Colors of the Viking Age

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Event Description 

Colors surround us and are a defining feature in how we perceive and order the world. Yet we know little of colors of the past. Artifacts change, and color terms are unstable. This talk will introduce an international effort to understand the colors of the Viking Age (800-1100 CE) through a unique combination of chemical traces from textile dyes, color data preserved in necklace beads, and suggestive linguistic clues. This project pursues not only a vivid picture of the Viking Age but also a set of methods applicable to the many contexts in which people manipulate color through fashion.

Event Speaker

Matthew Delvaux, Assistant Professor of History at Barnard College

Event Information

Free and open to the public; registration required. Contact scienceandsociety@columbia.edu with any questions. 

Hosted by the Center for Science and Society. This event is part of the Faculty Spotlight Event Series. This series highlights the work of Advisory Committee members. 

The Center for Science and Society makes every reasonable effort to accommodate individuals with disabilities. If you require disability accommodations to attend a Center for Science and Society event, please contact us at scienceandsociety@columbia.edu or (212) 854-0666 at least 10 days in advance of the event. For more information, please visit the campus accessibility webpage.