Museum Monday: Jorvik Viking Center

Making the Most of a Small Archeological Find

(3 min read) York's Jorvik Viking Center transforms a modest archaeological excavation into an engaging experience that reveals the daily life of 10th-century Viking settlers through both immersive dioramas and genuine artifacts.

1. A market street in Viking age York (Jorvik).

Overview

I’m a bit of a museum snob, so the idea of riding in a little cart along a track through animatronic dioramas wouldn’t normally appeal to me — Disney-fied and dumbed-down, I thought to myself.

2. A Viking hunter and his dog.

But I spent a full week in York back in 2022. The town offers plenty to do — walking medieval walls, multiple “proper” museums and lot of historic buildings, etc — but even so, I found myself with enough time on my hands to do the “Jorvik Viking Experience” and enjoyed it much more than I expected.

3. Fishermen making a net.

The Jorvik Viking Center is in a 1980s shopping complex just outside York's medieval core. But before it was built, from 1976-81, archeological excavations at the site uncovered the remains of a 10th century Viking settlement and a wealth of small artifacts.

4. A monk caring for the sick and dying.

5. A skeleton of a woman found at the site.

These finds form the basis for the “museum” — in essence, the 16-minute ride you take through a series of vignette-styled dioramas showing 975 AD York is based on the artifacts they uncovered. In addition to hearing short stories at each vignette, a screen in the cart shows the artifacts found and around which the diorama was conceived (figure 6).

6. An example of a diorama — showing a family playing a board game — based on an archeological find — a game piece — displayed on a screen as you pass by.

After the ride, there’s an extended gallery with the artifacts themselves on display. While nothing mind-blowing was discovered, I’ve got a thing for the silver Viking arm bands (which were often once used as a kind of “currency”) and they have several examples of those (figure 7).

7. One of six silver armbands on display from the “Silverdale Hoard.”

What I found most interesting though was a coin die which combined iconography of both Christian and Viking mythology — St Peter’s name and a cross, as well as a Viking sword and Thor’s hammer (figures 8).

8. A coin die combining Christian and Norse symbols.

While we can’t know for sure exactly what meaning was intended, it’s a fine archeological example of how Christianity spread in Europe through a kind of syncretic co-option of local beliefs and imagery. Usually that process can only be seen now through comparative analysis of myths and legends, so to have an example in material culture is quite interesting.

9. A blown-up facsimile of the die in figure 8 along with related coinage-related reproductions.

So while the Jorvik Viking Center is billed as an “experience” and looks to be more of an entertaining lark, don’t miss it if you like Viking history. It doesn’t take long and you will learn quite a bit.

10. A diorama showing Viking slavers (if I recall correctly).

11. Paired oval brooches were accessories for wealthy Viking women.

** Please like and/or restack this post if you enjoyed it; it helps others to find it! **

Practical Information

Where: York, UK

My Visit: 16 November 2022

Best For: Families, those with an interest in Viking history or the history of York.

Pro Tip: Since most of the experience here is in a cart, this makes for a good afternoon visit — no need to get in early to avoid crowds, and it’s a relaxed, easy visit. But it’s a good idea to pre-book a time in advance if you can and avoid the queues.