People often believe that the years immediately prior to AD 1000 lacked any 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. But how, then, to explain the presence of blonde-haired people in Maya temple murals at Chichén Itzá, Mexico? In her latest book, “The Year 1000: When Explorers Connected the World?and Globalization Began,” Yale University professor and historian Valerie Hansen argues that the year 1000 was the world’s first point of major cultural exchange and exploration. Join us for a rethinking of this period in history with Valerie Hansen in this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI.