[Sca-cooks] FWD:Viking Boat May Be Buried in England

[Laura C. Minnick]

>Subject: FWD:Viking Boat May Be Buried in England
>To: ANSAX-L at LISTSERV.WVU.EDU
>
>http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/international/AP-Britain-Viking-Site.html
>
>Viking Boat May Be Buried in England
>By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
>
>Published: February 17, 2004
>
>Filed at 12:36 p.m. ET
>
>LONDON (AP) -- The discovery of a handful of ancient iron nails, a belt
>buckle and some silver coins in northeast England has sent a
>thrill through the world of Viking scholarship, hinting strongly that a
>Norse boat burial site may lie beneath the Yorkshire soil.
>
>``We may have the opportunity now to find and date, once and for all,
>England's first Viking boat burial, which would be one of the
>most significant Viking finds for the British Isles,'' archaeologist Simon
>Holmes said Tuesday, as some of the ninth-century
>artifacts went on display at the Yorkshire Museum.
>
>The site, which is being kept secret, was found in December by amateur
>metal
>detector enthusiasts who reported their discoveries to
>antiquities experts at the museum in January.
>
>The presence of the nails, specifically designed for use in boat making,
>along with fragments of two swords and the coins, raised
>hope that excavation will uncover the remains of the Norse ceremony in
>which
>the dead were buried in a boat with their possessions
>to take with them to the afterlife.
>
>The vessel itself appears to be about 30 yards in length, ``a proper Viking
>longship,'' judging by the spread of the nails as shown
>by the metal detectors, Holmes said.
>
>It was the narrow, highly maneuverable longship that enabled the
>invaders
>from Scandinavia to move swiftly and strike before
>defenders could rally to fight them off.
>
>The Yorkshire find apparently dates from the late ninth century, Holmes
>said, a time when the Vikings were beginning to conquer and
>settle in England rather than just invading and pillaging.
>
>The prospect of excavations at the site has provoked a wave of excitement
>among Viking scholars, particularly in Scandinavia, Holmes
>said.
>
>Such burials already have been found in the Orkney and Shetland Islands
>and
>in Ireland.
>
>``There have been a few sites in England where burials within boats have
>been found, but it is not possible to say they are Viking.
>We just don't know,'' Holmes said in a telephone interview.
>
>``We know we have a Viking burial now. We just have to put him in a boat,''
>the archaeologist said. ``It's a very tantalizing
>situation that we find ourselves in at the moment.''
>
>About a dozen nails have been recovered so far, including boat building
>nails of a kind that were driven into boards through metal
>washers. Some still have the washers attached, Holmes said.
>
>This would more likely be a burial of a wealthy merchant than of a prince
>or
>king, he said.
>
>The coins include seven of the reign of King Burgred of Mercia in what is
>now central England, two from the kingdom of Alfred the
>Great, king of Wessex in what is now southern England, and one
>fragment of
>an Arab dirham coin.
>
>``There's a good possibility it was struck in Baghdad,'' Holmes said.
>
>The Norsemen from Scandinavia traded widely in addition to their
>invasions
>and conquests in Britain between the eighth and 11th
>centuries. The last major Norse invasion was in 1066, shortly before the
>Norman conquest of England by William the Conqueror.
>
>^------
>
>On the net:
>
>http://www.yorkshiremuseum.org.uk
>
>http://www.finds.org.uk
>
>*********************************************************************
>   Reminder: For assistance write to Bill Schipper (schipper at mun.ca)

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