The newcomers who arrived in the little farming villages of medieval Germany would have stood out: They had dark hair and tawny skin, spoke a different language and had remarkably tall heads.

Skulls unearthed from 1,400-year-old burials in southern Germany may show signs of intensive or moderate skull modification, left and center, which researchers believe is a cultural practice seen in tribes from further east [Credit: State collection for Anthropology and Palaeoanatomy Munich]

Now scientists who investigated the unusually shaped skulls say they provide evidence that women also migrated long distances across medieval Europe, not just men. A genetic analysis showed the women traveled from what is now Romania, Bulgaria and northern Greece at a time when the continent was being reshaped by the collapse of the Roman Empire.

In a study published by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers say the women's elongated heads—a result of binding done after birth—suggest they might have been high-class individuals.

"These women looked extremely different to the local women, very exotic if you will," said one of the researchers, Joachim Burger, a population geneticist at the University of Mainz, Germany.

With colleagues from Europe and the United States, Burger compared the genetic profile of almost 40 human remains unearthed from 5th and 6th century burial sites in Bavaria, along the Isar and Danube rivers.

They expected to find the telltale signs of centuries of Roman presence in the area—soldiers from the Mediterranean leaving their genetic mark on the location population. Instead, it looked "very central or northern European—blond and fair-skinned, like modern-day Scandinavians," Burger said.

The exception was a group with deformed skulls. Known from various cultures across the world, artificially elongated skulls may have been considered a form of beauty or denoted high status because of the time and effort required to bandage a child's head, said Burger.

While the practice is often associated with the Huns who swept into Europe from the East during the 5th century, the genetic makeup of the women found in Bavaria showed little Asian ancestry, suggesting that either head binding had been adopted by people living in southeastern Europe or emerged there independently.

"This is a sound study with quite interesting results," said Jean-Jacques Hublin of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany. He had no role in the research.

"Usually large-distance movements involve more males—explorers, soldiers, political elite, etc.—and short range movements are more common for females (spouses moving to their husband's family)," Hublin said via email.

While it's unclear why the women—apparently without men—traveled such a long distance, the study's authors speculate that they may have represented strategic alliances between distant populations across Europe.

"They must have come on purpose," said Burger. "It's not a single case, there are quite a few of them."

Despite their foreign origins, the women integrated into Bavarian society, according to the researchers. They wore the same clothes as the locals and were buried with the same artifacts. Burger said further research is needed to see whether the women intermarried with the local population.

Author: Frank Jordans | Source: The Associated Press [March 12, 2018]

Martin Carruthers, Site Director at The University of the Highlands and Islands Archaeology Institute research excavation at The Cairns, Orkney, talks about the latest research findings from the site. 

Ring headed pin moulds with cast pin [Credit: University of the Highlands and Islands]

“We have been very lucky at The Cairns over the years of the excavations to find a substantial set of remains and residues that relate to Iron Age metalworking. This includes at least two iron-working furnaces, and many other features and artefacts, but there is one particularly big and concentrated event that took place beyond the broch in the northern part of the site, in the area we call Trench M. The remains of this episode include furnaces, bronze waste; bronze splashes and droplets, crucibles, and very significantly: moulds for casting fine bronze objects. Over sixty moulds and mould fragments have been recovered. These were used to cast a variety of objects ranging from simple bronze rings, to distinctive decorated dress pins, called ‘projecting ring-headed pins’, and penannular brooches, which are the lovely open-ring, cloak brooches that are sometimes referred to as ‘Celtic’ brooches.

The volume and nature of the items being produced suggests that this was a socially significant collection of prestigious items aimed at denoting the identity, and status of those who were to wear the items; badges of their belonging and importance within the community. Importantly, it is the entire suite of materials found together, as well as their precise distribution pattern within the trench, that indicates strongly that this material relates to an in situ metalworking event, rather than a secondary event, such as merely the refuse disposal of old moulds, or even their ritual deposition. This is important because the closer we can get to the actual context of the metalworking events the clearer and more direct our picture of the process becomes.

The moulds for casting the bronze jewellery were found in an area several metres in diameter, scattered within and across the remains of an Iron Age building (Structure K) that was already ruinous and unroofed by the time the metalworking was happening. That building was itself found to overly the partially in-filled remains of a large enclosure ditch that had originally surrounded the broch period settlement. We therefore knew from the assessment of the layers (the stratigraphy) on site that the metalworking episode did not occur very early on in the sequence of events and buildings on site but it remained to be seen if it was going on towards the end of the monumental broch period on site, or if it was actually occurring after the broch was put out of use, which we know occurred around the mid-Second Century AD based on previously obtained radiocarbon dates. The calendar date of the metalworking was therefore of great interest. Did the jewellery-making episode date to the period late in the life of the broch, or was it happening after the broch itself was decommissioned and put out of use?

Craft and Chronology

Newly obtained radiocarbon dates make it clear which of these scenarios is correct. The new dates show that the jewellery-making occurred sometime between the AD240’s and the mid AD300’s. This places the metalworking very definitively after the end of the broch. Now, with this enhanced understanding of the chronological and structural context of the metalworking we can begin to consider the social context of this episode of metalworking. It is happening at a period of quite dramatic change in the material circumstances of Northern Iron Age communities in Scotland, at the end of the conventional Middle Iron Age and the beginning of the Later Iron Age periods, and contemporary with the mid to later Roman period further South.

The remains of structure K where the jewellery-making occurred [Credit: University of the Highlands and Islands]

It is very interesting that this episode therefore occurred after the culmination of the monumental phase of the site; after the demise of the massive broch at the heart of the community. One prominent British Iron Age scholar (Professor Niall Sharples from Cardiff University) has previously suggested that across Atlantic Scotland a pattern can be observed in which, around the time of the end of the brochs, when monumental domestic architecture is on the wane, there is a very substantial rise in the volume of items that reflect the presentation of the individual through personal adornment. This phenomenon seems to be reflected at The Cairns also.

Jewellery as social currency: Feasting, and gift-giving?

At the end of the bronze-casting event a fairly thick, very rich animal bone midden was laid down in the vicinity and slightly overlying the metalworking area. The close relationship between the metalworking and the animal bone is shown by the presence of a few of the crucibles and mould fragments amongst the midden also. What’s in this midden?

Well lots of domesticated animals, including cattle, sheep and pig, especially large cattle long bones. In addition, there were other mammal bones such as red deer, otter, and even a small quantity of horse. The midden also contained carbonised soils, ash and broken fragments of pottery. Many fire-cracked beach cobbles were also excavated, and these represent the exploded remains of ‘pot-boilers’, heated cobbles that were immersed in vessels to heat up water and cook some of the food. It seems that the people gathered at our feast were consuming beef on the bone, boiled pork, and roasted mutton and venison, some of which may have been washed down by beverages drunk from many pottery vessels.

The close stratigraphic association between the fine metalworking and the feasting raises the question of what exactly was going on here. One possibility that I like very much is that the feasting could be the spectacular social event at which the products of the jewellery-making were handed out, or gifted, to their intended recipients by those who had sponsored the metalworking in the first place. We may therefore be peering into the social circumstances of the jewellery-making and the distribution of its products amongst the community at The Cairns. If this is so, then it is a fascinating insight into the moment at which objects like the pins, brooches and rings started off on their biographies, their journey through people’s lives.

This is a very rare opportunity to see more clearly the initial nature of the social and political significance of these objects from their start-point. It would mean that the sharing or gifting of the jewellery was surrounded in the circumstances of a big social occasion, a massive party, if you like. We are seeing their birth and the important role they played in the power-play and social strategies of Iron Age groups and individuals. With the circumstances of the jewellery-making we are able, for once, to investigate the intended status and significance of these items within the context of their birth, rather than depending on the information we usually get, which is based on the discovery of these objects much later in their lives, in fact at the end of their lives, when they went in the ground, perhaps many decades, or more, after they were originally made and worn. Most theories about the brooches and pins and their role in society have been based on what we glean from them in this end-state, but the assemblage of metalworking evidence from The Cairns; the moulds, crucibles, and other items, together with the massive remains of the feasting allows us to grasp what was going on at the point in time when these jewellery items were instigated.

Two moulds for casting penannular brooches [Credit: University of the Highlands and Islands]

Jewellery, Society and the wider Northern Scottish Iron Age

It is highly intriguing that the birth of these prestigious pieces of jewellery appears to have been accompanied by communal, outdoor feasting and judging by the volume of animal bone it involved a large part, if not all, of the community. In the absence of the big spacious monumental buildings, such as the brochs, which may have previously served to gather large numbers of people under one roof at important times in the life of the community, we can ponder whether feasting events like this were the new arena for expressing the identity and solidarity of the community.

If we now recall Professor Sharples’ aforementioned thesis that the changes at the end of the Middle Iron Age to late Iron Age involved a major transformation of the way people expressed their social identity, from the communal to the individual then this evidence for big community feasting in the early part of the Later Iron Age is very interesting. Perhaps this serves to somewhat modify that concept, because in the post-broch era at The Cairns, for one, the community appears to have retained ways of expressing their greater collective identity. Nevertheless, it seems unlikely that everyone was singled-out and gifted one of the pieces of fine jewellery that were produced.

At one level, perhaps, everyone in the community was involved in the feasting, but only some were ennobled by receiving a pin; a ring, or a brooch. So it may well be that we are looking at the strategies for creating and maintaining the concept of the entire community at the same time as signalling social difference, and hierarchy within the community of this post-broch period. If so, the excavations are really coming up trumps in terms of allowing us to peer into the social circumstances of Iron Age communities.

New dates for Structure B1: Have we found the elite sponsors of the metalworking?

The period of the jewellery-making is after the end of the broch and we were previously unclear which buildings amongst the many post-broch structures were occupied at the time of the bronze-working. The new dates also allow us to pin-point whereabouts on site, at least some of, the community were living at the time the jewellery-making was taking place. Armed with the new radiocarbon dates, it turns out, that one of the large rectangular post-broch buildings (perhaps a Wag-like building of the type found in Caithness and at The Howe in Orkney) known to us as Structure B1, located about 30 metres to the south-west of the jewellery-making area was first constructed and occupied between the Mid-3rd to 4th Centuries AD, and therefore at the same time as the metalworking.

The large formal hearth in Structure B under excavation [Credit: University of the Highlands and Islands]

Structure B1 lies directly over the reduced and in-filled remains of the broch. One of the most remarkable aspects of this building is its very large, formal and complex central hearth, which was over 3 metres in length in its fully developed form. This hearth and the central location of the building directly juxtaposed with the remains of the abandoned broch almost co-opting its former position and grandeur have always made us wonder if it was one of the key buildings in the immediate post-broch period at The Cairns, quite possibly the highest status building on site at that time, and may be the successor to the central broch in socio-political terms.

It is intriguing therefore to now know unambiguously that Structure B1 was contemporary with whoever was managing the wealth required to sponsor the lavish jewellery-making on site. Pushing this further, it is tempting to speculate that it was the important and powerful household resident in Structure B1 who instigated and organised the production of the jewellery, and the feasting, with all the capacity that those remarkable objects and events had for the creation and maintenance of the post-broch Iron Age community at The Cairns.”

Martin Carruthers, Site Director at The Cairns and Programme Leader for MSc Archaeological Practice, University of the Highlands and Islands Archaeology Institute.

Author: Seanlisle1 Source: University of the Highlands and Islands [March 09, 2018]

Archaeologists struck gold on the last day of the dig at the Margate Caves site when they uncovered an Iron Age skeleton.

The Iron Age skeleton [Credit: Dan Thompson]

The skeleton was found to be a rare crouch burial, where the body is laid as if curled up and sleeping. It was found in the bottom of a bell-shaped chalk pit. The excavation is now complete and the trust says it marks a milestone.

Sarah Vickery, chair of the Margate Caves, said: "The completion of the archaeological dig out Crowdfunder backers made possible is a big milestone in our project.

"The settlement that our archaeologists and volunteers found on our site means the Margate Caves can tell a story of the Isle of Thanet that starts well before the Romans arrived here."

Dig at the Margate Caves site [Credit: Dan Thompson]

The site has revealed a series of Iron Age ditches, some post holes and a large pit - where the crouch burial was found.

Volunteers and archeaologists worked hard throughout February to excavate the area and uncover gems such as an Iron Age Job and hill fort.

The hill fort remains were found in the area of the proposed ticket office. Once an evaluation has been finished, the team will decide how to include the finds in their new visitor centre.

The future of the historic Margate Caves was secured when a bid for a £420,000 Big Lottery Fund grant was successful last year. The team hope the centre will open next year, with plans for an "ambitious mixed-use scheme" for the site.

Author: Katie Davis | Source: Kent Online [March 05, 2018]

Artefacts and structures found during archaeological excavations on the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route/Balmedie to Tipperty (AWPR/B-T) project are shedding light on land use and settlement in the north east over the past 15,000 years, including Mesolithic pits, Roman bread ovens, prehistoric roundhouses and a cremation complex.

A beaker from the Chalcolithic period; a fluted carinated bowl from early Neolithic times; impressed ware from the middle Neolithic [Credit: Transport Scotland]

Since the archaeological excavations were completed, specialists have been analysing the artefacts and samples recovered from the various sites and will be detailing the results in a new limited edition book due to be published later this year.

Keith Brown, Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Jobs and Fair Work said: “When complete, the AWPR will help to reduce congestion, cut journey times, improve safety and lower pollution in Aberdeen City Centre, as well as enable local authorities to develop public transport solutions."

Cremation urn the remains found in a roundhouse and cremation complex at Nether Beanshill, dating to the Bronze Age, from around 1,600 to 1,250 BC [Credit: Transport Scotland]

"However, the archaeology has also proven to be yet another huge benefit coming from this project, helping to shine a light on Scotland’s ancient past. The discoveries along the AWPR route, which would have remained undiscovered had the new bypass not been built, are truly remarkable and underline the importance of the value we place on meeting our environmental obligations as we plan and construct this new infrastructure.”

Bruce Mann, Archaeologist for Aberdeenshire Council and Aberdeen City Council, explained: "There has been a range of fascinating discoveries from the archaeological works carried out on site. Some raise more questions than they answer about what we thought we knew about the north east. For instance, a very unexpected discovery was the presence of Roman activity at Milltimber, likely dating from around 83/84 AD. Ninety bread ovens were uncovered, which were probably constructed by the Roman army at a time of invasion led by the Roman General Agricola. However, no evidence of an associated camp was found, which is unusual for these types of features. We can only speculate as to why the ovens were at this specific location, and what it says about what was happening in the area at the time.”

Bread ovens used by invading Roman soldiers around 83/84 AD at Milltimber [Credit: Transport Scotland]

"Going back to the very earliest finds, there was also evidence of stone tool production dating between about 13,000 and 10,000 BC at Milltimber, a near unprecedented body of evidence which pushes back our understanding of human activity in north east Scotland by several thousand years. The same site revealed spreads of flints along with large pits dating between 10,000 BC to 4,100 BC that could have been used by hunter-gatherers to trap deer, elks or aurochs (an ancestor of modern bison). What is particularly exciting is that these finds have been made in an area where our knowledge is rapidly expanding through research projects such as Mesolithic Deeside.”

The discoveries made during the works were not confined to the environs of the River Dee. A structure dating between 7,000 BC to 6,700 BC was also found at Standingstones, in the hills to the west of Dyce. This tent-like shelter was likely only used for a few nights by a small group of people while they collected nuts, berries and tubers or hunted animals in the immediate area.

Hammerstone and cores from digs from Wester Hatton [Credit: Transport Scotland]

Bruce continued: “Bronze Age activity was identified from Nether Beanshill in the form of a roundhouse and contemporary cremation complex dating from around 1,600 to 1,250 BC.BC. The burial comprised of an urn in which the cremated remains of an individual in their 20s had been placed. This urn was placed in a pit which was then marked by a horseshoe-shaped arrangement of timber posts. Two other similar burials were covered by miniature mounds and surrounded by small ditches.”

Although artefacts of a wide range of dates, materials and types were discovered across the scheme, a particularly well-preserved Beaker period pot found in a post-hole at Milltimber was a highlight. The pot was completely intact when it was found and must have been placed in the ground with a great deal of care. It dates to between 2,400 BC to around 2,200/2,000 BC.

Quern Stone with a hand-stone found in Wester Hatton [Credit: Transport Scotland]

Bruce added: “These archaeological finds provide real insight into the history and culture of the north east. They are impressive in both in time depth and range of activities represented. They push back known human activity in the region by at least 2,000 years, add new detail to how our ancestors lived and died, and reveal a new dimension to Rome’s invasions of Scotland.”

Leader of Aberdeenshire Council Cllr Jim Gifford added: “The AWPR project isn’t just about construction of the route itself, as important as that is. It’s also about our relationship with the environment and the history of the north-east of Scotland.

Beaker pot found at Milltimber dating from between 2,400 to 2,000 BC [Credit: Transport Scotland]

“The book, when it becomes available later this year, captures a slice of history and I would like to thank Bruce and those who worked on this element of the scheme for their hard work in producing this excellent document.”

Aberdeen City Council transport and regeneration spokesman Councillor Ross Grant said: “The archaeology finds are fascinating and highlight just how rich the entire area is in history. It is interesting to find out how our forebearers lived and the Roman bread ovens found at Milltimber paint a picture of everyday life of the incoming army while they were invading."

Remains of a roundhouse found at Gairnhill [Credit: Transport Scotland]

“While modern-day residents are looking forward to the completion of the AWPR and the benefits it will bring to Aberdeen and the surrounding area, I’m sure they will find these discoveries interesting.”

Other excavations include a small hub of Iron Age activity at Goval dating from around the first and second centuries AD where a roundhouse of around 10 metres in diameter was found which would have provided space to live comfortably. The roundhouse was built of vertical wooden posts supporting a large conical thatched roof and there would have been a central hearth. An area of stone paving – or work surface – was also found outside the entrance of the building.

A furnace found nearby showed evidence of iron smelting, the process of extracting iron from ore. The ore which was most likely extracted from nearby peat bogs, would have been heated in the furnace causing the iron to separate and pool in the bottom of the furnace.

Source: Scottish Government [February 26, 2018]

Researchers from Newcastle and Oxford Universities have for the first time catalogued in detail each of the 54 Brancaster-type rings known to exist in the UK today and say that they can be dated with confidence due to their design and the material they’re made from.

Roman 'Brancaster type' gold finger ring [Credit: Portable Antiquities Scheme]

Named after the Roman Fort and Norfolk village where the first example was discovered in the mid-19th century, a Brancaster ring is a type of signet ring with a characteristic square or rectangular bezel, inscribed with characters or text.

Most of the 54 rings are made from silver, and a small number from gold. This contrasts with the early Roman period when the majority of rings tended to be made from bronze. They are also different to early Anglo Saxon rings, which were much plainer and rarer.

As well as being worn as an item of jewellery, they were commonly used with wax to seal letters and other important documents. Seals were also often used as a security device to protect belongings in the home and while in transit.

Writing in the German journal Bonner Jahrbücher, the research team say that the fact the rings are made from precious metals and were used with important documents and goods point to them being owned by wealthy, educated individuals – the elite of British society at the time.

Dr James Gerrard, Senior Lecturer in Roman Archaeology, explains: “These were ostentatious rings and would have been a very visible sign of the wearer’s status and their confidence in expressing themselves as a Roman citizen.

“The fifth century was a period of major upheaval and marked the start of the transition from Roman Empire to Anglo Saxon Britain. These rings and their inscriptions provide a glimpse of what Britain was like during these years and give an insight into the dress, beliefs, ideologies and education level of the elite at the time.”

One famous Brancaster ring, the Senicianus ring, is thought to have inspired JRR Tolkien to write The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy. The gold ring has been linked to a Roman curse tablet found at the site of a Roman temple in 1785, which said: ‘To the god Nodens: Silvianus has lost his ring and promises half its value to Nodens. Among those named Senecianus, let none enjoy health until he brings it back to the temple of Nodens.’ Nearly 150 years later, archaeologist Sir Mortimer Wheeler is believed to have discussed the ring with Tolkien, who was Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford University at the time, after realising the ring could potentially be the one referred to by the curse.

The rings were discovered over several years at sites predominantly in the south and east of Britain.  Some were found during archaeological excavations at known villa locations but many were found as part of buried hoards alongside other artefacts such as coins and jewellery. A large number of rings were also discovered by metal-detectorists and reported to the Portable Antiquities Scheme.

Many of the hoards that include these rings also contain large numbers of late Roman silver coins. In many cases these coins have been clipped around the edges. Tampering with coins was illegal during the Roman period and it is believed that this clipping dates to the fifth century. This is further evidence of the fifth-century date of the rings.

The rings are engraved with a wide variety of designs. Some have what appear to be portraits of the emperor, soldiers or lovers while others feature several dolphins and mythical sea creatures such as sea griffins, which are frequently depicted in late Roman art.

In addition, many of the rings also bear references to Christianity, either in the inscription or the images depicted on the bezel, such as doves or peacocks. These images have long been associated with Christianity, which had started to spread across the Roman Empire from the fourth century, when Constantine the Great converted and encouraged other Roman citizens to convert.

Dr Gerrard adds: “Taken together, the use of silver and gold, the Christian iconography, the style of the designs and their associations with clipped silver coins, all point to Brancaster rings being of a particular time – in this case, we can be confident in firmly placing them at the very end fourth and in the fifth century.”

Source: Newcastle University [February 24, 2018]

Archaeologists have unearthed two "extremely rare" Roman boxing gloves during an excavation at the site of a fort on Hadrian's Wall.

The gloves resemble leather padded bands rather than the full-hand versions used in modern boxing [Credit: The Vindolanda Trust]

Researchers said they believed the gloves, which can still "sit comfortably on a modern hand", were most likely used for sparring and practice.

They were found at the Vindolanda fort near Hexham in northern England in the middle of last year.

"I have seen representations of Roman boxing gloves depicted on bronze statues, paintings and sculptures, but to have the privilege of finding two real leather examples is exceptionally special," Vindolanda Trust CEO and director of excavations Andrew Birley said.

"What really makes Vindolanda so unique is the range of organic objects that we find. Every one of them brings you closer to the people who lived here nearly 2,000 years ago. But the hairs stand up on the back of your neck when you realise that you have discovered something as astonishing as these boxing gloves."

A print from an engraving showing gladiators boxing [Credit: Historical Picture Archive/Corbis via Getty Images]

Unlike the modern boxing glove, the ancient examples have the appearance of a protective guard; designed to fit snugly over the knuckles, protecting them from impact.

The larger of the two gloves was cut from a single piece of leather and was folded into a pouch.

The glove was packed with natural material, acting as a shock absorber.

A number of other valuable relics were recovered on the dig, including swords, "wafer thin" writing tablets, leather shoes, bath clogs, combs and dice.

Source: ABC News Website [February 22, 2018]

Archaeologists from Network Archaeology Ltd have teamed up with Lincolnshire Live to reveal more about the incredible artifacts from a dig along part of the route of Lincoln's Eastern Bypass.

Stone corbel in the Romanesque style, 1140-1160 AD [Credit: Working Pictures Ltd]

Here, Dr Richard Moore and director Christopher Taylor continue their Find of the Week series, and this week they share a truly amazing find pulled from the mud...

"It’s an alien!" - that was the first response of almost every member of the team when they first saw this week’s Find of the Week emerging from the mud.

But a photograph hastily emailed to our lovely back-up team of specialists provided a more sensible identification: it’s a carved stone corbel in the Romanesque style, probably from a church or chapel, and likely to date between 1140 and 1160 AD.

It shows the head of a devilish beast, with large staring eyes. Between its wide-open jaws, is a person’s face.

The stone has partly weathered away but it is still possible to make out the mouth and eyes of this poor victim, having a last look at the world before being swallowed.

This kind of corbel is usually known as a ‘grotesque’, and this particular type is called a ‘beakhead’: many of them look like nightmarish birds, with wide open beaks.

But ours is definitely a beast, with cute pointed ears at the back of its head.

The dig at the Lincoln bypass [Credit: Lincolnshire City Council]

The imagery seems strange to us today but to the uneducated and unsophisticated congregations of the Middle Ages, devils and demons were a very real presence.

The image would have been used by the priests in their sermons to graphically show the fate that awaits unrepentant sinners.

Beakhead corbels were particularly in vogue in the century or so after the conquest of Britain by the Norman French in 1066.

Before then, most village churches were simple wooden buildings, but William the Conqueror’s invasion force and their descendants set about rebuilding in stone, driving home the message that they were now the new landowners. Our example is particularly finely sculpted.

The tradition of depicting devils in architecture carried on into the next century, and included, of course, everyone’s favourite little devil: the Lincoln Imp, perched on one of the corbels of the Angel Choir in the cathedral.

We are left with the question of what this corbel was doing in the mud of the Witham valley, at Washingborough.

Was it part of one of the monastic grange buildings that we know were nearby, or was there a working area here, where stone-masons produced pieces to order from the limestones of the Lincoln Cliff?

Author: Paul Whitelam | Source: Lincolnshire Live [February 21, 2018]

Archaeologists excavating an area in Margate, a seaside town in the district of Thanet in Kent, England, have discovered the remains of an Iron Age hill fort. The find came as part of an archaeological dig at the Margate Caves site.

Remains of an Iron Age hill fort have been uncovered during excavation work to restore a series of caves in Kent. Researchers discovered a defensive ditch during routine excavation as part of the redevelopment [Credit: Dr Paul Wilkinson/SWAT Archaeology]

Last year, the Margate Caves Community Education Trust announced it successfully bid for more than £420,000 from the Big Lottery Fund last year. It is hoped that the centre will reopen in 2019.

The ancient fort remains were found in the area of the proposed ticket office of the centre.

Dr Paul Wilkinson, of SWAT Archaeology, said: "Margate Caves, also known as Vortigern's Cavern, are a set of galleries radiating out from a rectangular shaft. The chalk mine was probably worked between the late 17th and early 18th centuries."

The fortification is thought to be part of a wider encampment, believed to have been a defensive position since pre-history through to the Napoleonic era [Credit: Dr Paul Wilkinson/SWAT Archaeology]

"In 1798 the caves were found by a gardener. The houseowner, Forster, had the caves opened and employed a local artist, Brazier, to create carvings and paint scenes on the walls. The caves were used for storage, a wine cellar and as a grotto. A number of modifications were made to the caves during this period, with new features and passages being cut."

From 1835 until 1863 the caves went unused.

"They were then rented by a shopkeeper, John Norwood, who opened them to the public under the name of Vortigern's Cavern." Dr Wilkinson added.


"This enterprise was successful for some time but eventually closed, parts of the system being backfilled at this time. The caves were next opened in 1907 by Dr Prior, the vicar, who cleared and cut new shafts, eventually opening the caves to the public again after 1910."

"A new entrance was cut in 1914 for use of the caves as an air raid shelter. The caves reopened to the public after the war until 1938 when they were closed. The vicarage above the caves was destroyed in June 1941 and afterwards the entrance to the caves was bricked up. In 1958 James Geary Gardner again reopened the caves. They were again closed in 2004."

Author: Katie Davis | Source: Kent Online [February 20, 2018]

Archaeologists working on a site near Ingoe in Northumberland have found the remains of an elusive Roman road. Local company AAG Archaeology was searching for a road known as the Devil’s Causeway.

A drone shot looks down at the Devil's Causeway, in Northumberland [Credit: AAG Archaeology]

The road can be traced from Portgate on Hadrian’s Wall, near the Errington Arms, to the mouth of the River Tweed, but parts of it have remained uncovered.

A long feature crossing the site north of Matfen divided the opinion of experts, with some believing it to be the remains of the Devil’s Causeway and others suggesting it was merely an old dry stone wall.

In an attempt to put the question to bed, AAG Archaeologists cut several trenches to view a cross section of the remains, and found a defining characteristic of the Roman road.

The team discovered a stone spine, seen at excavations of the Devil’s Causeway near Netherwitton in 2001 and Shellbraes in 1937.

Team leader Jon Welsh said: “When we looked at all the available evidence and alternative theories, it always kept coming back to the Devil’s Causeway being the only viable explanation. The layer of possible metalling doesn’t seem to be the core of a wall, it seems too small to be anything other than the metalling of the Devil’s Causeway.”

Archaeologists at the Devil's Causeway, in Northumberland [Credit: AAG Archaeology]

Jon also found the rusted remains of a Roman knife and belt buckle, giving further credit to their claims.

The team were aided in their work through the use of drones, which gave them a bird’s eye view of the site.

Jon’s assistant, Cleo McQuarrie, said: “One of the problems we had was that the site was so big we couldn’t see all of it at once.

“But every time we sent a drone up, it started to look more and more like a Roman road.

“The technology is amazing; it’s like having your own satellite images in real time on demand.”

Source: Hexham Courant [February 14, 2018]

A 2,000-year-old underground chamber has been uncovered during work to build a house on the Isle of Lewis, the largest island of the Western Isles or Outer Hebrides (an archipelago in Scotland)

The Iron Age chamber is known as a souterrain [Credit: Domhnall Macsuain]

The Iron Age souterrain was revealed during the digging of the foundations for the property in Ness.

Local archaeologists, husband and wife team Chris and Rachel Barrowman, are recording the souterrain.

Archaeologists Chris and Rachel Barrowman at the site of the find [Credit: Domhnall Macsuain]

Dr Barrowman said theories on the purpose of the stone-lined, flat stone-roofed structures included storing food.

He told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme: "They are usually associated with what are known as Atlantic roundhouses, or wheelhouses, of the later Iron Age.

The souterrain is being recorded by archaeologists [Credit: Chris Barrowman]

"If this one was associated with a roundhouse it is likely to have been cleared away by now."

Dr Barrowman, who was asked to check the site by the contractor building the house using equipment from Comunn Eachdraidh Nis (Ness Historical Society), said the souterrain was well preserved.

The souterrain may have been used for storing food [Credit: Domhnall Macsuain]

The archaeologist said he understood it to be the sixth to be recorded in the area.

Comhairle nan Eilean Siar's regional archaeologist is expected to liaise with the islander building the house on what happens next.

The ancient chamber was uncovered by chance during the digging of foundations for a house [Credit: Chris Barrowman]

Dr Barrowman said it was likely that, following a full examination and recording of the site, the souterrain would be filled in and covered over to preserve the archaeology and then the construction of the new home would continue as planned.

Source: BBC News Website [February 09, 2018]

A major 5,500 year old Neolithic ceremonial gathering place known as a causewayed enclosure has been partially uncovered within sight of Windsor Castle in Berkshire. The discovery was made at Riding Court Farm, near Datchet as part of CEMEX UK’s archaeological programme on the quarrying site, which is monitored on behalf of the local planning authority by Berkshire Archaeology.

An aerial view of the site of the Neolithic causewayed enclosure [Credit: Wessex Archaeology]

Defined by encircling bank and ditch segments with gap entrances, such sites represent some of the earliest known acts of monument building in Britain. Around 80 monuments have been identified across Britain, and others are known on the Continent. The Riding Court causewayed enclosure may have been seasonally occupied, a place where communities gathered to undertake ceremonial feasting, exchange of goods, the marking of festivals and social obligations. Imported objects found in other enclosures suggest trade and exchange of exotic objects (stone axes and pottery), while evidence of feasting and human burials are known from other sites.

One feature is the deliberate consumption and wasting of meat and the exposure of human remains including the placing of skulls in the base of ditches. There are signs that pots were deliberately smashed perhaps as festivities came to a close.

Excavations at the site [Credit: Wessex Archaeology]

John Powell, fieldwork director for Wessex Archaeology, said: “The discovery of, and chance to excavate an early Neolithic causewayed enclosure is incredibly rare. The enclosure lies within the central area of the quarry and future work will allow us to systematically excavate and study the site’s surrounding landscape. We will be able to see how the Neolithic community influenced their natural landscape and the lives of later people by leaving their mark on the land.

“Although we have only uncovered part of the site so far, the monument appears to be an oval shape with a projected perimeter of 500 metres. Currently 265 metres of the enclosure’s arc - some 12 ditch segments -  have been traced with the remainder due to be uncovered in 2018. The monument occupies a slightly raised area in what may have been a marshy or seasonably wet landscape within the Thames floodplain. Towards the base of the ditches, small concentrations of animal bone, pottery and worked flint have been found and probably relate to the activities that took place within the enclosure. The finds include finely worked flint arrowheads, knives and serrated blades, decorated pottery sherds and in one segment part of a human skull. A sparse scatter of internal features included a pit that contained a finely ground flint axe.”

Pottery fragments from the site [Credit: Wessex Archaeology]

Roland Smith of Berkshire Archaeology added: “This is such an exciting and important discovery in the Royal Borough. The excavation of this monument will add so much to our shared human story, especially at this pivotal time in the earliest years of farming in Britain. CEMEX UK has been extremely conscientious in addressing the archaeology of this site and I applaud their commitment to ensuring this ancient prehistoric monument will be thoroughly investigated by Wessex Archaeology”.

The enclosure at Datchet lies within the well populated Neolithic landscape of the Middle Thames Valley that includes cursus monuments, timber framed houses and middens. Its excavation will add significant new evidence to a dynamic period of prehistory.  Along the northern bank of the River Thames three similar monuments have been identified within a 15 km stretch of the River Thames: one to the south-east, down river, at Staines and two others to the west, up river, at Eton Wick and Dorney.

As well as the enclosure, archaeologists have found remains of several periods of prehistoric, Roman and later date activity. Traces that indicate people periodically lived, farmed, settled and gathered in the area from the end of the last Ice Age, a period of 12,000 years.

Author: Kitty Foster | Source: Wessex Archaeology [February 09, 2018]

Prehistoric people may well have had an emotional bond with domesticated dogs much earlier than we thought. Leiden Ph.D. candidate and vet Luc Janssens discovered that a dog found at the start of the last century in a grave dating back 14,000 years had been sick for a long time and had been cared for.

The teeth of the younger dog from the grave, with traces of the morbilli virus (canine distemper) [Credit: Pütz Martin, Jürgen Vogel, Ralf Schmitz (LVR-LandesMuseum Bonn)]

The grave itself, including the remains of a man, a woman and two dogs, was discovered by chance in 1914 by a group of workers not far from Bonn. Recent research shows that the remains date from the Palaeolithic era, making them 14,000 years old. This is the oldest known grave where humans and dogs were buried together, and it is among the earliest evidence of the domestication of dogs. It now appears that not only were the dogs domesticated, they were probably also intensively cared for.

The younger dog in the grave must have been 27 or 28 weeks old when it died. Vet and Leiden Ph.D. candidate Luc Janssens examined the remains of the animal's teeth. Based on his findings, he concluded that the dog was probably suffering from a serious infection of the morbilli virus (also known as canine distemper).

Overview of the bone fragments of the dog found in the grave in Bonn-Oberkassel [Credit: Pütz Martin, Jürgen Vogel, Ralf Schmitz (LVR-LandesMuseum Bonn)]

It is not possible to make a definitive diagnosis because the genetic material of the virus has perished. The characteristic damage to the dog's teeth leads Janssens to believe that the animal contracted the illness as a puppy (at around 3 to 4 months). After this the dog may have had two or possibly even three periods of serious illness lasting 5 to 6 weeks.

"Without adequate care, a dog with a serious case of distemper will die in less than three weeks," Janssens explains. This dog was clearly seriously ill but it survived a further eight weeks, which would only be possible if it had been well cared for. "That would mean keeping it warm and clean and giving it food and water, even though, while it was sick, the dog would not have been of any practical use as a working animal. This, together with the fact that the dogs were buried with people who we may assume were their owners, suggests that there was a unique relationship of care between humans and dogs as long as 14,000 years ago."

The article by Luc Janssens, entitled "A new look at an old dog: Bonn-Oberkassel reconsidered" was published in the Journal of Archaeological Science.

Source: Leiden University [February 08, 2018]

The remains of a previously unknown Roman building have been discovered during building works on the Banbury Road in Warwick. The work has been undertaken as part of ‘Project One Campus’, which sees King’s High School relocating from the town centre to the main Warwick Independent Schools Foundation site.

Credit: Warwickshire County Council

Wall foundations for a large aisled structure the size of a medieval church have been uncovered by Warwickshire County Council’s team of archaeologists, who have been on site since October, at the behest of Warwick Independent Schools Foundation.

Archaeology Warwickshire’s Principal Archaeologist, Stuart Palmer, said: “The building probably forms a component of a large villa estate, which must have spread along the banks of the Avon and been connected to the Roman road system. Early indications suggest it developed in the 2nd Century AD and probably went out of use in the 4th Century. This new discovery will put Roman Warwick firmly on the map.”

Constructed of local sandstone, over 28m long by 14.5m wide, the villa would have been the largest building ever seen in the region. Corn drying ovens, both inside and outside the structure, attest to an agricultural function, although internal wall divisions at the opposite end of the building probably indicate a suite of domestic rooms.

Cllr Jeff Clarke, Warwickshire County Council Portfolio Holder for Transport and the Environment, said: “We are very proud of the work done by the Archaeology Warwickshire team on this excavation in Warwick. The team are experts in so many aspects of archaeological history and are always willing and able to use that expertise to assist on a wide variety of fascinating projects. This latest find in Warwick certainly adds to the rich tapestry of Warwickshire’s History which all contributes to the county being a fantastic place to live and visit.”

Credit: Warwickshire County Council

Simon Jones, Secretary for Warwick Independent Schools Foundation, said: “This is an exciting find and an invaluable experience for the schools, with pupils and staff having had opportunities to see the excavations at first hand. The County Archaeologist’s team have been only too happy to share their enthusiasm and worked with us to ensure the find has not had undue impact on POC progress. The find will become part of the history of the new school building and of the Foundation as a whole and will, we hope, inspire budding archaeologists for generations to come.”

The archaeological work is a requirement of planning permission and in accordance with a Written Scheme of Investigation approved in advance by the planning authority. Stuart Palmer added: “We have maintained close contact with the district’s archaeological advisor throughout the project and each stage of excavation has been monitored and signed off before moving on to the next, and work has now been able to proceed on Project One Campus.”

Caroline Rann, who has been leading the winter long excavation, said: ‘Very rarely do archaeologists discover a new villa, and this fantastic building could never have been predicted. Thanks to the Warwick Independent Schools Foundation and their construction team, Speller Metcalfe, who have gone out of their way to assist us, we can now start to build a better picture of Roman Warwick.’

The remains of the building will be preserved under the new Campus and plans are being developed to bring the results of the work to a wider audience in the forms of displays and educational materials, as well as a formal archaeological report.

Source: Warwickshire County Council [February 08, 2018]

The face of ‘Cheddar Man’, Britain’s oldest nearly complete skeleton at 10,000 years old, is revealed for the first time and with unprecedented accuracy by UCL and Natural History Museum researchers.

A reconstruction model from the skull of 'Cheddar Man' after DNA analysis of the 10,000-year-old skeleton shows early Britons had dark skin and blue eyes [Credit: Channel 4]

The results indicate that Cheddar Man had blue eyes, dark coloured curly hair and ‘dark to black’ skin pigmentation. Previously, many had assumed that he had reduced skin pigmentation.

The discovery suggests that the lighter pigmentation now considered to be a defining feature of northern Europe is a far more recent phenomenon.

The pioneering work was carried out by a team of UCL scientists, Natural History Museum Human Evolution and DNA specialists, and the world’s foremost prehistoric model makers, for a new Channel 4 documentary, First Brit: Secrets of the 10,000 Year Old Man.

In one of their most challenging human DNA projects to date – no British individual this old has ever had their genome sequenced – the Natural History Museum’s ancient DNA lab’s Professor Ian Barnes and Dr Selina Brace carried out the first ever full reading of Cheddar Man’s DNA.

Professor Mark Thomas and Dr Yoan Diekmann (both UCL Genetics, Evolution & Environment) then analysed Cheddar Man’s DNA sequences to establish aspects of his appearance.

Cheddar Man Skull [Credit: Channel 4]

“Cheddar Man’s genetic profile places him with several other Mesolithic-era Europeans from Spain, Hungary and Luxembourg whose DNA has already been analysed. These ‘Western Hunter-Gatherer’s’ migrated into Europe at the end of the last ice age and the group included Cheddar Man’s ancestors,” explained Professor Thomas.

Today, around 10% of indigenous British ancestry can be linked to that population.

Cheddar Man was unearthed in 1903 in Gough’s Cave at Cheddar Gorge, Somerset, and has been the topic of constant mystery and intrigue.

For over 100 years, scientists have tried to reveal his story, posing theories as to what he looked like, where he came from and what he can tell us about our earliest ancestors.

Only now with world-leading research, cutting-edge DNA and facial reconstruction can we see for the first time the face of this 10,000 year old man, and ask how 300 generations later he relates to us today.


To collect a few milligrams of his bone powder for analysis, scientists in the Natural History Museum’s ancient DNA lab drilled a tiny, 2mm wide hole into the ancient skull. As the DNA was unusually well-preserved, possibly due to the cool, stable conditions in the limestone cave, the team extracted sufficient genetic information to inform the facial reconstruction, as well as other genetic characteristics.

Model makers, Adrie and Alfons Kennis, used a hi-tech scanner to render Cheddar Man’s skull in full three-dimensional detail, fleshing it out with facial features based on the results of the scientific research.

Prof Chris Stringer, Research Leader in Human Origins at the Natural History Museum, first excavated at Gough’s Cave 30 years ago, said: “I first studied ‘Cheddar Man’ more than 40 years ago, but could never have believed that we would one day have his whole genome – the oldest British one to date! To go beyond what the bones tell us and get a scientifically-based picture of what he actually looked like is a remarkable (and from the results quite surprising!) achievement.”

First Brit: Secrets of the 10,000 Year Old Man will air on Channel 4 on Sunday 18th February

Source: University College London [February 07, 2018]

A recent storm brought to light flint scrapers and arrowheads dating from the Palaeolithic era in a Schaffhausen forest.

The flints examined by the Schaffhausen Archaeological Service were discovered in a forest [Credit: Township of Schaffhausen]

The Stone Age tools were found by a jogger among the roots of a tree felled by strong winds a month ago and immediately reported his discovery to the Cantonal Archaeological Service.

Archaeologists have since been able to extract many other finely worked stone objects from the site.

"12,000 years ago, small groups of hunter-gatherers occupied this area which today is heavily forested but was then only a sparse landscape of birch and pine trees," explained the Cantonal Archaeological Service, adding that "the stone used for the flint came from the Schaffhausen high plateau of the Randen."

"At the scene of the find, hunter-gatherers fashioned spearheads for reindeer hunting and tools to work furs. This is evidenced by a large amount of waste and a few finished products."

Source: Swissinfo [February 06, 2018]

A new study of prehistoric teeth published in the journal Paleo suggests a large carnivore may have scavenged on the remains of Neanderthals 65,000 years ago.

Details of a partially digested tooth [Credit: PACEA laboratory]

The teeth were found at a dig site in Marillac, a village in western France and show signs of being swallowed and later expelled. Excavations conducted at Marillac from 1967 to 1989 have yielded several finds for scientists who study Neanderthals.

Now extinct, Neanderthals were once humans' closest relative. They extended as far west as modern-day France and as far east as central Asia.

Excavation areas [Credit: PACEA laboratory]

Scientists who studied the teeth in the past previously concluded that they belonged to a cow or deer. But a reexamination of the teeth conducted by researchers at the Center for Scientific Research in France found they belonged to humans and were damaged after being ingested.

The site at Marillac is thought to have been a spot where hunters butchered their kills, a majority of which were reindeer.

Hyenas and Neanderthals in Marillac - Les Pradelles [Credit: PACEA laboratory]

A study published in 2015 also found human bones present at the site had been intentionally manipulated. Cannibalism or ceremonial ritual are the two prevailing theories for why they show signs of intentional cuts and fractures.

In a press release from the research institute, researchers noted large carnivores may also have feasted on the human remains, pointing to a highly competitive relationship between the early humans and other large predators. A now-extinct prehistoric hyena that roamed Europe may have been a culprit.

Marillac - Les Pradelles under excavation 2003 [Credit: PACEA laboratory]

In an interview with Live Science, study author and Princeton anthropologist Alan Mann noted, "We don't know exactly what was going on, but [the Neanderthals] must have left skulls or parts of the face there, because cave hyenas came in and ate them," Mann said.

Because some of the teeth were still connected to pieces of jawbone, scientists suspect a large carnivore would have had to carve into the face of its dinner.

Marillac - Les Pradelles under excavation 2005 [Credit: PACEA laboratory]

Cave hyena skeletons found on the Iberian Peninsula show the cave-dwellers would have looked similar to modern-day hyenas. Scientists debate whether human influence or a changing climate pushed the species to extinction.

The French researchers don't know exactly how the Neanderthal remains may have ended up at the hunting site. A study published in 2013 found evidence of Neanderthals purposefully burying their dead, but Marillac was not known to be used as a burial site.

Marillac - Les Pradelles under excavation 2009 [Credit: PACEA laboratory]

If the Neanderthals at Marillac were killed by a large carnivore, it wouldn't be the first evidence of the struggle between prehistory's top predators.

A 2015 study of Neanderthal bones found in Spain found puncture wounds from the fangs of an ancient big cat. While modern humans are thought to have outcompeted Neanderthals, the study suggests competition with large predators may have put an additional strain on the Neanderthal's fight for existence.

Author: Sarah Gibbens | Source: National Geographic [February 06, 2018]