Starter quiz
- Where did the Vikings originate from?
- Scandinavia ✓
- America
- Canada
-
- What does invasion mean?
- to win a war against another country
- to steal things from a country
- to enter a country armed and capture it ✓
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- How did the Vikings travel to Britain?
- aeroplane
- longboat ✓
- on foot
-
- The Vikings raided Britain for ______ and silver.
- 'gold' ✓
- Place these events in the order in which they happened, starting with the earliest.
- 1⇔Vikings travelled across the sea to Britain.
- 2⇔Vikings first raided Britain.
- 3⇔Vikings settled in places like York.
- 4⇔Modern archaeologists find evidence of Viking artefacts.
- How do we know the Vikings settled in Britain?
- Archaeologists have found Viking artefacts. ✓
- Children have been told stories about Vikings.
- Viking houses are still standing today.
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Exit quiz
- Excavation is the only way archaeologists find out about the past.
- True
- False ✓
- When did the Coppergate excavation begin?
- 1970
- 1972 ✓
- 1980
- 1982
-
- What were the important discoveries made by York Archaeological Trust?
- 9 metres of archaelogical layers ✓
- a Viking longboat
- moist, peaty soil ✓
- organic remains ✓
- a Viking house
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- How many years did the Coppergate excavation last for?
- '5' ✓
- What did the Coppergate excavation tell us about Vikings in York?
- what their names were
- how old they were
- what they ate ✓
- what they wore ✓
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- Match the keyword to the definition.
- excavate⇔remove earth carefully from an area to find buried remains ✓
- peaty⇔soil that preserves things for a long time ✓
- preserved⇔something is protected from damage or loss ✓
- organic⇔to do with, or has come from, living things ✓
Worksheet
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Lesson Details
Key learning points
- In 1972, builders constructing a new shopping centre in the Coppergate area of York made a discovery.
- They were beginning to dig up huge amounts of Viking objects in the ground below the streets of York.
- Archaeologists were called in to investigate further and soon made startling discoveries about Viking York.
- They discovered layers of moist and peaty soil that had preserved various organic remains which normally rot away.
- They found buildings, textiles, leather, seeds and other things that have given clues about life in Viking York.
Common misconception
Pupils may think archaeologists only find out about the past through excavation.
Archaeologists use a range of ways to find out about the past which include excavation, field walking, surveying and aerial photography.
Keywords
Excavate - to excavate is to remove earth carefully from an area to find buried remains
Peaty - when plants decay they sometimes make the soil peaty, which can preserve things for a long time
Preserved - when something is preserved it is protected from damage or loss
Organic - something that is organic is to do with, or has come from, living things
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