New Web ProjectI agree! In the current economic and political climate we do need to make sure archaeology and archaeologists sounds relevant and accessible to the general public.
Regards,
Mike
----- Original Message -----
From: Val Turner
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: Tuesday, December 30, 2014 3:54 PM
Subject: Re: Viking
Good grief! The public understand Viking and engage with it. Early medieval - yawn! What does that conjure up? Nothing! Norse for post 1060 or Scandinavian settlement if you must. (That's using a north of Scotland time frame of course) Our Viking Unst project largely dealt with Norse settlement which turned out to be post 1060. So what? The public understood it.
If writing for the public then Viking is a must - don't be precious about it! As you say the BM understood that.
Am not at work but being scared to use the word Viking is something that gets me going - as you see!
Happy new year
Val
Sent from my iPhone
Dr Val Turner
On 30 Dec 2014, at 11:24, "Morrison, Jennifer" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
Hi Hugh
I don’t think there is anything wrong with ‘early medieval’. If you include the broad dates of the period in brackets it will be perfectly understandable.
Jenny
Jennifer Morrison BA (Hons), MA, MCIfA
Tyne and Wear Archaeology Officer
Newcastle City Council
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From: Issues related to Historic Environment Records [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Crank, Nick
Sent: 30 December 2014 11:11
To: Morrison, Jennifer
Subject: Re: Viking
Hi Hugh
Season’s greetings!
Viking is a bit of a loaded term and there has been discussion regarding whether it should be used to just refer to Scandinavian raiders or more broadly. Perhaps ‘Norse’ would be a good substitute or simply ‘Scandinavian’. ‘Danish’ does carry a geographical connotation that is perhaps misleading as to the origins of settlers. That said, the British Museum were happy enough to use the term Viking in their recent exhibition and did seem to take some trouble to show that it refers to more than just raiders. I’d personally lean towards keeping the term for a high level policy document such as a Heritage Strategy.
What term do your near neighbours use in their strategies?
Regards
Nick
Nick Crank BSc MCIfA
Senior Archaeological Officer
T: 01908 254259
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http://www.milton-keynes.gov.uk/planning-and-building/conservation-and-archaeology
Milton Keynes Council | Conservation & Archaeology | Civic Offices | 1 Saxon Gate East | Milton Keynes MK9 3EJ
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From: Issues related to Historic Environment Records [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Winfield, Hugh
Sent: 30 December 2014 10:38
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Viking
Merry Christmas and New Year to all,
Our Council are working on a document about the area’s heritage strategy and I have objected to the term “Viking” being used, but I’m not sure what to replace it with. It is used in two places:
“The area has a diverse and distinctive history, with notable periods of growth associated with the Viking, Medieval and Victorian eras alongside the growth and decline of its fishing industry.”
And
“strong associations with the Vikings; medieval history and the Victorian development of both Grimsby and Cleethorpes afford opportunities…..”
I’ve never been too happy using the term “early medieval” in public documents as I get the impression that people won’t know what it means even if I put in a date range. In my HER I changed the name of the period to “Early Medieval (Dark Age/Saxon/Danish)” to help understanding of what is meant by it but it is a bit long winded for this particular document. I had originally changed them to:
“growth associated with Anglo Saxon and Danish settlers, the medieval and Victorian eras, particularly the growth and decline of its fishing industry during these two periods.”
And
“strong associations with Anglo Saxon and Danish settlement, medieval history and the Victorian development of both Grimsby and Cleethorpes afford opportunities….”
But I’m not sure how happy I am with the changes. Most of the place names in the Borough are Anglo-Scandinavian and we were part of the Danelaw, so I do accept that the “Vikings” had a prominent effect but that doesn’t help me when writing for the public. I thought it was therefore about time I swallowed my pride and asked – how should I refer to this period of time, and the associated movements of people/culture?
Thanks,
Hugh
Hugh Winfield | Archaeologist |
North East Lincolnshire Regeneration Partnership
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