Viking Age Archaeology on the Isle of Man

It is with a great deal of anticipation that I introduce this year’s seventh grade grave dig. This year we will be examining the ship burial of a tenth century Hyberno-Norse Jarl whose barrow/howe has just been uncovered on the Isle of Man (not really but bear with me). Please familiarize yourself with the location (use the sites listed on my web page and look for more of your own) and dress appropriately as the weather can get a bit nippy this time of year. Our first task will be to map/record the Isle, its geographical surroundings and the specific dig site in detail. No detail work can be done until this overview is finished. Remember, observe (don't touch yet) and record carefully and in detail. (See examples)

We have been extremely lucky to have found a site in such perfect condition. Normally these sites yield few clues and these are badly deteriorated however, due to some miraculous mix of natural phenomena ours is in pristine condition. [O.K. so the bones are plastic, etc. but we have agreed to "overlook" the many anachronisms present, the absence of soil (dirt) and the unnatural preservation of artifacts in the interest of time and a severely limited budget.]

The dig procedure will progress daily. Understand, absences will make your job much more difficult and poor use of class time will add substantially to your homework load. We only have access to the dig/artifacts for a specific period of time and must finish our work by the deadline. You will observe and accurately/ carefully chart/map (all of) the details. Your teams will methodically examine the individual items/grave goods, sketching them (neatly and) thoroughly, recording materials, details of construction and decoration, colors, measurements, weight etc. for each. Then you will research the items (finding at least 5/five separate sources –no encyclopedias {hardcopy or online!}) these items, to learn as much as you can about materials, construction, value/cost, symbolic/social meaning, etc. and what Cultural Universals are involved. Details-http://powayusd.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/teachers/dsykes/cultural_universals_outline.htm

Last of all you will form a hypothesis (at least one) about the dead person and use your observations and research to convince me that you are (as far as the evidence points) correct.

A more detailed outline/set of instructions will be posted in the classroom by your editors. Listen to their directions, write down the directions carefully and exactly, and double-check with them often.

When we have finished this stage, we will write up our findings, put all of our work together and present our site findings to the administration and our colleagues in a (mind blowing) PowerPoint presentation .

(Faculty Curmudgeon, Advisor, Excavation Overseer and Academic Evaluator)

Remember, this year's grave site is different than last year's! Please, do not make the mistake of using these images for your work this year. You are being graded on recording and studying the details of this year's grave site. These pictures are provided as a reference only!

Re-enactor info sites for Viking-age...

The most serious and carefully researched sites:

Daily Life in the Viking Age website - has excellent pictures of many, many wood reproductions. "World of the Norse" was created for the Cranbrook Institute of Science by Darrell Markewitz. This site is an unofficial educational support service intented to provide extra background to the exhibit.
BBC Viking History: What can I say it's the BBC?
Viking Age Arms and Armor, Hurstwic- overview of weapons, amour, and battle techniques with reproductions and arch. finds to illustrate the article.
Fröjel Discovery Programme - Created by Professor Dan Carlsson of Gotland University in Sweden, this site is chock full of artifact images and info about past and current archaeological digs in Gotland. Check out the Object Gallery to see photos of combs, beads, belt buckles, belt decorations and ceramics from the viking-age.
Fröjel Gotlandica Viking Re-Enactment Society - Based in Gotland, Sweden, the members of this group aim to re-create the clothing, weapons, tools, jewelry, games, foods and furniture of the viking period, to enjoy an escape to a simpler more relaxed time while putting on displays for the public and getting together with like minded people. One of the members of this group is Professor Dan Carlsson, Center of Baltic studies. He's also President of Viking Heritage, an Associate Professor at Gotland University
Sweden and the archaeologist in charge Fröjel Excavation.
Jomsborg Online Forum - Online forum for viking-age reenactors.Its members include several reenactment groups from all over the world. Good stuff!
Regia Anglorum - Anglo-Saxon, Viking, Norman and British Living History. From their homepage: "Regia Anglorum attempts to recreate a cross section of English life around the turn of the first millennium. Our actual self imposed brief is AD950 - 1066, although our events may sometimes be set a few decades either side of these dates. Our basic tenet is Authenticity. To this end we will not portray any image, support any ideal, or make any item of kit which we cannot provenance from contemporary sources. This sometimes requires us to re-evaluate how we look and why we make or wear certain items, and to alter them or our habits to hone the image we depict." This page has a full listing of all the various Regia pages/articles on a wide range of subjects.
Viking Answer Lady - Created by Gunnvör Sílfrhárr (Christie Ward), this is one awesome site with tons of accurate info and lots of pictures of artifacts. She discusses a wide range of subjects from daily life, to technology, agriculture, war, art, myth, settlements, AND she has a very good bibliography. Gunnvor is also very active on the Yahoo! Groups Norsefolk email list.
Viking Heritage Website - A group of Viking researchers, from different areas and fields, have taken the initiative to create a network covering the whole of the geographical area of the Vikings - from the Scandinavian countries to France, from Russia to Canada. Their main goals are to encourage the preservation and enhanced understanding of the Viking period cultural heritage as a source of social, economic and cultural development. You can also subscribe to their quarterly Viking Heritage Magazine, and download previous copies as PDFs from their website.
Thora Sharptooth's Viking Resources for the Re-enactor - These are the pages of Thora Sharptooth (Carolyn Priest-Dorman) and they cover everything from viking-age clothing, textiles, cooking and foodstuffs, physical culture, and wordfame: Display and Ceremony.
Yahoo! Groups Norsefolk email list - This is THE place to get and share info if you're into authentic viking-age re-enactment...or if you're just really interested in the viking-age.

More Good Historic sites:

http://www.regia.org/listings.htm (Regia Anglorum/The Kingdoms of the English-Articles on Anglo Saxon and Viking life in all areas of the Cultural Universals.)

http://www.angelcynn.org.uk/ (Angelcynn- Articles on different aspects of Germanic Anglo-Saxon and Norse society. Again, Many of the areas of the Cultural Universals are covered.)

http://www.mnh.si.edu/vikings/ - Film on the Vikings explorations of the North Atlantic . (Smithsonian Institution)