In Search of the Great Viking Army in Lincolnshire

In the last decade our understanding of the impact of the Viking Great Army, which raided England in the 860s and 870s, has been transformed by new archaeological evidence. Much of this has come from hobby metal-detecting, and has been made available through the British Museum's Portable Antiquities Scheme database. This talk will explore what we now know of the impact of the Great Army on Lincolnshire. This includes the identification of the recorded site of the Army's overwintering at Torksey in 872-3, and other sites where the distinctive archaeological signature of the Army's activities has been traced. While the picture of the Great Army as raiding, seizing land and overthrowing kings remains, the new archaeological evidence enables us to nuance this through insights into craft working, trade and even leisure pursuits through a substantial assemblage of gaming pieces.