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Author to shatter myths about the year 1000 in Aug. 5 program

July 28, 2021

Many believe that the years immediately prior to A.D. 1000 were, with few exceptions, lacking in major cultural developments or geopolitical encounters, that the Europeans hadn’t yet reached North America, and that the farthest feat of sea travel was the Vikings’ invasion of Britain.

In “The Year 1000: When Explorers Connected the World – and Globalization Began,” author and historian Valerie Hansen argues that the year 1000 was the world’s first point of major cultural exchange and exploration.

Hansen will discuss her book, based on nearly 30 years of research, during a History Book Festival virtual program at 5 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 5. A question-and-answer session will follow.

Hansen presents a compelling account of first encounters between disparate societies, which sparked conflicts and collaborations reminiscent of current times. She also puts to rest any notion that societies were largely isolated 1,100 years ago. For example, could the presence of blond-haired people in Maya temple murals at Chichén Itzá, Mexico, be evidence that the Vikings had found their way to the Americas during the height of the Maya empire?

Hansen is the Stanley Woodward Professor of History at Yale University where she teaches Chinese and world history. She traveled to nearly 20 countries to conduct research for “The Year 1000,” serving as a visiting scholar at Xiamen University in China, the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom, and the Collège de France in Paris.

Her books include “The Silk Road: A New History; The Open Empire: A History of China to 1800;” and “Voyages in World History,” co-authored with Kenneth R. Curtis.

The program is free, but preregistration is required. To reserve a spot, visit historybookfestival.org.

Copies of “The Year 1000” are available at Browseabout Books in Rehoboth Beach, the official bookseller of the History Book Festival. Biblion in Lewes also has copies of the book for sale. Books purchased at either shop come with a signed archival bookplate.

Presenting sponsors of the 2021 festival are Delaware Humanities and the Lee Ann Wilkinson Group of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Gallo Realty.

In addition to the Lewes Public Library, the festival’s virtual programs are supported by the Delaware Division of Libraries and Sussex County Libraries.

Now in its fifth year, the History Book Festival is the first and only book festival in the United States devoted exclusively to history. 

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