The archaeological collections at York are probably the best provincial collection in Britain, with great but unrealized potential as a cultural resource. The earliest occupation of the area was post Roman and pre-9th century. Anglo-Scandinavian remains lie sufficiently deep to have avoided destruction by new buildings. Later levels include industrial and domestic structures of the 12th to 17th centuries. The Bedern excavations, in their seventh year (as of 1979) show the scale and extent of the work required to fully understand the archaeological history of a deeply stratified city center.