This medieval man's skeleton, bearing marks of
stab wounds, was found facedown
in a shallow pit in Sicily
[Credit: Emanuele Canzonieri; Roberto Micciche. et
al. 2019]
In medieval Sicily, a man was stabbed multiple
times in the back, buried in a really weird way and
ostensibly lost to history.
Now, hundreds of years later, archaeologists have
excavated evidence of this ancient crime in the
Piazza Armerina, Sicily. The researchers found the
man's skeleton lying face-down in a shallow pit,
empty of any funerary objects typical of ancient
burials. The body was buried in a position that was
unusual for that time period, they reported last
month in the International Journal of
Osteoarchaeology.
The evidence suggests that the man, lived in the
11th century and was between 30 and 40 years old
when he died. Using CT scans and 3D
reconstructions, the researchers set out to
determine how he died and why his burial was so
unusual.
According to the report, there was evidence of six
cuts on the individual's sternum (breastbone) that
were indicative of stab wounds likely inflicted by a
knife or dagger. On the right side of his sternum,
the researchers found a chop mark where a piece of
the bone had been removed, likely by a twisting
motion from the weapon.
Read the rest of this article...
Posted by David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scot at 8:40
am
Yes, That Viking Warrior Buried with
Weapons Really Was a Woman
An illustration of what the female warrior may have
looked like.
Credit: Drawing by Tancredi Valeri; Copyright
Antiquity Publications Ltd.
The ancient warrior was given a prestigious Viking
burial, complete with deadly Viking weapons, a bag
of gaming pieces (possibly to represent military
command) and two horses, one bridled for riding.
This mighty warrior — long thought to be be a man
— made headlines in 2017 when researchers in
Sweden announced that the individual was, in fact, a
woman.
The intense scrutiny that followed caught the
researchers by surprise.
The barrage of questions from the public and other
scientists was unrelenting: Were the researchers
sure they had analyzed the right bones? Was there
more than one body in the burial, of which one was
surely a man? And if the warrior's sex was indeed
female, is it possible they were a transgender man?
[See Images of the Viking Woman Warrior's Burial]
Now, in a new study published online yesterday
(Feb. 19) in the journal Antiquity, the researchers of
the original study have reaffirmed their conclusion
that this mighty individual was a woman. The new
study addresses all the questions people raised,
and more.
Read the rest of this article...
Posted by David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scot at 8:33
am
Second Rare Roman Coin Hoard Found
In Warwickshire
Coins from Year of the Four Emperors and pot
found in Warwickshire
[Credit: Warwickshire County Council]
Warwickshire museum service needs help to raise
the funds to buy a major Roman hoard, found
recently in Warwickshire.
The hoard made up of 440 silver denarii coins was
uncovered during an archaeological dig at a Roman
site on the Edge Hill in 2015. They were buried in a
ceramic pot over 1900 years ago, under the floor of
a building. This is the second hoard of denarii to be
found in this area and this new discovery contains
78 coins dating to AD 68-69, a turbulent time in
Roman history known as the ‘Year of the Four
Emperors’.
This important period in Roman history saw a civil
war sparked by the death of Nero in AD 68,
resulting in four successive rulers in a short span of
time: Galba, Otho, Vitellius and finally Vespasian.
As they vied for power, each contender struck their
own coins to fund their armies, and these coins are
incredibly rare. Within a roughly 18 month period
the title of Emperor changed hands four times. Very
few of these coins from this turbulent time survive.
The second South Warwickshire hoard contains the
largest collection of civil war-era coins ever found.
Read the rest of this article...
Posted by David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scot at 8:30
am
University of Cambridge release trove of
aerial photos of Wales
A series of aerial photographs which form part of a
collection labelled the "historical Google Earth"
show the changing face of Wales.
The images, some dating back to 1945, have been
made available online by the University of
Cambridge.
RAF pilots were asked to capture the bomb-scarred
post-war period to the emergence of motorways
and new cities.
Prof Martin Millett said the images "let you travel
back in time to a Britain which no longer exists".
Read the rest of this article...
Posted by David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scot at 8:27
am
Neolithic skull found by Thames
'mudlarkers'
The frontal bone was radiocarbon dated to 3,600
BC
MUSEUM OF LONDON
Here's a piece of history pulled from the muddy
banks of the River Thames.
It's a skull fragment that is 5,600 years old. It dates
to a time long before there was any permanent
settlement on the site we now know as London.
Investigations indicate it belonged to a male over
the age of 18.
There are older Neolithic remains that have been
recovered in the region, but what makes this
specimen especially interesting is that it's the
earliest ever skull found by "mudlarkers".
If you haven't heard of them before - they're the
band of mostly amateur archaeologists who scour
the Thames' edges at low tide for objects of
intrigue and antiquity. And they're constantly picking
up fascinating items - many of which end up in the
Museum of London, where this frontal bone will
now be displayed from Wednesday.
Read the rest of this article...
Watch the video
Posted by David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scot at 8:15
am
St Michan's, Dublin: Vandals decapitate
800-year-old crusader
The crusader's head was "severed from his body
and taken away"
An 800-year-old "crusader" from a crypt in a Dublin
church has been decapitated by vandals.
Archdeacon David Pierpoint told RTE the crusader's
head has been "severed from his body and taken
away".
The discovery was made as a tour guide was
preparing to open the church for visitors on Monday
afternoon.
Archdeacon Pierpoint said he was upset and
disappointed that the church has been targeted
again by vandals.
Read the rest of this article...
Tuesday, February 19, 2019
Posted by David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scot at 8:11
pm
Stonehenge: Archaeologists discover
long-lost tools used to build ancient
monument
Scientists know the Stonehenge early
phase standing stones (the so-called
bluestones rather than the later more
famous and much larger sarsen stones)
come from this and
other Pembrokeshire prehistoric quarries
– because of chemical identification tests
they have carried out on the rocks.
So far, only two quarries have been
identified – both on the northern slopes
of the Preseli Hills in Pembrokeshire,
southwest Wales - but geologists, who
have studied the Stonehenge bluestones,
think it is likely there were at least three
or four other quarries that have yet to be
found.
The discovery of the tools is likely to
rekindle one of archaeology’s biggest
debates – how did the builders of
Stonehenge transport the bluestones (an
estimated 79 of them, each weighing
approximately 2 tonnes) from southwest
Wales to Salisbury Plain.
Read the rest of this article...
Posted by David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scot at 9:57
am
Archaeologists Make 'Very Special'
Viking Era Discovery in Norway
Gjellestad, Norway: The site of the discovery
ERICH NAU, NIKU
Almost one thousand years after the end of the
Viking Age, Norwegian archaeologists have made a
sensational find near Halden in the south-east of
Norway. The burial mound and adjacent field
harbour several longhouses and at least one ship
burial.
Digital data visualizations reveal the well-defined
20-meter-long ship-shaped structure, with
indications that the lower part is well preserved.
Incredibly, the ship lies just below the topsoil, with
just 50cm separating it from the fresh air.
The discovery was made quite by accident when a
local farmer wanted to dig ditches to solve an
ongoing drainage problem in a boggy field. In
previous years trenches in the area had turned up
items of interest, so archaeologists from Østfold
county decided to try a non-intrusive method of
analysis before giving the work the go-ahead.
Read the rest of this article...
Posted by David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scot at 9:53
am
Vikings Were Fearless. Except When It
Was Too Cold
Aerial view of the Greenland ice sheet from a
helicopter.
Credit G. Everett Lasher / Northwestern
Greenland was balmy when the Vikings invaded, a
new study based on isotopes in flies has proven,
and they left as the glaciers bore down
Vikings evoke many associations, none of which
involve relaxing on the seaside and smelling flowers
on a balmy evening. The Scandinavian warriors are
more usually perceived as being roughnecks in
horned helmets who laughed off subzero
temperatures. And maybe they did, but a new study
by Northwestern University, published this week in
Geology, has proven the theory that when the
Vikings braved the violent northern seas and
conquered Greenland from auks in the 10th century,
the island’s climate was less merciless and more
Mediterranean.
Also, the Vikings suddenly disappeared from
Greenland in the middle of the 15th century, just as
the warm snap was ending and the glaciers were
sweeping down. A combination of factors seems to
have crushed the formerly prosperous settlement,
but cold seems to have been key. They could either
go native and become horn-helmeted Inuits, or
leave. They left.
Read the rest of this article...
Posted by David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scot at 9:45
am
Helle's toilet: 12th-century three-person
loo seat goes on display
Conservator Luisa Duarte working on the 12th-
century toilet seat.
Photograph: David Levene/The Guardian
Archaeologists know the names of the owners of
the building where plank of oak sat
A rare 12th-century toilet seat built to accommodate
three users at once is to go on display for the first
time at the Museum of London Docklands.
Nine hundred years after the roughly carved plank of
oak was first placed over a cesspit near a tributary
of the Thames, it will form the centrepiece of an
exhibition about the capital’s “secret” rivers.
The strikingly well preserved seat, still showing the
axe marks where its three rough holes were cut,
once sat behind a mixed commercial and
residential tenement building on what is now
Ludgate Hill, near St Paul’s Cathedral, on land that
in the mid-1100s would have been a small island in
the river Fleet.
Read the rest of this article...
Posted by David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scot at 9:43
am
Stunning Narcissus fresco at Pompeii
(ANSA) - Rome, February 14 - A stunning fresco
depicting Narcissus gazing at his own reflection has
been uncovered during new excavations at Pompeii,
the interim director of the archaeological site,
Alfonsina Russo, announced on Thursday.
Pompeii Superintendent Massimo Osanna said
the myth of Narcissus was a "very commonly found
artistic topos in the ancient city".
He said "the whole ambience is pervaded by the
theme of 'joie de vivre', beauty and vanity,
underscored also by the figures of maenads and
satyrs who, in a sort of Dionysian courtship dance,
accompanied the visitors inside the public part of
the ancient house.
"It is a deliberately luxurious, and probably
dating back to the last years of the colony, as is
testified by the extraordinary state of conservation
of the colours".
Read the rest of this article...
Posted by David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scot at 9:40
am
Suspected Neanderthal footprints have
been found in Gibraltar
A footprint which could belong to one of the last
Neanderthals to walk the Earth has been found in
Gibraltar.
Although most Neanderthals died out by around
40,000 years ago, some did survive at the edge of
the Iberian peninsular, where stone tools prove they
were still alive around 28,000 years ago.
Now researchers at The Gibraltar National Museum,
who have spent the last decade studying ancient
paths in the sand dunes above Catalan Bay, believe
they have discovered the footprint of a teenage
Neanderthal who lived around 29,000 years ago.
Read the rest of this article...
Posted by David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scot at 9:37
am
Britain’s largest Neolithic house ‘built in
Scotland’
The remains of the largest Neolithic hall found in
Britain, which was were discovered in Carnoustie,
Angus.
PIC: GUARD Archaeology.
The largest Neolithic house in Britain was built in
Scotland around 6,000 years ago, archaeologists
have confirmed
Two halls which were used as houses and likely
home to large numbers of people have been
discovered in Carnoustie, Angus.
The site is far larger and older than previously
thought with archaeological work shedding new light
on some of Scotland’s earliest communities.
Analysis shows food was processed and consumed
in the halls with pottery made and used there.
It is possible that animals were also kept in part of
the building.
Read the rest of this article...
Posted by David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scot at 9:33
am
Ancient DNA from Viking Graves Proves
the Fierce Fighters Rode Male Horses
Modern Icelandic horses are likely descended from
the horses that Vikings were buried with,
more than 1,000 years ago.
Credit: Albína Hulda Pálsdóttir
Vikings who settled in Iceland more than 1,000
years ago valued their horses so much that the men
were buried with their trusty steeds. And DNA
analysis of these treasured animals recently proved
that the horses consigned to the grave with their
manly owners were males, too.
For decades, archaeologists have studied the
contents of hundreds of Viking graves in Iceland.
Many of these graves also contained the remains of
horses that appeared to have been healthy adults
when they died.
Because the horses seemed well cared for in life —
before they were killed and buried, that is — they
were considered to be important to the men whose
remains lay nearby. Recently, scientists conducted
the first ancient DNA analysis of bones from 19
horses in Viking graves, and found that nearly all of
the animals were male, a tantalizing clue about
vanished Viking culture .
Read the rest of this article...
Posted by David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scot at 9:29
am
Decapitated bodies found in Roman
cemetery in Great Whelnetham
The team found a number of decapitated Roman
burials
ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOLUTIONS
Archaeologists excavating a Roman burial ground
said the discovery of a series of decapitated bodies
was a "rare find".
A dig has been taking place on a site in Great
Whelnetham, Suffolk, ahead of a planned housing
development.
Of the 52 skeletons found, about 40% had their
skulls detached from their bodies, many placed by
their legs.
Archaeologist Andrew Peachey said it gave a
"fascinating insight" into Roman burial practice.
Read the rest of this article...
Posted by David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scot at 9:07
am
Ancient burial site and monument found
in England's New Forest
he urns contained cremated human bone and had
been placed into small pits
[Credit: New Forest National Park Authority via BBC]
Archaeologists and volunteers have found an
important prehistoric burial site near Beaulieu dating
back thousands of years.
A community dig in a field at East End set out to
investigate what they thought was a Bronze Age
barrow which had been ploughed over and they
were thrilled to find four cremation burial urns
dating from that period around 3,000 years ago.
But as the excavation progressed further, the
evidence began suggesting that the site might have
been an important place for even older human
activity which Bronze Age settlers then adapted.
New Forest National Park Authority Community
Archaeologist James Brown said: ‘We were elated
to find the urns – they were inverted in what we
originally thought was the ditch around the barrow
and one has a decorative band pattern on it that will
help us to date them. These urns were domestic
pots and contain cremated human bone placed into
small pits. So we know this site was a place of
memorial for people in the New Forest around
3,000 years ago.
Read the rest of this article...
Posted by David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scot at 9:03
am
'Witches' marks' found in British cave
network
The "witches' marks" are scribed into walls and
ceilings of the caves,
over dark holes and large crevices
[Credit: © Creswell Heritage Trust]
They were discovered at Creswell Crags,
Nottinghamshire, and are believed to be the biggest
concentration of protective marks found in British
caves.
The "apotropaic" marks were scribed into the cave
surface as they were thought to keep evil spirits
coming from the underworld.
Originally thought to be graffiti, they have now been
reclassified.
Read the rest of this article...
Posted by David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scot at 8:59
am
Pembrokeshire chariot burial finds ruled
as treasure
his terret ring would have guided the chariot reins
Parts of an Iron Age chariot found by a metal
detectorist have been declared treasure by the
Pembrokeshire coroner.
Mike Smith made the discovery in February 2018
on farmland in the south of the county.
The court at Milford Haven heard on Thursday the
finds were part of the ritual burial of an entire
chariot and that the site is now legally protected.
Mr Smith says the 2,000-year-old finds could be
worth a "life-changing" six to seven figure sum.
The nine artefacts are now Crown property and a
independent valuation committee will decide on the
payment to Mr Smith.
Read the rest of this article...
Posted by David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scot at 8:57
am
Sheela-na-gigs: The naked women
adorning Britain's churches
This sheela-na-gig at Oaksey in Wiltshire boasts
"pendulous breasts" and a vulva
"extended almost to her ankles"
For hundreds of years carvings of naked women
have sat provocatively on churches across Britain.
But who created them - and why?
Look at these, my child-bearing hips
Look at these, my ruby red ruby lips...
Sheela-na-gig, Sheela-na-gig
You exhibitionist
The year is 1992 and the singer-songwriter PJ
Harvey is performing Sheela-Na-Gig, the most
successful single from her critically acclaimed
album Dry.
But unless you're a fan of late 20th Century indie
music, or an expert in Norman church architecture,
there's every chance you've not been exposed to the
sheela-na-gig - or have sauntered past one without
even realising it.
Hidden in plain sight, these sculptures of squatting
women pulling back the lips of their vaginas have
for nearly a millennium aroused feelings of intrigue,
shame and even anger.
Read the rest of this article...
Posted by David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scot at 8:53
am
DES FORTIFICATIONS ET UN HABITAT
DU MOYEN ÂGE À HARFLEUR
À Harfleur (Normandie), les équipes de l’Inrap ont
mis au jour des éléments de fortification
remarquables, dont une tour creuse et un ouvrage
défensif avancé (casemate), ainsi que des vestiges
d’habitation des XIII et XIV siècles. Ces
découvertes viennent enrichir l’histoire de ce port
stratégique de l’estuaire de la Seine, supplanté
seulement au début du XVI siècle par le Havre.
Read the rest of this article...
e e
e
Posted by David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scot at 8:50
am
Mittelalterliche Siedlungsspuren gesucht
– 3.000 Jahre altes Grab gefunden
Dynamische Interaktionszone am Nordrand des
Kaukasus
Ein internationales Forschungsteam koordiniert von
der Eurasien-Abteilung des Deutschen
Archäologischen Instituts (DAI) in Berlin und dem
Max-Planck-Institut für Menschheitsgeschichte in
Jena (MPI-SHH) konnte erstmals systematische
paläogenetische Untersuchungen im Kaukasus
durchführen. Die kürzlich erschienene Studie fußt auf
den Analysen genomweiter Daten von 45 Individuen
aus der Steppen- und der Gebirgszone des
Nordkaukasus. Die zwischen 6500 und 3500 Jahre
alten Skelette zeigen, dass die genetische Signatur
in den nördlichen Bergflanken den Gruppen südlich
des Kaukasus ähnelt und dort eine scharfe
genetische Grenze zu den Steppengebieten im
Norden verläuft.
Read the rest of this article...
Thursday, December 06, 2018
Posted by David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scot at 6:45
pm
Stonehenge tunnel: The background to
the row
Will tunnel destroy secrets of Stonehenge?
Stonehenge is one of the UK's most popular tourist
attractions, drawing 1.5m visitors visitors alone last
year. But plans to build a road tunnel nearby to help
ease congestion have enraged some archaeologists.
Here is the background to the row.
Why is a tunnel being built?
Visitors to Stonehenge typically arrive there via the
A303, a major link road between London and the
South West.
However, the single carriageway section of road
past the site is a notorious bottleneck, especially in
the summer months.
Read the rest of this article...
Posted by David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scot at 6:42
pm
First ancient DNA from mainland Finland
reveals origins of Siberian ancestry in
region
New study shows that the genetic makeup of
northern Europe traces back to migrations from
Siberia that began at least 3,500 years ago and that,
as recently as the Iron Age, ancestors of the Saami
lived in a larger area of Finland than today.
Researchers from the Max-Planck-Institute for the
Science of Human History and the University of
Helsinki have analyzed the first ancient DNA from
mainland Finland. As described in Nature
Communications, ancient DNA was extracted from
bones and teeth from a 3,500 year-old burial on the
Kola Peninsula, Russia, and a 1,500 year-old water
burial in Finland. The results reveal the possible
path along which ancient people from Siberia
spread to Finland and Northwestern Russia.
Researchers found the earliest evidence of Siberian
ancestry in Fennoscandia in a population inhabiting
the Kola Peninsula, in Northwestern Russia, dating
to around 4,000 years ago. This genetic ancestry
then later spread to populations living in Finland.
The study also found that people genetically similar
to present-day Saami people inhabited areas in
much more southern parts of Finland than the
Saami today.
Read the rest of this article...
Posted by David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scot at 6:39
pm
Burial sites from 5th and 6th centuries
yield unexpected treasures
Some of the artefacts discovered during
excavations in Lincolnshire.
Photograph: Danny Lawson/PA
Archaeologists have uncovered lavish burial sites
for women in Lincolnshire from the fifth and sixth
centuries, which illustrate how women of the time
made themselves resplendent.
Items recovered from the previously unknown Anglo-
Saxon cemetery include jewellery made from amber,
silver and glass as well as personal grooming
items such as tweezers.
Dr Hugh Willmott, senior lecturer in European
historical archaeology from Sheffield University and
a dig leader, said: “These women wore necklaces
made from sometimes hundreds of amber, glass
and rock crystal beads, used personal items such
as tweezers, carried fabric bags held open by
elephant ivory rings, and wore exquisitely decorated
brooches to fasten their clothing.
Read the rest of this article...
Posted by David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scot at 6:35
pm
Archeologists find Viking sword in
southern Turkey
Turkish archeologists uncover Viking sword from
9th-10th century in ancient city of Patara
Searching through the ancient city of Patara in
Turkey's Mediterranean resort city of Antalya,
Turkish archeologists uncovered a sword dating
back to over a millennium.
Lead excavator Professor Havva Iskan Isik of
Akdeniz University told Anadolu Agency that they
identified a Viking sword from the ninth or 10th
century.
Isik said they have been carrying out excavation
works for 30 years and have discovered important
archaeological evidence so far.
"Finding a Viking sword in a harbor city in the
Mediterranean area is of great importance," she
said.
Read the rest of this article...
Posted by David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scot at 6:26
pm
Lincolnshire Anglo-Saxon cemetery
burials unearthed
Experts said a "significant proportion of very lavish
burials" belonged to women
Burials of richly-dressed women interred with their
jewellery and personal items have been unearthed at
an Anglo-Saxon cemetery.
About 20 graves dating to the fifth and sixth
centuries, including one containing a woman
cradling a baby, were found in the Lincolnshire
Wolds.
The cemetery was discovered after a metal
detectorist uncovered artefacts at the site in
Scremby, near Skegness.
Experts said there was a "rich array" including
necklaces and brooches
Read the rest of this article...
Tuesday, November 20, 2018
Posted by David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scot at 3:08
pm
Viking city: excavation reveals urban
pioneers not violent raiders
Mould carved from soapstone for making ingots
and and an axe amulet, both discovered at Ribe.
Photograph: Museum of Southwestern Jutland
Excavations in Ribe, Denmark show that Viking
culture was based on sophisticated production and
trade. Is their brutal reputation unfair?
In an extraordinary moment captured on film this
summer, the tuning pegs and neck of a lyre, a
harplike stringed instrument, were carefully prised
out of the soil of Ribe, a picturesque town on
Denmark’s south-west coast. Dated to around
AD720, the find was the earliest evidence not just of
Viking music, but of a culture that supported
instrument-makers and musicians.
The same excavation also found the remains of
wooden homes; moulds for fashioning ornaments
from gold, silver and brass; intricate combs made
from reindeer antlers (the Viking equivalent of ivory);
and amber jewellery dating to the early 700s.
Even more extraordinary, however, was the
discovery that these artefacts were not for home
consumption by farmers, let alone itinerant raiders.
Instead, the Vikings who made them lived in a
settled, urban community of craftsmen, seafarers,
tradesmen and, it seems, musicians.
Read the rest of this article...
Tuesday, November 13, 2018
Posted by David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scot at 3:59
pm
How Industrial-Scale Tar Production
Powered the Viking Age
“Viking Ships Before a Rocky Coast,” by Michael
Zeno Diemer (1911)
Image: Wikimedia
Vikings acquired the capacity to produce tar at an
industrial scale as early as the 8th century AD,
according to new research. The protective black
goo was applied to the planks and sails of ships,
which the Vikings used for trade and launching
raids. Without the ability to produce copious
amounts of tar, this new study suggests, the Viking
Age may have never happened.
Tar sounds like a relatively modern invention, but
it’s actually been around for quite some time. By
the 16th century, Europeans had developed a
technique whereby piles of wood, placed in funnel-
shaped pits, were burned slowly under an oxygen-
constricting layer of an earth-clay mixture and
charcoal. Dripping tar from the burning wood fell
into an outlet pipe, from which the precious material
was collected.
Read the rest of this article...
Posted by David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scot at 3:55
pm
The secret of Viking success? A good
coat of tar…
Industrial pits led to waterproofed ships for epic
pillaging raids
A replica Viking longboat in the Up Helly Aa festival
in Lerwick, Shetland Islands. The Norse warrior race
dominated European seas in the 8th century.
Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty
Vikings conquered Europe thanks to an unexpected
technological innovation. They learned how to make
tar on an industrial scale and used it to waterproof
their longships so that they could undertake large-
scale, lengthy pillaging trips around Europe – and
across the Atlantic, say archaeologists. Norse
raiders were the original Boys from the Blackstuff, it
transpires.
The discovery is the work of Andreas Hennius, of
Uppsala University. In Antiquity, he reports finding
critical evidence that shows output from tar pits in
Scandinavia increased dramatically just as Vikings
began raiding other parts of Europe. These pits
could have made up to 300 litres in a single
production cycle, enough to waterproof large
numbers of ships. “Tar production … developed
from a small-scale activity … into large-scale
production that relocated to forested outlands
during the Viking period,” says Hennius. “This
change … resulted from the increasing demand for
tar driven by an evolving maritime culture.”
Read the rest of this article...
Tuesday, November 06, 2018
Posted by David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scot at 9:51
am
Norse World goes live!
And the Norse World resource goes live! Today, on
7 November the research infrastructure Norse
World is being released with free access for
researchers and the members of the public.
Norse World is an interactive spatial-
temporal resource for research on spatiality and
worldviews in medieval literature from Sweden and
Denmark. Go to the map to see for yourself! Or find
out more about the project and the Norse
World infrastructure .
Read the rest of this article...
Tuesday, October 23, 2018
Posted by David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scot at 10:17
am
AU CŒUR DE MÂCON, UNE NÉCROPOLE
GALLO-ROMAINE
Cette fouille a permis de mettre au jour les vestiges
de la nécropole dite « des Cordiers », datée de la
période antique (Ier-VIe siècles). Ils documentent
différentes pratiques funéraires gallo-romaines : les
archéologues ont en effet découvert des aires de
bûchers funéraires, des urnes cinéraires, des
sépultures inhumées en coffrage de bois ainsi qu’un
imposant sarcophage en pierre.
UNE NÉCROPOLE DES IER ET VIE SIÈCLES
La ville gallo-romaine de Mâcon appelée Matisco
est bien attestée par des cartes et des textes
antiques. Cette agglomération se développe à la fin
du Ier siècle avant notre ère, dès la conquête de la
Gaule, pour se mettre définitivement en place au
milieu du Ier siècle. À Mâcon comme ailleurs,
selon les lois et traditions antiques, tandis que
l’urbanisation de la ville se fixe intramuros, les
nécropoles s’installent à l’extérieur, le long des
axes de communications.
La fouille réalisée par l’Inrap va permettre aux
scientifiques de documenter la nécropole « des
Cordiers », implantée aux abords de la voie menant
à Lyon. Les opérations archéologiques réalisées
entre 1979 et 1982 ont révélé les premiers vestiges
de cette nécropole. Parmi eux, des crémations des
Ier et IIe siècle, des inhumations couvrant la période
gallo-romaine ainsi que le sarcophage en grès d’un
guerrier franc du VIe siècle.
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Posted by David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scot at 10:13
am
Pompeii: Vesuvius eruption may have
been later than thought
Pompeii was famously destroyed on 24 August in
79 AD - or was it?
GETTY IMAGES
Archaeologists in Italy have uncovered an inscription
they say may show that the history books have
been wrong for centuries.
Historians have long believed that Mount Vesuvius
erupted on 24 August 79 AD, destroying the nearby
Roman city of Pompeii.
But now, an inscription has been uncovered dated to
mid-October - almost two months later.
Italy's culture minister labelled it "an extraordinary
discovery."
"The new excavations demonstrate the exceptional
skill of our country," Alberto Bonisoli said.
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Posted by David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scot at 10:11
am
Mount Vesuvius murdered its victims in
more brutal ways than we thought
Our visions of Pompeii's destruction just got a little
more gruesome.
Giorgio Sommer/Public Domain
For nearly two millennia, the eruption of Mount
Vesuvius has served as a stark reminder that nature
is capable of some serious violence. The helpless
residents of Pompeii and Herculaneum were
inundated by volcanic horror, bludgeoned by hot ash
avalanches that asphyxiated them while preserving
their bodies for centuries afterward, within an
unforgettable necropolis. At least, that’s what we
always assumed. It turns out, many people probably
died in ways that were more grisly than we
imagined.
In findings published in PLOS One late last month,
researchers from Naples, Italy found that a segment
of Vesuvius victims were likely killed by fast-moving
laving surges that streamed down toward the towns
below, creating temperatures high enough to
vaporize bodily fluids and create explosions in the
skull. It’s about as horrific a way to go as you
might imagine, and upends the notion that the toxic
gases and thick chunks of ash were responsible for
choking inhabitants to death during the AD 79
eruption.
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Posted by David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scot at 10:06
am
Archaeologists uncover rare Celtic
remains
A bronze clothes pin and ceramic object typically
found in the 1st century BC.
(Kanton Luzern)
Archaeologists from canton Lucerne have uncovered
rare Celtic remains on a construction site in the city
of Egolzwil about 35 kilometres from the city of
Lucerne. The discovery of a bronze piece of
jewellery is considered a particularly exceptional
finding.
The fact that Celts once lived in canton Lucerne has
been known since sacrificial remains were found on
the site of a former lake in the area some time ago.
However, this new discovery, reported on Tuesday,
is the first traces of settlements that have been
found to date, which archaeologists hope can shed
light on the history of the Celts in the area.
The excavation uncovered ceramic fragments,
remains of burnt houses, and animal bones. A
bronze brooch or clothes pin, believed to be a piece
of jewellery used to tie clothes such as cloaks and
coats, was also uncovered.
Based on the findings, archaeologists believe the
settlement dates back to the first century BC.
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Posted by Da
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