The course will provide a comprehensive study of Viking colonisation and settlement of the Isle of Man, incorporating the Viking Age commencing circa AD 800, through to the end of the Late Norse Kingdom of Man & the Isles, circa 1270. This is a particularly profuse and enlightening period in the Island's historic past, and one that we shall examine through a kaleidoscope of archaeological heritage in the form of pagan burial sites, Manx stone crosses, coin hoards, settlement sites, fortifications (St. Patrick's Isle, Castle Rushen) buildings/structures, seats of Parliament (Tynwald Hill) and place names. This record is complimented by material from the written historical archive and we shall consider the various sources. By the end of the course the student should have gained a greater awareness of the unique legacy that the Vikings have left us, one that has marked our Island with an enduring sense of national identity. The student will also learn to locate particular Viking sites within their landscape setting, and how the interaction between the incoming settlers and indigenous population was played out. A further learning outcome should be an understanding of how the Isle of Man cannot be viewed in historical isolation, but must be located and understood within a wider context of Viking incursion into other parts of the British Isles. Finally, the course should stimulate the student's desire to view the magnificent array of artefacts on display in the Manx Museum's Viking Gallery.
