Going through various lectures and works I stumbled upon Kenneth Harl. Eventually I learned he's a pretty great historian skillful at both explaining things well and talking about interesting topics.
Share thoughts on historian Kenneth Harl and his works.
>>1419472
I have many of his lecture series and I love his work. One of his more interesting claims is that he thinks that Constantine's conversion to Christianity was genuine and he bases it off numismatic evidence.
>>1419783
My favorite theory from him, which he himself claims has no evidence and is just an idea, was his theory about the Vikings in Vinland and the Native Americans.
After an initial friendly exchange the Native Americans attacked the Vikings suddenly and became hostile. There's no known reason why but he speculated amusingly that the initial friendly meeting involved trade of milk and dairy goods Vikings had which then the lactose intolerant Natives got sick from and thought had been tricked or poisoned.
He's done some interesting work on Steppe people, Asia Minor, Byzantium, Crusades, Early Christianity, Late Rome and Vikings.
>>1419820
Neat theory! Isnt there another theory about vikings being assimilated into a native tribe based on some words bearing similarity to norse?
>>1422085
There probably is a theory. Don't recall Harl ever commenting on that. What words are similar.
