The cathedral in the northern city of York has naturally intrigued art historians for a long time. There are indeed many features to admire, including the interior along with the exterior of the central tower. Students of the art of glass-making, moreover, have discussed the artistic advances seen in some very early windows as well somewhat later examples of stained glass, some of the best in England. The cathedral is no less interesting for archeologists: York Minster is the fourth church to built on the site, the first having been erected in 627.

Recently, however, the archeological significance of York Minster became even clearer when architects decided to excavate much of the ground underneath the east wall, which was getting dangerously weak.

The excavation was successful: tons of earth were removed, which enabled the architects to strengthen the foundations. Moreover, the excavation left exposed traces of earlier buildings including the headquarters of the Roman rulers of York, a cemetery from the same period, and a Norman cathedral (the third church on the site).

Elsewhere in the city, the rich history of York is also evident. One popular tourist attraction is the Jorvik Viking Center, which allows visitors get a vivid picture of York in the era when Scandinavians ruled. Similarly the walls of the city attract many visitors.

The walls go back to Roman times, and archeologists have a identified a succession of defenses. In the picture at left, the following layers have been identified: one for the Roman period, another for the Anglo-Saxon and Viking periods combined, one for the Norman period, and one for the later Middle Ages. The excavations thus provide a microcosm of British history from ancient times to the later medieval period. The succession of peoples in the history of York is also evident in its very name. In Viking times the name used was Jórvík, where the J was pronounced more or less as [y]. Jórvík in turn closely reflected the Anglo-Saxon place name Eoforwic, where the f indicates a [v]. Eoforwic, which means 'boar's place,' shows how the Anglo-Saxons attempted to make sense out of a Latin name, Eboracum, which goes back to Roman times and has nothing at all to do with boars! While Eboracum is the name for a town, it probably originally referred to the estate owned by a Celtic lord named Eburos.

Starting from the earliest, then, we see the following succession of forms:

Eburos (Celtic)

Eboracum (Latin)

Eoforwic (Anglo-Saxon)

Jórvík (Norse)

York (Modern English)