Huge Viking Winter Camp Unearthed In England

AncientPages.com - A huge Viking winter camp has been unearthed in Lincolnshire, England by archaeologists at the Universities of Sheffield and York.

Thousands of Vikings established the site in Torksey, on the banks of the River Trent in Lincolnshire, as they prepared to conquer ninth century England. It was their defensive and strategic position during the winter months.

In the camp they made repairs of their ships, melt down stolen loot, trade and played games; in the camp lived the Viking warriors, women and children.

"The Vikings' camp at Torksey was much more than just a handful of hardy warriors – this was a huge base, larger than most contemporary towns, complete with traders, families, feasting, and entertainment,” Professor Dawn Hadley, who led the research from the University of Sheffield's Department of Archaeology said.

Virtual reality exhibition based on many finds from the Vikings’ camp. Image: Dalya Alberge via The Guardian

"From what has been found at the site, we know they were repairing their boats there and melting down looted gold and silver to make ingots – or bars of metal they used to trade.”

"Metal detectorists have also found more than 300 lead game pieces, suggesting the Vikings, including, women and children, were spending a lot of time playing games to pass the time, waiting for spring and the start of their next offensive."

The findings have now been used to create a virtual reality experience giving users an opportunity to experience what life was like in a Viking army camp.

A scene from the virtual reality experience showing vikings repairing their boats at the camp

"These extraordinary images offer a fascinating snap shot of life at a time of great upheaval in Britain. The Vikings had previously often raided exposed coastal monasteries and returned to Scandinavia in winter, but in the later ninth century they came in larger numbers, and decided to stay. This sent a very clear message that they now planned not only to loot and raid – but to control and conquer," Professor Julian Richards, from the Department of Archaeology at the University of York, said.

The exact location and scale of the camp in Lincolnshire has been debated for many years, but now the research by Sheffield and York is beginning to reveal the true extent of the camp. It is now thought to be at least 55 hectares in size, bigger than many towns and cities of the time, including York.

The virtual reality experience has been developed by researchers at the University of York and is part of an exhibition at the Yorkshire Museum;  all the scenes in the virtual reality world are based on real objects unearthed by archaeologists and metal detectorists at Torksey.

The objects include more than 100 Arabic silver coins which would have come to the area through established Viking trade routes; more than 50 pieces of chopped up silver, including brooch fragments and ingots have been found along with rare hackgold, iron tools, spindle whorls, needles and fishing weights.

Research

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