An ancient fragment of decorated leather has appeared from the land of North Yorkshire. This is what workers of the British county have found while engaged in excavations to upgrade the electricity grid near the town of Aldwark. The leather fragment is fifteen centimetres long and ten or so tall. In the centre there is a decoration, a sort of engraving that represents an animal similar to a dragon. According to experts from the York Archaeological Trust, the find could date back to the Middle Ages. “Finding a piece of York’s past, while investing in the future of the city, is really exciting – comments Mike Hammond, general manager of North Powergrid, the company building the new electricity grid -. We have been working closely with the York Archaeological Trust in the phases of replacing high voltage cables in the towns of Aldwark, Goodramgate and Deangate, but we didn’t expect to unearth something so interesting. At the moment we are working closely with the institution to ensure the restoration and conservation of the leather fragment, which seems to have come straight out of Game of Thrones, with its medieval design inspired by dragons”. The study “Leather and Leatherworking in Anglo-Scandinavian and Medieval York” published by The Archeology of York in 1993 and developed by scholars Quita Mold, Ian Carlisle and Esther Cameron investigates and tells precisely the spread of leather processing practices in these territories. In the Middle Ages leather was in fact one of the most important materials for its strength and flexibility. Over the years many leather goods, but also tools used for leather processing, have been found in York as a testimony to the great use made of leather for making clothes and accessories used in everyday life.
In the UK, a flap of medieval leather that seems to come out of Game of Thrones has been found
