I haven't got any little runes like we had for last week's Viking camps #FindsFriday, so instead I thought we'd look at another small and beautiful object. This is DB1137 from the Great Army camp at Torksey. It's a tiny cast piece, barely 25mm long, originally part of an Irish horse harness. /1

I haven't got any little runes like we had for last week's Viking camps #FindsFriday, so instead I thought we'd look at another small and beautiful object. This is DB1137 from the Great Army camp at Torksey. It's a tiny cast piece, barely 25mm long, originally part of an Irish horse harness. /1

Another stunning image by Andy Marshall, who knocks it out the park every time he posts and who's well worth a follow. Exiting the tiny Anglo-Saxon crypt at Ripon, I've 'felt' the light and space of the later building rise above me before... but I've never seen that feeling captured this well.

The discovery of an unusual Pictish stone was reported by The Courier #OTD in 1934. A mechanical excavator struck it during work near Bullion Farm, Invergowrie. The 10thC Bullion Stone is a whimsical portrait of a mounted warrior drinking from a horn. 📸National Museums Scotland #medievalsky

Forthcoming lecture in London (and live on YouTube apparently) on 1st April at the British Archaeological Association thebaa.org/events/lectu... #medievalsky #archaeology

An excellent thread from Alex here, looking at one of classic Great Army find types. I'm going to be posting a lot more about these weights very soon...

It's Viking Camps #FindsFriday! I've had a few weeks away, with both the Jorvik Festival and half term, so we'll get back to it today... and in honour of yesterday's World Book Day (heavily norse-themed in this household) I thought we'd look at a find with some writing. This is Torksey DB 1620. /1

It's Viking Camps #FindsFriday! I've had a few weeks away, with both the Jorvik Festival and half term, so we'll get back to it today... and in honour of yesterday's World Book Day (heavily norse-themed in this household) I thought we'd look at a find with some writing. This is Torksey DB 1620. /1

The 2026 Viking Society for Northern Research student conference takes place at the University of Liverpool on 11 April. Includes student lectures, launch of the paperback 'Embers of the Hands' by Dr Eleanor Barraclough & plenary lecture by Prof Howard Williams @archaeodeathprof.bsky.social

A little bit of extra light for a Wednesday morning: St. Mary's Abbey in York.

Time is a great healer. For me it is also a great disinfectant. One of the big inspirations for Crawl Space were the modern objects* we find on site before excavating, & particularly those with accretion *yes, these are absolutely archaeology in their own right too, but that's for another time 1/7

Post a pic you took, no context, to bring some zen to the feed. (River Derwent, ten years ago - rebuilding a Bronze Age landscape and flood plain)

A very fair and balanced view of this year's VALHAll:A symposium. An event like this, bringing together the academic and non-academic, the field archaeologist and living historian, all at different levels of interest and engagement, is a complex thing. I've been hugely impressed with it each year.

Bringing the Living to Viking Death: VALHAll:A 2026 howardwilliamsblog.wordpress.com/2026/02/24/b...

I like this little find so much: we had evidence of the Great Army striking imitative solidii at Torksey, and suggested they were possibly made to reward members of the force. Although this isn't a Torksey minting, it seems to otherwise fit the bill :) Lovely information from @scoupland.bsky.social

This was a fun conversation: www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

This is going to be the opening presentation for the Vallhall:A symposium this coming Thursday - and I'm *really* looking forward to seeing it! Roll on the Jorvik Festival :)

We've been looking at iron for the last few weeks, so I thought we'd go to the other end of the spectrum for today's Viking camps #FindsFriday: away from rusted tools and weaponry and into the realm of shiny jewellery! Well, it is nearly Valentine's Day... This is gold cross DB1713 from Aldwark. 1/

We've been looking at iron for the last few weeks, so I thought we'd go to the other end of the spectrum for today's Viking camps #FindsFriday: away from rusted tools and weaponry and into the realm of shiny jewellery! Well, it is nearly Valentine's Day... This is gold cross DB1713 from Aldwark. 1/

The Halton Moor Hoard was discovered by a farmer near Lancaster #OTD in 1815. It comprised a silver-gilt cup containing a silver neck-ring, 860 silver pennies and six pieces of stamped gold. It was deposited around 1025. 📸British Museum #medievalsky

Feb 11: Feast of Cædmon (†680), monk of Streanæshalch (Whitby). Cowherd who, in his advanced years, was divinely endowed with a gift for poetry and song. Bede says the scriptures were interpreted for him and he would create religious compositions beyond compare. #medievalsky

Our book 'Life in the Viking Great Army' is a contender for Current Archaeology's Book of the Year... so this is a last call for the voting from me. If you'd like to put us forward, then please follow the link below - and thank you!

I think we'll stick with tools for today's #FindsFriday... although I can't claim that this is a 'Viking camps' post, as our find isn't from inside either of our winter camps! This is sf.180, an iron draw knife found in Castle Field, Torksey - south of where we know the Great Army camp was. /1

I think we'll stick with tools for today's #FindsFriday... although I can't claim that this is a 'Viking camps' post, as our find isn't from inside either of our winter camps! This is sf.180, an iron draw knife found in Castle Field, Torksey - south of where we know the Great Army camp was. /1

Utterly amazing work as always from Adam @eblueaxe.bsky.social here: I've been keenly watching these coming along - particularly as a pair of these brooches are replicas of a find from near Bedale, very much on my patch! I'm always stunned at the insights such things can give us.

In Anglo-Saxon architecture, Roman stone meets a timber way of thinking: stone becomes articulated into the Saxon timber-centric world view. I suppose, in this way, it is also a memory as well as a material. Here at All Saints', Earls Barton. 📸 my own.

Dales morning, St Brigid's day. Hoping to manage a visit to Ripon cathedral crypt later...

I'm not sure I can match the popularity of last week's mistaken-for-a-coprolite sword fitting for today's Viking camps #FindsFriday, and I'm pretty much through all the weapons anyhow! I'm going to stick with iron, and go for an obvious 'swords to ploughshares' joke: this is Torksey find 2330. /1

Here's a photo, from my camp logistics article, kindly shared by Cat.

I'm not sure I can match the popularity of last week's mistaken-for-a-coprolite sword fitting for today's Viking camps #FindsFriday, and I'm pretty much through all the weapons anyhow! I'm going to stick with iron, and go for an obvious 'swords to ploughshares' joke: this is Torksey find 2330. /1

It's #Viking #FollowFriday! I haven't updated this in a while, so do let me know if you're a #Vikingist who posts about the early medieval Scandinavian world! #Vikings go.bsky.app/K7xLh7S

The wonderful Anglo-Saxon crypt at Repton, brilliantly captured by Andy here. I've stood in the cold, still air in this space, trying to imagine the days when a Viking camp bustled and roared outside...

As I've said before, one of the problems of Viking Camps #FindsFridays is that most of our finds are... well, not that impressive. This find - DB 1428 from the Great Army camp at Torksey, Lincolnshire - is very much a case in point! Although not much to look at, we think this is a sword guard. /1

A knock-down price for the ebook of this excellent volume! I'd heartily recommend, it's a superb piece of work.

As I've said before, one of the problems of Viking Camps #FindsFridays is that most of our finds are... well, not that impressive. This find - DB 1428 from the Great Army camp at Torksey, Lincolnshire - is very much a case in point! Although not much to look at, we think this is a sword guard. /1

We're going to keep on looking at swords for today's Viking camps #FindsFriday - or, more specifically, sword hilts. A surprising number of hilt fittings were found at our Great Army camps: pommels and guards, separated from swords. This pommel is Torksey DB 2582, recorded as LIN-D69EBE on the PAS.

For #FindsFriday a fabulous set of Carolingian sword belt mounts found near Deventer in 2022. Long ago while writing my PhD I drew how they were worn. portable-antiquities.nl/pan/#/ensemb...

✨☀️ A bit of inspiration for the dark days: sunrise at York Minster.

I haven't managed a Viking camps #FindsFriday for weeks: it's time to get back to it! We left off looking at weapons, so I thought we'd pick up again there. Inspired by @nybjorn.bsky.social's post on a find from Risby yesterday, we'll look at these sword pieces Aldwark, particularly the blade. /1

I haven't managed a Viking camps #FindsFriday for weeks: it's time to get back to it! We left off looking at weapons, so I thought we'd pick up again there. Inspired by @nybjorn.bsky.social's post on a find from Risby yesterday, we'll look at these sword pieces Aldwark, particularly the blade. /1

Archaeodeath public talk! 💀📢 Unearthing 'Sad and Sepulchral Pitchers': The Untold History of Cremation' 1pm-2pm - Friday 30th January 2026, Leeds Library Book your ticket(s) here: events.humanitix.com/unearthing-s...

Such an honour to be on the same shelf as my academic supervisor 2018-2022, @danelawdawn.bsky.social, @juliandrichards.bsky.social and @trixranderson.bsky.social's fab Life In The Viking Great Army

A much-deserved reissue for this volume. I got my copy at Govan Old in 2018 and it's been heavily thumbed since then...

Next week is the 18th anniversary of the discovery of the Vale of York Hoard. It was acquired by the Yorkshire Museum where it is currently on display as part of the Viking North exhibition. Cake courtesy of Amy Downes, the recording FLO. #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...

My Christmas present to myself - a reproduction of the Valle Prestegard boss (UNIMUS C30540), exquisitely made by Storvarra. It's more of a 'massive self-indulgence' than any sort of 'treat'... but I can honestly say that it's the closest I've ever seen to holding an original in my hands.

Ooh, books as academic origin stories? I guess Tolkien's a running constant amongst medievalists, and his work unquestionably influenced me... but this book definitely pulled my imagination toward a very specific subject.

Our Boxing Day walk - the annual St. Stephen's Day pilgrimage (and subsequent carol service) from Ripon Cathedral to Fountains Abbey. I haven't done it since I was in my teens, and it was everything memory wanted 😊

I've been missing in action on here the last few weeks: life got in the way, so apologies for the lack of Viking-themed FindsFridays and general Yorkshire archaeology. I'm going to ease back in with a few pictures of one of our Christmas preparations, gathering greenery on the banks in Durham -

"I saw great Cobbett riding, The horseman of the shires; And his face was red with judgement And a light of Luddite fires" Not the only lines which are there rent-free... but ones which keep coming up recently.

Oh man... It's not the years - it's the mileage.