Vikings of Jorvik
What can we learn about the Vikings in York – or Jorvik, as they called it?
Let’s explore the evidence they left behind and discover what life was like in Viking York.
Vikings in York
An army of Vikings captured York in AD 866. For the next 200 years, York was deeply connected to Scandinavia and other places under Viking rule. Back then, the city was called ‘Jorvik’. It became a busy port and a major hub for trade and crafts. Goods like food, tools, and even fancy items flowed in and out of the city, and it became part of a huge trading network. Some of the streets we walk on today are still laid out in much the same way the Vikings planned them! They built most of their houses and workshops from wood, though, so there isn’t much left to see above ground. Viking York wasn’t always the nicest place to live—imagine smelly, crowded streets, with people throwing their waste into open pits in their backyards!
Digging up Everyday Viking Life
Archaeologists found wooden houses, workshops, and even backyards with rubbish pits! The wet soil there helped preserve some surprising finds, like a silk headscarf and a woolen sock. Thousands of soil samples were also taken, and these help us understand what the environment was like back then. We’ve even found carved stone grave markers from the wealthier Vikings. Some of them were later reused as building materials in medieval churches!
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