What was made in Viking Age Jorvik (York) ?
Jorvik (York) was not only a centre where goods were traded but also a place
where things were made. There was manufacturing as well as commerce. There were
those items made in the home, for use in the home - sort of one-off
'do-it-yourself' items; then there were the goods made in larger quantities and
meant for bartering or selling in a wider market.
Metalworking
The working of iron and other metals
was an important industry in Viking Age Jorvik (York) and the archaeological
finds include manufactured items and a variety of metalworking tools.
Pottery
Before the Vikings settled in Jorvik (York), pottery seems to have been fairly
crude and hand-made as one-off, home-produced items. When the Vikings settled
there appeared more-standardised, wheel-thrown and kiln-fired pottery, which
could be mass produced for local sale and for trading elsewhere. This was
probably due more to influences from continental Europe in general and not the
Scandinavians in particular. No remains of Viking Age pottery kilns have yet
been found in Jorvik (York) but some must have existed quite close by.
Glassworking
Glass vessels and window-glass were not very common in Viking Age England, yet
there is evidence at Jorvik of glassmaking on a small scale, probably for small
items such as beads and finger rings.
Jewellery
 As
well as glass, a number of other materials were used for jewellery-making,
including amber, jet, copper and precious metals. Jewellery-making in metal
seems to have been carried out in Jorvik (in part, at least) by the same smiths
who mainly worked with iron, though there were also probably specialist
jewellers with whom the smiths may have cooperated from time to time.
Woodworking
This was very important in Jorvik (York). Lathe-turned plates, bowls and cups
made from wood seem to have been in wider use in Jorvik than pottery ones.
Indeed, the present-day name of the street where the Jorvik
Viking Centre is situated, Coppergate,
has nothing to do with copper but comes from the two Old Norse words 'koppari'
(= cup maker) and 'gata' (= street). Evidence of the presence in this area of
Viking Age woodturners has been found by archaeologists in the form of both
finished items and waste materials. It is probable that, like the smiths,
woodturners were plentiful and were serving a large market. Other woodworkers
would include the makers of 'stave' items (barrels, churns and buckets),
shipbuilders, and constructional carpenters.
Textiles
The excavations at Jorvik have shown that wool and flax textiles were produced
there. Finds include wool combs, spindles and whorls, loom weights, pin beaters,
needles, shears and linen smoothers. The Jorvik textile producers used a range
of natural dyes for their cloths. Textile production was a home-based activity
and much of the production would have been for home use. It is not clear whether
a surplus was produced for export to places further afield. Silk offcuts and a
silk headscarf suggest that at least some textile workers were handling imported
material.
Leather
Leather-working was carried on in Jorvik as an industry. Shoe lasts and
well-preserved shoes have been excavated, along with a great quantity of leather
offcuts and some tools. Leather was used for shoes, belts, straps, weapon
sheaths and harness. The raw material would be the leather made by tanning the
hides of animal skins, after they had been butchered for meat.
Bone and antler
The bones and antlers of animals were the 'plastic' of the Viking Age. They are
easily carved, shaped and drilled and were used for a range of items such as
spindle whorls, scoops and strainers, ice skates, whistles
and flutes, combs,
gaming pieces, pins and needles. Bone and antler were also used to add
decoration to such things as wooden chests and boxes. There certainly seems to
have been a great demand for combs and perhaps there is some truth in the story
that Anglo-Saxon women preferred to take Viking husbands as they bathed
regularly and combed their hair ! Then again, the abundance of combs may simply
show that they were an essential item for getting rid of head
lice…!
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As
well as glass, a number of other materials were used for jewellery-making,
including amber, jet, copper and precious metals. Jewellery-making in metal
seems to have been carried out in Jorvik (in part, at least) by the same smiths
who mainly worked with iron, though there were also probably specialist
jewellers with whom the smiths may have cooperated from time to time.
