Theme: Eoforwic: Anglian-era York
Learn about York during the four and a half centuries between Roman York and the Viking City. Take a walk through the lost centuries and learn about Eoforwic crafts.
What's on
The Story of a Book
Join us for an evening with a master storyteller telling tales of humanism and hope in the violence of the Viking age; taking us into the mind of a king in dark times, and conveying the magic of medieval manuscripts in whose pages, ‘the gap of time seems to fall away…’
The Archaeology of Eoforwic
Eoforwic was the name for York during the four and a half centuries between Roman York and the Viking city. Join Ian Milsted of the York Archaeological Trust for an introduction to the archaeological evidence for Eoforwic. Using key sites and discoveries, Ian examines what we know, how much there is still to learn and where the crucial evidence may be.
Anglo-Saxon Bread: Making and meaning
Join Debby of the University of Cambridge and Martha of the University of Oregon, USA as they show how to make the surprisingly simple and tasty earliest kinds of English bread, as well as the bread of the saints and the bread of kings. They’ll explain how to tell the breads apart, what they meant, and how bread shaped the course of England.
Decoding the Dark Ages
Join author and broadcaster Janina Ramirez as she sheds light on the Dark Ages though art, literature and archaeology
Anglo-Saxon Crafts
Step back in time and find out about Anglo-Saxon life through its crafts. Watch a demonstration of tablet weaving using naturally dyed yarns, learn about hand-building pottery techniques and handle replica pottery. Find out about the work of the goldsmith through the tools, techniques and materials of the early Medieval period, and discover how Anglo-Saxon beads were made and their significance.
Beer and Beowulf: The poetry of things
Beer and poetry often went together in Anglo-Saxon England, and the hall was celebrated as the place of community and creativity. Come and join us in the beorsele or beer-hall of the Duke of York pub, for our annual evening of Anglo-Saxon beer and poetry.
A Walk through the Lost Centuries: Anglian York
Anglian York is a forgotten period. Following the decline of Roman York the city slips into the shadows but it slowly re-emerges to become a place worth attacking by the Viking Great Army. Walk the streets of York and find out how archaeological excavation and speculation allows us to recreate this invisible but extraordinary phase in York’s long history. Join archaeologist Ailsa Mainman for a guided walk and to find out more.
Early Northumbrian Coinage and Eadberht's Beast
Come see the beast! A mysterious beast, with subtle variations, appears on the coins of the following seventh and eighth century Northumbrian kings: Aldfrith, Eadberht, Alchred, Aethelred 1, and Aelfwald. Come along and learn more.
The Mystery of the Anglo-Saxon Helmets
Learn about the Anglo-Saxon helmets found across the British Isles, including an ornately decorated helmet found at Sutton Hoo in Suffolk and another found locally in York’s Coppergate. Adam Wilkes, a student with the University of Leicester, will discuss finds dating from the sixth to eighth centuries, examining the mystery of how and why the helmets were buried.
The Historic Mystery of Old St Oswald’s, Fulford
A piece of Anglian-form ninth-tenth-century stone cross was found at the old church of St Oswald in 1980, when the building was converted into a private house. This discovery raises interesting questions about the origins of the church and its remote riverside location, half a mile from the village.
England’s Earliest Coinage: The York gold shilling
Experts have condemned the York gold shilling as ‘devoid of sense’ and later than seventh-century southern shillings. However, archaeologist Tony Abramson’s revelation of the inscription on the gold shilling has rewritten the chronology of early Anglo-Saxon coinage, making it the earliest datable English coin. Tony’s revelation was unprecedented in identifying not only the issuer, but the precise date of issue and the events commemorated.
Alcuin and the Anglo-Saxon Riddle-Tradition
Through the quirky lens of the riddling tradition, various aspects both of the Anglo-Saxon world-view and of Alcuin’s individual personality and perspective will be explored and explained.
Puzzles in the Pub
Join mathematician and biologist Rosalyn Leaman of the University of York as she introduces the puzzles at an informal session in the ancient and medieval arithmetical gymnasium. Come along and sharpen your wits over a glass of specially brewed Eoforwic Ale.
