A stunning golden torc dating from the Iron Age, a hoard of over 3,600 Roman coins and a tiny Anglo Saxon roundel depicting the Hand of God were just some of the items on show at the British Museum last week for the launch of the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) Treasure Annual Report.
The report lists thousands of archaeological finds made and reported by members of the public and includes all of the discoveries that passed through the Treasure Process in 2005 and 2006 from an impressive 1,257 finds in total – each of them contributing to our understanding of the past.
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Monday, 24 November 2008
Monday, 17 November 2008
Roman settlement unearthed near Penrith
A Roman settlement has been unearthed near Penrith by workman preparing the ground for a sewage pipe.
The civilian vicus, which is thought to date back to the first century AD, was discovered on agricultural land in Brougham close to the A66.
Experts have declared the site is of national significance.
Archeologists uncovered the remains of two timber buildings, cobbled lanes, three stone buildings and a rare Grubenhauser – a sunken feature building from the early medieval period.
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The civilian vicus, which is thought to date back to the first century AD, was discovered on agricultural land in Brougham close to the A66.
Experts have declared the site is of national significance.
Archeologists uncovered the remains of two timber buildings, cobbled lanes, three stone buildings and a rare Grubenhauser – a sunken feature building from the early medieval period.
Read the rest of this article...
Tuesday, 11 November 2008
Anglo-Saxon Kent Electronic Database (ASKED)
ASKED, the Anglo-Saxon Kent Electronic Database was built collaboratively by Stuart Brookes and Sue Harrington to facilitate our respective PhD researches at UCL Institute of Archaeology, from 1998-2000. A pared down version of its content is presented here, in order for it to act as the pilot database for a much larger corpus of material currently being gathered under the aegis of the 'Beyond the Tribal Hidage Project' - a Leverhulme funded research project undertaken at UCL Institute of Archaeology by director Martin Welch and research assistant Sue Harrington. It is intended that this new dataset will be deposited with the Archaeology Data Service in late 2009, retaining the same format as this version of ASKED.
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Read the rest of this article...
Thursday, 2 October 2008
Ninth century tag discovered
A SILVER Saxon clothes fastener found by a metal detector enthusiast near Dorchester has been declared as treasure.
The hooked tag dating back to the ninth century and weighing only 4.81g was described by senior archaeologist Claire Pinder as very uncommon.' The treasure was discovered by Martin Savage, of The Rise, Stratton, on a farm in Charminster last October when he was searching with his metal detector.
He said: "Initially I didn't realise what it was so I put it in my pouch and carried on metal detecting. It wasn't until afterwards that I scanned it and sent it to an expert that I found out it was Anglo Saxon."
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The hooked tag dating back to the ninth century and weighing only 4.81g was described by senior archaeologist Claire Pinder as very uncommon.' The treasure was discovered by Martin Savage, of The Rise, Stratton, on a farm in Charminster last October when he was searching with his metal detector.
He said: "Initially I didn't realise what it was so I put it in my pouch and carried on metal detecting. It wasn't until afterwards that I scanned it and sent it to an expert that I found out it was Anglo Saxon."
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Tuesday, 30 September 2008
Ancient Saxons could hold up supermarket
REMAINS of a Saxon settlement could hold up the construction of a budget supermarket on land at Kingsteignton.
German supermarket chain Lidl, submitted pans to Teignbridge Council to build a 1,000 square metre supermarket on the old Wilcocks agricultural site at Newton Road.
Officers have recommended outline planning permission for the store, which could provide up to 30 jobs, be turned down.
Planners say the store would have a 'detrimental impact on the street scene' and to number 2 St Michael's Road, which Lidl owns and plans to sell on completion of the development.
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German supermarket chain Lidl, submitted pans to Teignbridge Council to build a 1,000 square metre supermarket on the old Wilcocks agricultural site at Newton Road.
Officers have recommended outline planning permission for the store, which could provide up to 30 jobs, be turned down.
Planners say the store would have a 'detrimental impact on the street scene' and to number 2 St Michael's Road, which Lidl owns and plans to sell on completion of the development.
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Saturday, 20 September 2008
Off-road biking for ancient site
A former landfill site which is also an Ancient Scheduled Monument could be turned into an off-road biking area.
The site in Dane Valley Road, Broadstairs, Kent, is currently used illegally for off-road biking and fly-tipping, Thanet District Council said.
The authority has received requests for it to be turned into an official motor biking area, Councillor Jo Gideon said.
But she said Anglo-Saxon remains were found there in the 1970s and some "may still be present".
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The site in Dane Valley Road, Broadstairs, Kent, is currently used illegally for off-road biking and fly-tipping, Thanet District Council said.
The authority has received requests for it to be turned into an official motor biking area, Councillor Jo Gideon said.
But she said Anglo-Saxon remains were found there in the 1970s and some "may still be present".
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Animated Bayeux Tapestry
This is a clever and amusing animation of the second part of the Bayeux Tapestry (from Harold’s coronation to his death in battle).
The animation was prepared by David Newton, a freelance graphic designer.
Watch the video...
The animation was prepared by David Newton, a freelance graphic designer.
Watch the video...
Sunday, 14 September 2008
Saxon graves found in Lakenheath
Some 450 graves have been found in Lakenheath after a discovery during recent roadworks.
The find of three Saxon graves has helped to define the size of one of the largest burial grounds in Suffolk, which has been part of a 10-year study by the archaeological services at Suffolk County Council.
During the last six to nine months, Jo Caruth, senior project officer for Archaeological Services, said the team have been monitoring roadworks taking place in RAF Lakenheath as the area was known for its ancient discoveries.
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The find of three Saxon graves has helped to define the size of one of the largest burial grounds in Suffolk, which has been part of a 10-year study by the archaeological services at Suffolk County Council.
During the last six to nine months, Jo Caruth, senior project officer for Archaeological Services, said the team have been monitoring roadworks taking place in RAF Lakenheath as the area was known for its ancient discoveries.
Read the rest of this article...
Monday, 8 September 2008
Saxon grave 'couple' may have been two men
Archaeologists have unearthed the mysterious remains of what first appears to be a couple buried together arm in arm more than 1,000 years ago.
The amazing discovery shows the "couple" laying side by side in the grave with one's arm across the other.
But the discovery has left experts with a 1,000-year-old mystery.
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The amazing discovery shows the "couple" laying side by side in the grave with one's arm across the other.
But the discovery has left experts with a 1,000-year-old mystery.
Read the rest of this article...
Wednesday, 3 September 2008
The Viking and Anglo-Saxon Landscape and Economy (VASLE) Project
In the last fifteen years the role of metal-detected objects in the study of Anglo-Saxon and Anglo-Scandinavian England has greatly increased through reporting to the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) and the Early Medieval Corpus (EMC). There are now thousands more artefacts and coins known than a decade ago which, in conjunction with fieldwork, have the potential to revolutionise our understanding of the early medieval period.
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Read the rest of this article...
Thursday, 19 June 2008
Saxon bowl on show
AN exciting archaeological find has been donated to Andover Museum.
The bronze, Saxon hanging bowl was discovered near Kimpton by local metal detectorist Michael Robbins.
He took it to the Hampshire finds liaison officer, Rob Webley, in Winchester.
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Mr Webley, whose post is part of the national portable antiquities scheme, said: "It was covered in mud and a far cry from its current appearance."
The bowl dates to between 600 and 700AD. Such bowls appear to accompany what archaeologists call sentinel burials of men on the edge of a tribal boundary. Intere-stingly the bowl was found near to a Bronze Age barrow cemetery, which was investigated by the Andover Archaeological Society in the 1970s. It's not unusual to find Saxon burials near to those of earlier periods.
Read the rest of this article...
The bronze, Saxon hanging bowl was discovered near Kimpton by local metal detectorist Michael Robbins.
He took it to the Hampshire finds liaison officer, Rob Webley, in Winchester.
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Mr Webley, whose post is part of the national portable antiquities scheme, said: "It was covered in mud and a far cry from its current appearance."
The bowl dates to between 600 and 700AD. Such bowls appear to accompany what archaeologists call sentinel burials of men on the edge of a tribal boundary. Intere-stingly the bowl was found near to a Bronze Age barrow cemetery, which was investigated by the Andover Archaeological Society in the 1970s. It's not unusual to find Saxon burials near to those of earlier periods.
Read the rest of this article...
Wednesday, 18 June 2008
Archaeologist's search for ancient Lanky tribe
AN amateur archaeologist has been given a lottery grant to help him dig into Bolton's hidden past.
Paul Kay, the founder of the Bolton Cambrian Archaeological and Historical Society, believes the moors around Bolton and Lancashire have secrets to be unearthed which may give a rare insight into life in Anglo-Saxon times and earlier.
He has been awarded £9,900 by the National Lottery Awards For All scheme to help set up the society's headquarters and website, and to start exploring the moors.
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"I want to look at the commonly held notion that Lancashire was unremarkable before modern times," said Mr Kay, aged 39, who is a student teacher. "The moors have a lot of archaeological evidence suggesting the area might be a repository for a culture that was altered elsewhere in Britain when invaders arrived from other nations."
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Paul Kay, the founder of the Bolton Cambrian Archaeological and Historical Society, believes the moors around Bolton and Lancashire have secrets to be unearthed which may give a rare insight into life in Anglo-Saxon times and earlier.
He has been awarded £9,900 by the National Lottery Awards For All scheme to help set up the society's headquarters and website, and to start exploring the moors.
advertisement
"I want to look at the commonly held notion that Lancashire was unremarkable before modern times," said Mr Kay, aged 39, who is a student teacher. "The moors have a lot of archaeological evidence suggesting the area might be a repository for a culture that was altered elsewhere in Britain when invaders arrived from other nations."
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Thursday, 12 June 2008
LEICESTERSHIRE BURIAL MOUNDS REVEAL ANCESTRAL INSIGHTS
Researchers from University of Leicester Archaeological Services (ULAS) have recently completed work on the results of three closely related Bronze Age round barrows excavated at Cossington, Leicestershire.
Their excavations revealed a variety of burial practices from Bronze Age, Iron Age, Roman and Anglo Saxon times, showing how the three barrows were used in repeated ceremonies to honour the dead. They offer the first definite example of an Anglo Saxon cemetery sited on an earlier monument to be found in Leicestershire.
One of the barrows included the crouched burial of a child of around eight years, who lay with grave offerings including two pots, a stone bowl and three flint knives. One of the knives had been made from a much earlier object, perhaps making a physical link to past ‘ancestors’.
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Their excavations revealed a variety of burial practices from Bronze Age, Iron Age, Roman and Anglo Saxon times, showing how the three barrows were used in repeated ceremonies to honour the dead. They offer the first definite example of an Anglo Saxon cemetery sited on an earlier monument to be found in Leicestershire.
One of the barrows included the crouched burial of a child of around eight years, who lay with grave offerings including two pots, a stone bowl and three flint knives. One of the knives had been made from a much earlier object, perhaps making a physical link to past ‘ancestors’.
Read the rest of this article...
Saturday, 7 June 2008
Rare find could be Saxon
EXPERTS now believe a dozen skeletons discovered in a mass grave in the centre of Oxford may have belonged to executed criminals from Saxon times.
A team of three archaeologists have been digging in the quadrangle of St John's College in Blackhall Road, off St Giles, for almost two weeks since the discovery was made.
The bones of 12 or 13 bodies have gradually been uncovered after a body part was discovered 80cm below ground level by diggers excavating the plot before a new quadrangle is built.
City archaeologists have labelled the find the most exciting in Oxford for nearly half a century, and predict more bodies could be found in the area.
Read the rest of this article...
A team of three archaeologists have been digging in the quadrangle of St John's College in Blackhall Road, off St Giles, for almost two weeks since the discovery was made.
The bones of 12 or 13 bodies have gradually been uncovered after a body part was discovered 80cm below ground level by diggers excavating the plot before a new quadrangle is built.
City archaeologists have labelled the find the most exciting in Oxford for nearly half a century, and predict more bodies could be found in the area.
Read the rest of this article...
Friday, 6 June 2008
BURIALS REVEAL ANCESTORS' LIVES
Archaeologists have made remarkable discoveries at an ancient burial ground.
Excavations in Cossington revealed a variety of burial practices from Bronze Age, Iron Age, Roman and Anglo-Saxon times, showing that three barrows were used repeatedly in ceremonies to honour the dead.
The finds are the first definite example of an Anglo-Saxon cemetery, on the site of a monument at least 1,000 years older, that have been found in Leicestershire.
Researchers from University of Leicester Archaeological Services have now published the results of their excavations.
Read the rest of this article...
Excavations in Cossington revealed a variety of burial practices from Bronze Age, Iron Age, Roman and Anglo-Saxon times, showing that three barrows were used repeatedly in ceremonies to honour the dead.
The finds are the first definite example of an Anglo-Saxon cemetery, on the site of a monument at least 1,000 years older, that have been found in Leicestershire.
Researchers from University of Leicester Archaeological Services have now published the results of their excavations.
Read the rest of this article...
Saturday, 12 April 2008
Bejeweled Anglo-Saxon Burial Suggests Cult
In seventh century England, a woman's jewelry-draped body was laid out on a specially constructed bed and buried in a grave that formed the center of an Anglo-Saxon cemetery, according to British archaeologists who recently excavated the site in Yorkshire.
Her jewelry, which included a large shield-shaped pendant, the layout and location of the cemetery as well as excavated weaponry, such as knives and a fine langseax (a single-edged Anglo-Saxon sword), lead the scientists to believe she might have been a member of royalty who led a pagan cult at a time when Christianity was just starting to take root in the region.
"I believe it is a cult because of the arrangement of graves, the short period of the cemetery's use and the bed burial and burial mound that is almost in the center of the very regular cemetery," archaeologist Stephen Sherlock, who directed the project, told Discovery News.
"The whole focus of the cemetery is based upon the bed burial -- it is our view that this was erected first and the other graves were dug around it," added Sherlock, who worked with the Teesside Archaeological Society, which recently published a report on the research.
Read the rest of this article...
Her jewelry, which included a large shield-shaped pendant, the layout and location of the cemetery as well as excavated weaponry, such as knives and a fine langseax (a single-edged Anglo-Saxon sword), lead the scientists to believe she might have been a member of royalty who led a pagan cult at a time when Christianity was just starting to take root in the region.
"I believe it is a cult because of the arrangement of graves, the short period of the cemetery's use and the bed burial and burial mound that is almost in the center of the very regular cemetery," archaeologist Stephen Sherlock, who directed the project, told Discovery News.
"The whole focus of the cemetery is based upon the bed burial -- it is our view that this was erected first and the other graves were dug around it," added Sherlock, who worked with the Teesside Archaeological Society, which recently published a report on the research.
Read the rest of this article...
Tuesday, 8 April 2008
Experts bone up on grisly relics
Archaeologists now believe a dozen skeletons discovered in a mass grave in the centre of Oxford may have belonged to executed criminals from Saxon times.
A team of three archaeologists have been digging in the quadrangle of St John's College in Blackhall Road, off St Giles, for nearly two weeks since the discovery was made.
The bones of 12 or 13 bodies have gradually been uncovered after a body part was discovered 80cm below ground level by diggers excavating the plot before a new quadrangle is built.
City archaeologists have labelled the find the most exciting in Oxford for nearly half a century, and predict more bodies could be found in the area.
Read the rest of this article...
A team of three archaeologists have been digging in the quadrangle of St John's College in Blackhall Road, off St Giles, for nearly two weeks since the discovery was made.
The bones of 12 or 13 bodies have gradually been uncovered after a body part was discovered 80cm below ground level by diggers excavating the plot before a new quadrangle is built.
City archaeologists have labelled the find the most exciting in Oxford for nearly half a century, and predict more bodies could be found in the area.
Read the rest of this article...
Archaeological work on an Anglo-Saxon settlement in East Anglia
ARCHAEOLOGISTS have meticulously built up a picture of ancient settlements in an isolated location near Aldeburgh. Their work follows two digs during which they discovered evidence of life in the Anglo-Saxon period at Barber's Point, which is on the banks of the River Alde opposite Iken. The digs were carried out in 2004 and 2006 by up to 50 volunteers with the help of the county council's archaeological service. The Local History Initiative gave £25,000 towards the work which was commissioned by the Aldeburgh and District Local History Society.
Richard Newman, a founder member of the society, had a long-held ambition to dig at Barber's Point and he is delighted with the success of the project. “It has been a fascinating time and a lot of people have had a lot of fun, enjoyed a taste of archaeology and developed a greater understanding of what was going on in these parts,” he said. “When we started we thought we would just find a fairly humble Roman site, possibly linked to salt making of which there are a number of sites on the River Alde. But by the second session it became obvious that it was considerably more.”
Read the rest of this article...
Richard Newman, a founder member of the society, had a long-held ambition to dig at Barber's Point and he is delighted with the success of the project. “It has been a fascinating time and a lot of people have had a lot of fun, enjoyed a taste of archaeology and developed a greater understanding of what was going on in these parts,” he said. “When we started we thought we would just find a fairly humble Roman site, possibly linked to salt making of which there are a number of sites on the River Alde. But by the second session it became obvious that it was considerably more.”
Read the rest of this article...
Sunday, 6 April 2008
Archaeological finds set to go on display
DONCASTER Museum is expected to stage an exhibition of the borough's recent major Viking or Saxon find in the next few months.
Doncaster Council expects the bones of the 35 people whose grave was found during site preparations for the construction of the new North Ridge Community School in Adwick to be returned when archaeologists finish working on them.
But it is unlikely all the bones will be put on public display at the Chequer Road venue and may be kept in storage by the authority.
Jane Miller, director of neighbourhoods, said: "The excavated material is currently undergoing conservation and analysis but it is hoped that an exhibition will be held in Doncaster to give local people the chance to look at some of the
se finds within the next few months."
Read the rest of this article...
Doncaster Council expects the bones of the 35 people whose grave was found during site preparations for the construction of the new North Ridge Community School in Adwick to be returned when archaeologists finish working on them.
But it is unlikely all the bones will be put on public display at the Chequer Road venue and may be kept in storage by the authority.
Jane Miller, director of neighbourhoods, said: "The excavated material is currently undergoing conservation and analysis but it is hoped that an exhibition will be held in Doncaster to give local people the chance to look at some of the
se finds within the next few months."
Read the rest of this article...
Thursday, 3 April 2008
Bid to make St Bede's home a world attraction
CREATED by Benedict Biscop in the 7th century, the joint monastic site of Jarrow and Wearmouth is one of the greatest treasures from the Golden Age of Northumbria.
The visit of leading heritage experts to the site yesterday underlined the importance of the World Heritage Site bid.
A local authorities World Heritage Forum was staged, bringing together local authority elected members and officials from across the country who are closely involved in World Heritage Sites.
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The visit of leading heritage experts to the site yesterday underlined the importance of the World Heritage Site bid.
A local authorities World Heritage Forum was staged, bringing together local authority elected members and officials from across the country who are closely involved in World Heritage Sites.
Read the rest of this article...
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