Beyond The Raid: The People of Lindisfarne

Lindisfarne is one of the world’s most famous ancient monasteries. Everyone knows about that fateful day when it was raided by Vikings in AD 793. But what happened next?

Archaeology has revealed the cemetery where a population who lived through the raid was buried. Crowdfund this project to unlock their stories, and for the unique opportunity to join our osteology team in the lab at Durham University.

Over the last 10 years, people from all over the world have joined the archaeological dig led by DigVentures and Durham University to help gather the evidence needed to reconstruct what early medieval life was like on Lindisfarne before, during, and after the Viking raid.

Now, it’s time to analyse all the evidence – and you can get involved to help us do it.

Among many other discoveries, including workshops, structures, and artefacts, these excavations have also revealed a vast cemetery for a population whose lives continued after the raid.

While most burials have been left in place, a carefully selected sample have been lifted for conservation and further analysis.

These remains hint that Lindisfarne’s story is far richer than we thought. Beyond destruction, they show us evidence of survival, adaptation, and continued activity well beyond the devastating Viking raid.

These discoveries challenge us to look beyond the raid and explore what life was really like for the people who called Lindisfarne home.

With your help, we can complete the in-depth osteological analysis that will reveal their stories. It’s time to piece the evidence together and find out who lived here, and what they can reveal about what really happened to the population before, during, and after the raid.

Will you help us do it?

Among the recovered remains, some individuals stand out because of the way they were buried: interred in a wooden chest, placed in a cist or stone-lined grave, buried with a wooden boat, or accompanied by rare finds like golden thread.

Others are distinctive because they show signs of injury, disease, or wear and tear from a life of activity.

Were these people with a special status? Survivors of the raid? Pilgrims who came to seek healing? What led to them being buried differently from everyone else?

Scientific analysis of such distinctive burials can provide intriguing clues about the make-up of the island’s medieval community, their culture, beliefs, and traditions, and even unlock notable lives and key moments in Lindisfarne’s story.

You can help by sponsoring the analysis of a distinctive burial, or by joining our osteologists in the lab to learn more.

While individuals buried in a distinctive style, or showing signs of violent injury, might be the ones that capture headlines, the true heart of Lindisfarne’s story lies in its everyday people.

Most were buried in the same style: no coffins, grave goods, markers, or decoration. Many are also fragmentary, disturbed by centuries of continued burial and activity, including farming, ploughing, and even later periods of construction.

Although only bones are left to tell their story, they are no less interesting. These are the families, workers, monks, and pilgrims who rebuilt, adapted, and continued their lives on Lindisfarne in ways we are only just beginning to understand.

They were ordinary people living through an extraordinary time, whose lives go unrecorded in the history books.

There are over 20,000 fragments and nearly 100 individuals to examine. By doing so, we can build up a picture of the community’s origins, health, and lifestyle, and reveal a population that seems far more diverse, resilient, and active than traditional narratives would tell us.

You can help us do it by crowdfunding at any level, or by joining our osteologists in the lab to learn more.

What You’re Funding

• Expert analysis by osteologists who will determine age, sex, health, stature, signs of injury, disease, and dental wear patterns that may reveal diet and lifestyle
• Additional scientific tests, including isotopic analysis to trace geographic origins and diet, radiocarbon dating, ancient DNA, and more…
• Professional conservation and ethical handling throughout
• Detailed reporting of all data and results, which can take up to 18-24 months to complete
• Open access publication, making all findings freely available for further study by academics, historians, and anyone curious
• Digital Archive and Virtual Museum making our discoveries accessible to global audiences
• Schools Engagement, providing interactive and hands-on classroom sessions for local schools, designed to inspire the next generation! If you’re a local school, get in touch to register your interest!
• Respectful reinterment on Lindisfarne of all remains when analysis is complete

The handling and analysis of all human remains follows the British Association for Biological Anthropology and Osteoarchaeology Codes of Ethics and Practice. All remains will be respectfully reinterred on Lindisfarne upon completion of the research.

Why We Need You

For 10 years, our crowdfunded excavations on Lindisfarne have been supported by people who share our curiosity about the past. Together, we’ve uncovered a story that’s more complex and fascinating than anyone expected.

Now we need your help for the final phase. The fieldwork is complete, the remains have been carefully assessed, quantified, and conserved and are now ready for analysis. But detailed osteological research requires specialist expertise and scientific testing that we can only fund with your support.

We believe these stories should be accessible to everyone. That’s why we’re inviting you to be part of the process – to follow the discoveries as they unfold and learn alongside our experts. You’ll gain insight into how they study human remains, understanding the methods, reasoning, and limitations behind their work.

How You Can Get Involved

• Pay What You Can (£10-£50+) Support the research and receive the final report, as well as behind-the-scenes updates, plus an embroidered ‘Badge of Honour’ for anyone who contributes £50 or more.
• Study the Population (£150) Ensure the forgotten voices of Lindisfarne are finally heard by funding the analysis of typical and fragmented burials. Receive all the above, plus a personalised population report and updates on key findings as they emerge.
• Sponsor a Distinctive Burial (£300) Unlock individual stories by funding the analysis and potential further scientific testing of one of our distinctive burials. Receive all the above, plus a detailed report on the indivudal burial you sponsored, and a special livestream to learn more with our osteologists.
• Be an Osteologist (£450) Spend two days in Durham University’s lab, learning hands-on osteology skills and techniques, discovering how experts analyse human remains.
• Be an Osteologist PRO (£1,200) Six days of intensive training and hands-on learning, where you can develop your skills and be part of a team rewriting Lindisfarne’s story.

What We’ll Discover… Together

Instead of focusing on Viking destruction, this is archaeology that can change the narrative. These bones can help us tell a story of survival, continuity, and resilience – creating history from the perspective of those who lived through it.

This research will add depth to our understanding of this crucial period. Our key research themes include:

• Travel, migration, and pilgrimage: Did this cemetery include travellers and pilgrims? Do the remains reveal an international community?
• Life before and after AD 793: Did the population change over time? Are there significant differences in who was buried and how – before, during, and after the raid?
• Health and healing: What evidence exists for medical knowledge and healing practices that made Lindisfarne renowned? Was there a common ailment among the population?
• Diet and lifestyle: Did living on Lindisfarne influence disease and nutritional health among its inhabitants? Were they well-fed and making the most of their marine resources?
• Community and tradition: What can the burials tell us about the population and their world views? What patterns will emerge in burial styles?
• Families and relationships: Were some individuals related? And why do some appear to be buried together or close to one another?
• Death and injury: Why are some individuals wounded? How did they die? Will injuries among the buried reveal the hardships of working life on the island, or will they tell of a more significant, violent event?
• Burial style: Why were some people buried differently – in a chest, cist, or shroud? What does it tell us about who they were?
• Daily life: What was it really like to live during this pivotal moment in British history?

Our analysis will study not only individuals but the wider community of Lindisfarne, providing clues about their daily lives, social structure, and religious practices, giving us insights into the movements of the early medieval population and the wider forces at play during this period.

Join Us in Uncovering the Past

Historical narratives have often focused on dramatic moments: raids, battles, and political upheavals. But archaeology can give us insight into the experiences of ordinary people, revealing how communities adapted, survived, and continued their traditions through times of change.

The people buried in Lindisfarne’s medieval cemetery lived through one of the most famous events in British history. Understanding their lives, their health, and their community can help us appreciate the full complexity of this remarkable period.

Help us tell their story and understand their world.

The handling and analysis of all human remains follows the British Association for Biological Anthropology and Osteoarchaeology Codes of Ethics and Practice. All remains will be respectfully reinterred on Lindisfarne upon completion of the research.