Archaeological excavation of Viking Age York has revealed a thriving urban economy, with evidence of skilled craftwork in metal, antler, wood, and textiles, and of commercial connections across the North Sea.

The material culture of Jorvik reflects a society that was genuinely hybrid, drawing on both English and Scandinavian traditions.

Barton-upon-Humber was smaller than York but occupied a similar position within the North Sea trading network.

Its location at a Humber crossing point made it a regular destination for the movement of goods and people across the estuary.

The community that buried Conquest Man around 1079 was the heir to this centuries-long tradition of cross-North Sea connection.

The burial customs they applied to Conquest Man, the oak coffin, the grass pillow, the chalk blocks, the apple wood staffs, reflect the preservation into the late eleventh century of practices that had roots in Scandinavian tradition.