The Archaeology of Britain: An introduction from ... - waughfamily.ca
The Archaeology of Britain: An introduction from ... - waughfamily.ca
The Archaeology of Britain: An introduction from ... - waughfamily.ca
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• 200 • Julian D.Richards<br />
and a curious amulet. All <strong>of</strong> the Peel<br />
burials share the same alignment<br />
and style <strong>of</strong> grave construction,<br />
suggesting no break in continuity at<br />
this site, unlike Balladoole (Richards<br />
1991).<br />
In both the Danelaw and the Isle<br />
<strong>of</strong> Man, the S<strong>ca</strong>ndinavians also<br />
adopted the lo<strong>ca</strong>l custom <strong>of</strong><br />
erecting stone crosses. This had<br />
previously been largely confined to<br />
monasteries and prestigious<br />
churches, but stone monuments<br />
now proliferated throughout<br />
northern and eastern England, and<br />
on the Isle <strong>of</strong> Man. Some fragments<br />
depict Viking warriors with their<br />
weapons. One <strong>of</strong> the best examples<br />
is at Middleton, North Yorkshire<br />
(Figure 11.3); other examples<br />
include Levisham and Weston in<br />
North Yorkshire, and Sockburn,<br />
Co. Durham. <strong>The</strong>se figures may well<br />
represent the new landlords, and the<br />
distribution <strong>of</strong> crosses may indi<strong>ca</strong>te<br />
the presence, if not the centres, <strong>of</strong><br />
new landholdings (Bailey 1980).<br />
<strong>The</strong> subjects chosen by the<br />
sculptors or their patrons are<br />
particularly striking; many<br />
emphasize the parallels between<br />
Christian and pagan stories. At<br />
Figure 11.3 <strong>The</strong> Middleton Cross, St <strong>An</strong>drew’s Church, Middleton, North Gosforth, Cumbria, a Crucifixion<br />
Yorkshire.<br />
scene is paired with Ragnarok, the<br />
Source: Dept <strong>of</strong> <strong>Archaeology</strong>, University <strong>of</strong> Durham<br />
last great battle <strong>of</strong> Norse<br />
mythology; Thorwald’s cross at Kirk<br />
<strong>An</strong>dreas on the Isle <strong>of</strong> Man counterbalances Odin and Ragnarok with the triumph <strong>of</strong> Christ over<br />
Satan. <strong>The</strong> legend <strong>of</strong> Sigurd and his struggle with the dragon is another popular theme; the scene<br />
in which he roasts the heart <strong>of</strong> the dragon Fafnir and burns his thumb is found at Kirk <strong>An</strong>dreas<br />
and at Halton, Lan<strong>ca</strong>shire, and Ripon, North Yorkshire. At Nunburnholme, Humberside, there is<br />
a cross in which Sigurd has been re<strong>ca</strong>rved over a Eucharistic theme, drawing attention to the<br />
Sigurd feast as a pagan version <strong>of</strong> the Eucharist (Bailey 1980; Lang 1991).<br />
Many <strong>of</strong> the graves <strong>of</strong> York’s Viking Age elite discovered under York minster are marked by<br />
recumbent grave slabs decorated with S<strong>ca</strong>ndinavian style ornament; some have separate head<br />
and foot stones. <strong>The</strong>se may be the predecessors <strong>of</strong> the distinctive so-<strong>ca</strong>lled hogback stones,<br />
which were erected for a period <strong>of</strong> about 50 years <strong>from</strong> 920. Hogbacks are shaped like bow-sided<br />
buildings with ridged ro<strong>of</strong>s and curved side walls, but their ends may be decorated with bearlike<br />
creatures, or sometimes wolves or dogs. <strong>The</strong>y may also have been influenced by house-shaped