Update: A Norwegian Textile Letter reader had a problem when clicking on the “mailto” link for Howard, to get the zoom link. If that happens, put this address in your email program: nordicspiritclassics@gmail.com. Technology is great when it works! Happy new year. 

Vikings and textile fans! There is an upcoming free lecture available by Zoom, coming up soon, this Friday, January 12.

On January 12 at 7:30 PM Pacific Time there will be a Zoom video presentation by Charlotte Hedenstierna-Jonson of Uppsala University in Sweden. In this 32 minute program, Dr. Hedenstierna-Jonson will speak about the beginnings of sail ships in the Nordic countries and textile requirements to service a Viking longship. Contact Howard at nordicspiritclassics@gmail.com for the Zoom link.

Dr. Hedenstierna-Jonson is  one of the speakers who will be coming to Thousand Oaks in February for the 25th annual Nordic Spirit Symposium. This year the theme is Vikings: New Technology — New Discoveries. https://scandinaviancenter.org/nordic-spirit-symposium/

Dr. Charlotte Hedenstierna-Jonson’s bio on the Uppsala University website includes a long list of presentations and publications on Viking archaeology. She describes her specialty:

I am a researcher and part of the Viking Phenomenon research project. I studied at the Archaeological Research Laboratory, Stockholm University, and presented a PhD thesis in 2006 on the Birka Warrior – the material culture of a martial society. With a background in field archaeology and as senior curator at the Swedish History Museum (SHM) I have held research fellowships at SHM, Stockholm University and the Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum (RGZM) in Mainz. Previous research projects have focused on warfare, identities, mobility and material culture in Late Iron Age – Viking Age societies. Most recently I was part of the interdisciplinary ATLAS-project aiming at unravelling human prehistory within present day Sweden by combining archaeology, physical anthropology and genetics.

Thank you to Laurann Gilbertson, Curator at Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum, for this tip.

Robbie LaFleur
norwegiantextileletter.com