Course description

The primary goal of the course is the study of the cultural, economic, and political interaction between the peoples of the Baltic region inhabiting the Western Slavic territories and Scandinavia in the Viking Age. The aim of the course is to show students that the Baltic zone was an common area of mutual and ongoing contacts and interactions in the Viking Age, that shaped the the region in the following periods and can be a very good point of reference for various possibilities and challanges countries of the region face today and will do in the future.

The programme of the course will consists of lectures on archaeology, history, and literature of the Western Slavic territories and Scandinavia in the Middle Ages. More precisely, the focus of the classes will be on the interpretation of archaeological finds, the political and economic history of Scandinavia and the Western Slavic territories, Scandinavian and Slavic historiography and other aspects of the literary developments in the region.

Special empasis will be put on interactions between various peoples in the Baltic zone and its consequences on political, social and cultural developments in the whole region.

Key words:

• Viking Age,
• the Baltic Zone,
• Slavs.

Evaluation:

Written test consisting of 20 closed questions.