A unique gold and sapphire finger ring, found by a metal detectorist and just purchased by the Yorkshire Museum, almost certainly belonged to Anglo-Saxon or Viking royalty, very senior clergy or a leading member of the Anglo-Saxon aristocracy, say historians.
Of very great historical importance, it is the only Anglo-Saxon era sapphire ever found in the ground in Britain. The only other sapphire from the period is the one that the Queen wears in her Imperial State Crown, used at the opening of Parliament. Known as St. Edward’s sapphire, this latter gem was once part of King Edward the Confessor’s finger ring and is now the oldest gem in the British crown jewels.
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Wednesday, 3 August 2011
More 'medieval' skeletons found in Kempsey
Another 16 graves have been found in a Worcestershire village where new flood defences are being built.
The 16 are in addition to the 12 uncovered in Kempsey last week next to St James Church.
It is thought that some of the skeletons could date back as early as 500 AD.
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The 16 are in addition to the 12 uncovered in Kempsey last week next to St James Church.
It is thought that some of the skeletons could date back as early as 500 AD.
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Friday, 29 July 2011
Yorkshire Museum buys rare sapphire ring
A rare sapphire ring, discovered by a metal detector enthusiast, has been bought by the Yorkshire Museum.
The museum has raised £35,000 to purchase the piece of jewellery, which archaeologists described as a "spectacular" find.
The ring, found near York and measuring 2.5cm across, could have been made as early as the 7th Century.
It was found by Michael Greenhorn from the York and District Metal Detecting Club in April 2009.
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The museum has raised £35,000 to purchase the piece of jewellery, which archaeologists described as a "spectacular" find.
The ring, found near York and measuring 2.5cm across, could have been made as early as the 7th Century.
It was found by Michael Greenhorn from the York and District Metal Detecting Club in April 2009.
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Tuesday, 26 July 2011
Langstone Harbour Saxon logboat in Portsmouth display
A 1,500-year-old logboat found buried in the mudflats of a harbour in Hampshire has gone on display.
The Saxon boat excavated from Langstone Harbour in 2003 can be seen in an exhibition at Portsmouth City Museum.
The hollowed out oak tree formed a wooden canoe, which was probably used by local people around 500 AD.
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The Saxon boat excavated from Langstone Harbour in 2003 can be seen in an exhibition at Portsmouth City Museum.
The hollowed out oak tree formed a wooden canoe, which was probably used by local people around 500 AD.
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Sunday, 24 July 2011
Sad News
I am sad to report the death of our former colleague Dr David Hill yesterday, less than a year after his marriage to (another former colleague) Margaret Worthington.
David was a member of our Extra Mural Studies Department, and latterly in the English Department. He was one of the great figures of our time in medieval archaeology, and a great personality too. Since retirement from the University he has remained very research active, and despite his appalling health problems -- which he bore cheerfully for many years -- his death was unexpected, and peaceful.
He will be sadly missed by colleagues and his army of disciples -- many of them former students of his Anglo-Saxon Diploma and MA classes.
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David was a member of our Extra Mural Studies Department, and latterly in the English Department. He was one of the great figures of our time in medieval archaeology, and a great personality too. Since retirement from the University he has remained very research active, and despite his appalling health problems -- which he bore cheerfully for many years -- his death was unexpected, and peaceful.
He will be sadly missed by colleagues and his army of disciples -- many of them former students of his Anglo-Saxon Diploma and MA classes.
Read the rest of this article...
Thursday, 7 July 2011
Weymouth Relief Road dig reveals dental discovery
A GRUESOME dental discovery has been unearthed during analysis of the Viking burial pit remains found during construction of the Weymouth Relief Road.
Experts analysing the findings have come across a filed pair of front teeth to add to the unravelling story about the beheaded victims.
The burial pit containing 51 decapitated skulls with their bodies strewn nearby was discovered on the Ridgeway in June, 2009, an experts have been busy examining the remains.
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Experts analysing the findings have come across a filed pair of front teeth to add to the unravelling story about the beheaded victims.
The burial pit containing 51 decapitated skulls with their bodies strewn nearby was discovered on the Ridgeway in June, 2009, an experts have been busy examining the remains.
Read the rest of this article...
.New discovery shows Vikings used to cut 'army stripes' into their teeth
Viking warriors may have given a new meaning to the expression 'cutting your teeth in battle' after archaeologists discovered the Norsemen filed stripes into their incisors to show their fighting status.
..The distinct grooves would have been made using a form of chisel to show the Viking was a proven warrior – similar to the various army stripes denoting rank of today, archaeologists believe.
The teeth were discovered in a mass grave containing 54 headless bodies and 51 skulls of Vikings which were unearthed two years ago by workers building a relief road near Weymouth, Dorset.
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..The distinct grooves would have been made using a form of chisel to show the Viking was a proven warrior – similar to the various army stripes denoting rank of today, archaeologists believe.
The teeth were discovered in a mass grave containing 54 headless bodies and 51 skulls of Vikings which were unearthed two years ago by workers building a relief road near Weymouth, Dorset.
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Wednesday, 6 July 2011
Weymouth burial pit shows Vikings filed their teeth
Archaeologists have discovered that teeth belonging to a Viking warrior, found under the Weymouth relief road in Dorset, had been filed.
They were among remains found in a burial pit which was discovered two years ago. The pair of front teeth have deep horizontal grooves cut into them.
Experts are not sure why the teeth were filed, but believe it may have been to frighten opponents in battle or to show their status as a great fighter.
Watch the video...
They were among remains found in a burial pit which was discovered two years ago. The pair of front teeth have deep horizontal grooves cut into them.
Experts are not sure why the teeth were filed, but believe it may have been to frighten opponents in battle or to show their status as a great fighter.
Watch the video...
Dorset burial pit Viking had filed teeth
Archaeologists have discovered one of the victims of a suspected mass Viking burial pit found in Dorset had grooves filed into his two front teeth.
Experts believe a collection of bones and decapitated heads, unearthed during the creation of the Weymouth Relief Road, belong to young Viking warriors.
During analysis, a pair of front teeth was found to have distinct incisions.
Archaeologists think it may have been designed to frighten opponents or show status as a great fighter.
Read the rest of this article...
Experts believe a collection of bones and decapitated heads, unearthed during the creation of the Weymouth Relief Road, belong to young Viking warriors.
During analysis, a pair of front teeth was found to have distinct incisions.
Archaeologists think it may have been designed to frighten opponents or show status as a great fighter.
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Tuesday, 5 July 2011
Grab the Viking Quiz!
Our Viking Quiz seems to have proved popular.
If you wish, you can add this link button to your site:
Go here to grab the code…
If you wish, you can add this link button to your site:
Go here to grab the code…
Sunday, 3 July 2011
Viking Quiz
What do you know about the Vikings?
Try this online quiz. It loads 10 randomly selected questions from a large database, so each time that you return to the site you get a different set of questions.
You can find the Viking Quiz here…
Try this online quiz. It loads 10 randomly selected questions from a large database, so each time that you return to the site you get a different set of questions.
You can find the Viking Quiz here…
Exhibition of Staffordshire Hoard of gold goes back on display
SPARKLING pieces from the Staffordshire Hoard are on display as conservationists uncover more of secrets of the treasure.
This month 44 pieces from the largest collection of Anglo-Saxon gold ever found are on show at the Shire Hall Gallery, in Stafford.
Archaeologists researching and conserving the Hoard have removed the soil, revealing the glistening garnets and gleaming gold. Now these cleaned pieces are on show, transporting visitors back to the Seventh Century.
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This month 44 pieces from the largest collection of Anglo-Saxon gold ever found are on show at the Shire Hall Gallery, in Stafford.
Archaeologists researching and conserving the Hoard have removed the soil, revealing the glistening garnets and gleaming gold. Now these cleaned pieces are on show, transporting visitors back to the Seventh Century.
Read the rest of this article...
Staffordshire Hoard 'to help rewrite history'
A haul of Anglo-Saxon gold discovered beneath a Staffordshire farmer's field could help rewrite history, experts say.
Historians believe the Staffordshire Hoard could hold vital clues to explain the conversion of Mercia - England's last great Pagan kingdom - to Christianity in the 7th Century.
The hoard was found buried on a farm in Staffordshire in July 2009.
The 1,500 pieces of gold are thought to be the spoils of an Anglo-Saxon battle.
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Historians believe the Staffordshire Hoard could hold vital clues to explain the conversion of Mercia - England's last great Pagan kingdom - to Christianity in the 7th Century.
The hoard was found buried on a farm in Staffordshire in July 2009.
The 1,500 pieces of gold are thought to be the spoils of an Anglo-Saxon battle.
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Saturday, 25 June 2011
Behind the scenes with the Staffordshire Hoard
BURIED away deep within Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery is a room which houses scenes which could come straight from a CSI police show.
Working there, with the diligence of forensic experts, are archeologists and conservators, cleaning, cataloguing and studying the breathtaking 3,500 piece collection which makes up the Staffordshire Hoard. These modern day time detectives are using a mixture of the latest technology and Mother Nature to try to solve its many riddles. Neil Elkes reports
THERE was a eureka moment when conservator Deborah Magnoler realised that there was something familiar about the ancient gold cylinder decorated with garnet stones she was cleaning.
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Working there, with the diligence of forensic experts, are archeologists and conservators, cleaning, cataloguing and studying the breathtaking 3,500 piece collection which makes up the Staffordshire Hoard. These modern day time detectives are using a mixture of the latest technology and Mother Nature to try to solve its many riddles. Neil Elkes reports
THERE was a eureka moment when conservator Deborah Magnoler realised that there was something familiar about the ancient gold cylinder decorated with garnet stones she was cleaning.
Read the rest of this article...
Thursday, 26 May 2011
Anglo-Saxon feast on the menu at Kirkleatham Museum
FOOD fit for a princess is being served up at a Teesside museum cafe to celebrate a ground-breaking exhibition.
The amazing story of the life and death of an Anglo-Saxon princess will be told at Kirkleatham Museum, Redcar, when a new exhibition opens on Saturday.
The display showcases unique archaeological finds, unearthed in Loftus between 2005 and 2007.
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The amazing story of the life and death of an Anglo-Saxon princess will be told at Kirkleatham Museum, Redcar, when a new exhibition opens on Saturday.
The display showcases unique archaeological finds, unearthed in Loftus between 2005 and 2007.
Read the rest of this article...
Monday, 16 May 2011
Loftus royal treasure display attracts crowds
An exhibition showcasing Teesside's links to Anglo-Saxon royalty attracted almost 1,700 people over five days.
The 7th Century artefacts, described as "unparalleled" were found in Loftus at the only known Anglo-Saxon royal burial site in north-east England.
After a battle to keep them in the region they will go on show at Redcar's Kirkleatham Museum from May 28.
Read the rest of this article...
The 7th Century artefacts, described as "unparalleled" were found in Loftus at the only known Anglo-Saxon royal burial site in north-east England.
After a battle to keep them in the region they will go on show at Redcar's Kirkleatham Museum from May 28.
Read the rest of this article...
Sunday, 15 May 2011
Pottery fragments from Glastonbury Abbey cast new light on Dark Ages
Archaeologists are gearing up to share their discovery that the history of Glastonbury Abbey site reaches right back to the Dark Ages. Previous studies of the Abbey’s pottery had identified early Roman, Anglo-Saxon, medieval and later material. Now, a one-day symposium hosted by Glastonbury Abbey, exploring exciting new research into the historic excavation archives 1908 – 1979, will show that human activity took place there as early as the third or fourth centuries BC.
John Allan, Consultant Archaeologist to Glastonbury Abbey, and one of the speakers at the Symposium, said: ‘We now realise that the Abbey site had a much longer history than previously known, reaching right back into prehistory and including the mysterious Dark Ages. We hadn’t realised these periods were represented in the excavated pottery, until this project.
‘A scatter of exotic Saxon, Norman, medieval and later ceramics attests the great wealth of the abbey. Scientific analysis has now established the precise origins of some of these finds; the most distant come from Italy, Spain, Portugal and France.
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John Allan, Consultant Archaeologist to Glastonbury Abbey, and one of the speakers at the Symposium, said: ‘We now realise that the Abbey site had a much longer history than previously known, reaching right back into prehistory and including the mysterious Dark Ages. We hadn’t realised these periods were represented in the excavated pottery, until this project.
‘A scatter of exotic Saxon, Norman, medieval and later ceramics attests the great wealth of the abbey. Scientific analysis has now established the precise origins of some of these finds; the most distant come from Italy, Spain, Portugal and France.
Read the rest of this article...
Glastonbury Abbey's pottery link to Dark Ages
Pottery fragments from an excavation archive of Glastonbury Abbey have shown the site dates back to the Dark Ages, which is later than previously thought.
The research project into the 1951-1964 excavation archive have shown humans occupied the site in the late 4th or 5th centuries.
Archaeologist John Allan said: "We hadn't realised these periods were represented in the excavated pottery."
Other finds include "exotic" pottery from Italy, Spain, Portugal and France.
Read the rest of this article...
The research project into the 1951-1964 excavation archive have shown humans occupied the site in the late 4th or 5th centuries.
Archaeologist John Allan said: "We hadn't realised these periods were represented in the excavated pottery."
Other finds include "exotic" pottery from Italy, Spain, Portugal and France.
Read the rest of this article...
Thursday, 5 May 2011
Anglo Saxon jewellery from Loftus burial site goes on show
A UNIQUE collection of Anglo-Saxon jewellery found in the North-East is set to go on display to the public for the first time.
The seventh century treasure trove sheds light on the extraordinary life of an Anglo-Saxon princess living in east Cleveland.
The artefacts were found in a farmer's field near Loftus between 2005 and 2007 at the only known Anglo-Saxon royal burial site in North-East England.
Read the rest of this article...
The seventh century treasure trove sheds light on the extraordinary life of an Anglo-Saxon princess living in east Cleveland.
The artefacts were found in a farmer's field near Loftus between 2005 and 2007 at the only known Anglo-Saxon royal burial site in North-East England.
Read the rest of this article...
Anglo-Saxon princess pendant at Kirkleatham
Add a commentRecommend SHE was buried with her jewellery about 1,400 years ago in East Cleveland - and now her story is being graphically told in a world first for Teesside.
A stunning collection of 7th Century treasure, shedding light on the life of an Anglo-Saxon princess, is about to go on display at Redcar’s Kirkleatham Museum.
The artefacts - hailed by archaeologists as some of the rarest ever uncovered - were found in Loftus between 2005 and 2007 at the only known Anglo-Saxon royal burial site in North-east England.
Read the rest of this article...
A stunning collection of 7th Century treasure, shedding light on the life of an Anglo-Saxon princess, is about to go on display at Redcar’s Kirkleatham Museum.
The artefacts - hailed by archaeologists as some of the rarest ever uncovered - were found in Loftus between 2005 and 2007 at the only known Anglo-Saxon royal burial site in North-east England.
Read the rest of this article...
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