The Norse Sorceress

Mind and Materiality in the Viking World

Edited by Leszek Gardeła, Sophie Bønding and Peter Pentz

Interdisciplinary, contextualised, and richly illustrated investigation of the völva in pre-Christian Nordic religion and culture.

Old Norse literature abounds with descriptions of magic acts that allow ritual specialists to manipulate the world around them, see into the future or distant past, change weather conditions, influence battles, and more. While magic practitioners are known under myriad terms, the most iconic of them is the völva. As the central figure of the famous mythological poem, Völuspá (The Prophecy of the Völva), the völva commands both respect and fear. In non-mythological texts, similar women are portrayed as crucial albeit somewhat peculiar members of society. Always veiled in mystery, the völur and their kind have captured the academic and popular imagination for centuries.

With interdisciplinary contributions from expert scholars and never-before-seen photographs, this volume offers new insights into the reality of magic in the Viking world. It explores new trajectories for the study of past mentalities, beliefs, rituals, tools, and sorcerers. The volume thus engages with several topical issues of Viking Age research, including the complex entanglements of mind and materiality, cultural attitudes to animals and nature, and cultural constructions of gender and sexuality. By addressing these complex themes, it offers a nuanced image of the völva and related magic workers in their cultural context.

OXBOW BOOKS

Hardback • 9781789259537 • £60.00 • February 2023

488 pages • 216 x 280 mm • B/w and colour illus. | eBook available: 9781789259544

Related Titles:

The Marriage Bed of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York

A Masterpiece of Tudor Craftsmanship

Edited by Peter N. Lindfield

An extensive multi-disciplinary study of the marriage bed of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York.

With no known surviving equivalent of secular domestic furniture from this period, the Henry VII and Elizabeth of York marriage bed, rediscovered in 2010, is an exceptional piece of late medieval English royal furniture. Broken down into thematic chapters, the book explores the bed’s form and structure, context, iconography, wood, paint, physical history, provenance – including its curious reproduction by George Shaw in Victorian England – and relationship with known surviving Tudor furniture, as well as Georgian and Victorian Gothic Revival beds.

OXBOW BOOKS

Hardback • 9781789257922 • £35.00 • December 2022

184 pages • 189 x 246 mm • B/w and colour illus. | eBook available: 9781789257939

Medieval Garments Reconstructed

Norse Clothing Patterns

By Else Ostergard

Richly illustrated sewing directions for and introduction to the exceptionally preserved garments found at Herjolfsnes.

During an excavation at Herjolfsnes in Greenland approximately a hundred years ago, a sensational discovery of well-preserved Norse garments, including children’s clothing, was made. This book is a brief account of these amazing finds and a practical guide for those who wish to sew their own Norse Medieval garments. Included are chapters on technique, such as the production of the tread, dyeing, weaving, cutting and sewing. Measurements, sewing instructions, and drawings of garments, hoods, and stockings are also included.

AARHUS UNIVERSITY PRESS

Paperback • 9788772198712 • £25.00 • April 2022

144 pages • 225 x 320 mm

Medieval New Romney, A Town Shaped by Water

The Archaeology of the First Time Sewer Scheme

By James Holman

Explores the results of archaeological supervision undertaken during sewer system installation at New Romney and Greatstone.

Between 2004 and 2007, a series of archaeological investigations were undertaken across the town of New Romney and extended into Greatstone. The work was conducted as part of the New Romney and Greatstone First Time Sewer Scheme, a project instigated by Southern Water to provide a sewer system for the town. In all, approximately 7.3km of new sewer trench was covered by a detailed archaeological watching brief, with two open area excavations also undertaken following earlier evaluations. This book details the excavations and their results.

CANTERBURY ARCHAEOLOGICAL TRUST OCCASIONAL PAPER | CANTERBURY ARCHAEOLOGICAL TRUST

Paperback • 9781870545358 • £25.00 • April 2022

168 pages • 210 x 297 mm • 167 colour illus.

Burials and the Black Death in Hereford

New Library Excavation, Hereford Cathedral

Edited by Derek Hurst

An expansive report of excavations at Hereford Cathedral, including unprecedented information on the Black Death.

The excavation at Hereford Cathedral in 1993 revealed extensive remains, some potentially dating back to the 7th/8th century, including timber-built buildings and a late Saxon cemetery. Around the year 1000, major change saw a roadway installed, and a new, very substantial building erected, the latter possibly the bishop’s residence at the time. Its occupation ceased in the mid-11th century; the Welsh ransacking of Hereford in 1055 probably accounts for this drastic decline.

The site was given over to a cemetery from c. 1140 onwards and the excavation of over 1000 burials has provided a full cross-section of the medieval population. Almost 200 individuals were associated with three pits. These are considered to date from the first outbreak of plague, notoriously the ‘Black Death’, in Hereford in 1349. The site has contributed to an international study, using aDNA analysis, to successfully identify the presence of Yersinia pestis and therefore demonstrate its agency in this catastrophe.

In addition to detailed reporting on some notable individual artefacts, there is a thorough study of the human remains, while the interpretation of the entire stratigraphic sequence is underpinned by extensive radiocarbon dating and chronological modelling.

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The Battle of Pinkie, 1547

The Last Battle Between the Independent Kingdoms of Scotland and England

By David H. Caldwell, Victoria Oleksy and Bess Rhodes

A compelling new exploration of a key battle of the 16th century between the Scots and English.

The Battle of Pinkie Cleugh, near Musselburgh, is of considerable significance in the history of both Scotland and England. Fought as part of the 'rough wooing' in which England's King Henry VIII tried to demand a marriage between his son Edward and the young Mary Queen of Scots, the battle saw up to 36,000 Scottish troops face an army of around 16,000 English soldiers. Despite their superiority in numbers, 15,000 Scots were killed and England saw victory – only for King Henry to be thwarted by Mary’s marriage to the Dauphin of France. This battle has long attracted international attention as a well-documented example of Renaissance warfare. The authors use newly discovered documentary sources and evidence from recent archaeological and topographical surveys to re-examine the people involved, their equipment and experience. A rigorous study of troop movements and battlefield locations contributes to a compelling new picture of what actually happened. An overall context is provided for how the battle came about and the consequences that stemmed from it.

OXBOW BOOKS

Hardback • 9781789259735 • £35.00 • June 2023

224 pages • 171 x 241mm • B/w & colour illus.

Related Titles:

The Archaeology of Wild Birds in Britain and Ireland

By Dale Serjeantson

Explores the relationship between wild birds and people in Britain from the Mesolithic to AD 1600.

This publication tells the story of human engagement with birds from the end of the last Ice Age to around AD 1650. It is based on archaeological bird remains integrated with ethnography and the history of birds and avian biology. In addition to their food value, the book examines birds in ritual activities, their capture and role in falconry, and as companion animals. It is an essential guide for archaeologists, zooarchaeologists, and historians concerned with the history of birds.

OXBOW BOOKS

Hardback • 9781789259568 • £55.00 • April 2023

256 pages • 216 x 280 mm • B/w illus. | eBook available: 9781789259575

Excavations on Wether Hill Ingram, Northumberland, 1994–2015

Edited by Peter Topping

Explores the well-preserved archaeological landscape around Wether Hill in the English-Scottish borderlands.

The study of Wether Hill spur above the Beamish Valley in the Cheviot Hills allowed the study of a range of sites from settlements to cultivation remains. Evidence of Mesolithic, Chalcolithic, and Iron Age activity was uncovered. Taken together, this evidence and begins to paint a picture of the chronology, potential prehistoric settlement density and land-use patterns at different time periods in this well-preserved, but under-explored archaeological landscape.

OXBOW BOOKS

Hardback • 9781789259698 • £45.00 • May 2023

192 pages • 210 298mm • Colour illus.

From Hunter-Gatherers to Early Christians

The Archaeology of Ancient Societies in the Llyn Peninsula

By Julian Maxwell Heath

An in-depth and lavishly illustrated study of the archaeology of the Ll?n Peninsula.

The Llyn Peninsula, in north-west Wales, is home to a remarkable and abundant collection of archaeological sites and monuments, which bear witness to the ancient societies who once inhabited this narrow finger of land. This abundantly illustrated book examines this rich corpus of archaeological evidence. Beginning with faint but fascinating traces of Mesolithic hunter-gatherers and ending in the early medieval period, about 9,000 years of human habitation are thus covered in its pages.

WINDGATHER PRESS

Paperback • 9781914427220 • £39.95 • January 2023

288 pages • 185 x 246 mm • B/w and colour illus. | eBook available: 9781914427237

Broken Pots, Mending Lives

The Archaeology of Operation Nightingale

By Richard Osgood

A fully illustrated insight into an innovative recovery programme that supported wounded soldiers through involvement in archaeology. Set up in 2011, Operation Nightingale is a programme within the Ministry of Defence of the United Kingdom to help facilitate the recovery of armed forces personnel recently engaged in armed conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, using the archaeology of the British Training Areas. In the following decade, the project expanded to include veterans of older conflicts and other nations –from the United States, Poland, Australia, and elsewhere.

This book is the story of those veterans, their incredible discoveries, and their own journeys of recovery — sometimes into a lifetime of archaeology. Everything from the crash sites of Spitfires and trenches of the Western Front in the First World War, through to burial grounds of Convicts, campsites of Hessian mercenaries, and Anglo-Saxon cemeteries is included. Lavishly illustrated, this work will show the reader how the discovery of our shared past — of long-forgotten houses, glinting gold jewellery, and broken pots — can be restorative and help people mend otherwise damaged lives.

OXBOW BOOKS

Hardback • 9781789259384 • £25.00 • June 2023

256 pages • 198 x 254 mm • B/w and colour illus.

About Operation Nightingale

Owning around 1% of the UK mainland, the defence estate holds a lot of the nation’s heritage. 770 scheduled monuments are within this portfolio and this presents not only a major challenge for the 4 archaeologists that work for this government department, but also a fabulous opportunity to share cultural heritage opportunities with these volunteers.

This work not only assists the wellbeing of participants but also contributes towards the department’s commitment to the stewardship of the historic estate. Operation Nightingale has also worked alongside several military related charities and the excavation work has led to numerous publications and also to new artefacts being displayed in museum galleries.

OXBOW BOOKS

Brooches in Late Iron Age and Roman Britain

By D. F. Mackreth

A well-illustrated exploration of brooches in Iron Age and Roman Britain.

The result of 40 years of study, this book offers an overview of the most common find, after coins, on sites in Roman Britain: the brooch. Based on the study of some 15,000 specimens, the second volume illustrates some 2,000, all drawn by the author. The book includes methodology, examinations of the myriad styles of brooches during the period, and a synthesis of the material and social implications of changes in brooch wearing.

Paperback • 9781789259889 • £55.00 • January 2023

458 pages

900 Years of St Bartholomew's

The History, Art and Architecture of London's Oldest Parish Church

Edited

by Charlotte Gauthier

A remarkably detailed history of the continued survival and renewal of St Bartholomew the Great.

This important book presents the first comprehensive history of the church of St Bartholomew the Great since 1921. It surveys the art, architecture, and historical significance of the City of London’s oldest parish church. St Bartholomew’s Priory and Hospital played a central role in the history of medieval London and will celebrate the 900th anniversary of their foundation in 2023. The volume is important to the study of the history of the City of London and the Church of England.

AD ILISSUM

Paperback • 9781915401038 • £45.00 • November 2022

304 pages • 170 x 240 mm

EAA 176: Fransham

People and Land in a Central Norfolk Parish from the Palaeolithic to the Eve of Parliamentary Enclosure

By Andrew Rogerson

Archaeological and documentary sources combine to provide this uniquely comprehensive account of the history of Fransham.

This book uses the results of an intensive fieldwalking survey to illustrate the changes in human activity that took place in Fransham, a Norfolk clayland parish. Material from as early as the Lower Palaeolithic period was recovered, but the emphasis is placed on the Middle Ages and the early post-medieval periods. The surprising prolificacy of certain forms of evidence, the near-complete coverage of the study area, and the consistency of collection methods allow the book to provide a fuller and more accurate account of this parish than has previously been possible.

EAST ANGLIAN ARCHAEOLOGY MONOGRAPH | EAST ANGLIAN ARCHAEOLOGY

Paperback • 9780905594576 • £30.00 • May 2022

300 pages • 210 x 297 mm • 112 illus.

EAA 177: Living with Monuments

Excavations at Flixton vol II

By Stuart Boulter

Second in a series of volumes recording the palimpsest of human activity at Flixton Park Quarry.

This volume is the second in a series covering the extensive and significant archaeological deposits found in Flixton Park Quarry in Suffolk. It includes evidence of funerary and settlement activities of prehistoric, Late Iron Age/Roman, early Anglo-Saxon, medieval, and post-medieval date. These multi-period landscapes are a finite resource so it is vital to seize the rare opportunities they provide for such large-scale excavations. When complete, the Flixton Series will provide an exceptionally detailed study of this particular type of landscape.

EAST ANGLIAN ARCHAEOLOGY MONOGRAPH | EAST ANGLIAN ARCHAEOLOGY

Paperback • 9780993454585 • £35.00 • June 2022

350 pages • 210 x 297 mm • 173 illus.

Harpole

The Landscape of a Roman villa at Panattoni Park, Northamptonshire

By Andrew Simmonds and Edited by Steve Lawrence

New evidence concerning a Roman villa previously assumed to have been lost.

Excavations at Panattoni Park, at Harpole within the Nene Valley west of Northampton, uncovered part of a Roman villa and evidence for preceding prehistoric and early Roman settlement. This book presents new information about the villa, which, until this new excavation, was believed to have been largely destroyed. Alongside the surviving main villa complex, the surrounding agricultural landscape was also investigated. Notable finds included an area devoted to malting, and a small hoard of mower’s tools.

OXFORD ARCHAEOLOGY MONOGRAPH | OXFORD ARCHAEOLOGY

Paperback • 9780904220902 • £20.00 • August 2022

240 pages • 210 x 297 mm • 119 illus.

Roman and Medieval Carlisle

The Northern Lanes Volume Two: The Medieval and Post-medieval Periods

By John Zant and Christine Howard-Davis

Details excavations revealing evidence of Carlisle’s post-Roman inhabitants. This volume presents the evidence for post-Roman activity in the northern lanes; 19 narrow ‘vennels’ densely packed into Carlisle’s city centre. The lanes were established in the 13th century and remained in use until the city’s modern redevelopment. They and the narrow burgage plots between which they were created yield evidence for the everyday lives of the city’s inhabitants. A programme of archaeological and historical investigation was undertaken between 1978-82; the largest and most significant archaeological project in northern England.

LANCASTER IMPRINTS | OXFORD ARCHAEOLOGY NORTH

Paperback • 9781907686382 • £25.00 • May 2022

338 pages • 210 x 297 mm • 280 illus.