Digging into the Dark Ages

What does the ‘Dark Ages’ mean in contemporary society? Tackling public engagements through archaeological fieldwork, heritage sites and museums, fictional portrayals and art, and increasingly via a broad range of digital media, this is the first-ever dedicated collection exploring the public archaeology of the Early Middle Ages (5th-11th centuries AD). Digging into the Dark Ages builds on debates which took place at the 3rd University of Chester Archaeology Student Conference hosted by the Grosvenor Museum, Chester, 13 December 2017. It comprises original perspectives from students integrated with fresh research by heritage practitioners and academics. The book also includes four interviews offering perspectives on key dimensions of early medieval archaeology’s public intersections. By critically ‘digging into’ the ‘Dark Ages’, this book provides an introduction to key concepts and debates, a rich range of case studies, and a solid platform for future research.

Acknowledgements Foreword - Chiara Bonacchi Public Archaeology for the Dark Ages - Howard Williams with Pauline Clarke, Victoria Bounds, Sarah Bratton, Amy Dunn, James Fish, Ioan Griffiths, Megan Hall, Joseph Keelan, Matthew Kelly, David Jackson, Stephanie Matthews, Max Moran, Niamh Moreton, Robert Neeson, Victoria Nicholls, Sacha O'Connor, Jessica Penaluna, Peter Rose, Abigail Salt, Amelia Studholme and Matthew Thomas Part 1: Dark Age Debates Keep the Dark Ages Weird: Engaging the Many Publics of Early Medieval Archaeology - An Interview with Adrian Maldonado Colouring the Dark Ages: Perceptions of Early Medieval Colour in Popular Culture - Anne Sassin Why do Horned Helmets still Matter? - Sacha O'Connor Public Archaeology of Early Medieval Assembly Places and Practices: Þingvellir - Matthew Kelly Dressing for Ragnarok? Commodifying, Appropriating and Fetishising the Vikings - Madeline Walsh Part 2: The Public Dark Ages The Vikings of JORVIK: 40 Years of Reconstruction and Re-enactment - Chris Tuckley Displaying the Dark Ages in Museums - Howard Williams, Pauline Clarke and Sarah Bratton Where History Meets Legend: Presenting the Early Medieval Archaeology of Tintagel Castle, Cornwall - Susan Greaney Digging up the Dark Ages in Cornwall: The Tintagel Challenge and St Piran's Oratory Experience - Jacqueline A Nowakowski and James Gossip Death and Memory in Fragments: Project Eliseg's Public Archaeology - Howard Williams and Suzanne Evans Reading the Gosforth Cross: Enriching Learning through Film and Photogrammetry - Roger Lang and Dominic Powlesland Crafting the Early Middle Ages: Creating Synergies between Re-enactors and Archaeologists - An interview with Adam Parsons and Stuart Strong Part 3: Dark Age Media Archaeology in Alfred the Great (1969) and The Last Kingdom (2015-) - Victoria Nicholls and Howard Williams 'It's the End of the World as we Know it ...': Reforging Ragnarok through Popular Culture - Mark A. Hall The #GreatHeathenHunt: Repton's Public Early Medieval Archaeology - An interview with Cat Jarman Vikings and Virality - Matthew Thomas Old Norse in the Wild West: Digital Public Engagement on YouTube - An interview with Jackson Crawford The Image Hoard: Using the Past as a Palette in Discussing the Politics of the Present - Wulfgar the Bard Afterword: Whose 'Dark Ages'? - Bonnie Effros, Acknowledgements ;

Foreword - Chiara BonacchiHoward Williams with Pauline Clarke, Victoria Bounds, Sarah Bratton, Amy Dunn, James Fish, Ioan Griffiths, Megan Hall, Joseph Keelan, Matthew Kelly, David Jackson, Stephanie Matthews, Max Moran, Niamh Moreton, Robert Neeson, Victoria Nicholls, Sacha O’Connor, Jessica Penaluna, Peter Rose, Abigail Salt, Amelia Studholme and Matthew Thomas Part 1: Dark Age DebatesAn Interview with Adrián MaldonadoAnne SassinSacha O’ConnorMatthew KellyMadeline Walsh Part 2: The Public Dark AgesChris TuckleyHoward Williams, Pauline Clarke and Sarah BrattonSusan GreaneyJacqueline A Nowakowski and James GossipHoward Williams and Suzanne EvansRoger Lang and Dominic PowleslandAn interview with Adam Parsons and Stuart Strong Part 3: Dark Age MediaAlfred the Great (1969) and The Last Kingdom (2015-) - Victoria Nicholls and Howard WilliamsMark A. HallAn interview with Cat JarmanMatthew ThomasAn interview with Jackson CrawfordWulfgar the Bard Afterword: Whose ‘Dark Ages’? - Bonnie Effros