People often trace the origins of globalization to the 1490s, when Atlantic Europeans discovered new maritime routes to the Americas and Asia. In her new groundbreaking book, award-winning historian Valerie Hansen combines a rich body of literary and archaeological sources to argue that the roots of globalization can be traced back to the year 1000, when cultural exchange and exploration weaved diverse cultures around the world into a global community. Hansen will introduce her book to the audience and explain how the medieval world was far more cosmopolitan than we normally think.