Kirkstall Abbey - part 2

Further to my previous post, here are some additional photographs taken during my recent visits to Kirstall Abbey....

Kirkstall Abbey

For reasons which need not detain us here, I have recently been in a position to visit Kirkstall Abbey in Leeds a couple of times. Despite the place being in reasonably close proximity to the area where I live, this was my first time there since my school days (the early 1980s, to the best of my recollection), when it was a popular destination for day-trips of an educational and enlightening nature.

Kirkstall Abbey is a monastery which was founded in the Middle Ages, and it is situated in the northern suburbs of Leeds. Although today's tourist attraction is basically a set of ruins, it is still a fascinating and thought-provoking place to encounter, exuding some eeriness, but also considerable grandeur and spirituality.  The abbey and its grounds are now surrounded by ordinary residential streets and the normal hubbub and noise of modern commercial activity, and this apparent incongruity only makes the tranquility (both then and now) of the former monastery seem more welcome and desirable....

As I slowly made my way through the various sections of the abbey, what crossed my mind was how the scale and intricacy of the architecture and structures, impressive as it is/was, throw into sharp relief the achievements of other, earlier civilizations in terms of engineering,building, logistics and sheer human effort, ingenuity and endeavour. On the face of it, the things constructed and operated by the Greeks, Romans, Egyptians and so forth, hundreds or even thousands of years before, were scarcely less advanced or complex than what was created there at Kirkstall Abbey.

The abbey is yet another of those places which makes me wish that I could have my time again, in order that I could train and work as an archaeologist or a historian! It was quite easy to visualize, looking at the ruins, what the scene would have been like all that time ago, as the monks went about their daily tasks and rituals. The state of some of the ruins also leaves plenty to the imagination, as one speculates what function such and such a row of stones might have fulfilled back when the monastery was active and vibrant.

My recent strolls around the ruins brought back memories of my childhood visits, and I sought in some respects to reproduce the atmosphere and spirit of those times, even to the point of buying myself an ice-cream (complete with chocolate flake!). Looking back, as a callow and somewhat shy youth I was insufficiently inquisitive or outward-looking to fully appreciate what I was seeing, or being told, about the abbey and its history. These virtues have only come to me in comparatively recent times. Better late than never, I'm forced to admit...

If you are staying in Leeds, or even just passing through, Kirkstall Abbey is well worth a quick visit.

Jorvik Viking Centre, York

Following on from my heightened interest in the Viking Age, on a recent visit to York I finally got around to paying a visit to the city's Jorvik Viking Centre.

The one thing which struck me at first was how small the premises appear to be, but there is plenty going on inside! I found the staff to be both cheerful and helpful.

Some of the emphasis is naturally on the role of York in the Viking Age, and on the numerous archaeological discoveries made in the city, but these elements are also placed in the context of the wider Viking Age and the world as it stood in those times.

Perhaps the highlight of the visit was the "ride" around a reconstruction of parts of the Viking-age city, complete with an informative and entertaining commentary. This excellently complemented the other exhibits in the centre.

I was pleased to see that the displays went into some detail about economic, social and cultural life in York, and elsewhere, during the Viking Age. The artefacts are well presented and explained. Effective use is made of multimedia and interactive features, and these go into some detail about topics such as lifestyles, health, domestic life and so forth.

I think that the Jorvik Viking Centre achieves a happy balance between the accessible and the academic. There is I would suggest something here for beginners, the casual visitor and also the more devoted student.

A benefit of the compact space is that the centre feels cohesive, with the result that the visitor comes away with a feeling that they have acquired some concentrated knowledge, and not just a cursory grasp of a range of subjects. I can imagine that the way in which things are presented here will encourage many people to engage in additional reading and study of the Vikings.

One thing which came through as I made my way through the exhibits was a sense that the people who put it together must have, in addition to extensive knowledge, a great passion about their subject and about the city of York and its rich and fascinating history.

The Jorvik Viking Centre is well worth a visit for anyone interested in history, and also for anyone passing through York.

The Trojan War - Barry Strauss

In my youth, the Trojan War was something of a staple in primary education, although the allure of Helen of Troy remained with me longer than the military or cultural niceties. The degree of historical truth seemed to matter little back then.

 

In more recent times, my increased interest in history of all periods has brought the story back into my orbit. I am currently working my way through Homer's Iliad, and was very pleased to come across Barry Strauss's book on the subject. My inclination, based on the available evidence, has generally been to be reasonably confident that some form of battle took place at the place cited, in the approximate time normally put forward, however much the tale might have been embellished and distorted later.

 

 

Importantly this book draws on more recent discoveries and evidence. The author's knowledge and enthusiasm for the whole ancient and Bronze Age world is palpable. I was impressed with the reasoned arguments which he employs, citing innumerable examples of events, traditions and tangible evidence found in the wider region, rather than just the narrow Aegean world.

Strauss rationalizes some of the more "fanciful" aspects of the "legend" in more believable and plausible terms, decoding some of the myths, superstition and symbolism for modern consumption. Things are thereby related in digestible and comprehensible form. Each stage of the battle is analysed in turn, helping to make it lean, compact and manageable.
 

This version includes the famous characters from the Iliad, whilst allowing that some of them might not have existed in the precise form cited in Homer, if at all. It doesn't adhere slavishly to the Homer line, pointing to instances where he may have exaggerated or demonstrated bias. Other sources, and the author's own conclusions and theories, are used to give the story shape and cohesion.

 

"The Trojan War" cuts through much of the dusty scholarship that can shroud topics such as this, to provide a breezy and concise telling. Strauss thankfully refrains from spending excessive time agonizing over the minutiae of "authenticity" and veracity, being decisive when he needs to be, imbuing the telling of the story with real clarity and energy. 

Interesting theories are ventured on the vexed question of the Trojan House. Whilst not totally ruling out the possibility that a wooden horse might have played some part, the author puts forward a plausible scenario whereby the "horse" of legend acts as a metaphor for some Greek trick,sleight of hand or deception, which provoked the opening of the gates of Troy.  Espionage perhaps?

Above all, I found this work informative, entertaining and quite absorbing.