Posted on 02/02/2005 10:15:42 AM PST by blam
Treasure found in Viking market
A 10th Century Viking merchant's weight was recovered
Archaeologists believe what they originally thought was a Viking burial ground in Cumbria, may actually have been a 10th Century market. Excited experts unearthed a wealth of treasures at the site, near Barrow.
They were particularly impressed with a merchant's weight, which is the size of a finger and shows a dragon design with two figures.
But after a month of study, experts have moved away from an initial theory that the site was a burial ground.
The dig has unearthed several more metal objects which indicate the site was used as a market place.
Barrow archaeologist Steve Dickinson says more time is needed to determine the exact purpose and use of the site.
He said the British museum had already offered to help local teams.
Mr Dickinson also said he is in talks to set up a discovery centre in Dalton, which will house an exhibition dedicated to the site.
The weight is currently with the British Museum for conservation.
Ancestor BTTT
Did they find any kitties?
Wow. A rock. Now they can surmise all sorts of cultural information.
Will anyone be filing a reparations claim...?
GGG Ping
LOL!
Actually, it's a rock inscribed with a design, so you've got something there....
And if the site is really more of a market, as they're now theorizing, then I'd say there's a wealth of cultural information to be gained.
They find a tooth and suddenly they decide what the people wore, what they ate, what songs were popular, whether they had a structured political system, etc...
An inscribed rock tells so much more than a tooth.
That fellow from Nantucket will live forever.
They were over there dating Scotsmen, who they thought were just hairy women with larger than normal clitoris's.
They'd set up a trinket market to lure them in...
Did you ever read "The Motel of the Mysteries"? It was about just such an excavation. Hilarious!
LOL. Exactly what I'm talking about.
Viking version of The Mall?........
It would be said: “It is thought to have some kind of religious signification.”
The porcelain artifacts mounted upon the wall are obviously ritual objects, used in ablutive purification rites...
Plus which, it helps to explain the militaristic costumes they wore....
"Excavations have also revealed that these objects frequently contain incense and herbal matter, which are usually associated with sacrificial activities. Drains in the floor were probably used to dispose of blood...."
All of them are long since dead.
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I thought the same thing "WOW - a rock". Wonder if they will find more, err, Rocks?
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