The Vikings are seen as one of history’s greatest voyagers. Their mastery of ships and the sea allowed them to travel across the medieval world and etch themselves into history. Yet, their routes were far more varied than previously thought.
Using cutting-edge forensic technology, Dr Cat Jarman has uncovered the varied connections forged by the Vikings through information gathered at burial sites. A small ‘Carnelian’ bead found at a grave in Derbyshire has led her to uncover an incredible 8th-century journey that even took in Baghdad and India.
In this exciting talk, Cat Jarman will reveal the globalised nature of the Viking world.
About the speaker
Dr Cat Jarman is a bioarchaeologist and field archaeologist specialising in the Viking Age, Viking women, and Rapa Nui. She uses forensic techniques like isotope analysis, carbon dating, and DNA analysis on human remains to untangle the experiences of past people from broader historical narratives.
Dr Jarman is an Honorary Senior Research Associate at the Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Bristol and the director of the archaeological research unit Munin Archaeology. She completed her PhD in Archaeology at the University of Bristol in December 2017, on the late 9th-century Viking Great Army at Repton in Derbyshire.