Monday, February 28, 2005
Market's medieval site documented
Work to document the medieval remains of Norwich market begins on Monday.
The current refurbishment of the site will lower the ground level by two feet and mean most medieval deposits will be lost forever.
Experts from the Norfolk Archaeological Unit will record any special features and finds.
The market, established between 1071 and 1074, is one of the oldest and largest in England. Its refurbishment will be completed by the end of 2005.
BBC News
# posted by David Beard @ 11:54 AM 
Russia refuses to give up Trojan treasure
Moscow - A legendary collection of gold objects from ancient Troy that was seized by Soviet troops in Berlin in 1945 should become Russian government property, a top cultural official said in an interview published on Saturday.
Anatoly Vilkov, deputy chief of the Russian agency that preserves the nation's cultural legacy, stopped short of ruling out the possibility the objects could return under certain conditions.
The gold collection - named after Hermann Schliemann, the amateur German archaeologist who excavated it - will be made Russian federal property after it is inventoried, Vilkov said, according to Moskovsky Komsomolets newspaper. The gold then could be exhibited in Germany.
"In line with the law on transferred valuables, everything that the Soviet Union took as compensation, which includes Schliemann's gold as well, is not subject to return," Vilkov was quoted as saying.
IOL
# posted by David Beard @ 11:48 AM
French Castles Go Private
France is planning to privatize 178 historical castles and monuments. But regional authorities fear they may get saddled with decrepit and indebted buildings that can't support themselves.
The monastery of Montmajour with its mighty 14th century keep is not far from the city of Arles in southern France. It can be seen from afar and is of great renown. Van Gogh painted it many times. Yet, it doesn't make any money: In 2002, it carried a deficit of €46,000 ($61,000). The amount of debts almost trebled within one year, rising to €131,000 in 2003. Thus, the monastery has become a business of subsidies, which the French government would like to be rid of.
In the course of its decentralization policy, France aims to cede parts of its national cultural heritage to the administrative sovereignty of provinces and local authorities -- for free.
Deutsche Welle
# posted by David Beard @ 11:46 AM
Teenagers held after church fire
Four teenage boys have been arrested following a fire that caused thousands of pounds worth of damage to one of Cornwall's oldest churches.
Emergency crews were called to the Lansallos Church, near Polperro, late on Saturday afternoon.
A 16-year-old from Looe, and three 14 year olds from Fowey, Looe and Truro are being held in Plymouth on suspicion of arson.
BBC News
# posted by David Beard @ 11:43 AM
Sunday, February 27, 2005
Historic Scotland restores cradle of Scottish Christianity at Whithorn
SOME 100 years before Saint Col umba established his monas tery at Iona, when the British Isles were only just beginning to feel the tremors of the fall of the Roman empire, St Ninian arrived in Galloway and established a religious community among the Celtic peoples of what would later become southern Scotland.
Around 1600 years after Ninian established his base at Whithorn, what has been termed the cradle of Christianity in Scotland is about to get the setting it is due. Historic Scotland, in charge of the country’s ancient monuments, has conducted a £250,000 renovation of its Whithorn site to help promote Scotland’s earliest connection with the Christian faith.
Among the treasures of the restored site, due to open next month on Good Friday, March 25, are about 60 carved stones from the fifth to 10th centuries AD, which offer a glimpse into the world of southern Scotland at a time when shifting patterns of peoples ruled the region and the power of the Church was far from assured.
The stones, which survive in sizes from fragments to crosses two metres tall, many inscribed with runes and carvings, would have been erected as markers in the landscape, proclaiming Christian and secular power .
Sunday Herald
# posted by David Beard @ 6:20 PM
Medieval church damaged in fire
A fire is thought to have caused thousands of pounds worth of damage to one of Cornwall's oldest churches.
Emergency crews were called to the Lansallos Church, near Polperro, late on Saturday afternoon.
About 45 firefighters tackled the blaze and managed to save 60% of the roof on the 14th Century building.
No-one was injured in the incident, but police described it as "serious and suspicious". An investigation into the cause of the fire is under way.
BBC News
# posted by David Beard @ 6:17 PM
Perthshire Archaeology Week events unveiled
Perthshire (Scotland) boasts a wealth of prehistoric monuments, the legacy of Roman occupation, ancient burgh towns, picturesque castles and long-abandoned hidden settlements and a nine-day programme of events - set to start on May 28 and run until June 5 - should offer a little insight into each. A host of opportunities will be presented to those with an interest in the past including excavations, exhibitions, walks and talks. The programme of Pertshire Archaeology Week will take participants on a journey of discovery through prehistoric, Roman and medieval Scotland, touching on Arthurian legend, Pictish sculpture, Celtic missionaries and Shakespeare on the way. Over 30 events will take place throughout the area at venues including the Scottish Crannog Centre and Perth Museum and Art Gallery.
Stone Pages
# posted by David Beard @ 6:16 PM
Saturday, February 26, 2005
Royal Tara extends well beyond the hill
WE strongly reject the implication that we have ‘hoodwinked’ the public into thinking that the proposed road goes over the Hill of Tara, contained in recent testimony to the Oireachtas Committee on Transport.
We have always made it clear that our concerns are about the impact such a development would have on the archaeological and historical landscape around the Hill of Tara.
Our detailed archaeological, historical and literary analyses, carried out to the highest professional standards, has demonstrated the immediate hinterland of the Hill of Tara to be the so-called royal estate or demesne (ferann ríg) of Tara. Royal estates are recognised in early Irish law (see Fergus Kelly’s Early Irish Farming, 403-4, 1997). There is incontrovertible evidence of a royal estate associated with the kingship of Tara.
Independent of the historical identification of this special area, archaeological analysis has revealed physical evidence for the definition of a wider landscape around the Hill of Tara.
This definition is accepted by professional archaeologists, historians, historical geographers and Celticists worldwide. Our remit is the analysis, definition and protection of historic monuments and places. There is universal agreement among professionals that the Hill of Tara is but one component of a uniquely important landscape and that, as configured, the proposed M3 will impact directly on it.
We believe this can, and should, be avoided so that the people of this part of Co Meath can have their traffic problems resolved while at the same time preserving the unique cultural landscape around Tara.
Tara, in its entirety, is of local, national and international importance.
Conor Newman
Department of Archaeology, NUI Galway
Edel Bhreathnach
Micheál Ó Cléirigh Institute, UCD
Joe Fenwick
Department of Archaeology, NUI Galway
Irish Examiner
See also The Save Tara/Skryne Valley Campaign
# posted by David Beard @ 6:20 PM
We force council to reveal ship bill
THE Newport med-ieval ship has cost more than £3.7m so far, according to documents released under pressure from the Argus. The excavation was £362,848 but there were a series of additonal costs taking the total up to £455,000. The viewing chamber at the Riverfront theatre added £1.8m and compensation to contractors delayed while the ship was unearthed cost £1.3m. The Argus had to use the new Freedom of Inform-ation Act to force the council to reveal the figures, which show for the first time the huge total cost of the discovery. The council said the figures include an "allowance" for the recent legal settlement with archaelogists from Gwent-Glamorgan Archaeological Trust claiming £118,438 in unpaid fees.
And this month the council warned that it alone cannot pay the annual £300,000 needed for the coming years to analyse and maintain the timbers.
Charles Ferris, of the Friends of Newport Ship, said: "The lion's share of these costs is the viewing chamber and the delay to the contractors. Neither is really the ship's fault.
"The council should have taken out insurance to cover the delay costs. And is the viewing chamber the right place for the ship?
This is Gwent
# posted by David Beard @ 6:18 PM
MAKING HISTORY
Grimsby's most exciting historical discoveries to date could be made this year.
The remains of buildings and rubbish pits - possibly dating back to the 11th century - forming the medieval town centre could be revealed if work on a £15-million housing scheme goes ahead. Clues to how ancient Grimbarians lived and what they ate could be uncovered during excavations in Garth Lane.
Initial two-metre deep excavations have already revealed remains of pottery and floors of buildings from the 13th and 14th century.
This is Grimsby
# posted by David Beard @ 6:17 PM
DIGGING DEEP TO REVEAL HISTORY
Old pots and drains may not sound exciting, but they often hold the key to unlocking our past. Telegraph reporter KATIE NORMAN finds out how archaeology makes the history books.
Medieval Grimsby would have looked very different to the town we know today. Streets would have been narrow and dirty, with filthy water flowing in the river. Most buildings would have been made from timber frames, with some benefiting from clay bricks.
During the 13th and 14th century, the Grimsby area was home to many religious houses, including an Abbey of monks on Humber Road, nuns on Nuns Corner, Austin Friars where Freshney Place stands today, and Grey Friars on Cartergate.
This is Grimsby
# posted by David Beard @ 6:15 PM
Castle hunt
ARCHAEOLOGISTS will be out in force this week hunting for the remains of Bedford Castle.
Parts of Castle Lane car park will be closed to the public so that ground-penetrating radar surveys can be undertaken at the site of the 11th century castle which was destroyed in the 13th century.
Bedford Borough Council has asked Albion Archaeology to carry out the work in order to protect historic features from future development at the site. The council is hoping that Castle Lane will become Bedford's new 'cultural quarter'.
Jeremy Oetgen, project manager for Albion Archaeology, says: "We know there was a castle here as part of it was excavated in the 1960s and 1970s.
Serious about News
# posted by David Beard @ 6:14 PM
Ancient Stronghold Discovered in Varna
An unknown stronghold wall has been discovered in the coastal city of Varna, the regional historical museum officials announced Friday.
The wall has been found during a private building construction on the Khan Krum Street.
The exact age of the find has not been specified yet. Most of the details, found nearby - column, capital, terracotta pieces, altars and pulpits fragments - were dated back to VIth century by specialists.
Novinite
# posted by David Beard @ 6:12 PM
Mystery of 49 headless Romans who weren't meant to haunt us
ARCHAEOLOGISTS have unearthed a Roman cemetery in York with the skeletons of 49 beheaded young men.
Experts from the York Archaeological Trust have yet to explain why the men had been decapitated. One of the victims was buried with thick iron rings around his ankles that had been forged on to him while he was alive. Patrick Ottaway, the trust’s head of fieldwork, said: “That really is odd. We’ve never had anything like that before, in Roman Britain or the Roman world.”
There are also skeletons of seven children, though their bodies were not mutilated. Dr Ottaway believes that the men were beheaded as part of a ritual in order to ensure that they could not haunt the living.
The Times
# posted by David Beard @ 6:08 PM
Friday, February 25, 2005
Archaeological dig sniffs out world's oldest perfumery
MUSKY, with a woody tone and spicy hints of cinnamon - the perfect fragrance for a Bronze Age date.
Italian archaeologists have discovered the world’s oldest perfumery and have identified the smells popular with the people of the time.
The perfumery was found at a sprawling archaeological site on a hillside overlooking the Mediterranean at Pyrgos-Mavroraki, 55 miles south-west of Nicosia.
"This is 4,000 years old. Without a doubt, it is the oldest production site for perfume in the world," said Maria Rosario Belgiorno, the excavation team leader.
The Scotsman
# posted by David Beard @ 6:45 AM
Archaeologists Baffled by Headless Bodies Find
Archaeologists have been left mystified by the discovery of 36 decapitated bodies, it was revealed today.
Experts from the York Archaeological Trust unearthed the skeletons of 49 young men and seven children at a Roman cemetery they discovered in The Mount area of the city.
But they were stunned to find that most of the men had had their heads chopped off, while another was bound with iron shackles.
Dr Patrick Ottaway, the trust’s head of field word, said he was left baffled by the find because Romans had no tradition of decapitations or shackling men.
The Scotsman
# posted by David Beard @ 6:44 AM
Experts have bones to pick on seashore
A RAPID response archaeology team has been sent to Orkney after storms exposed skeletons on the shore below St Thomas' Kirk.
Orkney Archaeological Trust informed Historic Scotland of the damage and the decision was taken to move forward a planned excavation which Historic Scotland had agreed to fund this summer.
The team will excavate, record and assess storm damage to the medieval graveyard at the kirk and the broch at Hall of Rendall.
The Herald
# posted by David Beard @ 6:42 AM
Mystery over decapitated Roman skeletons found under York street
A MACABRE mystery from York's ancient past has been uncovered in a city street.
Experts from York Archaeological Trust have unearthed an "extraordinary" Roman cemetery near The Mount.
They found 56 skeletons, of 49 young men and seven children - perhaps not unusual in itself, since the Roman route which ran approximately along the present Tadcaster Road was lined with cemeteries.
This is York
# posted by David Beard @ 6:40 AM
Thursday, February 24, 2005
City by-pass to be re-routed
The Minister for the Enivoronment, Heritage and Local Government, Mr. Dick Roche on a visit to the Woodstown Viking Site on the banks of the River Suir on Monday last said that he intends to issue a preservation order on the 1,200 year old site.
The Minister who was in Waterford to launch a board game at the Civic Offices in Tramore was keeping a pledge to visit the Viking site and see for himself what had been discovered by the archaeologists. His Order will lead to a re-routing of the €300m Waterford City By-pass which is due to start this year. The Minister said the re-routing would not delay the construction of the by-pass. He also said that he would be having consultations with the Director of the National Museum, Dr. Pat Wallace over the next two weeks, before making a formal announcement. Minister Roche said that he would issue an order requiring the excavation of the site, based on the advice of Dr. Wallace.
Waterford Today
For more information see Viking Waterford
# posted by David Beard @ 7:47 AM
Medieval finds block new exit from Uffizi
An aesthetically controversial plan to give the Florentine museum more exhibition space has been brought down by an archaeological dig
Unflatteringly described by art critics as a slatted bed frame or a bus shelter, a long-debated architectural project for one of the world's greatest museums has been shelved, after years in limbo.
The plans for a new exit for the Uffizi Museum in Florence by the Japanese architect Arata Isozaki were scrapped yesterday because excavations in the area had revealed the foundations of medieval houses which were levelled when the museum was built in the 1500s.
The Guardian
# posted by David Beard @ 7:45 AM
Island storms uncover medieval bones
SEVERE storms which hit Orkney last month have exposed human skeletons at a historic burial site.
Now a team of archaeologists are racing against time to excavate and study the site before the sea destroys it altogether.
The January storms revealed the remains on the foreshore below St Thomas’s Kirk and the broch at Hall of Rendall, near Tingwall. The Orkney Archaeological Trust informed Historic Scotland of the damage, and a decision was taken to move forward an excavation planned for this summer.
Patrick Ashmore, the head of archaeology for Historic Scotland, said: "St Thomas’s Kirk itself probably dates to the 12th century, and the cemetery is probably medieval.
"Of course, it is possible that there was an earlier chapel on the site, or that the cemetery continued in use after abandonment of the kirk.
The Scotsman
# posted by David Beard @ 7:44 AM
Rebirth of derelict old forge site in city
A SCHEME to breathe new life into a 400-year-old derelict industrial site, creating homes, offices, leisure facilities and more than 1,500 jobs, has been unveiled.
Planners in Leeds are considering a proposed brownfield development of Kirkstall Forge.
An outline planning application has been submitted by site owner Commercial Estates Group (CEG).
It is expected to create about 1,540 new permanent jobs and up to 400 construction jobs, as well as 177,800 sq ft of offices, a riverside hotel and support facilities. It will include 1,385 residential units, small local shops, bars, cafés, restaurants and a creche.
Almost two-thirds of the site will be green space, allowing for woodland walks, bicycle routes and community access to the historical site.
Vast investment will be re-quired to decontaminate the large area of derelict land.
Jonathan Kenny, development director of CEG, said they felt the proposals would "turn Kirkstall Forge into a vibrant working and living community with opportunity for recreation and leisure.
"This is a site of great local and historical significance and we believe the plans for regeneration create a balance between its rich history and exciting future.
Yorkshire Post Today
# posted by David Beard @ 7:41 AM
Learning to do what the Romans did
TOGA-clad youngsters braved the cold to dress up in period costume as part of their Roman day.
Pupils at Reigate Priory School, in Bell Street, donned their Roman robes and enjoyed a day learning about the era.
On Thursday, February 10 Secundus (Frank Lovering) and Agrippina (Sylvia Sacks), from Legion XIIII Gemini, based in Ramsgate, Kent, gave the children an insight into the life and times of the Romans.
They heard about everything from domestic life and the army, to the significance of their costumes.
I C Surrey
# posted by David Beard @ 7:39 AM
Wednesday, February 23, 2005
Roman coin hoard revealed
These are just some of the nearly 1000 silver coins found in Norfolk's biggest ever hoard of Roman money.
The staggering haul was found by metal detector hobbyists Pat and Sully Buckley in a field, near Dereham, just before Christmas.
But the find keeps growing, with a further 15 coins found on Friday.
As the EDP reported last week, the discovery was kept secret to allow a proper field search and yesterday was the first time the coins themselves were revealed.
The collection of 963 Roman denarii includes coins from 270 years of early British history, most of which were found in a ceramic pot buried 14 inches down.
EPD 24
# posted by David Beard @ 12:11 PM
A Place to Rest for German Kings
When an engraved stone was dug up nearly a century ago on a building site, it didn't excite many. But now an archeologist has determined that it's actually part of Germany's oldest throne, sat in by Emperor Charlemagne.
Usually the western city of Aachen gets all the press -- at least when it comes to Charlemagne. It was the favorite residence of the emperor and served as the principal coronation site of Holy Roman emperors and German kings from the Middle Ages to the Reformation.
But now Aachen's been upstaged somewhat since an archeologist at the Roman-Germanic Museum in Mainz has uncovered part of an armrest that supported Charlemagne's royal left arm when he was visiting the city of Mainz.
Deutsche Welle
# posted by David Beard @ 7:41 AM
Lügen die Nebra-Sterne doch?
Regensburger Professor will beweisen: Die 3600 Jahre alte Himmelsscheibe ist nicht echt
Halle/Regensburg. (dpa) Im Streit um die Echtheit der 3600 Jahre alten Himmelsscheibe von Nebra muss jetzt das Landgericht Halle entscheiden. Ein Regensburger Archäologie-Professor will beweisen, dass die Scheibe eine dilettantische Fälschung ist.
In dem bizarren Prozess treffen seit gestern Gegner und Befürworter der Echtheitsthese aufeinander. "Dass ein wissenschaftlicher Streit um einen archäologischen Fund in dieser Form vor einem Gericht ausgetragen wird, das ist schon sehr ungewöhnlich", sagt Gerichtssprecher Winfried Holthaus.
Oberpfalznetz
# posted by David Beard @ 7:35 AM
Tuesday, February 22, 2005
STUDENTS DIG DEEP FOR A DEGREE
Bristol University has awarded degrees to 11 part-time archaeology students at a special ceremony. The students were the first to graduate with a part-time BA in Archaeological Studies.
It took the students six years to complete the course, attending one weekend a month, as well as going on several digs, including uncovering Roman mosaics in Bradford-on-Avon. Four of the students graduated with First Class honours.
There are now 70 students studying part-time for a BA in Archaeological Studies.
This is Bristol
# posted by David Beard @ 12:58 PM
Ta' Bistra catacombs rediscovered
Part of a network of "world heritage" catacombs that archaeologists had thought was lost under a stretch of road close to Mount St Joseph, in Mosta has been rediscovered during works to upgrade the road system.
The area where the 2,000-year-old catacombs are located is known as Ta' Bistra. The catacombs network - once used as a burial ground - is cut into a ridge or terrace in the landscape and is about 100 metres long, most of which runs under a field. The terrace is 3.7 metres high.
The whole network was recorded and drawn by Charles Zammit in 1933. But by then the site had long been looted because the Knights of St John used to issue licences for treasure hunting.
The Times of Malta
# posted by David Beard @ 12:56 PM
Past is revealed as skeletons are found
The hidden medieval past of Thetford has been uncovered as eight skeletons were dis-covered in a previously unknown burial ground.
Archaeologists from Norfolk County Council made the surprise discovery as they excavated land, off the Croxton Road, which is due to be developed.
The adult and juvenile skeletons date from about the 13th century and prove for the first time there was a medieval burial site in that part of the town.
Archaeologists are excited the discovery could provide evidence of a church or chapel that has not appeared in any historical records.
Bury St Edmunds Today
# posted by David Beard @ 12:53 PM
Monday, February 21, 2005
Iceman was wearing 'earliest snowshoes'
ÖTZI the Iceman may have been wearing the world’s earliest known snowshoes when he died in the Alps some 5,300 years ago. New analysis of his accoutrements suggests that his “pannier” or “backpack” may in fact have been the frame of a snowshoe similar in design to those used in historic times.
Jacqui Wood, who studied the Iceman’s costume after he was found in 1991, close to the Italian-Austrian frontier in the South Tyrol, was asked to re-create his cloak and shoes for the display at the new museum in Bolzano, Italy, where he is housed in a temperature-controlled room. The shoes puzzled her: the leather soles did not look designed to be walked on, the magazine British Archaeology reports.
The shoes had straps with no obvious function, and a net of lime-bast string instead of leather backs. Nevertheless, the archaeological team working on Ötzi, as he is known from his place of discovery, reconstructed the shoes without several straps and slits in the sole lashings, and Wood’s replicas nearly a decade ago followed their ideas.
The Times
# posted by David Beard @ 12:43 PM
Decision expected on Waterford bypass
The Irish Minister for the Environment may make a decision today on the route of a proposed bypass for Waterford.
Dick Roche is expected to issue a preservation order on a viking archaeological site at Woodstown.
It is believed to be one of the most important finds of this nature made in Europe in the last 100 years.
The Minister is visiting Waterford, and is expected to see for himself, how the proposed bypass would affect the site.
UTV
See also Viking Waterford
# posted by David Beard @ 12:40 PM
Archaeology week events unveiled
PERTHSHIRE Archaeology Week has fast become one of the top events on the local calendar.
The annual celebration of the area’s past draws in both locals and those from afar, with this year’s event set to start on May 28 and run until June 5.
Perthshire boasts a wealth of prehistoric monuments, the legacy of Roman occupation, ancient burgh towns, picturesque castles and long-abandoned hidden settlements and a nine-day programme of events should offer a little insight into each.
A host of opportunities will be presented to those with an interest in the past —and no qualms about getting their hands dirty —including excavations, exhibitions, walks and talks.
The Courier
# posted by David Beard @ 12:39 PM
In Search Of The Real Troy
The road west to the mound called Hısarlık takes sweeping bends past fields of corn and purple-flowered cotton. It has two or three gradual hills, but the chief obstacles are the odd tour bus or tractor-load of tomatoes. It is, by and large, a smooth and untroubled approach to a world-famous archeological site. Not so the scholastic approach—a road of zigzag switchbacks through fields of criticism and intrigue, littered with sharp shards of controversy: The obstacles here are implications in journal articles, tendentious newspaper interviews and downright insults.
Saudi Aramco World
# posted by David Beard @ 12:36 PM
Archeologists discover St Paul´s tomb
Vatican archeologists believe that they have identified the tomb in Rome´s St Paul Outside the Walls basilica, following the discovery of a stone coffin during excavations carried out over the past three years.
Catholic World News reports that a sarcophagus - or stone coffin - which may contain the remains of St Paul has been identified in the basilica, according to Giorgio Filippi, a archeology specialist with the Vatican Museums.
"The tomb that we discovered is the one that the popes and the Emperor Theodosius (379- 395) saved and presented to the whole world as being the tomb of the apostle," Filippi reports.
Catholic News
# posted by David Beard @ 12:28 PM
Sunday, February 20, 2005
REGIONAL HISTORICAL MUSEUM AND ART GALLERY – VRATSA - New WEB SITE
“Ivan Venedikov” Bulgarian Archaeological Association, REGIONAL HISTORICAL MUSEUM AND ART GALLERY – VRATSA and Municipality of Mezdra (NW Bulgaria) invites you, to visit our new WEB SITE http://www.mezdraarchaeology.hit.bg Since 2000 the Municipality of MEZDRA has started ambitious program for study, restoration and exposition of local monuments and sites. As part of this program the Municipality council supports the regular realization of the field school in different ways. The MEZDRA Field School was founded in 2003 and since then has attracted a number of international students. This is a fantastic way to experience and learn about excavation techniques. Every activity at the site near Mezdra is oriented towards the practical learning of the archaeological methods, especially for those participants who are thinking about becoming professional archaeologists. This school is the necessary complement to the theoretical courses taught at the university level but also to the practical background of these who consider Archaeology as a hobby.
# posted by David Beard @ 4:43 PM
Shakespeare's Rose theatre to rise again after centuries under London silt
The Rose, the Elizabethan theatre immortalised in the Oscar-winning film Shakespeare in Love, is to be recovered from the London silt after being buried for centuries, and opened to the public.
Leading figures from the British stage, including Sir Ian McKellen and Dame Judi Dench will next month launch a £5m plan to resurrect the historic building, which first staged Shakespeare's early plays, including Titus Andronicus and Henry VI Part I. Supports plan to reopen it in four years' time.
The remains of the venue were unearthed at Bankside in London in 1989 - close to where the reconstructed open-air Globe theatre is now sited - in what has been described as the most exciting find in British theatrical history.
The Independent
See also the Rose Theatre Trust Website
# posted by David Beard @ 3:15 PM
History of modern man unravels as German scholar is exposed as fraud
Flamboyant anthropologist falsified dating of key discoveries
It appeared to be one of archaeology's most sensational finds. The skull fragment discovered in a peat bog near Hamburg was more than 36,000 years old - and was the vital missing link between modern humans and Neanderthals.
This, at least, is what Professor Reiner Protsch von Zieten - a distinguished, cigar-smoking German anthropologist - told his scientific colleagues, to global acclaim, after being invited to date the extremely rare skull.
However, the professor's 30-year-old academic career has now ended in disgrace after the revelation that he systematically falsified the dates on this and numerous other "stone age" relics.
Guardian
# posted by David Beard @ 3:12 PM
Castle's medieval papers on show
Documents dating back to the Middle Ages stored in archives at Arundel Castle are to be put on display.
The permanent exhibition is now being set up in the Waiting Room at the West Sussex castle, which overlooks the River Arun and the south coast.
The room where visitors waited before visiting the duke will now be used for exhibiting the documents, portraits, pictures and illustrations.
BBC News
# posted by David Beard @ 3:10 PM
A Scottish interactive dig
working in Skye (Scotland) have secured funding to begin an innovative interactive project. Excavations of a cave at Kilbride in the south-west of Skye are turning up exciting finds, including bones, early Iron Age tools, evidence of cooking and even what is thought to be Bronze Age pottery. Most startling the archaeologists have found evidence that the floor of High Pasture Cave was laid with flagstones, suggesting that the cave was used for a specific purpose.
From March the team working at the project hope to launch Scotland’s first live archaeological website. This would allow people to see their work as it happens and learn more about their discoveries. "Archaeology is a little bit elitist at the moment," said Martin Wildgoose, one of three archaeologists working on the project. "Setting up the website will make it much more accessible. It's all about bringing a new approach to involve more people." The site will broadcast a live feed from the cave while archaeologists are working on the project.
Stone Pages
# posted by David Beard @ 3:08 PM
Friday, February 18, 2005
Iron age necklace discovered
An amateur archaeologist using a 30-year-old metal detector has discovered a rare golden necklace from the iron age buried in a local farmer's field.
The delicately twisted torc, designed for a well-to-do member of a tribe in the area now covered by north Nottinghamshire, is expected to be valued at more than £100,000.
Maurice Richardson, 55, a self-employed tree surgeon from Newark, reported the find to the local coroner after initially thinking his soil-covered discovery was scrap metal.
It was only when he dug down and scraped one end, that he realised it was much more valuable.
Guardian
# posted by David Beard @ 5:27 PM
Fears That EH Cuts Will Hit Archaeology
There are growing fears that government cuts to English Heritage (EH) will mean less money for archaeological projects.
Tessa Jowell, the Secretary of State for Culture, announced the 4.6% reduction in spending in December, but EH says that in reality the figure is nearer 6.3% - on top of 10% cuts since 2000. This amounts to a £13m reduction in real terms, contrasting with a 98% increase in government funding for sport.
Simon Thurley, EH chief executive, said, 'We need to look and see what a £13m cut means for us. It will mean something, and probably something that we don't like very much and that our partners won't like very much.'
He has already axed staff numbers by 11%, including the post of Chief Archaeologist last year. He ruled out an 'equal misery for all' approach, fuelling fears that archaeological funding could be hit disproportionately.
Read more in the latest issue of “The Digger”
# posted by David Beard @ 5:09 PM
Ohoden — Valoga Experimental Settlement
“Ivan Venedikov” Bulgarian Archaeological Association and scientific team of prehistoric site Ohoden — Valoga in Northwestern Bulgaria, invites you, to visit our new WEB SITE http://www.ohoden.hit.bg Discoveries from the site during 2004 change ideas for appearing of first agricultural civilization in Europe. It’s our pleasure to give you opportunity to take part from investigation program, joining in Experimental Archaeological camp Ohoden 2005:
- opportunity to participate in building of experimental settlement — exact replica of original Neolithic settlement; - participate in excavations of single fully preserved site from Monocrome stage of Early Neolithic (8300-8100 B.P.) in Bulgaria;
- opportunity to join specialized lectures and practice of field research, for localization of archaeological sites and localization of raw materials, palaeobotany; chipped stone industry; bone industry, under guidance of specialists.
View the Website
# posted by David Beard @ 11:32 AM
Medieval artefacts put on display
Medieval artefacts that were recently discovered in Huntingdon are being put on display at the town's museum.
The exhibition at Cromwell Museum coincides with the forthcoming 800th anniversary of the town's first charter in 1205.
Items dug up from Hartford Road will be included in the display.
The objects come from Huntingdon's medieval past and were believed to be more than 400 years old in Oliver Cromwell's day.
BBC News
# posted by David Beard @ 11:32 AM
Digging Around Proves Beneficial For Learners
East Sussex Archaeology and Museums Project Deemed ‘Outstanding’
A facility providing specialist training in environmental, archaeological and museum-based education has been awarded top marks by the Adult Learning Inspectorate (ALI).
East Sussex Archaeology and Museums Project (ESAMP), based in the Anne of Cleves House museum in Lewes and managed by the county council’s transport and environment department, was awarded three awards of grade 1 of ‘outstanding’ for learning and training. The inspections are used to measure and improve education standards. ESAMP Manager Tristan Bareham feels the process of the Common Inspection Framework through to the actual inspections helps to drive forward the level of training within their organisation. “We appreciate the value of having a number of highly qualified external specialists rigorously assessing our systems and forming professional judgments about them,” said Bareham.
F E News
# posted by David Beard @ 11:30 AM
EROTIKEA: Roman brothel under new store
SEXY murals are among a wealth of Roman relics which have been uncovered on the site of a new Ikea store.
The erotic paintings were found by workmen building a massive new outlet for the Swedish furniture giants.
Roman tombs, villas, baths and a complex aqueduct system were also uncovered.
It is believed the relics date back to the 5th century BC.
The site where the artefacts were found was used as a brothel, or lupanar, by the Ancient Romans.
The murals depict an elderly man entangled with a young woman and a variety of animals' sex organs.
Daily Record
# posted by David Beard @ 11:09 AM
SCOPERTO IL SARCOFAGO DI SAN PAOLO SOTTO LA BASILICA ROMANA
Dai nuovi scavi archeologici compiuti sotto la basilica romana di San Paolo Fuori le Mura, condotti dagli archeologici dei Musei Vaticani, arrivano le conferme scientifiche sulla tomba dell'apostolo. Sotto l'altare maggiore e' stato infatti trovato un sarcofago di eta' romana, esattamente sotto l'epigrafe ''Paulo apostolo mart'', da sempre visibile alla base dell'altare.
Adn Kronos
# posted by David Beard @ 11:04 AM
Thursday, February 17, 2005
Barbara Craig - Obituary
Archaeologist and principal, Somerville College, Oxford
Born: October 22, 1915, in Calcutta.
Died: January 25, 2005, in Bainbridge, North Yorkshire, aged 89.
"LADY Margaret Hall for young ladies, St Hilda’s for games, St Hugh’s for religion and Somerville for brains." This 1920s Oxford proverb is personified in the figure of Barbara Denise Craig. Endowed with a formidable intellect, she was also blessed with a rare humanity.
She was born in Calcutta in 1915, the daughter of John Alexander Chapman, poet and librarian of the Imperial Library of India. In 1920, her mother took Barbara and her four brothers to London for their schooling. She was educated at the Haberdashers’ Aske’s Girls’ School in Acton, and in 1934 went up to Oxford to read classics. At Somerville, distinguished women tutors in classical archaeology and ancient history aroused in her an interdisciplinary interest in the social history and monuments of Greece and Rome.
The Scotsman
# posted by David Beard @ 7:52 AM
Alpine iceman reveals Stone Age secrets
BOLZANO, Italy (Reuters) - Some 5,300 years after his violent death, a Stone Age man found frozen in the Alps is slowly revealing his secrets to a global team of scientists.
But despite more than a decade of high-tech efforts by geneticists, botanists and engineers many questions about his life and death remain unsolved.
And rumours of a deadly curse on those who found him continue to swirl.
German amateur mountaineer Helmut Simon and his wife spotted Oetzi, as he became known, in the mountains between Italy and Austria, near the Oetztal valley, in 1991.
Yahoo News
# posted by David Beard @ 7:50 AM
Peeling back the sands of time
It is the largest exercise of its kind ever attempted in Britain.
And yesterday archaeologists began their ambitious bid to peel back the sands of time in Yarmouth.
A team from Norfolk County Council has begun drilling about 200 bore holes in the town's medieval core to build up unique map detailing its rich history.
The exercise is taking place within a 144-acre space held entirely within the town walls, which was home to 10,000 people in the 1350s.
The project will use a combination of bore holes and past excavation records to build up a series of maps through the ages, detailing everything from 1960s industrial buildings to Georgian houses, and allowing households to trace their foundations.
The map will record environmental data about Yarmouth and the surrounding area, revealing how the land where the town sits was formed, and what the area was like for the first inhabitants.
EPD 24
# posted by David Beard @ 7:48 AM
Archäologie statt Hippologie am "Hohen Hengst"
Im Süden von Graz beherrscht ein lang gezogener Bergrücken die Ebene am Mittellauf der Mur: Der "Hohe Hengist" (Hengst), besser bekannt auch als der Wildonerberg. Vier Gemeinden im Umfeld haben sich zum so genannten Kulturpark Hengist zusammengeschlossen.
Mit vereinten Kräften will man auf die 6.000 Jahre alte Geschichte der Region und die zahlreichen archäologischen Fundstätten des Gebietes aufmerksam machen. So sollen in diesem Jahr u.a. zwei archäologische Museen eröffnet werden. Beim Anblick des rund 500 Meter hohen Wildonerberges könnte man an einen Pferderücken denken. Nicht umsonst wird der Bergzug schon seit dem Zehnten Jahrhundert immer wieder mit dem Namen "Hengist" in Verbindung gebracht - ein Begriff, auf den sich die Initiatoren des neuen, rund 30 Kilometer südlich von Graz entstehenden Kulturparks zurückgreifen. Jedoch nicht die Hippologie - die Wissenschaft vom Pferd -, sondern die Archäologie steht bei ihrer Initiative im Mittelpunkt.
aon Digital World
# posted by David Beard @ 7:47 AM
Wednesday, February 16, 2005
Ruins Support Myth of Rome's Founding
Legend has it that Rome was founded in 753 B.C. by Romulus and Remus, the twin sons of Mars, the god of war, who were suckled as infants by a she-wolf in the woods.
Now, archaeologists believe they have found evidence that at least part of that tale may be true: Traces of a royal palace discovered in the Roman Forum have been dated to roughly the period of the eternal city's legendary foundation.
Yahoo News
# posted by David Beard @ 5:11 PM
Unearthing secrets from Roman era
AN ancient coffin uncovered by builders working on a North Yorkshire car park is set to reveal its astonishing secrets.
The tomb – thought to date from Roman times – is believed to contain a body expertly preserved using gypsum burial techniques.
Thrilled archaeologists hope its condition may be good enough to allow us to look one of our ancestors in the face.
Andrew Morrison, curator of archaeology for York Museums Trust, said: "This is a really exciting event because all the burials we have found until now were found in the 19th century.
"This one allows us to investigate it using modern science, we can x-ray it, do chemical analysis and learn much more about the person in it."
Leeds Today
# posted by David Beard @ 5:10 PM
Archaeology relics taken from car
An archaeologist's car containing valuable relics has been stolen from outside a hotel in Birmingham.
Mark Olly, from Warrington, Cheshire, was giving a talk at the Wellington Hotel, Bromsgrove Street, on Tuesday when his blue Nissan Micra was taken.
He said: "There's a couple of Ice Age axes in there that are from about 250,000BC. They're fairly important.
"There are a couple of other axes, including a stone one from the Bronze Age that's quite distinctive."
BBC News
# posted by David Beard @ 5:02 PM
An Archaeological Newsfeed For Your Website
Would you like to include the latest archaeological headlines from the Archaeology in Europe Weblog on your website?
Now you can. It’s easy and it’s free!
Simply go to RSS Digest at http://www.bigbold.com/rssdigest/ and create a feed to the Archaeology in Europe Weblog Atom feed
(the URL is http://www.archaeology.eu.com/weblog/atom.xml ).
Follow the simple instructions and you have your own customisable news feed showing the headlines which link to each entry.
If you want to see what the newsfeed looks like, click here.
# posted by David Beard @ 2:58 PM
The wreck of El Gran Grifón
IN 1588, the Spanish armada set sailed for England not to engage in a naval battle but invade.
However, England's warships outnumbered the huge Spanish galleons and were both faster and had more firepower. Minor confrontations were indecisive until the English, led by Sir Francis Drake, defeated the armada off Gravelines, France. However, much of the fleet escaped out to the Atlantic where south-westerly winds forced them north into the Irish Sea.
The remaining Spanish ships decided to follow the winds and return to Spain by sailing around the north of Scotland, hoping to avoid Drake's ships in the process. However, an unusually strong storm wrecked many ships off the coasts of Scotland and Ireland.
Ther Scotsman
# posted by David Beard @ 12:44 PM
Roman coffin to yield up secrets
A RARE coffin unearthed in York could give archaeologists a unique insight into the Roman way of death 1,700 years ago.
The remains, found on a building site near The Mount, in an extensive Roman cemetery, were unusual because the body had undergone a form of mummification.
Yesterday the stone sarcophagus and its contents were lifted out and taken away for testing.
A white material, probably gypsum, was used to preserve the body of what archaeologists hope is a Roman, buried around 300AD.
Yorkshire Post Today
# posted by David Beard @ 12:39 PM
Discovering the secrets of city's ancient stone coffin
A STONE coffin containing a mummified body was lifted from a grave yesterday, more than 1,600 years after it was buried.
Archaeologists said the body had been so well preserved that it might be possible to make out its facial features.
The late-Roman coffin was uncovered by contractors carrying out development work on a car park in Mill Mount, York, for Shepherd Homes.
Experts believe gypsum may have been used to preserve the body because inside the coffin was a white substance which had acted on the body in a similar way to mummification.
This is Hawes
# posted by David Beard @ 12:17 PM
Roman coffin discovered intact
A ROMAN wooden coffin has been unearthed in London, the only example of its kind found in Britain.
Archaeologists expressed excitement that it had survived intact, centuries after other examples had disintegrated without trace. In dating from AD120, the new find is an unusually early example of a Roman burial.
It was not until the 3rd century AD that the Roman Britons generally buried their dead. Prior to this they usually favoured cremation. The skeleton belonged to a man over the age of 25, at a time when only 10 per cent lived beyond the age of 45.
The coffin, which went on display yesterday at the Museum of London, was found during building work in Holborn, on a steep side of the River Fleet, one of the many rivers that flow beneath London’s streets to the Thames.
Times Online
# posted by David Beard @ 7:35 AM
Tuesday, February 15, 2005
Budget worries over medieval ship
Long term cash to help preserve the medieval ship found in mud in the river Usk needs to be secured, Newport Council has warned.
Hundreds of timbers from the ship are being kept in clean water in special tanks at a warehouse in the city, with a multi-national of experts working on them.
But the council said it might have problems in finding the £300,000 needed each year, as part of the long-term preservation project.
BBC News
# posted by David Beard @ 6:59 PM
Archaeologists hope to rewrite Cologne's past
Cologne - Archaeologists on Tuesday started one of the biggest projects ever undertaken in Europe, hoping to rewrite the 2 000-year history of Cologne.
The diggers have four years to shift 100 000 cubic metres of soil, looking for foundations and artefacts that will go on display at the city museum.
The Romans founded "Colonia" and it was one of European biggest cities in late Roman times and the Middle Ages. Past digs have yielded Roman mosaics, tombstones and oil lamps.
Chief archaeologist Hansgerd Hellenkemper said his team would try to discover why the Roman river port silted up and how Cologne was affected by a drastic change in the world's climate 1 800 years ago.
IOL Discovery
# posted by David Beard @ 6:56 PM
Vast palace of Rome's first kings discovered deep beneath the Forum
Ancient Rome has yielded its deepest secret - one that coincides with the legend of the city's foundation. Seven metres under the ruins of imperial Rome's Forum, Professor Andrea Carandini has discovered the remains of an immense building, covering 345 square metres, which he believes to be the palace of Rome's first kings.
He has dated a section of flooring near by to 753BC - when, according to legend, the city was founded by Romulus on seven hills. Until now, historians have maintained that Rome's history could not be traced further back than the 4th or 5th century BC.
Professor Carandini's discovery, trailed in Il Messaggero newspaper, will be unveiled at a conference in Florence at the weekend. He will reveal that the centrepiece of the palace was an enormous banquet hall with walls of wood and clay and a tiled roof decorated with fine ceramics. "This palace endured at least until AD64, in other words for eight centuries," Professor Carandini said.
Independent
# posted by David Beard @ 6:54 PM
York Archaeological Trust
St Mary’s Abbey Precinct Training Excavation 2005
Monday, 20 June – Friday, 9 September
Following the great success of the St Leonard’s training excavation (2001-2004), York Archaeology Trust has identified a new site and will be running a training excavation in the summer of 2005.
York Archaeology Trust in partnership with the York Museums Trust will be excavating in the northern part of the precinct of St Mary's Abbey. The excavation will be looking to answer a number of questions about the archaeology on the site, which dates from the Roman period onwards. This is a unique opportunity to excavate an urban archaeological site in York that has not been previously investigated.
For further information, please email Toby Kendall,
or visit the York Archaeological Web site
# posted by David Beard @ 6:51 PM
Mummified body found during dig
Archaeologists working in York have discovered an ancient coffin containing a preserved body.
Workers made the find during development work and discovered the body had been mummified using a rare technique.
The body, possibly dating from Roman times, has been well so well preserved historians are hoping the facial features can still be seen.
The coffin is being taken to the York Museum Trust for examination on Tuesday.
BBC News
# posted by David Beard @ 2:04 PM
Grant helps safeguard Mitford Castle
THE stormy history of a Northumbrian castle, thought to be the only five-sided keep in England, is set to delight generations of visitors for years to come thanks to English Heritage.
After more than a thousand tumultuous years during which 11th century Mitford Castle near Morpeth in Northumberland was burnt down by King John, confiscated by Henry III and sacked by Robert the Bruce, emergency repairs have been carried out following an £80,000 grant from English Heritage.
Carol Pyrah, English Heritage Regional Director for the North East,said: "Mitford Castle played a dramatic and important part in the area's history and it was vital that the remains were prevented from further deterioration or they would have been lost forever. We are delighted that this grant has helped the owner of Mitford to safeguard the future of the castle for many years to come."
The home of the Barons of Mitford for hundreds of years, the motte and bailey castle — in ruins since the 14th century — is a Grade I listed Scheduled Ancient Monument and is on English Heritage's Buildings at Risk Register as it is in very poor condition.
Morpeth Today
# posted by David Beard @ 2:03 PM
Metal detector users help unearth rare finds
RARE finds unearthed by metal detector enthusiasts are helping archaeologists discover more about North-East history.
Relations between the metal detecting community and archaeologists, at one time seen as being at odds with each other, have vastly improved in recent years.
Efforts to bring detector-users into the archaeological community have largely been brought about by the Heritage Lottery-funded portable antiquities scheme.
It has seen the appointment of regional finds liaison officer Philippa Walton, who has logged thousands of objects found by detector-users across the North-East in the 18 months since she took up the post.
Among them are Roman artefacts unearthed by members of Durham's Dunelme Metal Detecting Club.
This is the North East
# posted by David Beard @ 2:01 PM
Sealers camps unearthed in South Shetlands
Researchers from the Chilean Antarctic Institute Natural History Museum have discovered interesting remains and utensils from sealing settlements in the South Shetland Islands dating back to the early XIXth. Century, reports Punta Arenas La Prensa Austral.
Apparently the researchers from Punta Arenas headed by archaeologist Ruben Stehberg have found two “intact” camps in Rugged island, west of Livingston Island with many artefacts and tools of daily life when the first seal hunters established their operational bases in 1820/23.
MercoPress
# posted by David Beard @ 1:59 PM
Over 4,000 ancient artifacts..
Over 4,000 ancient artifacts and coins were found by police on Saturday after they raided a farmer’s house near Thessaloniki. The 40-year-old was taken into custody after officers confiscated 3,200 silver and copper coins and some 1,000 other items, dating from Paleolithic times to the Byzantine era, from a storage space at his home in Nea Apollonia, some 50 kilometers east of Thessaloniki. The unnamed suspect claimed that he came across the artifacts in fields around the area, officers said. He will now face charges of having broken stiff laws on antiquities, which ban their sale or excavation without a special permit and stipulate that accidental finds must be turned over to authorities.
Kathimerini
# posted by David Beard @ 1:57 PM
Das weiße Gold der Kelten
Salzbergwerk und Gräberfeld von Hallstatt – Ausstellung im Neanderthal Museum vom 21. April bis 30. Oktober 2005
Salz ist lebensnotwendig. Für Jahrtausende war sein Wert vergleichbar mit dem des Goldes, denn mit Salz konnten Lebensmittel haltbar gemacht werden. Das bekannteste prähistorische Salzbergwerk der Welt liegt bei Hallstatt im österreichischen Salzkammergut, wo noch bis zum heutigen Tag Salz gewonnen wird. Erste Spuren der Nutzung des Salzes von Hallstatt gehen bis in die Jungsteinzeit vor 7.000 Jahren zurück. In der Bronzezeit und schließlich in der Eisenzeit wurde das Salz bergmännisch mit immer neuen Techniken gewonnen. Seit der Mitte des 19. Jahrhunderts werden archäologische Ausgrabungen in Hallstatt durchgeführt, die ein reiches Fundmaterial mit außergewöhnlichen Funden von Weltrang erbracht haben.
Damals
# posted by David Beard @ 12:53 PM
Bronze Age complex found in Cyprus
A huge factory complex dating back to the Bronze Age has been discovered near the village of Pirgos in Limassol, archaeologists in Cyprus said yesterday. The 4,000-square-meter complex comprises an olive-pressing factory, a metal works site and a perfume-producing plant, according to archaeologists.
Kathimerini
# posted by David Beard @ 12:51 PM
Pot of Roman coins detected
The beeping of a metal detector delivered a windfall to a couple who found Norfolk's biggest ever hoard of Roman silver coins.
Pat and Sally Buckley were indulging their hobby on a ploughed field near Dereham just before Christmas when they came upon a few silver coins in the dirt.
As they carried on, they realised they had found a remarkable treasure.
The find has been kept secret until now to allow Norfolk Museums & Archaeology Service a proper search, and the exact location is not being publicised.
Finds officer Dr Adrian Marsden said the collection of 900-plus Roman denarii is a significant discovery and includes coins from 270 years of early British history.
EDP 24
# posted by David Beard @ 12:45 PM
Monday, February 14, 2005
FEARS THAT EH CUTS WILL HIT ARCHAEOLOGY
There are growing fears that government
cuts to English Heritage (EH) will mean
less money for archaeological projects.
Tessa Jowell, the Secretary of State for
Culture, announced the 4.6% reduction in
spending in December, but EH says that in
reality the figure is nearer 6.3% - on top of
10% cuts since 2000. This amounts to a
£13m reduction in real terms, contrasting
with a 98% increase in government funding
for sport.
Simon Thurley, EH chief executive, said,
'We need to look and see what a £13m cut
means for us. It will mean something, and
probably something that we don't like very
much and that our partners won't like very
much.'
He has already axed staff numbers by 11%,
including the post of Chief Archaeologist
last year. He ruled out an 'equal misery for
all' approach, fuelling fears that
archaeological funding could be hit
disproportionately.
The Digger
# posted by David Beard @ 9:02 PM
Holes to delve deep into the past
Work on a project to map Yarmouth's archaeology with boreholes is set to begin.
About 200 holes, 10cm wide and 6m deep, will be drilled in the area of the walled town as part of the scheme funded by Norfolk County Council, English Heritage and Europe.
The scheme, which starts on Wednesday, aims to record environmental data about the Yarmouth area, revealing how the land was formed, what it was like before the area was inhabited and the development of the town through history.
A map will be drawn up to ensure archaeological remains do not unnecessarily delay or deter new building work and that any developments do not damage important remains.
An additional study of paper records is also under way.
EPD 24
# posted by David Beard @ 12:24 PM
Dig continues to come up trumps to the last...
Archaeologists are continuing to make rare discoveries at a major dig in Staple Gardens, Winchester - with just days before they are due to finish their work.
The team from Oxford Archaeology have spent months sifting, digging and recording at the site, which has played host to Roman, Saxon and Iron Age settlements.
Already, they have discovered huge volumes of pottery, animal bones, coins and other artefacts, which help explain the significance of the area throughout the ages.
They are due to vacate the site on Monday before developers move in.
Their investigations have uncovered evidence of early roundhouses occupied by Iron Age man, when the site was part of Oram's Arbour, as well as Roman coins, when it had become a part of Venta Belgarum under Roman occupation. At the end of January, there was excitement when a rare silver coin was uncovered from the reign of King Canute, who ruled between 1013 and 1035.
This is Winchester
# posted by David Beard @ 12:22 PM
“OUTSTANDING” FOR ARCHAEOLOGY
Staff and learners at a training organisation in East Sussex are over the moon this week after being awarded a grade 1 “outstanding” in each of three areas of learning by the government’s Adult Learning Inspectorate (ALI).
East Sussex Archaeology and Museums Project (ESAMP), based in the Anne of Cleves House museum in Lewes, was awarded three grade 1’s – achieved only by a handful of organisations in the country – for its land-based and humanities provisions and for its approach to leadership and management. The Adult Learning Inspectorate also awarded ESAMP a double grade 2 “good” for its approach to equality of opportunity and quality assurance.
Established in 1984, ESAMP is managed by the county council’s transport and environment department and offers specialist training in environmental, archaeological and museum-based subjects. There are six learners on the land-based provision and 12 on the humanities programme all of whom are expected to complete a 52-week training programme.
Wired-GOV
# posted by David Beard @ 12:20 PM
Rhodes mayor wants to rebuild Colossus, a wonder of the ancient world
The mayor of Rhodes relaunched an often-delayed project to rebuild the Colossus of Rhodes, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, the Greek news agency ANA reported.
Mayor Yannis Iatridis at a press conference proposed building the gigantic statue of the sun god Helios on a hill near the seaside resort of Faliraki.
The Greek-Cypriot artist Nicolaos Gotziamanis, who has been preparing the project for several years, would erect the statue estimated to cost 100 million euros (129 million dollars) under the plan. It would be made of brass and stand about 33 meters (108 feet) tall.
Yahoo News
# posted by David Beard @ 12:16 PM
Herculaneum library excavation funding comes through
I've been remiss in not mentioning the ongoing story about the campaign to reopen excavations at the Villa of the Papyri in Herculaneum. So here's some good news (and let's all keep our fingers crossed for even better yet to come):blockquote>A PHILANTHROPIST has stepped forward to fund excavations at the ancient city of Herculaneum in Italy, where scholars believe a Roman library lies buried beneath 90ft of lava from the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD79.
David W Packard, whose family helped to found the Hewlett-Packard computer company, is concerned that the site may be poorly conserved or that excavation of the library may not continue unless he underwrites the work. . .
Cronaca
# posted by David Beard @ 12:13 PM
Author 'moves' ancient battlefield
IT WAS supposed to be the battle "at the ends of the earth" that saw the Romans finally conquer all Britain - putting an end to years of resistance by the fierce Caledonians.
And over the last 30 years it has been widely believed to have taken place in northern Scotland, near the hill of Bennachie in Aberdeenshire.
However, a new book by Edinburgh University historian Dr James Fraser will claim the key battle happened much further south ... on the Gask Ridge not far from Perth.
And while this may suggest the Romans did not completely conquer the tribes of northern Britain, Dr Fraser argues that they did not want to and instead would have made allies with native leaders to boost their control of the region and ensure Roman territory was not attacked.
The Scotsman
# posted by David Beard @ 12:10 PM
Sunday, February 13, 2005
New hope in hunt for Roman library
A PHILANTHROPIST has stepped forward to fund excavations at the ancient city of Herculaneum in Italy, where scholars believe a Roman library lies buried beneath 3m of lava from the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD79.
David W. Packard, whose family helped to found the Hewlett-Packard computer company, is concerned that the site may be poorly conserved or that excavation of the library may not continue unless he underwrites the work.
Herculaneum, south of present-day Naples, was buried by the same eruption that destroyed nearby Pompeii.
"It is hard to imagine anything more exciting than excavating at Herculaneum," said Mr Packard, who is channelling the money through a family institute.
Australian
# posted by David Beard @ 8:17 PM
Roman coffin discovered intact
A ROMAN wooden coffin has been unearthed in London, the only example of its kind found in Britain.
Archaeologists expressed excitement that it had survived intact, centuries after other examples had disintegrated without trace. In dating from AD120, the new find is an unusually early example of a Roman burial.
It was not until the 3rd century AD that the Roman Britons generally buried their dead. Prior to this they usually favoured cremation. The skeleton belonged to a man over the age of 25, at a time when only 10 per cent lived beyond the age of 45.
The Times
# posted by David Beard @ 8:16 PM
Bird's eye view of island's past
Two friends have started a two-year project to capture the archaeological beauty of Anglesey from the air.
Pilot John Rowlands and photographer David Roberts, both from the island, expect to take thousands of pictures for a systematic survey.
They hope to reveal the island's past from the air and donate their pictures to an expert body.
The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historic Monuments of Wales has been offered the pictures.
BBC News
# posted by David Beard @ 8:14 PM
MEDIEVAL LOVE RINGS UNEARTHED AS FUTURE OF PORTABLE ANTIQUITIES SCHEME SECURED
A group of metal detectorists has unearthed a series of gold rings bearing messages of love and dating back to the medieval age in East Sussex.
The discovery was made by a group of three metal detecting friends in a field near Lewes, who came across two gold rings and reported them to the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS). Several weeks later a further two gold rings bearing similar inscriptions were unearthed in the area.
News of the find has been followed by an announcement from the government that it intends to pump £1.2million into the PAS between 2006 and 2008, thereby securing the future of the UK’s most popular community archaeology project.
24 Hour Museum News
# posted by David Beard @ 8:13 PM
MARY ROSE MUD ON