The Varangian Question


Book Description




Gender and the Archaeology of Death


Book Description

Anthropologist, archaeologists, and art historians detail their approaches to studying gender in burial practices and in other mortuary contexts. They compare European and American traditions in this field, outline methods for analyzing gender in cultures of varying complexity and with different levels of documentation, and describe some of the successes of such efforts. Consideration is given to the relationships between gender, ideology, power, signification, and the interpretation of evidence. c. Book News Inc.




The Origins of the Slavic Nations


Book Description

This 2006 book documents developments in the countries of eastern Europe, including the rise of authoritarian tendencies in Russia and Belarus, as well as the victory of the democratic 'Orange Revolution' in Ukraine, and poses important questions about the origins of the East Slavic nations and the essential similarities or differences between their cultures. It traces the origins of the modern Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian nations by focusing on pre-modern forms of group identity among the Eastern Slavs. It also challenges attempts to 'nationalize' the Rus' past on behalf of existing national projects, laying the groundwork for understanding of the pre-modern history of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. The book covers the period from the Christianization of Kyivan Rus' in the tenth century to the reign of Peter I and his eighteenth-century successors, by which time the idea of nationalism had begun to influence the thinking of East Slavic elites.




Soviet Archaeology


Book Description

In Soviet Archaeology: Trends, Schools, and History, Russian archaeologist Leo S. Klejn looks at the peculiar phenomenon that is Soviet archaeology and how it differs to Western archaeology and the archaeology of pre-revolutionary Russia. Klejn shows that Soviet archaeology was not a monolithic block as Soviet ideologists attempted to represent it, but rather it was divided into competing schools and trends and, even under the veil of Marxist ideology,was often closely related to the movements occurring in western archaeology. As an archaeologist working during the turmoil of the Soviet government's rule over Russia, Klejn's scholarly account is laid out in ajournalistic manner, tracing the history of archaeology in Russian from 1917 to beyond 1991, as well as recounting the lives and fates of leading Soviet archaeologists in vivid descriptions with accompanying photographs.




The Varangians of Byzantium


Book Description

This book examines how the Norsemen came to be drawn into the Imperial service.




A History Of Russia


Book Description




The Varangian Chronicles Volume One


Book Description

VIKING’S HEART Viking warrior and smuggler, Stone Ulfson is a patient man, but even he has limits. When his mate’s father refuses to release her to his care, Stone arranges for the smuggler to lose a shipment and then demands her in exchange for his debts. Telepath Jolie Hall is ready for her life to change. Being given to a Viking isn’t quite what she had in mind, however. She can’t deny she’s drawn to Stone, but can she trust his claim that she is his destined mate? VIKING’S DREAM Charlie Smith has been hiding from her enemies for most of her life. What better way to finally escape them than join her friends and go to the stars with the Varangians? The stars have a few more surprises than she anticipated, however. Archer Bystrom is determined to claim the fascinating Earthling as his own. She’s beautiful, talented, and strong. The perfect mate for a Viking warrior. But with a galaxy wide war brewing will he have time to convince her they belong together? Or will death steal away his chance? VIKING’S AWAKENING Spy. Assassin. Renegade. King. Zane Gray has been a lot of things, but his latest role is one he was born for—warrior-king of the Varangians. But he would give it up in a heartbeat if he could claim another title. Mate. Seer. Telepath. Mystic. Warrior. Gypsy Ulfson has been waiting for Zane for most of her life. Fate chose him to lead her people, and her to stand witness, but that isn’t the only destiny awaiting them. She has to accept him as her mate or risk the galaxy being destroyed, but is it fair to demand so much from a man destiny has already unduly burdened? And how much of her will survive the process?




Russia's Identity in International Relations


Book Description

Bringing together leading scholars from Russia and outside experts on Russia, this book looks at the difference between the image Russia has of itself and the way it is viewed in the West. It discusses the historical, cultural and political foundations that these images are built upon, and goes on to analyse how contested these images are, and their impact on Russian identity. The book questions whether differing images explain fractiousness in Western-Russian relations in the new century, or whether distinct 'imaginary solitudes' offer a better platform from which to negotiate differences. Providing an innovative comparative study of contemporary images of the country and their impact, the book is a significant contribution to studies of globalisation and international relations.




The Varangians


Book Description

This book is the history of the Eastern Vikings, the Rus and the Varangians, from their earliest mentions in the narrative sources to the late medieval period, when the Eastern Vikings had become stock figures in Old Norse Romances. A comparison is made between sources emanating from different cultures, such as the Roman Empire, the Abbasid Caliphate and its successor states, the early kingdoms of the Rus and the high medieval Scandinavian kingdoms. A key element in the history of the Rus and the Varangians is the fashioning of identities and how different cultures define themselves in comparison and contrast with the other. This book offers a fresh and engaging view of these medieval sources, and a thorough reassessment of established historiographical grand narratives on Scandinavian peoples in the East.