EXARC Journal (May 2015)
Yeavering Reconsidered
Abstract
Brian Hope-Taylor’s report (1977) on his excavations at Yeavering was received with a unanimous fanfare of approval from reviewers. No general reassessment of the buildings appears to have been conducted subsequently to judge by the bibliography in a later study of the site (Frodsham and O'Brien 2005), although one or two have been tentatively reconstructed on paper and an abortive attempt was made to reconstruct the largest of them, A4, at the Bedesworld museum. Nevertheless a careful reading of the text reveals inadequacies of description and analysis of the buildings - a surprising number in the light of the reviews and to anyone accustomed to the interpretation of ground plans and structures, the report of an excavation justly famous for its brilliant technique leaves much to be desired. The purpose of this paper is to consider how plan and structure developed at Yeavering and to draw some tentative conclusions about their significance, setting aside the historical references and using only the evidence of the buildings. Excluded is the square shrine at the western ring-ditch cemetery in Phase I and the assembly structure in Phases II-IV, which do not require interpretation in the same way.
