The Vikings were traditionally highly skilled craftsmen in woodworking (demonstrated in their beautiful and powerful ships), metalworking, and carving in bone and ivory. They carried these traditions to their 10th-century settlement at Jorvik (York).

Jorvik was a flourishing commercial town. The central area between the rivers Ouse and Foss was laid out in long narrow tenements with alleys in between, crowded with houses and workshops. The waterlogged ground has preserved evidence of the activities carried out on the site. A wide range of craftsmen worked here, demonstrating high levels of skill. Smiths produced high quality iron tools and implements. Jewellery and dress accessories were made of copper, lead, gold and silver. Red deer antler combs and beads, pendants and rings made of amber and jet have been found.

More everyday objects include wooden bowls, cups and other household items. Woodworkers’ tools survive, including chisels, axe heads and an auger. The importance of textile-making is shown by the large numbers of clay loom weights that survive. A vast quantity of scraps remains from leather working, as well as the shoes themselves and other leather goods like a knife scabbard.

The workshops and dwellings were packed densely together and evidence of the overcrowding and overflowing cess pits dug close to wells, suggest that life expectancy was probably not very high.