• Course begins October 1, 2025

  • This 5-week course includes live sessions with the instructor each week

  • Sessions are from 3:00 - 4:30pm Eastern U.S. time

Week 1

Romans after Rome

This first lesson untangles the myriad artistic and ideological links between Late Roman costume and what we nowadays refer to as ‘Anglo-Saxon’ or ‘Celtic’ dress accessories, highlighting that the idea of Rome persisted through new forms and new lenses well into the 6/7th centuries.

Week 2

Little Kingdoms

This week, an overview of 20-30 early petty polities across England, Wales, and Scotland between the 5-7th centuries, showcasing how different geographical environments and coastal regions reshaped Roman rural districts into early kingdoms. The main themes explored this week will be identity and kinship formation.

Week 3

Big Kingdoms

This week we explore notions of overlordship: the premier kingdoms of Wessex, Northumbria, and Mercia formed out of the shells of smaller realms, which is a narrative that can be followed between the 6-7th centuries relying on archaeology and textual records.

Week 4

The View from Afar

With 5-7th century Britain placed in its own national context, the trick now is to examine the island from afar, to assess to what extent the international links between it and the rest of Europe changed between the Roman Period and the Viking Age. This lesson will largely follow the journeys of monks, moneyers, and diplomats to disprove notions that ‘Dark Age’ Britain was isolated.

Week 5

Vikings before Vikings

The final session charts a journey towards the first raid on Lindisfarne in 793, following acts of piracy in the North Sea since the first century. This will place several of the topics explored previously within an international context and move against the notion of neat historical periodisation. ‘Viking’ raids before 793 will be assessed, alongside a summary of how Britain changed between 410 and the infamous raid at Lindisfarne.

  • Start Learning

    First live session October 1, 2025 at 3:00pm Eastern U.S. time

  • Access

    Course materials are available for three months from the first course session.

Meet your Instructor

Alex Harvey

Alex is an author and archaeologist published with the University of Cambridge, Sidestone Press, Amberley, Pen & Sword, and Five Leaves Publications, specializing in the Early Medieval Period (350-1100 CE). His work revolves around disseminating complex academia into accessible formats. He has given dozens of public talks around England, alongside podcast interviews and talks for museums. He also works as the Collections Manager for a museum in Pocklington (East Yorkshire) and is training to be a teacher in North Yorkshire.