Ep. 336 | Mapping the World's Viking Obsession: NorseMap w/ Prof. Tom Birkett & Dr. T. Liam Waters

Why do the Vikings hold a level of global brand recognition unmatched by almost any other ancient culture? Daniel Farrand and in-house archaeologist Max Haggar sit down with Prof. Tom Birkett and Dr. T. Liam Waters from University College Cork to explore NorseMap—a five-year ERC research project tracking 200 years of Viking public reception.

Through their citizen science app, iViking, the team is mapping how Norse imagery is adapted across commercial branding, street art, tourism, and politics. The group explores why people self-police their own accuracy around horned helmets, how 19th-century Viking literature helped forge the American cowboy ethos, why tech startups rebrand Vikings as corporate "disruptors", and how the project navigates the ethics of political misappropriation.

Explore NorseMap: https://www.norsemap.eu/s/main/page/home

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