What happened to the bodies? Little is known of the way bodies were cleared after ancient battles but it is believed that the process was thorough. The remains of the warriors were generally treated with respect although there is evidence that it was a year or more before the bones were laid to rest. Meanwhile the weapons and garments of the fallen were collected. Metal and fabric were too valuable to be abandoned.

The total casualties probably exceeded 1000. No mass graves have been discovered. A group of 11 burials with battle wounds have been excavated by a church near the city gate and dated to the time of the battle on the site of the modern Novotel.

 The soil is shallow so burial would have been impossible and the flooding, time and the acidic conditions would have removed all traces of human remains.

So what happened?

Five days elapsed before king Harald and earl Tostig entered York for a 'Thing' or council and the City surrendered.

But the really interesting discoveries were from the thousands of bit of rusty iron. We began to learn what they did after the battle.