These pages represent a past Nordic Spirit Symposium and serve as examples of what you might see at a future Symposium
A unique lecture/performance program presented by the Scandinavian American Cultural and Historical Foundation and California Lutheran University, made possible by generous grants from the Barbro Osher Pro Suecia Foundation and the Norway House Foundation.
Please visit Nordic Spirit Classics Second Friday Series for information on our monthly series.
Vikings:
New Technology New Discoveries
Ring Fortresses, Ship Burial Excavations, Viking Trading Towns, Pre-Viking and Viking Age DNA Studies, and Viking Activity in the Low Countries
February 9 and 10, 2024
New technologies and discoveries are revolutionizing the understanding of the Viking Age and its beginnings. Ground penetrating radar has led to new findings of Viking ship burials; improvements in dating techniques and new excavations give better understanding of the history of the pre-Viking and Viking Age; and improvements in DNA analysis help broaden the understanding of Viking ancestry and relationships with other cultures. The recent exciting discovery and excavation of a fifth ring fortress in Denmark and addition of Denmark’s five ring fortresses to UNESCO’s World Heritage sites will be discussed. This symposium will feature presentations by expert speakers from Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and the Netherlands, with ample time for guest interaction and discussion with like-minded participants.
FRIDAY EVENING, FEB. 9, 2024
Samuelson Chapel – California Lutheran University
6:15 – 7:00 p.m. Registration
7:00 – 9:30 p.m. Program
Scandinavian Center – 26 Faculty Street, Thousand Oaks
5:30 – 6:30 p.m. Gala Reception
Reservations requested – Admission is $15.
The Riddle of the Rings – Harald Bluetooth’s Ring Fortresses and the Viking Age
Søren Sindbæk, Ph.D., Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
Recently a fifth ring fortress from the Viking Age was discovered, and the five were added to UNESCO’s list of World Heritage sites in 2023. This talk will recount the discovery of some of the most enigmatic monuments of the Viking Age, and the quest to uncover their significance in history.
The Genetic Impact of the Viking Expansion on the Populations in Northern Europe
Sigridur (Sunna) Ebenesersdóttir, Ph.D., deCODE Genetics, Reykjavik, Iceland
Recent advances in sequencing technology have provided an opportunity to retrieve DNA from ancient individuals. This breakthrough has allowed a study of how migration and admixture have shaped the gene pools of Nordic populations over time.
SATURDAY, FEB. 10, 2024
Samuelson Chapel – California Lutheran University
8:15 a.m. Registration
9:00 – 5:15 p.m. Program, Breaks and Lunch
Viking Interactions with the Silk Road
Charlotte Hedenstierna-Jonson, Ph.D., Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
Viking trade networks were far reaching. Traces of Viking contacts with the Silk Road and Central Asia, from eastern archery to worlds of silk, will be discussed.
The Viking Age in the Low Countries and the Relation of Frisia with the Viking World
Nelleke Ijssennagger-van der Pluijm, Ph.D., Director, Fryske Academy, Leeuwarden, Netherlands
New finds and avenues of research using various disciplines have broadened our understanding of the Viking Age in the Low Countries and in the special relationship of Frisia with the Viking world. The talk will share this nuanced story of the Viking Age in the Low Countries. This is a Zoom presentation from the Netherlands to Samuelson Chapel.
Northern Emporium – Excavating Viking Age Ribe and its Networks
Søren Sindbæk, Ph.D., Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
Excavations in towns and emporia provide some of archaeology’s most significant contributions to the history of the Viking Age. Ribe in Denmark was the earliest maritime trading town to appear in Scandinavia, and its history charts the making of the maritime links which became the matrix for the explorations, conflicts, and cultural encounters of the Viking Age.
Noon, Lunch Break
1:30 p.m. Afternoon Program
Birka: People, Places and Practices of a Viking Trading Center
Charlotte Hedenstierna-Jonson, Ph.D., Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
Excavations in Birka in Sweden, an iconic site in Viking studies, have been going on for centuries, but there is still much to discover. Ongoing research gives a glimpse of far-reaching trade networks that connected Birka to other northern European towns as well as to distant places such as the Eurasian steppes, the Arab world, Egypt, and even the Silk Road.
The Gjellestad Ship Burial – a Royal Burial Site and Its Surroundings
Christian Løchsen Rødsrud, Ph.D., Norwegian Museum of Cultural History, Oslo, Norway
The Gjellestad ship attracted wide international attention when discovered by Ground Penetrating Radar in 2018; it is the first ship burial excavated in Norway in more than a century. The surrounding area is rich in prehistoric finds as old as 1500 B.C.
4:00 p.m. Panel Discussion
The speakers will respond to questions from the audience.
SATURDAY EVENING
Lundring Events Center, California Lutheran University
5:30 – 6:00 p.m. Social
6:00 p.m. Dinner; Entertainment
Reservations required. Dinner admission is $45.
Early registration deadline: January 20, 2024.
Meal registration deadline: January 30, 2024.
For information, please contact nordicspiritclassics@gmail.com or contact Howard at (805) 497-3717.
This event is partially supported by The Barbro Osher Pro Suecia Foundation, a California nonprofit corporation with an intent to provide support to nonprofit organizations that benefit Swedish education, culture and arts.
This event is partially supported by the Norway House Foundation, a California nonprofit corporation dedicated to honoring the Norwegian seafarers who risked their lives for the Allied cause in World War II. The Norway House Foundation carries out its mission by promoting, encouraging, and supporting educational, professional and cultural exchange between Norway and Northern California.
The organizers reserve the right to make any changes that may be necessary.
Scandinavian American Cultural and Historical Foundation 