Anglian Finds from 46-54 Fishergate

Item

list of authors
Nicola S. H. Rogers
list of contributors
J. Bayley
K. M. Buckingham
H. E. M. Cool
G. D. Gaunt
R. L. Kemp
J. G. McDonnell
P. J. Ottaway
S. Rees Jones
D. Tweddle
P. Walton Rogers
K. Wiemer
Is Part Of
The Archaeology of York [Series]
The Small Finds [Volume]
volume
17
issue
09
Publisher
Council for British Archaeology for York Archaeological Trust
Date Copyrighted
1993
Date Available
Digitally available on 7 July 2023
Abstract
This report discusses approximately 3350 artefacts relating to Roman activity, and to Anglian and 11th-12th century occupation at 46-54 Fishergate. Roman activity on the site seems to have been limited to agricultural use and the Roman finds may, therefore, represent midden material rather than occupation debris. The first main period of occupation was Anglian and there are several items of late 7th century date, suggesting that this settlement may have begun before AD 700. Anglian occupation came to an end in the mid 9th century and the site was abandoned until c. AD 1000. Evidence for the 11th century resettlement is limited to a number of pits and a single structure, but later in the century a cemetery, possibly with an associated sequence of church buildings, occupied part of the site.

Only a few Roman finds were recovered from the site. The Anglian assemblage, on the other hand, is extensive and provides evidence for a variety of crafts being carried out on site. These include bone and antler working, ironworking and non-ferrous metalworking. Wood and leather working as well as textile production are indicated by the survival of their diagnostic tools rather than by the materials themselves, which, with the exception of a few textile fragments and fibres, did not survive deposition. Lava quernstones imported from the Rhineland, and vessel glass from northern France or the Rhineland, as well as significant amounts of imported pottery (AY 16/6) and numismatic evidence (AY 18), all suggest that the site might have played a special role in international trade.

Material from the 11th- 12th century re-occupation includes many residual Anglian finds, but also provides evidence for further contemporary craft and domestic activity. Evidence for international contact is much more limited.

The Anglian assemblage from 46-54 Fishergate is of considerable interest as it represents the first large group of finds from well-stratified, datable, contexts in York. Comparison with assemblages from other contemporary sites in the region, and with centres for international trade elsewhere in the country, helps to establish the role and status of Anglian York.
Rights Holder
York Archaeological Trust
Rights
CC BY 4.0
Format
Portable Document Format (PDF)
Is Format Of
Paper publication
Identifier
GB2837-PUB-AY-17-9
oclcnum
29405743
isbn10
1872414346
isbn13
9781872414348
Type
Text
Language
English
page start
1203
page end
1512
number of pages
310

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