Friday to Sunday, 3-5 September 1999
A millennium of history in just three days!
The award-winning Channel 4 archaeology series Time Team faced its toughest challenge yet when presenter Tony Robinson and a team of experts tried to explain at least 1,000 years of British history in just three days.
In the historic city of York, Time Team simultaneously excavated three separate sites containing archaeology from three distinct periods – all under the eagle eyes of 'live' television cameras. York was chosen because of the prolific remains of the Roman, Viking and medieval periods that lie beneath its buildings and streets. Time Team's task was to discover even more about the people who, in the first millennium, shaped the lives of those living in the second.
'The extraordinary thing about York,' said Tony Robinson, 'is that it's like an enormous trifle – wherever you dig, you discover amazing layers of history. You can find the jelly of the Vikings, the sponge of the Middle Ages and the maraschino cherry of the Romans!'
Time Team's three regular experts – archaeologists Mick Aston, Phil Harding and Carenza Lewis – oversaw one site each, supported by a small army of specialised archaeologists, geophysicists, historians, graphics experts and diggers. Meanwhile, Tony, with the help of guest presenters Sandy Toksvig and Paul Thompson, moved between all three digs, asking questions on behalf of viewers.
'It's by far the largest show we have ever staged,' said Tony. 'We have a team of around 150 people and 12 cameras, and we will be transmitting live broadcasts in a city that will be teeming with tourists.'
Seal of St Leonard's Hospital, 1478
| The digs The Roman cemetery A hotel next to York railway station was built by the Victorians over a Roman graveyard. Under the pristine lawn in front of the building, Time Team hoped to find cremations and skeletons, as well as the objects that the departed chose to take to the next life with them – everything from coins and jewellery to tools and children's toys. Who were the people buried here more than 1,500 years ago? Where did they come from? What were their occupations, social status and religious beliefs? How did they die? The Viking buildings Under what is now a derelict plot, Time Team believed that they might find structures that, more than 1,000 years ago, were part of the bustling Viking city of Jorvik. York contains one of Britain's very few 'wet' sites where organic materials survive – ancient wood and leather lying alongside the usual pottery, bricks and mortar, a vast buried morass of soggy archaeology. Just to get to the Viking levels, the team had to work through metres of modern and medieval remains before, they hoped, uncovering a corner of the city once ruled by the notorious Eric Bloodaxe. The medieval hospital In the Museum Gardens by the River Ouse are the ruins of the enormous medieval hospital of St Leonard's, the largest in the north of England, established by the son of William the Conqueror in about 1100. Here a dedicated order of monks looked after 200 of the local poor, sick and orphaned. Time Team hoped to uncover artefacts and ruins of the hospital buildings that could throw light on the unique conditions and lifestyle of this important medieval institution. |
Even before the Team got to York, the website contained a wealth of detail on the city, past excavations, history, a time line and sources of further information and reading.
During the Live, the website RealVideo snippets revealed off-screen activity, and RealAudio interviews with the team plus other experts gave the low-down on what was happening at the excavations. In addition, cyber-archaeologists were able to post comments and questions on the forum.
In between the live broadcasts, the 'Diary' gave detailed reports of what was going on at all three excavations, as well as in the incident room. And the website also contains lots of information on and pictures of the finds uncovered in the trenches.
You can still see – and hear – everything that went on during the 'live' by exploring this website. For the results of the three digs, see the summing up.
Time traveller's guide to the Roman Empire
www.channel4.com/history/microsites/H/history/guide03/index.html
Viking coin found in a previous York dig
Reconstruction of a typical Roman settlement