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Trix

@trixranderson.bsky.social
628 followers 260 following 807 posts

Archaeologist at North Yorkshire Historic Environment Record: special interest in Viking-Age Britain and the Great Heathen Army

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North Ages @northages.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Rare Anglo-Saxon coin unearthed in Shetland www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Rare Anglo-Saxon coin unearthed in Shetland
Archaeologists say the discovery suggests possible trading links between Viking and Anglo-Saxons.
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The Govan Stones @govanstones.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
✨️ Adam from Cumbraland casts an early medieval-type brooch in Govan's 1,500-year-old churchyard! Visit our FREE Viking-Age Festival today and tomorrow, 11am to 4pm! @eblueaxe.bsky.social
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Trix @trixranderson.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
If this cracking piece of community archaeology isn't enough for you, we're also going to be at Govan this coming weekend - so you get both digging and Vikings in one visit!
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Archaeology Data Service @ads-update.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
🏺 Collection Highlight 🏺 This week we would like to highlight a recently released archive: Illustrated Artefact Catalogue of Viking Inset Lead Weights from Britain and Ireland. This catalogue sits alongside a related article published in Internet Archaeology, To read more visit: buff.ly/0dvQ2g2
a detail shot of a decorated copper alloy inset
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Internet Archaeology @intarcheditor.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
ICYMI: Hadley, D., Richards, J.D. et al. Inset Lead Weights: Trade and Identity in 9th- and 10th-century Viking armies in Britain and Ireland. doi.org/10.11141/ia.... #archaeology #weightsystems #coins #decoratedmetalwork #trade #identity #VikingGreatArmy #Britain #Ireland #Scandinavia #9thcentury
doi.org
Inset Lead Weights: Trade and Identity in 9th- and 10th-century Viking armies in Britain and Ireland
Viking armies introduced a bullion economy to 9th-century Britain and Ireland in which transactions were facilitated through the use of balances and weights. This paper presents the first comprehensiv...
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North Ages @northages.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
The Galloway Hoard was discovered by detectorist Derek McLennan at Balmaghie, Kirkcudbrightshire, #OTD in 2014. Deposited around AD 900, it is both Scotland’s earliest Viking-Age hoard and the richest ever found in Britain and Ireland. 📸National Museums Scotland
The hoard, which comprises more than 100 diverse objects, from silver, gold and jewelled treasures to rarely surviving textiles.
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Christian Cooijmans @ccooijmans.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Viking scholars attempting to counter misinformation about vikings:
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Simon Coupland @scoupland.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
The first 100 coins from the Mørstad hoard have now been put online - read more here www.khm.uio.no/om/aktuelt/a...
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UHI Institute for Northern Studies @insuhi.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
'Kings on the Move: the case of the Viking Great Army' article by Dr Shane McLeod, Postdoctoral Research Associate UHI Institute for Northern Studies, discussed in @hornesupremacy.bsky.social latest Substack drtomhornearchaeology.substack.com/p/lords-of-t...
drtomhornearchaeology.substack.com
Lords of the Ring: Viking Kings in a Great Army 'Mobile Kingdom'
Shane McLeod's argues convincingly for royal leadership of the Viking Great/Heathen Army
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Trix @trixranderson.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
I've been missing from #FindsFriday for months, so it's probably time I got back into it! To tie in with our new paper, we're going to look at inset weights for the next few weeks - seeing what these enigmatic objects are, where they're found, and their ties to the Great Army. This is weight 1706:
A photograph of a small, square piece of lead with a highly-decorated piece of silver fixed to the top by a rivet. It is a lead trade weight recovered from the Viking Great Army camp at Aldwark, North Yorkshire
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Simon Coupland @scoupland.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
For #FindsFriday: In July 1862, a shepherd boy found 5 gold and silver rings – the rest turned up soon after. The Vulu hoard from Trøndelag is highly impressive. The large penannular silver brooch weighs c 500 grams and measures 25 cm. 📷 Mårten Teigen, Alexis Pantos, Vikingtidsmuseet Oslo
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Trix @trixranderson.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
I've been missing from #FindsFriday for months, so it's probably time I got back into it! To tie in with our new paper, we're going to look at inset weights for the next few weeks - seeing what these enigmatic objects are, where they're found, and their ties to the Great Army. This is weight 1706:
A photograph of a small, square piece of lead with a highly-decorated piece of silver fixed to the top by a rivet. It is a lead trade weight recovered from the Viking Great Army camp at Aldwark, North Yorkshire
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Trix @trixranderson.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
School holidays and work meant I haven't had a chance to shout about this yet - but yesterday saw a release for a new paper, drawing together the Viking-Age lead 'inset' weights from across Britain and Ireland and looking at their origins (surprise: it's all to do with the Great Army once again) -
intarch.ac.uk
Inset Lead Weights: Trade and Identity in 9th- and 10th-century Viking armies in Britain and Ireland
Viking armies introduced a bullion economy to 9th-century Britain and Ireland in which transactions were facilitated through the use of balances and weights. This paper presents the first comprehensiv...
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Trix @trixranderson.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Well, this is going straight to the top of the wish list! Huge congratulations to @downham.bsky.social, I am *really* looking forward to reading this. (...and a lovely inset lead weight on the cover, too - what more could you ask for?)
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Trix @trixranderson.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
School holidays and work meant I haven't had a chance to shout about this yet - but yesterday saw a release for a new paper, drawing together the Viking-Age lead 'inset' weights from across Britain and Ireland and looking at their origins (surprise: it's all to do with the Great Army once again) -
intarch.ac.uk
Inset Lead Weights: Trade and Identity in 9th- and 10th-century Viking armies in Britain and Ireland
Viking armies introduced a bullion economy to 9th-century Britain and Ireland in which transactions were facilitated through the use of balances and weights. This paper presents the first comprehensiv...
2235
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Clare Downham @downham.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Online seminar free and open to all #medievalsky #herstory #textiles #history #ireland #celtic www.ssns.org.uk/events/ssns-...
ssns.org.uk
SSNS Seminar - Hannah Evans - 'For every woman who is an embroideress deserves more profit than even queens': gender, status, and textiles in medieval Ireland. - Scottish Society for Northern Studies ...
Stephen will explore why so many of the crucial incidents leading to the downfall of the Norse line of northern Scottish jarls in the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries.
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Trix @trixranderson.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
Knaresborough, Towton, and Vikings pilfering Iron-Age treasures - as @tessmachling.bsky.social says, the perfect read for the 1st August and Yorkshire Day!
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North Ages @northages.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
The Wharton Hoard was discovered by a detectorist at Wharton, near Kirkby Stephen, Cumbria, #OTD in 2017. It comprises 37 copper pennies, known as stycas, from 9thC Northumbria. 📸British Museum
Some of the coins from the hoard against a black background.
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Dr Tess Machling @tessmachling.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
I keep meaning to show @trixranderson.bsky.social this... a deliberately cut wire on the otherwise un-historically (someone put a spade through it in 1943...) damaged Glascote torc... from Staffordshire... near the Rivers Tame & Anker... just downriver from Catton... ahem...
The neck ring of the Glascote torc, with an intentionally snipped wire.
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Archaeodeath @archaeodeathprof.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
Inclusive Heathenry & Archaeology with Meggie youtu.be/Ug0M_rw43_Y - 6pm tonight! @trixranderson.bsky.social
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Trix @trixranderson.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
The countdown to this talk is now on: I heard Tom's first thoughts on this topic when he spoke in Carlisle the other year, so this promises to be *excellent*...
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Spencer Carter @microburin.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
𝗙𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗲𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 𝗮𝘁 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵, 𝗡𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗬𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗲 Saturday 18th July 2026 (Pls re-post) Come and find out more about Thornborough’s remarkable Neolithic and Bronze Age landscape on Saturday 18th July 2026. West Tanfield, North Yorkshire, HG4 5JU. www.eventbrite.co.uk/.../festival....
Three henge monuments, each 250m diameter, now under the guardianship of English Heritage, free access.  The three henges are not in a perfectly straight line but form a distinct dogleg. This deliberate layout mirrors the exact arrangement of the three stars in Orion's Belt.  The Thornborough alignment is part of a broader 17.7 km ceremonial route. One of the alignments connects the henges to the Devil's Arrows standing stones in Boroughbridge, via the Nunwick henge.
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Simon Coupland @scoupland.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
For #FindsFriday late 9C Italian deniers found in three recent English hoards: a-b Watlington; c Herefordshire; d Bickmarsh. All must have been brought here through #Frisia, most likely by Scandinavians in the #Viking great army. Photos © Ashmolean Museum, PAS, Treasure Hunting, August 2024
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Trix @trixranderson.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
Yet more brilliant finds from Woodstown :) I've own a little handled bowl made of soapstone, maybe I need to get myself a bigger one...?
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Trix @trixranderson.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
Some cracking discoveries coming up at Woodstown :)
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Trix @trixranderson.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
Hanging out on the Gokstad mound with @eblueaxe.bsky.social and the gang... There are definitely worse ways to spend a Thursday afternoon.
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socmedarch.bsky.social @socmedarch.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
The Bedale Hoard was discovered #OnThisDay in 2012. Dating to the late 9th/early 10th century, the hoard contained 48 items of silver and gold, including ingots, neck rings and a beautiful sword pommel inlaid with gold foil (pictured), (Image: York Museums Trust CC BY-SA 4.0).
Close-up of a crescent-shaped sword pommel inlaid with gold foil that is decorated with intertwined patterns.
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Adam @eblueaxe.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
I helped pop together a little blog about some of our emerging archaeological finds on the A66. Long term there is a lot of potential to put some more pieces in the jigsaw puzzle with this site! In the short term; check out the links below to book a slot on the site tour this Saturday #archaeology
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Oxford Archaeology @oxfordarchaeology.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
Step onto a Live Archaeology Excavation at Kirkby Thore, Cumbria! 📅 Saturday 16 May 2026 📍 Kirkby Thore, Cumbria. 🕛 10am-4pm For More Information: tr.ee/R5aRZ2 💬 Chat with archaeologists 🤝 Meet early medieval reenactors 👩‍👦 Family friendly activities 💷 Free guided tours - Book Now tr.ee/9SOfr9
tr.ee
Kirkby Thore Archaeology Open Day
Join us on site for a rare opportunity to step onto a live excavation, explore early medieval discoveries, and meet the people bringing this period to life. From archaeology in action to reenactors…
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Trix @trixranderson.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
I'm slow sharing this - tripped up by the end of the Easter holidays and by reading it myself - but this is a smashing piece of work, and a wonderfully comprehensive study for a finds geek like me -
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Trix @trixranderson.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
Pick up the nearest book, turn to p. 42, and post the second sentence: "Memories of the smoke-filled timber hall where he ate, slept, and listened to tales told and songs sung around the central hearth - as well as the sounds of relationships enacted in the dark of communal spaces - would have...
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Trix @trixranderson.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
An instant pre-prder for this book for me, as with anything Tom's been involved in. VERY much looking forward to this coming out... :)
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Trix @trixranderson.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
Do I recognise myself in this rather brilliant edit to a classic comic...? Yes. Yes, I do.
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Andy Marshall @fotofacade.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
Andy Marshall’s Remarkable Anglo-Saxon Survivals You Can Still Visit www.digest.andymarsh...
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North Ages @northages.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
The Gilling Sword was discovered #OTD in 1976. It is named after Gilling Beck, North Yorkshire, where it was found by a nine-year-old Garry Fridd while playing in the stream. It is one of the finest surviving Anglian weapons. 📸York Museums Trust
The Gilling Sword with its tapering fullered blade and opposing curved upper and lower hilt guards.
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socmedarch.bsky.social @socmedarch.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
Announcing this year’s Jarrow Lecture: Bede, Providence, and Early Medieval Kingship. Full details here: medievalarchaeology.co.uk/2026-jarrow-...
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Fornvännen - Journal of Swedish Antiquarian Research @fornvannen.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
Maixner, B. (2026). Implications of recent metal detector finds for the interpretation of King Øystein’s Harbour in Agdenes, Norway. Fornvännen, 121(1). Was this site an important seasonal market place? #OpenAccess #Archaeology #VikingAge doi.org/10.66449/for...
Insular mount from Agdenes. Lead models from the Viking Age used for the serial production of cast bronze jewellery have so far been found at only a few sites in Norway.
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Andy Marshall @fotofacade.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
The crypt at Hexham Abbey is one of the surviving marvels of 7th century Anglo-Saxon architecture, once part of St. Wilfrid's original stone church.
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North Ages @northages.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
Cuthbert was consecrated as bishop of Lindisfarne by Theodore, archbishop of Canterbury, and six other bishops at York #OTD in 685. He would spend almost two years ministering and preaching across his diocese before dying from illness at his former Inner Farne hermitage. #medievalsky
A 12th-century wall painting of Cuthbert depicted as a bishop of that time at Durham Cathedral.
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North Ages @northages.bsky.social · 21/03/2026
Ælle, king of the Northumbrians, and Osberht, whom he had supplanted, died in a clash with Danes at York #OTD in 867. Either the two men had buried the hatchet to retake the city or Osberht had joined with the Great Army in a bid to reclaim the throne. 📸York Archaeological Trust #medievalsky
Thatched wooden houses huddled together in an artist's impression of 10th-century York.
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socmedarch.bsky.social @socmedarch.bsky.social · 20/03/2026
Cuthbert of Lindisfarne died #OnThisDay in 687. He was a popular saint in northern England both during his life and after death, with a cult of worship centred on his tomb in Durham Cathedral. Pictured is a 12th century wall-painting of St Cuthbert in Durham Cathedral (image: Durham Cathedral).
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Ny Björn Gustafsson @nybjorn.eurosky.social · 20/03/2026
In 2013, the Swedish version of ”Antiques Roadshow” visited Visby. A man brought this large, unprovenanced pseudo-penannular brooch from the Viking Period for evaluation and after a bit of a debacle it was bought by the state and is now kept by Gotland Museum. #FindsFriday 🏺
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Trix @trixranderson.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
I'm late in hearing about this, and so late in re-posting - but tonight's talk looks absolutely fascinating! It's going to be well worth tuning in.
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Trix @trixranderson.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
I haven't got any little runes like we had for last week's Viking camps #FindsFriday, so instead I thought we'd look at another small and beautiful object. This is DB1137 from the Great Army camp at Torksey. It's a tiny cast piece, barely 25mm long, originally part of an Irish horse harness. /1
A finds photograph of a small piece of decorated metalwork, TDB 1137, from the site of the Great Army camp at Torksey, Lincolnshire. Two sides of a flat, roughly rectangular piece of metal are shown against a white background. The back is plain and rough, but the front is decotated by a very fine, small knotwork design of interlaced lines.
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Trix @trixranderson.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
I haven't got any little runes like we had for last week's Viking camps #FindsFriday, so instead I thought we'd look at another small and beautiful object. This is DB1137 from the Great Army camp at Torksey. It's a tiny cast piece, barely 25mm long, originally part of an Irish horse harness. /1
A finds photograph of a small piece of decorated metalwork, TDB 1137, from the site of the Great Army camp at Torksey, Lincolnshire. Two sides of a flat, roughly rectangular piece of metal are shown against a white background. The back is plain and rough, but the front is decotated by a very fine, small knotwork design of interlaced lines.
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Trix @trixranderson.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
Another stunning image by Andy Marshall, who knocks it out the park every time he posts and who's well worth a follow. Exiting the tiny Anglo-Saxon crypt at Ripon, I've 'felt' the light and space of the later building rise above me before... but I've never seen that feeling captured this well.
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North Ages @northages.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
The discovery of an unusual Pictish stone was reported by The Courier #OTD in 1934. A mechanical excavator struck it during work near Bullion Farm, Invergowrie. The 10thC Bullion Stone is a whimsical portrait of a mounted warrior drinking from a horn. 📸National Museums Scotland #medievalsky
The man and his horse are carved in relief. A small, round shield is also depicted at the man's side.
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Trix @trixranderson.bsky.social · 07/03/2026
An excellent thread from Alex here, looking at one of classic Great Army find types. I'm going to be posting a lot more about these weights very soon...
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Trix @trixranderson.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
It's Viking Camps #FindsFriday! I've had a few weeks away, with both the Jorvik Festival and half term, so we'll get back to it today... and in honour of yesterday's World Book Day (heavily norse-themed in this household) I thought we'd look at a find with some writing. This is Torksey DB 1620. /1
A find photograph of a small, rectangular lead plaque, Torksey find DB 1620, from the Great Army camp at Torksey, Lincolnshire.
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