is a rising interest in Vikings (the Netflix show, Senua's Sacrifice, even Game of Thrones), so I was thrilled to dive deeper into their culture and mythology.
Alas, this is the wrong course. Those topics are only skimmed, in favor of "history by statesman". You don't get to know what they ate, what their families looked like, what they thought about the world. You'll get how King X raided King Y in 846 AD, thereby setting the course for a raid by King Z in 849 AD. You get the picture - history by dates, the kind that unfairly spoiled this brilliant field for many of us in school.
The professor doesn't help. He's clearly excited about his field, but the narration jumps around kings, years, topics so fast I just stopped caring.
I never thought I'd quit a book by The Great Courses, but there's always a first!
PS: If you are looking what life was like, give this a try: "The Other Side of History: Daily Life in the Ancient World" in the quality we expect from this publisher.
Alas, this is the wrong course. Those topics are only skimmed, in favor of "history by statesman". You don't get to know what they ate, what their families looked like, what they thought about the world. You'll get how King X raided King Y in 846 AD, thereby setting the course for a raid by King Z in 849 AD. You get the picture - history by dates, the kind that unfairly spoiled this brilliant field for many of us in school.
The professor doesn't help. He's clearly excited about his field, but the narration jumps around kings, years, topics so fast I just stopped caring.
I never thought I'd quit a book by The Great Courses, but there's always a first!
PS: If you are looking what life was like, give this a try: "The Other Side of History: Daily Life in the Ancient World" in the quality we expect from this publisher.
August 7, 2015
I love history books. I didn't know that the germanic language began in Scandanavia. I didn't know why the Slavic countries are called Slavic. I knew that the Goths were Swedish, but I hadn't understood how the "Sweeds conquered Rome." I didn't know where the Russians got their name, "Russia." I learned so much history from this book.
April 9, 2018
This is an interesting course, with 36 different lectures on the Vikings. I found it to be engaging, and while some of the lectures were more interesting to me and my research than others, this was overall an excellent series.
The professor really knows his information, and if you are looking on a reliable and more in-depth resource on Vikings that is still captivating, then this may be for you.
For the lectures that were really of interest to me, I was all in and hanging on every word. If there are lectures that are less interesting to you, then you may be able to skip some of them. However, you never know when information might tie across from one lecture to the next, so I went through all 36. I just took a bit more out of some than others, depending on the topic, my interest, and how relevant it was to the specific research I was doing.
Since I enjoyed this so much, I may check out courses on other topics the next time a research bug hits me. Also, I suspect once I complete my research, I may go back and listen to specific lectures from this series that really bring a topic full circle, to make sure I got the whole picture correct.
Pages: 421
The professor really knows his information, and if you are looking on a reliable and more in-depth resource on Vikings that is still captivating, then this may be for you.
For the lectures that were really of interest to me, I was all in and hanging on every word. If there are lectures that are less interesting to you, then you may be able to skip some of them. However, you never know when information might tie across from one lecture to the next, so I went through all 36. I just took a bit more out of some than others, depending on the topic, my interest, and how relevant it was to the specific research I was doing.
Since I enjoyed this so much, I may check out courses on other topics the next time a research bug hits me. Also, I suspect once I complete my research, I may go back and listen to specific lectures from this series that really bring a topic full circle, to make sure I got the whole picture correct.
Pages: 421
September 1, 2021
Excellent! Professor Harl is knowledgable and engaging. The stories of the Viking civilizations are fascinating. I had no idea they had ranged as far as they did geographically and that so many other cultures benefitted from Viking exposure.
Also, I learned that the Viking civilizations had a great respect for literacy and they kept excellent records dating back almost 1000 years. Because of their great record keeping and storytelling, experts know a lot more about the Vikings than they do of other cultures from the same time period.
Also, I learned that the Viking civilizations had a great respect for literacy and they kept excellent records dating back almost 1000 years. Because of their great record keeping and storytelling, experts know a lot more about the Vikings than they do of other cultures from the same time period.
April 15, 2022
This Course was a delight. I listened to the audio and you can tell that Mr Harl has a great passion for this subject. Each lesson would start with him sounding fairly reserved and would end with him picking up the pace of his speech and sometimes tripping over his own words in his excitement. This is the most comprehensive learning experience about the Vikings and Skandinavia that I've had and I highly recommend it.
February 25, 2024
Professor Kenneth is so enthusiastic about the Vikings he speaks quickly and gets tongue tied often.
When the Vikings final convert to Christianity they have to stop being dependent on the slave trade of Europeans to Africa and Asia so they picked up farming. The horse drawn deep plows brought to them by the monasteries gave them more surplus and wealth than they ever had before.
Now I want to learn more about Leif Erikson the Viking Christian explorer with his priest by his side. He sounds like the best of both worlds but this course didn’t give much information on him.
When the Vikings final convert to Christianity they have to stop being dependent on the slave trade of Europeans to Africa and Asia so they picked up farming. The horse drawn deep plows brought to them by the monasteries gave them more surplus and wealth than they ever had before.
Now I want to learn more about Leif Erikson the Viking Christian explorer with his priest by his side. He sounds like the best of both worlds but this course didn’t give much information on him.
October 31, 2021
Не знаю як можна було таку цікаву тему так нудно подавати. Дослухав до третини й перестав - англійська гарна, але дуже нудно.
May 17, 2016
A very good and detailed History of the Viking age. These lectures could of easily been called The Vikings and the creation of Europe and it would of been just as precise. I learned quite a bit of new information from these lectures and it filled in details especially about England and Normandy that I hadn't realized I didn't know. Well worth getting.
July 16, 2018
These audio lectures cover the history of Scandinavia from prehistory to the early Middle Ages, focusing on the Vikings. I had no idea how far the Vikings traveled to the East or their lasting influence on England, Ireland, France, and Russia. Viking settlements in Russia even warred with Constantinople. The course also addresses the sagas, what happened with Viking settlements in Iceland, Greenland, and North America, and how pre-Christian myths from the Indo-European culture are preserved in Icelandic literature due to the Vikings’ late conversion to Christianity. The subject material was fascinating, detailed, and put in context of the broader picture by Professor Harl. The audiobook comes with a supplemental PDF with maps, timeline, glossary, and other helpful background material.
April 19, 2022
Fascinating, comprehensive 36 part course about history, culture and lasting impact of the Vikings that covers an immense amount of ground and never gets boring. Unfortunately Harl is somewhat inconsistent as a lecturer. On a good day, he's wonderfully engaging and audibly enthusiastic about his subject in a manner that is bound to keep the listener hanging on his every word... on a bad day, it's more a case of "if one were to turn this into a drinking game and have a drink at every 'uh', one would be wasted before half a lecture had passed". That aside, very much worth listening to.
July 26, 2022
DNF at 40%. Too much needless chatter and over explanation.
July 16, 2024
Honestly, this was a necessary piece of education on the role of the Vikings (Scandinavians) on the history of Europe.
The Vikings shaped and created England. They destroyed and reshaped France. They created Russia. Iceland was a colony of theirs.
Their shipbuilding was fantastic. The Icelandic literature is world class. What would Europe be without the Normans?
Worth listening to.
The Vikings shaped and created England. They destroyed and reshaped France. They created Russia. Iceland was a colony of theirs.
Their shipbuilding was fantastic. The Icelandic literature is world class. What would Europe be without the Normans?
Worth listening to.
August 2, 2024
A brilliant listen to the history of the Vikings and their interactions in England, Russia and Iceland/Greenland/America.
Split into 30 minute sections for easy listening and a good narration as well from a professor specialised in the subject.
Recommend for anyone interest in the Vikings and Dark Ages (400ad-1066) in general.
Split into 30 minute sections for easy listening and a good narration as well from a professor specialised in the subject.
Recommend for anyone interest in the Vikings and Dark Ages (400ad-1066) in general.
February 7, 2016
“Where you recognise evil, speak out against it, and give no truces to your enemies.” Havamal
1 The Vikings in Medieval History
2 Land and People of Medieval Scandinavia
3 Scandinavian Society in the Bronze Age
4 Scandinavia in the Celtic and Roman Ages
5 The Age of Migrations
6 The Norse Gods
7 Runes, Poetry, and Visual Arts
8 Legendary Kings and Heroes
9 A Revolution in Shipbuilding
10 Warfare and Society in the Viking Age
11 Merchants and Commerce in the Viking Age
12 Christendom on the Eve of the Viking Age
13 Viking Raids on the Carolingian Empire
14 The Duchy of Normandy
15 Viking Assault on England
16 The Danelaw
17 Viking Assault on Ireland
18 Norse Kings of Dublin and Ireland
19 The Settlement of Iceland
20 Iceland—A Frontier Republic
21 Skaldic Poetry and Sagas
22 Western Voyages to Greenland and Vinland
23 Swedes in the Baltic Sea and Russia
24 The Road to Byzantium
25 From Varangians into Russians
26 Transformation of Scandinavian Society
27 St. Anskar and the First Christian Missions
28 Formation of the Kingdom of Denmark
29 Cnut the Great
30 Collapse of Cnut’s Empire
31 Jarls and Sea Kings of Norway
32 St. Olaf of Norway
33 Kings of the Swedes and Goths
34 Christianization and Economic Change
35 From Vikings to Crusaders
36 The Viking Legacy
This overview of the Vikings and their heritage and legacy was interesting and more in depth than I had expected. I have been doing genealogy and my husband’s ancestors and mine are both descended from the Scandinavian countries so they are probably in our blood.
I found it fascinating that the forests of the north helped these people to become great woodworkers and ship builders. Their great halls led to their oral storytelling traditions that were memorized from generation to generation until we have such classics like Beowulf.
They were the first real explorers that have been documented to reach the New World and the Middle East. The Muslims were friendly and traded with the Vikings. When Christianity reached the northlands, the Vikings accepted it and became good Christians.
I found the history of their gods, culture and weapons fascinating. A people who at first were isolated but as their ships reached out and conquered others, they began to adapt to other ways of life.
They brought us many things like the days of the week and of course, ship building that is still used today. I am proud to be descended from them.
These 36 lectures from Professor Harl from Tulane University are worth your time and money.
1 The Vikings in Medieval History
2 Land and People of Medieval Scandinavia
3 Scandinavian Society in the Bronze Age
4 Scandinavia in the Celtic and Roman Ages
5 The Age of Migrations
6 The Norse Gods
7 Runes, Poetry, and Visual Arts
8 Legendary Kings and Heroes
9 A Revolution in Shipbuilding
10 Warfare and Society in the Viking Age
11 Merchants and Commerce in the Viking Age
12 Christendom on the Eve of the Viking Age
13 Viking Raids on the Carolingian Empire
14 The Duchy of Normandy
15 Viking Assault on England
16 The Danelaw
17 Viking Assault on Ireland
18 Norse Kings of Dublin and Ireland
19 The Settlement of Iceland
20 Iceland—A Frontier Republic
21 Skaldic Poetry and Sagas
22 Western Voyages to Greenland and Vinland
23 Swedes in the Baltic Sea and Russia
24 The Road to Byzantium
25 From Varangians into Russians
26 Transformation of Scandinavian Society
27 St. Anskar and the First Christian Missions
28 Formation of the Kingdom of Denmark
29 Cnut the Great
30 Collapse of Cnut’s Empire
31 Jarls and Sea Kings of Norway
32 St. Olaf of Norway
33 Kings of the Swedes and Goths
34 Christianization and Economic Change
35 From Vikings to Crusaders
36 The Viking Legacy
This overview of the Vikings and their heritage and legacy was interesting and more in depth than I had expected. I have been doing genealogy and my husband’s ancestors and mine are both descended from the Scandinavian countries so they are probably in our blood.
I found it fascinating that the forests of the north helped these people to become great woodworkers and ship builders. Their great halls led to their oral storytelling traditions that were memorized from generation to generation until we have such classics like Beowulf.
They were the first real explorers that have been documented to reach the New World and the Middle East. The Muslims were friendly and traded with the Vikings. When Christianity reached the northlands, the Vikings accepted it and became good Christians.
I found the history of their gods, culture and weapons fascinating. A people who at first were isolated but as their ships reached out and conquered others, they began to adapt to other ways of life.
They brought us many things like the days of the week and of course, ship building that is still used today. I am proud to be descended from them.
These 36 lectures from Professor Harl from Tulane University are worth your time and money.
November 19, 2015
This Great Courses series makes the Vikings seem like one of the most fascinating times in world history. It's amazing what they were able to accomplish and how profound their influence was on Europe and as far as the Middle East. There were so many firsts like the colonizations of Iceland, Greenland, and Vinland. It's mind-boggling to learn that the Swedes were able to make it all the way to Baghdad starting from the Baltic Sea and traveling down rivers. Just think of the effort needed to do that with technology from the 9th century. They were able to raid Italy coming from the other direction and it is astounding that they could cover so much distance in big rowboats. These had to be the toughest people in history. So many later empires really consisted of vikings at their heart. The Swedes were the foundation of the Russian Empire centered in Kiev and Novograd. The British Empire was founded upon the Norman conquest who had come from France but were originally Danish vikings. Ireland and France were also shaped by viking influence. The book gives examples of common words in English that number as high as 600 which originated from the Viking language (I remember knife and outlaw as examples). The establishment of Iceland is so interesting because it was the first time in history that a completely uninhabited piece of land was discovered and colonized. America was "discovered" but it already had as many as 50 million people living there. It's amazing to learn about how they survived in Iceland in the toughest conditions known to man at the time. It forced them to stay inside most of the year and as a result, all of the great Viking poetry and writing came from Iceland and it is the main source of Viking history being the only place where they were writing things down. The settlement of Greenland and Vinland were equally interesting although in those places they encountered some hostile indigenous people already living there. It explains why they were motivated to settle such far flung places and why they were abandoned later. This is a history mostly unknown to people because it comes from a time and place where very little was written down. But the Viking era was one of the most unique and interesting times in human history and this series of lectures does a great job in bringing it to life.
May 3, 2016
Yet another of Great Courses from Teaching Company and this one gets top marks from me. Both the selection of topics in this course and its structure was extremly well-thought out and a pure joy to follow. Also, since the topic itself is rather specific, professor Harl could allow himself the luxury to go into depth of the issues he discussed and this course does indeed feel like an introductory set of college lectures.
The course itself starts with the initial Viking expansion at the beginning of 8th century. Lecturer provides a sound foundation for the reasons of this process and provides analysis of contemporary societies in Norway, Denmark and Sweden, technological developments that allowed Scandinavians to raid all over Europe and the situation on the continent that made it possible for them to pursue their raiding activities at will. Next, the professor walks us through the historical events in chronological order - raids and conquests in France, England, Ireland, colonization of Island and failed attempts to settle in Greenland and Northern America as well as Scanidinavian expansion in Russia, Pommern as well as interaction with Byzantine empire are all covered in detail. Final part of the course is dedicated to the nadir of Viking age and formation of Christian kingdoms in Scandinavia. Overall, a truely excellent overview of an age and a people which, one could claim with some success, shaped modern Europe into being.
If there is anything to complain about, then it's the fact that the enthusiasm of our dear professor for the topics he discusses sometimes gets the better of him and his lecture style becomes a bit rushed. Combined with his tendency to chuckle for himself at this or that event or historical personality is initially quite charming and endearing, but in the long run becomes a tad distracting. But that's just a personal observation from a 'pupil' who prefers his lecturers to be a bit more 'professor-like' and doesn't retract anything from a fabulous overall effort.
The course itself starts with the initial Viking expansion at the beginning of 8th century. Lecturer provides a sound foundation for the reasons of this process and provides analysis of contemporary societies in Norway, Denmark and Sweden, technological developments that allowed Scandinavians to raid all over Europe and the situation on the continent that made it possible for them to pursue their raiding activities at will. Next, the professor walks us through the historical events in chronological order - raids and conquests in France, England, Ireland, colonization of Island and failed attempts to settle in Greenland and Northern America as well as Scanidinavian expansion in Russia, Pommern as well as interaction with Byzantine empire are all covered in detail. Final part of the course is dedicated to the nadir of Viking age and formation of Christian kingdoms in Scandinavia. Overall, a truely excellent overview of an age and a people which, one could claim with some success, shaped modern Europe into being.
If there is anything to complain about, then it's the fact that the enthusiasm of our dear professor for the topics he discusses sometimes gets the better of him and his lecture style becomes a bit rushed. Combined with his tendency to chuckle for himself at this or that event or historical personality is initially quite charming and endearing, but in the long run becomes a tad distracting. But that's just a personal observation from a 'pupil' who prefers his lecturers to be a bit more 'professor-like' and doesn't retract anything from a fabulous overall effort.
March 27, 2017
I read a lot of history and had never invested much time learning about the Viking Age (~900 to 1,100 AD). These lectures cover early Scandinavian history from the first millennium BC through the late Middle Ages as context for the two centuries during which the Vikings had an enormous impact on the development of Western Europe as we know it today. The pressure of Viking raids was a general catalyst for the formations of united kingdoms and governments throughout the British isles, Normandy, and around the Baltic Sea. For me it was fascinating to realize that much of the Vikings' martial dominance was due to its ships, which were light and shallow bottomed. Their design enabled faster movement of warriors and closer penetration to their targets via navigable river systems and portage. More than anything else, the force that brought the Viking Age to an end was the advance of Christianity, which created common cultural features across Europe and undermined the Viking warrior ethos. Great lectures.
October 17, 2010
Kenneth W. Harl does a wonderful job explaining how the people who would eventually become Norwegians, Danes, and Swedes had a profound impact on the development of both Western Europe and Russia. Over a series of 36 lectures Harl reviews such interesting topics as the Viking slave trade (selling Slavs and Irish to the Islamic world), Icelandic colonization and literary tradition (Icelandic literature who knew?), the fury of the Northmen in what would become France and England (Viking on Viking violence here), and Norwegians and Swedes serving as shock troops for the Emperor of Constantinople against the Abbassid Caliphate. It turns out the Vikings would become Normans, Englishmen, Russians, Icelanders, and eventually the nation-states of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. I found myself with a much better understanding of the early Middle Ages after hearing Professor Harl's lectures on Viking culture and history.
May 10, 2012
Just an excellent piece of history. Hearing a scholar at the top of his game giving the history an in-depth yet interest review always impresses me to no end. This is the sort of thing that makes me realize why history is my field first and foremost. He also did not just cover kings and battles, but talked about women, regular life, literature, food, shipping, etc., etc. His knowledge of the sources is truly amazing, and learning about the sources on the vikings is one my main takeaways from the lecture series.
My only extremely small quibble is the fact that he called Cahill's How the Irish Saved Civilization, "silly."
I will definitely move on to his lecture about Byzantine History, but first I am going to listen to one about Roman History, to give me a good background for this.
My only extremely small quibble is the fact that he called Cahill's How the Irish Saved Civilization, "silly."
I will definitely move on to his lecture about Byzantine History, but first I am going to listen to one about Roman History, to give me a good background for this.
October 9, 2012
Prof. Harl does a great job explaining how the Vikings who would eventually become Norwegians, Danes, and Swedes, also become Russians , Englishmen, Frenchmen, Icelanders, Attempt to colonize Greenland, Attempt to colonize North America. Over a series of 36 lectures Harl reviews such interesting topics as the Viking slave trade (the Slavs were slaves) ;The Normans in France were originally Vikings; Our word for Tuesday comes from an old Viking God; We learn how the Vikings were Christianized. It is amazing how much influence the Vikings have had on this world.
June 13, 2015
While Harl is knowledgeable and erudite, he is also sadly condescending and pedantic. Unquestionably a fine scholar, not sure I'd want to be either his TA or student. That random comment made (as I am only judging by his tone and commentary - yes, totally unfair I must admit) I shall actually probably go over Harl's work again in the future as his insights and knowledge of the great "sea kings" and their effect on early British and Irish history is truly impressive. Any scholar will be enriched...even if sometimes a bit miffed!
June 4, 2022
So interesting, one of my favorite.
There is so much to be said and there is a lot of jumping around, back and forth, a lack of continuity.
Very advanced, needs a bit of medieval history background and maps if you want to enjoy this course.
The PDF that is accompanying this course is necessary to follow.
I will need to get back to it later. I didn't absorb all of this.
If there were an exam, I would need to study....
There is so much to be said and there is a lot of jumping around, back and forth, a lack of continuity.
Very advanced, needs a bit of medieval history background and maps if you want to enjoy this course.
The PDF that is accompanying this course is necessary to follow.
I will need to get back to it later. I didn't absorb all of this.
If there were an exam, I would need to study....
June 17, 2022
Wow, this guy really knows how to infuse enthusiasm with deep knowledge. A fantastic trip through time to the Nordic barbarians, their origins, culture and the effects they had on the world. Fascinating.
September 30, 2013
One of my first forays into the audiobook world, Harl takes us through everything that you could possibly want to know about Vikings. An interesting - albeit weighty - diversion.
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