By the 10th century York was second only to London in wealth and population. Exotic goods were imported along trading routes which reached beyond Byzantium in the east, Scandinavia to the north and Ireland to the west. Wine and lava quern stones came from northern Europe. Whetstones, soapstone cooking vessels, amber, furs and dyestuffs were shipped from Scandinavia. Silks travelled along trading routes from the Middle East and China. Supplies of timber, antler, pottery, fish and other food stuffs were brought into York from the area surrounding the city and beyond.

Ring-headed copper alloy pins from Ireland

A woman’s cap made from silk traded from the Middle East and China