Cosmeston medieval Village

Archaeology team get to work at Medieval Village
THIS week, and until the end of July, a team of archaeologists led by Professor John Hines from Cardiff University School of History and Archaeology will be investigating the remains of the medieval manor house at Cosmeston Medieval Village.
Community volunteers will play a key part in these important investigations and are joining the team to look for evidence of the past and find out more about this unique Welsh historical site.
The dig site can be easily viewed from public footpaths in Cosmeston Country Park but FREE guided tours by archaeologists are also available at 11.30am and 2.30pm, Monday to Sunday, excluding Fridays, meeting at the main Visitor Centre.

Cosmeston Medieval Village Flickr link

Chester Roman well

Archaelogical excavation yields interesting finds

A Roman well has been unearthed on a Chester development site that will soon house a new Travelodge hotel.
Just two weeks of digging at the archaeological excavation on the junction of Upper Northgate Street and Delamere Street has already exposed a rock-cut Roman well, several large quarries, with at least one dating back to Roman times, and the remains of a whole pig.
The quarries, once redundant, became a convenient place to dump rubbish, which may prove to be excellent news for the archaeologists as the source of a great deal of information about how people lived their lives in previous times.
Many fragments of Roman and later pottery have also been recovered and a whole pig appears to have been thrown into one of the post medieval quarries.
Cheshire West and Chester archaeologists arranged for students from the University of Chester’s Archaeology programme, who worked with them at Grosvenor Park in May, to visit the commercial archaeological excavation in the centre of Chester, which is being carried out by Earthworks Archaeology, funded by Rufus Estates and monitored by the council’s team.
Jane Hebblewhite, community archaeologist at the council said: “Visits to urban commercial excavations are not always possible due to access and time constraints.  It is testimony to Earthworks’ and Rufus Estates’ understanding and flexibility to allow the students to come down on to site.
“Such a visit introduces the students to another element of field archaeology and gives them an excellent insight to the kind of challenges they might meet on an urban development.”
Leigh Dodd, site director for Earthworks Archaeology, took time to explain the archaeology to the students and the various issues that have to be considered when running a commercial archaeological excavation.
Leigh said: “The excavation means that the remains will be properly recorded before construction work starts. Once the excavation has been completed, the material from site will be analysed and dated and a full report will be produced.
“This project has been an excellent example of collaboration and cooperation between all parties involved in the development, and it has also given an opportunity to local archaeology students to gain a first-hand understanding of how archaeology works in the modern world.”
As the excavation continues for the next few weeks further exciting discoveries are anticipated.  This new information will form an important contribution to the understanding of the development and history of this part of Chester.
Although the site is not accessible to the general public, the archaeological investigation can be viewed from the main footpath

Stirling Castle Skeletons

Stirling Castle Skeleton Reveals Violent Life Of A Medieval Knight

Archaeologists believe that bones discovered at Stirling Castle may have belonged to a young knight killed in battle or during a siege.

Even though the warrior was probably only in his mid-20s he appears to have suffered several serious wounds in earlier fights.  Indeed, he may have been living for some time with a large arrowhead in his chest.

Bone re-growth around a dent in the front of the skull suggest he had recovered from a severe blow, possibly from an axe.  The fatal wound, however, occurred when something, possibly a sword, sliced through his nose and jaw.

The unknown warrior, who lived in or around the early 1400s, was laid to rest under the floor of a chapel near the castle’s royal apartments.

Peter Yeoman, Historic Scotland head of cultural resources, said: “We know little about this burial area but the evidence suggests it was sometimes used during extreme circumstances, for example to bury the dead during a siege.

“However, by using modern analysis techniques we have started to discover quite remarkable information about this man.

“It appears he died in his mid-20s after a short and violent life.

“His legs were formed in a way that was consistent with spending a lot of time on horseback, and the upper body points to someone who was well-muscled, perhaps due to extensive training with medieval weapons.

“This evidence, and the fact that he was buried at the heart of a royal castle, suggests he was a person of prestige, possibly a knight.”

The skeleton was excavated in 1997 when archaeologists were working in an area of the castle which turned out to be the site of a lost medieval royal chapel.

Some research was carried out at the time, and though the information gleaned was limited it was recognised that the remains were of interest and merited future study.

Advances in technology and analytical techniques led to a recent re-examination of the skeleton for which the results are now available.

This has included minute recording by laser scanning carried out by Colin Muir of Historic Scotland’s Technical Conservation Group.

In addition to the three serious wounds, it seems the man had also lost a number of teeth – perhaps from a blow, or a fall from a horse.

A large, tanged arrowhead was found in skeleton and appears to have struck through the back or under the arm.

Crystalised matter attached to the arrowhead may have been from flies or other insect larvae and could have been from clothing the arrow forced into the wound.

Gordon Ewart, of Kirkdale Archaeology, who carried out the excavation and some of the research for Historic Scotland, said: “This is a remarkable and important set of discoveries.

“There were a series of wounds, including a dent in the skull from a sword or axe, where bone had re-grown, showing that he had recovered.

“At first we had thought the arrow wound had been fatal but it now seems he had survived it and may have had his chest bound up.”

Little is known about who the man was or where he came from – he need not even have been a Scot.

Further study is planned on tooth enamel and bone samples which may shed light on his origins.

The man appeared to have been buried in the same grave as a small boy of one to three years old.

Archaeologists cannot be certain that the two were linked but radiocarbon dating suggests both date from the early 15th century, and there was no evidence of one grave having been cut through the other.

They were part of a group of 12 skeletons, some highly fragmentary, which were discovered.

Among them was a female, probably buried some time in the 13th century, who had two neat, square holes through her skull which were consistent with blows from a war hammer.

The excavation which revealed the skeletons was part of the long-term Historic Scotland project to discover more about the castle’s past and to inform its work to further enhance its appeal as a world-class visitor attraction.

The angle and nature of the fatal facial blow suffered by the knight may indicate that he was on the ground when he was struck.
Some wounds may not have been related to combat, but from other risky activities, such as falls from horses while hunting or injuries from jousts and foot tournaments.
The area of the castle where the bones were discovered is now known as the Governor’s Kitchen. There was strong evidence that this was built around a medieval structure. There are known to have been several chapels at the castle, one dedicated to St Michael.
Most of the upstanding buildings at the castle are from the 16th century Renaissance period and so the chapel discovery gave a rare glimpse of what existed here at an earlier stage.
The Chapel Royal built in 1594 is some distance from this older chapel, on the north side of the Inner Close, adjacent to the Great Hall.

Berkeley Castle

TV archaeologists join students for dig at Berkeley Castle

WELL-KNOWN TV archaeologists have joined students to see if they can dig up some dirt on Berkeley Castle’s torrid past.
Under the supervision of Prof Mark Horton, from BBC TV’s Coast [and remember 'Bonekickers??], and Dr Stuart Prior from Channel 4’s Time Team, undergraduate students from the Department of Archaeology and Anthropology at the University of Bristol have been excavating archaeological remains from the grounds of Berkeley Castle.
The Berkeley Castle Project (BCP) is a long-term archaeological research project, which was launched in early 2005, with the castle as the focus of its fieldwork.
The BCP study areas for 2009 comprise Nelme’s Paddock, The Edward Jenner Museum Garden [*] and  St Mary’s Churchyard, but has also expanded into the beer garden of The Berkeley Arms.
Prof Horton said: “It is so exciting to be doing such a major project at Berkeley – every day reveals something completely new and unexpected, and we are able rewrite the history of the castle, the town and its anglo-saxon antecedants.”
So far in Nelme’s Paddock, the largest of this year’s sites, Prof Horton has identified a suite of medieval buildings, with a central hearth with a series of small rooms.
“This could be medieval workshops, as we have found evidence of industrial activity, but we’ve also found pottery, which indicates some residential use too,” he said.
In addition a treasure of artefacts have been found such as Anglo Saxon coins dated between 694-750 AD, dress hooks and buckles from the same period, as well as Roman coins from the 2nd to 4th century.
This year’s dig finishes on Friday, but the University of Bristol will be returning to the sites in July with Summer School students.

* Saxon nunnery found at Edward Jenner Museum

Ridgeway Hill skeletons

From my roving reporter:

Dozens of decapitated bodies found in mass Roman war grave unearthed on the route of Olympic Highway [lots of pics]
A 2,000-year-old war grave crammed with up to 50 headless bodies has been uncovered by workers digging a new road for the Olympics.
The Iron Age victims found in the ancient burial site are thought to have been slaughtered by the invading Romans in about AD43.
All of them had been decapitated and some had their limbs hacked off. It has been discovered in the heart of Thomas Hardy country, on  Ridgeway Hill near Weymouth, Dorset.
The site is being dug up to make way for a so-called Olympic Highway, an £87million relief road in time for the 2012 games.
The burial site is close to Maiden Castle – Europe’s largest Iron Age hill fort where the local Celtic tribe are said to have staged their last stand against General Vespasian and his Roman legion after the invasion.
Vespasian led a force south-westwards for Emperor Claudius. His aim was to secure coastal ports and harbours, as well as tin and silver mines in Cornwall and Somerset.
Along the way, he captured 20 hill forts – including Maiden Castle, according to archaeologist Mortimer Wheeler.
The archaeological record shows he got as far as Exeter and probably reached Bodmin.
Mr Wheeler created a vivid story about the fall of Maiden Castle to Roman forces, based on a so-called ‘war cemetery’ he discovered close to the fort.
He believed a legion wreaked destruction on the site, butchering men, women, and children, before setting fire to the castle.
While there was little archaeological evidence to support this version of events or even that the hill fort was attacked by the Romans, the discovery of the mass grave could change the historical assessment.
Archaeologists are waiting to carry out radio-carbon testing on the newly discovered butchered remains but believe the skeletons could be young local men killed by Roman soldiers.
Dave Score, project manager for  Oxford Archaeology [pics] which is managing the dig, said it was a ‘remarkable and exciting’ discovery.
He said: ‘We have found a large pit about six metres in diameter. We have counted 45 skulls so far, these are in one section of the pit, and several torsos and leg bones in separate sections of the pit.
‘We believe they date from the end of the Iron Age going into the Roman period.
‘At the moment we don’t fully understand how or why the remains have come to be deposited in the pit.
‘But it is clear some kind of catastrophic event such as a major conflict or mass execution has taken place and this is a war grave of some kind.
‘The heads have been removed and other body parts have been chopped up. We don’t yet know if this was before or after death or was some kind of ritual.
‘The pit is very close to Maiden Castle, which was a major Iron Age fort. If the victims were Roman we would have expected to find Roman artefacts in the pit, like hobnails from shoes.
‘Our gut feeling is that this is the result of a conflict between Iron Age local people and Roman soldiers.’
Mr Score said he and his team were looking forward to carrying out more excavations and tests to find out more about the mass grave.
He said: ‘Clearly this is a remarkable and very exciting find. It is exciting in terms of the type of deposit.
‘It is rare to find a burial site like this one. A pit like that with so many bodies and treated in that way and all piled up in one is very unusual.
‘There are lots of different types of burial where skeletons may be aligned along a compass axis or in a crouched position, but to find something like this is just incredible.
‘We are still working on carefully recording and recovering all of the skeletons, which will be taken back to our offices in Oxford for detailed analysis, and trying to piece together the extraordinary story behind these remains.’
Andy Ackerman, Dorset County Council’s head of highways, said: ‘I’d ask members of the public to continue to stay away from the archaeological works.
‘The burial pit is within the construction site, which can be a dangerous environment for anyone not trained in site safety.’
The site has been fenced off and is under 24-hour security due to the unique nature of the find, he said.
Archaeological finds from the Weymouth Relief Road project will be put on show at a Dorset museum after they have been analysed and catalogued.
Weymouth and Portland will host all the sailing events at the 2012 Olympics.
Maiden Castle is a hill fort on the site of a Neolithic causewayed enclosure and bank barrow.
After being used for growing crops in about 1,800BC, in the Bronze Age, the hill top was abandoned.
Maiden Castle was built in around 600BC. This early phase was a simple and unremarkable site, covering 16 acres and was similar to many other hill forts.
However, in around 450BC, it underwent major expansion. The enclosed area was nearly tripled in size to 47 acres, making it the largest hill fort in Britain. At the same time, with the addition of further ramparts and ditches, its defences were made more complex.
Towards the end of the 1st millennium BC, the hill fort shrank and settlement became focused at the eastern end of Maiden Castle.
The fort was occupied until at least the Roman period. However after the Roman conquest of Britain in the 1st century AD, the site appears to have been abandoned.
Before this, the Romans may have had a military presence on the site. In the late 4th century AD, a temple and ancillary buildings were built. In the 6th century AD the hill top was abandoned and was used for agriculture in the medieval period.
Although there is a layer of charcoal, it is associated with the iron works, and the main evidence for slighting of defences comes from the collapse of an entranceway to the fort.
A total of 14 bodies in the cemetery exhibited signs of a violent death, but there is no evidence that they died at Maiden Castle.
The eastern part of the hill fort remained in use for at least the first few decades of the Roman occupation, although the duration and nature of habitation is uncertain.
Many 1st-century Roman artefacts have been discovered near the east entrance and in the centre of the hill fort.
At the same time that the castle was abandoned, Durnovaria (Dorchester) rose to prominence as the civitas, or regional capital, of the Durotriges, a Celtic tribe.
Hill fort studies were popularised in the 19th century by Augustus Pitt Rivers. Maiden Castle has inspired composer  John Ireland and author Thomas Hardy to write about the place.
In the 1930s, Mr Wheeler undertook the first archaeological excavations at Maiden Castle, raising its profile among the public.
Further excavations were carried out under Niall Sharples, further expanding understanding of the site and repairing damage caused in part by large numbers of visitors to Maiden Castle.
Today, the site is protected as a Scheduled Ancient Monument and is maintained by English Heritage.

Jamestown slate

Slate tablet found at Jamestown
Archaeologists have pulled a 400-year-old slate tablet from what they think was an original well at Jamestown, a historic preservation group announced yesterday.
The slate is covered with faint inscriptions of local birds, flowers, a tree and caricatures of men, along with letters and numbers, according to Preservation Virginia, which jointly operates the dig site with the National Park Service. It was found May 11 at the center of James Fort, which was established in 1607 and makes Jamestown the first permanent English settlement in North America.
Research director William Kelso said the inscriptions were made with a slate pencil on the 4-inch-by-8-inch slate. The writings were wiped off, but they left grooves on the surface, he said.
“There were things written over things, written over things,” Kelso said.
Workers at NASA’s Langley Research Center put the slate through three-dimensional digital analysis so they could decipher its pictures and text. The imaging system normally is used to inspect materials for aerospace use.
An eagle and a heron appeared on the slate, along with three types of plants, which haven’t been identified. A depiction of lions — the British armorial sign in the early 1600s — indicates that the writer could have been a government official, Kelso said.
The phrase “A minon of the finest sorte” also appears on the slate, and Kelso said “minon” may have been an alternate spelling of “minion,” possibly referring to a cannon or a servant.
The artifact shows the high level of interest the English settlers had in the New World’s flora and fauna, Kelso said. The archaeology team thinks that someone probably started the artwork and writing in England and added to the slate over time after arriving in the new colony of Virginia.
The archaeologists think a colonist deposited the tablet into what’s believed to be the “well of sweet water” built by Captain John Smith during the winter of 1608-09, according to Preservation Virginia. Historic records indicate that the water had gone bad by 1610 and might have contributed to numerous settlers’ deaths during what was known as the “starving time” of 1609-10.
Archaeologists dated the slate based on the site’s history and the discovery of coins dated 1601-02 among the items. Colonists used the well as a trash pit after the water became fouled, Kelso said. Records show it was covered up in 1611 until archaeologists began to find 17th-century objects at the site recently.

More about Jamestown and its English connections

Witch bottles

Witch bottle is uncorked to discover spellbinding content
A fear of witchcraft prevailed in 17th-century Britain

Take a small heart-shaped piece of leather, a handful of iron nails, eight brass pins, a lock of hair, some nail clippings, a pinch of navel fluff and place them in a bottle. Then add a pint of urine, seal the bottle and bury it by your front door — this is the recipe for warding off a witch’s curse.
An analysis of the contents of the first witch bottle to be found with its cork intact has cast light on the fear of witchcraft in the 17th century.
The theory behind the witch bottle was that by placing the items and bodily fluids in a bottle, the evil spell could not only be diverted but would also rebound on the witch.
The bottle, which was found at a building site in Greenwich, southeast London, in 2004, was the first of more than 200 witch bottles discovered that still had its contents intact.
It was sent to Alan Massey, a retired chemistry lecturer from Loughborough, who has examined half a dozen witch bottles. Dr Massey said: “We threw every test we could devise at it.”
The analysis took 12 months to complete. Before the salt glaze bottle was opened, it was X-rayed and put through a CT scanner, which showed that its contents included bent iron nails and an unidentified liquid, some of which was drawn off by inserting a syringe through the cork.
Tests determined that the liquid was 300-year-old urine and traces of nicotine indicated that it had come from a smoker. The ten nail parings were examined under a microscope and were found to be those of an adult.
Mike Pitts, editor of British Archaeology, which has published the results of Dr Massey’s analysis, said: “From their size, they probably came from a male and they were well manicured so he was from a higher social class. It is possible that we could one day identify him from DNA analysis and the location of the discovery.”
The small leather heart was pierced by one of the iron nails. There were traces of sulphur, then known as brimstone, and what is thought to be navel fluff. The other objects may have had ritual significance or been associated with the person who filled the jar.
Mr Pitts said: “This is a relic of early modern Britain. There is documentary evidence of how people were advised to make witch bottles but this is the first that has been subjected to rigorous scientific analysis.”
Other charms placed in houses to ward off evil spirits are occasionally discovered during renovations, including children’s shoes and dead cats. The practice continued into the early 20th century.
Witch bottles are much rarer. Dr Massey believes that the bottle he examined dates from the last quarter of the 17th century.
He said: “When I first heard about witch bottles I assumed that you had to catch a witch and make her wee in it. But of course it is much easier and makes more sense to do it yourself, based on the ‘scientific theory’ behind it.”
Most witch bottles are heavy stoneware wine flagons from the Rhineland known as bellarmines after the French cardinal whose face was traditionally embossed on the neck. When the import of bellarmines ceased glass bottles were used, although fewer have survived.

Current Archaeology Feature : How to kill a witch – The Reigate witch bottle
The Bottesford Witches, Bellarmine Witch Bottles
Museum of London

MoLas: Holywell Witch Bottle
Kent Archaeological Review: Bellarmine jug by J. E. L. Caiger

Kent Archaeological Review: Witch Bottle found at Hoath by H. E Gough

Kent Archaeological Review: The Old Vicarage, Upchurch, and the Discovery of Leather Shoes by Michael Moad.

Cornish witch bottles

BBC News Lincolnshire
Apotropaios

New Scientist

The Museum of Witchcraft
Wiltshire Heritage

Sutton Hoo 70th Anniversary

Sutton Hoo: How the EADT broke the story [Includes links to Original EADT story from 1939]
THE fabulous Sutton Hoo discovery gave the EADT one of its biggest “scoops” – but we almost missed the boat (no pun intended).

Because of fears over the security of the site, Ralph Wilson, the managing editor of the EADT and Evening Star, had agreed to a news blackout on the story until such time as all the priceless treasure had been made safe.

That was fine, until word inevitably started leaking out, mainly at the London end. The curator of Ipswich Museum then had a conversation with Mr Wilson, during which he voiced his fears about two things: Firstly, that “Fleet Street’ would break the story first, and secondly that the big London museums would take all the glory, and the real hero, Basil Brown, would be forgotten.

Spurred into action, Mr Wilson briefed his chief reporter, Herbert Bowden, about the story of a lifetime.

He then supposedly locked the startled journalist in the old boardroom at the EADT’s Victorian premises in Carr Street, Ipswich, while he wrote the story.

He was operating working on the premise that reporters like nothing more than telling everyone about a good story!

Bowden worked long into the night to produce his epic, before being “released” and allowed to go home – where he found his wife had given birth to a baby. So, a world exclusive and a baby in one night!

Footnote: The above is based on hearsay passed down from one generation to the next at the EADT. As far as I know, the story has never been written down. So, if this version contains the odd exaggeration, please forgive me!

[Photos from the National Trust's Sutton Hoo 70th Anniversary Garden Party (part of the 'Sutton Hoo' set) on my Flickr site, on the sidebar]

Seal of Mary Queen of Scots

Divers discover wreck of ship sent to help Bonnie Prince Charlie

Divers believe they have discovered a ship which was sent to help Bonnie Prince Charlie after his defeat at the battle of Culloden in 1746.

Researchers have started an underwater excavation project at the site of an 18th Century vessel that foundered off Anglesey and is thought to have been carrying gold and supplies from the King of France.
It is thought the ship dates from the time that the Young Pretender was hiding on the Scottish Islands after the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745.
Kevin McCormac, a professional diver, was exploring the seabed off Porth Dafarch Beach on Holy Island, when he uncovered a tiny copper disc.
The disc was found more than fifteen years ago and was initially dismissed as a worthless coin. Considered completely unremarkable and valueless, it was left to languish in a drawer.
Years later Mr McCormac’s father, veteran Liverpool-based diver Joe McCormack, was encouraged to have the disc examined by experts at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh.
Microscopic examination showed it is an identical duplicate of the seal on the signet ring worn by Mary Queen of Scots at her execution. That priceless ring is kept at The British Museum.
The fact that this unique seal was recovered from the site of a wreck, together with historical research, suggests it may have be carried on one of several privateer vessels sent by Louis XV of France, to supply or rescue Charles Edward Stewart “Bonnie Prince Charlie”, in the aftermath of his defeat at the Battle of Culloden in 1745.
Louis XV was the chief sponsor and financier of the 1745 Jacobite Rebellion – Bonnie Prince Charlie’s armed attempt to seize the thrones of Scotland and England.
King Louis XV sent a number of ships laden with supplies to support Charlie while he was in hiding. Two named “Le Mars” and “La Bellone” were laden with a huge quantity of gold and weapons.
These two vessels never reached the defeated Scotsman. They were intercepted and damaged in an encounter with the English Navy, after which they limped back to France with their valuable cargoes.
Work is now under way to fully explore the site in a unique project that will see access gained via a flight of scaffolding erected down the rugged cliff face.
Earthcore Ltd and Maritime Resurgence Ltd are Salvors in Possession of the site, having devised a plan to approach the wreck from a scaffolding platform that will be erected down the cliff face, allowing access at all times of the tide and even in adverse weather.

Click Liverpool [pics]

Times Online

Whitehall Farm villa ‘bouncers’

1,400 year old skeletons found in Northamptonshire

Experts believe eight 1,400-year-old skeletons found in a Northamptonshire burial ground could be German mercenaries hired by wealthy land owners to protect their property. Samples of bones unearthed at the ancient site at  Whitehall Farm, in Nether Heyford, have been carbon dated by experts in New Zealand, who said they originated from the fifth and sixth centuries.

Volunteers and archaeologists, who have been studying the area for more than 10 years, hope this discovery could lead to a better understanding of who lived in the area after previous excavations in the village uncovered Roman bath houses and artefacts.

Nick Adams, who owns the farm, said: “It’s very interesting that we have some bodies that are fifth century and we’ve got to try to establish who they might have been.

“It’s a little bit after the traditional end of the Roman period and we need to try to find out what the connection is.

“They could be Roman Britons or they may have been Germans who were brought in as mercenaries as protection for the bigger estates.”

Mr Adams added the researchers believed the Saxon cemetery may have been a private family burial ground where people were buried with “grave goods” such as daggers, brooches and rings.

He said the findings might also lead the archaeologists to Roman cemeteries, which were typically difficult to find, to reveal more of the site’s history.

The next stage of the research, which has been led by site director Stephen Young, from The University of Northampton, could include DNA testing to produce more clues about the origins of the bodies.

Mercenaries brought in to defend estate
Early settlers in Nether Heyford inhabited the village for at least 500 years, the archaeology team believe.

The estate, which may have eventually been protected by German mercenaries, included two roundhouses, villas and bathhouses, as well as private cemeteries for the family that lived there in the fifth and sixth centuries.

Stephen Young, site director, said: “Right at the end of this Roman period, during the breakdown of Roman rule, we’ve got people being bought on to the estate who may have been of Anglo-Saxon origin to defend the villas and estates.

“It’s like having your own home-grown bouncers.

“The estate may have been converted right into the early fifth century from what has been a Roman farm into a more Germanic settlement, and these people would have had their keep and needs.”

The burials of the family, believed to have included a woman, two men, an adolescent and a baby, indicate they were early Christians who would have also farmed the land.

The belongings left in their graves also point to their status within the family and future DNA test results are expected to confirm their origins.