Anything made or used by human hands can be historical evidence, not just written texts.  Objects bear witness to the past in a uniquely tangible way, evoking an immediate sense of the lived experience of those who made, used, modified and discarded them.  Physical things are especially illuminating when discussing largely non-literate societies like the Norse-speaking peoples who lived during the so-called Viking Age of the eighth to eleventh centuries, and whose bloodthirsty reputation derives largely from the one-sided accounts written by their more literate European victims.

Inspired by the BBC and British Museum's History of the World in 100 Objects podcast series, this collaborative student research project aims to shed light on the real history that lies behind the rumors and legends, through audio essays exploring and contextualizing 100 carefully curated objects from across the Viking World.

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