Freya Roe

Current Status: attending Lund University Masters Programme: Arkeologi - Teori och Praktik.

= Biography =

I graduated from Hampshire in May 2011 with a major in Viking Age Archaeology. There are two topics that I am particularly interested in, the first of course being the Viking Age Nordic home. Through this I hope to communicate to the general public that "Vikings" had a thriving culture of their own in Scandinavia, contrary to the one-dimensional caricature of this culture that has permeated the popular imagination. The second topic of interest is their inteaction with their eastern neighbors in Finland, whom are seldom mentioned in texts on Viking Age Scandinavia though they share a similar material culture.

= Bóndi =

Thank you everyone for making Bóndi such a success! Over 100 people attended, and hopefully learned a little bit about the Viking Age Nordic home!

Bóndi was on exhibit in the museum space of the Hampshire College Library from March 1 through 6. The exhibit focused on the home and civic material culture of Viking Age Nordic countries and putting the Viking Age into context with European history as a whole. Hampshire's own students and staff lended their expertise to this project, creating replicas of Viking Age material remains. Everything from the glass game pieces to spear- and arrow-heads to pottery and a woman's dress were made entirely by Hampshire artisans. Please visit the Hampshire College Library Division 3 Archive for photographs of the items the catalog for the exhibit, and Freya's final paper titled "Viking Age Nordic Clothing: Academic Efforts and Popular Perception".

= How Can You Study Such A Totally Awesome Subject? =

I will be keeping a list here of classes in the 5-colleges pertaining to Prehistoric Scandinavia, plus master's and Phd programs in the field of Prehistoric Scandinavian Archaeology or Culture. All listed here so far are taught in English. Links to come!

Lund University, Sweden (Archaeology)

University at Oslo, Norway (Nordic Viking and Medieval Culture; program option of middlealderstuderer)

York University, England (Archaeology)

Nottingham University, England (culture; esp. place-names and runology)

Sheffield University, England (archaeology)

Durham University, England (archaeology)

= Class List =

Spring 11:

Teacher's Assistant: Ancient Ireland. Robert Meagher. ''Dear Students: I am there to help you succeed in this class in any way I can. I live on campus, and am more than happy to meet with you to talk about anything pertaining to class or the greater 5-college world. I'm just an email away!''

Norwegian II. ''This, along with Norwegian 1, was the best experience I have ever had with learning a language. I would highly suggest the Five College Center for the Study of World Languages to anyone wanting to learn a language that isn't standard fare at any of the 5 colleges.''

Fall 10:

Scandin 397: The Viking Revival: Northern Romanticism and the Creation of a Nordic Ideal. Sherrill Harbison. ''A class which focuses on the revival of Viking ideals in Scandinavia from the 17th through 20th centuries. ''

Norwegian language mentored independent study, facilitated by the Five College Center for the Study of World Languages.

Audit: Hist 297: 20th Century Euope. Jon Olsen.

Summer 10:

Binchester Archaeological Excavations. A dig run by Stanford and Durham(UK) Universities. Site of Vinovium in Bishop Auckland, Co. Durham. A four-week dig designed to teach students about the practical aspects of archaeology while providing many smaller group projects to tailor the experience to each student's studies.

Spring 10:

Classics 103: Intro to Classical Archaeology. Anthony Tuck. An introductory course focusing on the archaeology of the Mediterranean.

Classics 190: The Trojan War. Justina Gregory. ''An introductory course focusing on the literature of the Trojan War by Classical writers. I would highly suggest this course for anyone studying literature or classics who would like to further their skill at very close critical reading and essay writing.'' 

Classics 301: World of the Etruscans. Dan Moore. An advanced look at the archaeological remains of Etruria.

Scandin 376:Vikings and their Stories: Saga Literature. Sherrill Harbison. ''An advanced class that studies Saga Literature, the history of the genre, and its reflections on Viking culture. I would suggest this course for anyone studying literature (it tied in very well with The Trojan War) or Viking Age Scandinavia.''

Fall 09:

Interdisciplinary 118: The History and Critical Issues of Museums. A weekly lecture-based course for students interested in art museums.

HACU 256: Ancient Epic 2. Robert Meagher. A small lecture-based course which reads The Aeneid, The Odyssey, The Ramayana and The David Story.

Classics 301: Roman Archaeology. Eric Poehler. An advanced lecture course on the archaeological remains of Rome and its neighboring cities.

History 302: Early Middle Ages. Anna Taylor. A detailed look into the history of the Middle Ages', centered around Europe.

Spring 09:

HACU 100: Independent Study: Latin. Robert Meagher. A second semester of Latin.

History 100: Western Thought to 1600. Anna Taylor. ''An invaluable broad look at the history of Western thought. I would highly suggest this course to anyone interested in any of the time periods covered, as it provides a base for historical learning which one must have before moving on to study the shorter periods within this time frame.''

Anthro 102: Archaeology and Prehistory. Professor Jones. An introductory course that covers the periods beginning with human evolution and ending with the first civilizations. It would work well to take this course, then Ancient Civilizations with Michael Sugerman.

Arc 112: The Archaeological Geology of Rock Art and Stone Artifacts. Bosilja Glumac. An introductory geology course with an emphasis on determining artifact materials.

Jan Term 09:

HACU 100: Independent Study: Norse Mythology. Robert Meagher. An EPEC course taught by students Andrew Berquist and Daniel Cottle.

Fall 08:

Latin 101: Elementary Latin. Introduction to Latin.

Anthro 150: Ancient Civilizations. Michael Sugerman. An introductory course focused on the creation of civilizations around the world, and questions the definition itself.

NS 256: Soil Science. Jason Tor. ''An in-depth look at what happens in soil. I would suggest this course for anyone interested in ecology, however not archaeology.''

Spring 08:

IA 125: Theater for the Eye. Wayne Kramer. ''An introduction to theatrical design and dramaterugy. (Division 1 IA credit). Wayne has, unfortunately, retired.''

NS 163: Biomass Energy: Larry Winship. A class designed around student interest in biological energy sources.

HACU 193: Ancient Ireland. Robert Meagher. ''The class that reminded me that I wanted to be an archaeologist. Looks at the early history of Ireland through the Viking age and later. ('Div 1 HACU credit).'' 

NS 231: Science Education in Urban Schools. Merle Bruno. ''Merle Bruno has, unfortunately, retired. This class helps students learn about how we learn and looks at what is actually necessary to teach science.''

Jan Term 08:

The West of Ireland: Land and Landscape. Mark Feinstein. ''A three-week course in which students stay in Galway, and look at life and landscape of the beautiful and distinctive west coast of Ireland. Unforgettable.''

F 07:

NS 100-something: Old Growth Ecology. Larry Winship. My tutorial, in which students learned how to identify the history of a landscape by sight and basic information on forest ecology.

NS 107: Sustainable Living. Larry Winship. An introduction to sustainable living in many countries. Div 1 NS credit).

CS 110: The Nature of Language. I was bad at this. (Div 1 CS credit).

SS 138: Draft Resisters and Warriors. ''A look at war in American society. (Div 1 SS credit).''

Division 3