The Vikings
Artefacts
The skills of the Viking-Age potter are evident in vessels such as this pitcher. Although the vessel is large (440mm high) and heavy, the walls and base are surprisingly thin. Vessels such as these would have been used to store ale or other liquids. Due to their size and weight they would have stood on the floor and been tipped, rather than lifted, when the contents were poured through the short tubular spout. The applied strips served not only as decoration but also gave the body more strength.
This woollen sock was made using a technique known in Scandinavia as nålebinding; in English we call it knotless netting, looped needle netting or single-needle knitting. This type of knitting uses a single-eyed needle to create a meshwork of interlocking loops, and could be used to make not only socks, but mittens, hats and bags. This sock is the only example of nålebinding ever to have been found in England, so it seems more likely that it was brought to York on the foot of a settler or trader
This die coin would have been used as a template for making coins. There would be other templates for different coins.
The skills of the Viking-Age potter are evident in vessels such as this pitcher. Although the vessel is large (440mm high) and heavy, the walls and base are surprisingly thin. Vessels such as these would have been used to store ale or other liquids. Due to their size and weight they would have stood on the floor and been tipped, rather than lifted, when the contents were poured through the short tubular spout. The applied strips served not only as decoration but also gave the body more strength.