Every first Wednesday at 1:30pm, join us for our monthly Senior Wednesday event at the Museum of World Treasures! 

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Event Details:

• Date: November 6, 2024
• Time: 1:30 PM
• Location: Museum of World Treasures [get directions]

Cost:

• Museum Members: Free
• Non-Members: $4 per person plus tax

Attending Information:

• Open to all ages
• No need to register; simply walk in!
• Light refreshments provided.

this month's talk - The Global Middle Ages

In the past two decades, scholars have been reassessing the popular image of the Middle Ages (c. 500-1500 AD) in western Europe. Far from being a “dark age,” as many Enlightenment intellectuals scornfully dismissed the period, the Middle Ages was a dynamic period and much more sophisticated than popular culture would have us believe. In particular, advances in archaeology and paleo-genetics (the science of decoding DNA found mainly in the teeth of buried corpses as well as isotopes found in the enamel of those same corpses) has shed new light on the activities of Norse seafarers, often known as vikings. We can now trace their journeys from Baghdad to Newfoundland. This talk will discuss the new image of a globally connected western Europe emerging from recent scholarship, especially scholarship on vikings.

About the Speaker - Dr. Dave Defries

Dr. Dave Defries is an associate professor of history at Kansas State University. He received his MA and PhD in medieval history from Ohio State University, as well as a licentiate (roughly equivalent to an MA) in medieval history from the Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval History in Toronto, Ontario. His studies at the Pontifical Institute were funded by a post-doctoral fellowship from the Mellon Foundation. Additionally, Dr. Defries was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship, which allowed him to conduct research in Belgium for a year.

His research centers on culture and communal dynamics in early medieval Europe (c. 500-1100 AD). Dr. Defries began his academic career by exploring the collective identity present in the eleventh-century cult of the saints at the Flemish abbey of Saint-Winnoc in Bergues (modern-day France). His first book, From Sithiu to Saint-Bertin, grew out of this work.

During the 2021-2022 academic year, Dr. Defries spent his sabbatical in Belgium, working on a book that sought to approach early medieval Flanders from a global perspective. This project has since developed into a collaboration with over 20 scholars. Dr. Defries is currently co-editing a volume of collected essays on the evidence for global networks in early medieval Flanders with Brigitte Meijns, a historian at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, and Wim De Clercq, an archaeologist at the Universiteit Gent. The volume is set to be published in 2027 by Amsterdam University Press.

What are Senior Wednesdays?

Senior Wednesdays are informational and entertaining sessions, designed for active seniors and offered by a collaboration of Wichita institutions.

Learn About Other Senior Wednesdays Events

Museum of World Treasures is a proud to host the afternoon Senior Wednesday on the first Wednesday of every month.