Some of you have seen the British television program called "Time Team". This program’s intention is to inform and entertain audiences through the exploration of particular archeological sites. They choose a place to dig based on a possible yield. Then they bring in specialists such as geophysicists to map any buried material on the side, excavating machines to start digs and then go to teams of trowel and brush wielders to do the fine stroke digging. The drama is created by the fact that they allow themselves only three days to discover what they believe is there.
The relevance of this to our trip is that Time Team based a 1999 program on a site in York that they figured to be a medieval hospital built on a Roman fort. They did uncover proper evidence to support their calculations, and the site was then taken over after their three days of activity by the York Archeological Trust. It is an active site and a sign on the street invites people to drop in and see it being worked, for only one pound each. We did, and took pictures, handled objects found on the site, and asked questions of the staff, who appeared to be mostly archeology graduate students. We were told that a number of sites throughout the Island have been started and kept going in the same way by Time Team initial explorations. It’s a neat program that we received on the History International Channel in the U.S.
We opted not to go into the York Minster which we’ve seen several times. Last weekend they instituted a new charge to visit the Minster. The charge amounted to about $7 each, and we decided to visit something new instead. But the size of that cathedral is just amazing. We walked all the way around. It is absolutely huge and must have been really intimidating!
Our second day in York was a short one. We visited a medieval house that the York Archeological Trust has repaired and is in the process of fitting out as a living museum. Very interesting. There are no antiques. They have commissioned craftsmen to make the furnishings and the clothes just as they were made in the 1400’s when the house was the home of the alderman. You are encouraged to touch and even try on the clothes. An audio tour included a script that explained how the household was organized.
