The Icelandic Canadian - 01.06.1984, Qupperneq 32

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THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
SUMMER, 1984
the archaeologists ever find them. But here
in Coppergate, close to the rivers, the wet
marshy soil has prevented their decay.
This is why specialists from the York
Archaeological Trust were so astounded
when they began to dig under the founda-
tions of a demolished Victorian sweet
factory in Coppergate in 1976.
Discovery
Amongst the 9 metres of debris that the
incredibly messy Vikings had piled up
while they lived there, were complete walls
of timber buildings. Metal objects of
extraordinary complexity were discovered,
like a box padlock opened with a slide key.
Leather boots were found perfectly pre-
served, even a sock, made by the technique
called nalebinding or needle weaving, still
practised in Scandinavia but never since
used in this country.
Of course, these objects did not just fall
into the archaeologists’ hands in mint
condition. It took months of arduous and
painstaking work to clean and preserve
them. Some of the metal objects were
unrecognisable except under X-ray, hidden
beneath layers of corrosion. The wood and
leather was in danger of cracking and
warping as soon as it dried out, and so a
long and complex chemical process is
under way to replace the moisture with
wax.
All manner of modem technology —
computers, X-rays, even body-scanners —
has been enlisted to help with the study and
preservation of this hoard of 1,000-year-
old material; junk to them, but treasure
indeed to us.
Diseases
One of the most fascinating areas of
work was the study of tiny insect and plant
remains from the soil. Counting beetles’
wings or pollen grains might seem a rather
unrewarding occupation, but in fact, it
provided all kinds of interesting and some-
times lurid information — what the
Vikings ate, the colour they dyed their
clothes, the diseases they suffered from,
even what they threw away and where.
The Viking Dig in Coppergate was,
therefore, unique. It provided a peep
through the keyhole straight into the lives
of Viking people, a kind of backyard
Coronation Street. From April 1984 the
general public as well as the archaeologists
will be able to step into this Viking street,
when the Jorvik Viking Centre opens at
Coppergate.
Time-Travel
A radical new departure in archaeology,
it presents the Viking story by literally
taking visitors back in time. In small elec-
tric time-cars they will travel back to the
tenth century and, in a Coppergate recreated
exactly as it was 1,000 years ago, ex-
perience the sights, sounds and smells that
a Viking would have known as he walked
down Coppergate.
It will be as if a comer of Jorvik has been