IMC 2026: Sessions
Session 143: Early Medieval Frisia, I
Monday 6 July 2026, 11:15-12:45
| Organiser: | Hilbert Bryn Gysbert Vinkenoog, Independent Scholar |
|---|---|
| Moderator/Chair: | Alex Harvey, Yorkshire Archaeological & Historical Society |
| Paper 143-a | The Early Medieval Ethnogenesis of the Frisian People (Language: English) Index terms: Archaeology - General, Language and Literature - Dutch, Language and Literature - Other, Social History |
| Paper 143-b | Frisian Runes in the Context of Political, Social, and Religious Developments around the North Sea in the Early Middle Ages (Language: English) Index terms: Archaeology - Artefacts, Epigraphy, Language and Literature - Other, Literacy and Orality |
| Paper 143-c | Analogical De-Suppletion in Old Frisian (Language: English) Index terms: Language and Literature - Other, Literacy and Orality |
| Abstract | Spread across the southern North Sea, the Frisians were the unsung middlemen of the Early Middle Ages: a people whose travels knew no borders, whose trade raised masses of cash, and whose dabbles in piracy drew quite a lot of unwanted attention. They were pivotal to the spread of currency and goods across northern Europe between the fifth and eighth centuries. Despite their multifaceted status, and some recent publications, the Frisians still remain understudied in comparison to their better-known cousins in England, France, and Scandinavia. Even separating these peoples from one another is tricky, as ‘Frisian’ may not be the most reliable descriptor it first appears. These questions, and others, continue to frame this area of study to this day and continue to push conversations forward. In an effort to showcase the breadth and depth of Frisian study, this session presents papers from scholars whose research straddles the early medieval North Sea (350 - 1000 CE). In-keeping with this year’s IMC strand of Temporalities, we are especially focusing on new approaches to the passage of time and the reading of poetic or heroic histories. |