History of York

This silk cap is more than 1,000 years old.

It is one of the most unusual and interesting objects found during the Coppergate excavations.

Silk must have been an exotic material in 10th Century Britain.  Lots of other scraps of silk were also found on the site which suggests that production of high-quality clothing one of the many trades on the busy street.  It also means that the Vikings of York were trading over huge distances.