Collection: York Archaeological Trust

Collection-level records:

• Collection history (Collection development policy)

  General

  York Archaeological Trust, now trading as York Archaeology, has excavated in York and the surrounding area for over fifty years, rescuing on behalf of the people of York material evidence left by past inhabitants. Collecting is driven by planning policy in the City and York Archaeology’s own research agenda. Research on the material collected is shared with audiences worldwide.

  The collection in York Archaeology’s care is now one of the largest, most important and integrated excavated collections of archaeological finds in the UK. It reflects York’s importance in an historic context. It reflects the rare and excellent preservation found in the City, especially of organic materials because of the anoxic burial conditions. Above all, the collection represents people of the past, present and future, and sits at the heart of the organisation’s work.

  From the very beginning, the preservation of this rare asset has been facilitated by an inter-disciplinary approach giving equal weight to all categories of material, coupled with in-house conservation and curatorial facilities.

  Assemblages are of local, national and, in the case of the Roman and early medieval (Anglian and Anglo-Scandinavian) periods, international significance. Of special note are finds from the Roman, early-medieval and medieval periods, human bone and environmental assemblages. Environmental material has become even more significant as new analytical techniques show their relevance to understanding issues of climate change, human impact on the environment, immunology and virus transmission.

  JORVIK Viking Centre and the Special Development Programme

  JORVIK Viking Centre is Arts Council England (ACE) Accredited Museum 56 and was first Registered in 1990.

  Opened in 1984, JORVIK was a result of York Archaeological Trust’s ambitious and highly successful Special Development Programme set up in 1976. The Programme’s goals were to:

  • undertake a research-driven excavation at Coppergate in the heart of the Viking-age city (The Coppergate Dig).

  • generate local and international public interest in Vikings, to connect York’s Viking-age heritage with that of the Scandinavian homelands

  • fund new finds conservation and research facilities

  • foster scholarly connections and

  • develop an internationally-renowned museum in the City of York. (JORVIK Viking Centre)

  “The Coppergate Dig” (1976-1981) was the first excavation to engage with the public on a large scale and remains one of the greatest archaeological success stories in the UK. The Dig was visited by over half a million people during a five- year period and attracted world-wide attention. This success led directly to the development of the JORVIK Viking Centre on the site of the excavation. JORVIK has since contributed more than half-a-billion pounds to York’s economy, and has touched more than 20 million lives.

  JORVIK combines approachable visitor engagement with sound principles of collections care and inter-disciplinary research. JORVIK was reimagined in 2017 after devastating flooding, incorporating new research and a new artefact gallery capable of hosting high value loans.

  JORVIK recreates the prosperous, colourful, noisy, smelly, urban centre that was 10th century York. The “ride” visualises the houses, workshops and backyards of Viking-age Coppergate, complete with rubbish, flora and fauna. The activity, dress, speech and stories of the animatronic people reflect the Viking-age city as an internationally connected, multi-cultural place where English, old Norse, old Welsh, old Irish, and possibly ancient Arabic, would have been spoken.

  JORVIK recreates the prosperous, colourful, noisy, smelly, urban, cultural melting-pot which was 10th century York. The ride visualises the houses, workshops and backyards of Viking-age Coppergate, complete with rubbish, flora and fauna based on the finds evidence found on the site. The activity, dress, speech and stories of the animatronic people reflect the Viking city as an internationally connected, multi-cultural place where English, old Norse, old Welsh, old Irish, and possibly ancient Arabic, would have been spoken.

  The Artefact Gallery showcases the excavated finds on which the reconstructed scenes are based. Themes include economy and trade (including the sensitive topic of the trade of enslaved people), geographic mobility, blended culture and art styles, health and disability, craft and technology, dress and adornment, leisure, identity and diversity. The gallery also features long-term loans from the British Museum with which JORVIK is a National Partner. Shorter term loans have included treasures from Orkney, the Isle of Man, the Museum of London, the Ashmolean Museum Oxford, the Yorkshire Museum and Lancashire County Council.

  York Archaeological Trust worked closely with the City of York firstly to secure permission to excavate at Coppergate and secondly on proposals for a new museum to house the artefacts recovered during excavations. The finds on display are owned by the City of York, the landowners at the time of excavation, and are the subject of a renewing long-term loan.

  DIG: An Archaeological Adventure

  DIG is ACE Accredited Museum 55 was previously known as the Archaeological Resource Centre (ARC) and was first Registered in 1990.

  DIG takes a hands-on approach, and uses real archaeological material to facilitate visitors’ exploration of the history of York.

  It is housed in the medieval church of St Saviours, St Saviourgate. The church’s origins date from the 11th century and was partially rebuilt in the 15th, 16th and 19th centuries. St Saviourgate was one of most fashionable residential streets in York in the 18th century but suffered declining fortunes and the church was made redundant in 1954.

  York Archaeological Trust took possession of the building in 1976, as part of its Special Development Programme (See 2.2) to develop a centre for collections care, research and public access. After extensive renovation and a temporary exhibition programme, it opened fully to the public as the ARC in 1990. It was relaunched as DIG: An Archaeological Adventure in 2016.

  DIG features Indoor digging pits based on York Archaeological Trust’s excavations, related artefact displays, “close up collections” activities, an artefact gallery currently focused on life and death in Roman York and a co-curated space. The first floor has classroom spaces for interactive workshops. York Archaeology’s Interpretation and Learning, and Community Engagement teams are based at DIG.

  Barley Hall, Coffee Yard

  Barley Hall is ACE Accredited Museum 1540 and was first Registered in 1993.

  The original timber framed building was erected around 1361 by the Prior of Nostell Priory near Wakefield for use when attending services at the Minster. A new wing was added around 1430 when the building became the residence of a leading York citizen and Lord Mayor of York, and further extensive building work occurred in 1515. By the 17th century it was divided into several dwellings and by the Victorian period it had become a warren of tradesmen’s workshops.

  In 1987, the complex was bought by York Archaeological Trust which undertook extensive historical and archaeological investigation to restore and reconstruct the building as it was in the 15th century. Barley Hall was opened to the public in 1993 and explores both the story of the building and of medieval life.

  Authentic reconstruction is supported by archaeological artefacts and replicas. Barley Hall has a series of changing exhibitions on aspects of medieval life and a programme of educational workshops. Displays draw on finds from the site itself, other medieval excavations in York, and loans from other museums.

  The archaeological material excavated includes artefacts, animal bone, pottery and building materials reflecting the chequered history of the site. By its nature this is a closed collection, until there is any future excavation.

  The York Archaeological Resource Centre

  The Archaeological Resource Centre, situated on the outskirts of the City, was established in 2015. It has collections storage, research offices, and conservation treatment facilities specialising in the treatment of wooden artefact and timber structures – one of the largest in Europe. The centre welcomes researchers, students, public tours, INSET and other training workshops.

  Source: Collection development policy

  Date: 2024

  Licence: CC BY-NC

• Collection overview (Collection development policy)

  General

  The collection has evolved over a fifty-year period on a site-by-site basis through York Archaeological Trust’s excavations in the city of York and the surrounding area. Collecting via excavation is balanced by research-based selection protocols for material retrieved in large quantities e.g. ceramic and other building materials, environmental soil samples and animal bone.

  The assemblages are managed in a manner which is both specific to the excavation site and to the type of find. Whilst all finds form part of an integrated story, differing conservation and storage environment needs and research protocols mean that the following broad categorisation is followed.

  Artefacts

  Small finds of metal (iron, copper alloy, lead alloy, silver and gold), vertebrate hard tissue (including animal bone, antler, ivory and horn), textile, wood, leather and other organic materials.

  Although often fragmentary, broken and corroded, this category represents the wide range of objects made, traded, worn, used, lost and thrown away by past people of York. Artefacts reflect personal, social and cultural identity, fashion and art styles, industrial-scale and small-scale manufacture, resource networks, economy and trade, food preparation and everyday life.

  Ceramics

  (Pottery, kiln furniture)

  Pottery survives well in most conditions in York. Very few whole pots are recovered but the abundance of stratified assemblages of broken sherds allow the characterisation of the different pottery-types and an understanding of how ceramics developed over time. Pottery gives insights into domestic life, culinary methods, skills and changing technologies, cultural identity, and regional and foreign trading networks.

  Zooarchaeological material

  (Mammal, fish, bird, reptile and amphibian bone; egg shell).

  Fragments of animals are abundant from all periods. York Archaeological Trust, working with the Environmental Archaeology Unit (EAU), pioneered the systematic recovery of animal bones and their careful study. This has allowed a complex picture of historic animal husbandry, meat production, butchery practice, fishing and the development of North Sea marine fishing, food preservation and distribution, and the use of by-products in artefact production.

  Large-scale sieving of soil from excavations gives a view of urban development and environment and climate change, and the presence of rodents and other scavengers, birds, and companion animals such as cats and dogs.

  Human osteological material

  (Inhumations, charnel, and cremated bone)

  The scientific study of human remains reveals a great deal about geographic origin, demography, health, diet, economic and social status, occupation, burial practices, and the life and death of past communities in York during the Roman and medieval periods.

  Development of scientific analytical techniques such as ancient DNA and Isotopic analysis makes human osteological and zoo-archaeological collections even more valuable for next-generation research.

  Building materials

  (Ceramic building materials- brick and tile, stone architectural fragments and structural timbers)

  Often made up of large but fragmentary pieces, this category can reveal the significance, availability, choice and value of building materials in past societies. Finds throw light on landscape management, the sourcing and management of raw materials, transportation networks and manufacturing tools. They also show the development and loss of skills and techniques eg the introduction of brick and tile manufacture by the romans followed by the complete absence of the technique in the post roman period up to the 13th century.

  Microscopic remains from environmental soil samples

  (Plants, seeds, parasite eggs, vectors – lice, fleas, etc).

  Analysis of the sieved residues from environmental soil samples, coupled with new scientific capacity, allows the study of a range of topics including husbandry and diet, intestinal worms and other human and animal parasite infestation, and cereal pests and crop resilience to disease. The dangers posed by the presence in archaeological layers of bacteria associated with the breakdown of plastics to buried organic finds is a current focus for research.

  The Associated Archive

  The archaeological archive consists of material associated with the history of the organisation and its excavations, museums, research and publication, and public facing activities. It contains publications and reports, data and records, images and illustrations, research and correspondence.

  Source: Collection development policy

  Date: 2024

  Licence: CC BY-NC