Anglo-Saxon Archaeology Blog

Cambridge yields Anglo-Saxon remains

2009-07-09T10:26:00.000+02:00

Archaeological excavations in the central offices of Cambridge University have revealed that the area was occupied by Anglo-Saxons.

The finds include Roman pottery, medieval remains and 11th Century dog bones, which indicate Cambridge was established in the final decades of the Saxon era.

"The site has enabled us to prove what we previously had no proof for - that by the time of the Norman Conquest there was a thriving settlement in the middle of Cambridge," BBC quoted Richard Newman of the Cambridge Archaeological Unit as saying.

Read the rest of this article...

Yorkshire treasure stash unearthed after 1,000 years

2009-06-17T20:54:00.001+02:00

MORE than a thousand years ago a Saxon thief, desperate to hide his plunder, stashed a hoard of stolen gold in what is today a nondescript West Yorkshire field.

What became of the thief is lost to the ages and his precious loot lay safely buried in that same field for the next millennium.

There it remained until a treasure hunter, out with his trusty metal detector last year, experienced the moment he will never forget when he unearthed the amazing find on the farmland near Leeds.

Read the rest of this article...

Ancient burial site found at Boscastle

2009-06-17T20:53:00.000+02:00

AN ANCIENT burial site dating from the Dark Ages has been discovered at Boscastle during work to create a new waste water scheme for the area.

A pagan and Christian cemetery, including at least 18 graves, was unearthed during the setting up of a compound.

The discovery prompted South West Water (SWW) to call in experts to help understand the significance of the find.

Experts said the particular type of graves found were extremely rare.

Read the rest of this article...

Students unearth Saxon nunnery

2009-06-14T16:07:00.003+02:00

Archaeologists believe they could have found the first-ever excavated Saxon nunnery, on a dig in Gloucestershire.

The annual dig, by the University of Bristol, has unearthed remains of a Saxon building in the grounds of the Edward Jenner Museum, Berkeley.

The Berkeley Project to find Saxon Berkeley and the missing nunnery has been going for five years.

Read the rest of this article...

Frühmittelalterliche Sonnenuhr aus dem Neusser Kloster St. Quirin

2009-06-14T16:07:00.001+02:00

Eine Sonnenuhr des 9.-10. Jahrhunderts aus dem ehemaligen Kloster St. Quirin in Neuss konnte jetzt anhand von archäologischen Fragmenten rekonstruiert und nachgebaut werden. Bislang sind in Europa nur sehr wenige Uhren aus dieser Zeit bekannt geworden.

Die drei Kalksteinbruchstücke des Zeitmessers wurden in den 1960er Jahren bei Ausgrabungen auf dem ehemaligen Klosterareal entdeckt und ursprünglich für römische Spolien gehalten. Erst kürzlich konnten sie als Teile einer hochmittelalterlichen Sonnenuhr identifiziert werden. Die Ausgrabungen, die seinerzeit auf dem Gelände um das Kloster und spätere Stift St. Quirin durchgeführt wurden, werden derzeit in einem Forschungsprojekt des Institut für Vor- und Frühgeschichtliche Archäologie und Provinzialrömische Archäologie der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München am LVR-LandesMuseum Bonn ausgewertet.

Read the rest of this article...

Wearmouth-Jarrow Nomination For World Heritage Site

2009-06-10T23:02:00.000+02:00

The twin Anglo-Saxon monastery of Wearmouth-Jarrow in northeast England will be the UK’s nomination for World Heritage Site status in 2010. The monastery, which functioned as ‘one monastery in two places’, is centred on St Peter’s Church in Wearmouth, Sunderland and St Paul’s Church in Jarrow.

Wearmouth-Jarrow was a major international centre of learning and culture in the 7th and 8th centuries. Its most famous inhabitant, the Venerable Bede, was the greatest scholar of his day and the impact of his writings is still felt in the 21st century. Original and rare 7th-century architectural and archaeological remains of the monastery survive at both Wearmouth and Jarrow.

Read the rest of this article...

The Saxons were coming! A tiny sword stud found under a shop rewrites Welsh history

2009-06-06T20:09:00.001+02:00

AT BARELY a centimetre across and almost unrecognisable after centuries underground, it may not look much, but could shed light on an almost unknown era of Welsh history.

The discovery of a sword stud beneath shops in Monmouth, made public for the first time in today’s Western Mail, could be evidence of an Anglo-Saxon period settlement.

But now there are concerns the site where it was found may be destroyed by development.

Read the rest of this article...

The Viking and Anglo-Saxon Landscape and Economy (VASLE) Project

2009-06-04T00:13:00.001+02:00

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.

Read the rest of this article...

Top Saxon experts visit the museum

2009-04-02T14:03:00.001+02:00

NATIONAL experts on Anglo-Saxon England were in Whitby recently.

The Anglo-Saxon weekend was organised by Jo Heron, secretary of the Yorkshire Archaeological Society, Christiane Kroebel, and Chair Dr Gill Cookson.

Dr Cookson told the Gazette that the weekend had been a great success with people travelling from all over the country to attend.

Read the rest of this article...

Worthing metal detector enthusiast finds rare penny worth £2,000

2009-03-26T09:39:00.002+01:00

AFTER years of searching, the penny finally dropped for a Worthing metal detectorist when he found a coin worth £2,000.

Clive Nobbs discovered the 1200-year-old penny in the middle of a 20-acre ploughed field near Worthing.

"This is easily the most important thing I've ever found," said the amateur archaeologist and historian.

Read the rest of this article...

70th anniversary of Sutton Hoo's discovery

2009-03-20T14:19:00.000+01:00

It was in 1939 an astonishing discovery was made at Sutton Hoo in Suffolk - the ship burial of an Anglo-Saxon warrior king and his most treasured possessions.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of this amazing discovery and to celebrate the occasion The National Trust are holding a 1930s garden party, just as there was 70 years ago.

Mrs. Edith Pretty owned the estate at the time of discovery in 1939. She had brought in local archaeologist Basil Brown the year before to investigate the mounds located on the site, under the supervision of Guy Maynard, curator at Ipswich Museum.

Read the rest of this article...

Anglo-Saxon Art in the Round takes over Ipswich's Gallery 3

2009-03-14T20:40:00.001+01:00

Visitors entering Gallery 3 in Ipswich will soon find themselves transported back to an era of our country’s history dominated by warriors and kings. The Anglo-Saxon period was a time of transition, the dominant Pagan religion was being chased out by the literary monks of Christianity and people spoke the Germanic tongue of their recent ancestors from across the North Sea.

This new exhibition from Colchester and Ipswich Museum Service digs deep into what is a fascinating piece of our past, displaying rare items that have never been shown in the area before.

Read the rest of this article...

Town's roots go back to the 8th Century

2009-03-14T20:39:00.000+01:00

ARCHAEOLOGISTS have made an exciting discovery that proves people were in Wisbech in the 8th Century – much earlier than previously thought.

The discovery was made during a dig at Wisbech Library in the Crescent in the process of a massive £2.5 million refurbishment of the premises.

The library received £2 million Lottery funding, with Cambs County Council footing the remainder of the bill, to extend and remodel the ground and first floor.

Read the rest of this article...

Rare silver penny unearthed in Winchester

2009-03-10T11:53:00.001+01:00

EXCITED archaeologists have unearthed a key piece of Hampshire’s heritage.

They have uncovered a rare silver penny that would have been currency during Alfred the Great’s reign as King of Wessex from 871 to 899.

It was found on the site of a former off-licence in Jewry Street, Winchester, which has been knocked down to make way for a restaurant and apartments.

Read the rest of this article...

North Yorkshire's heritage goes on line

2009-03-09T19:20:00.001+01:00

FULL details of some of North Yorkshire’s finest historic monuments is being published on the internet for the first time.

The Historic Environment Record, owned and maintained by the county council, is a database of information about archaeology, historic buildings and landscapes.

Primarily used by the authority and others to help manage and protect them, it is also often of use to researchers and of interest to the public.

Read the rest of this article...

'Oldest English words' identified

2009-02-27T21:58:00.000+01:00

Some of the oldest words in English have been identified, scientists say.

Reading University researchers claim "I", "we", "two" and "three" are among the most ancient, dating back tens of thousands of years.

Their computer model analyses the rate of change of words in English and the languages that share a common heritage.

Read the rest of this article...

Heritage at Risk from Nighthawking

2009-02-17T10:51:00.000+01:00

New Survey Reveals Low Levels of Prosecution and Crime Reporting

A national survey commissioned by English Heritage and supported by its counterparts across the UK and Crown Dependencies has revealed that the threat to heritage posed by illegal metal detecting, or nighthawking, is high but arrest or prosecution remains at an all time low and penalties are woefully insufficient.

The Nighthawking Survey, published today (16th February 2009), found out that over a third of sites attacked by illegal metal detectorists between 1995 and 2008 are Scheduled Monuments and another 152 undesignated sites are also known to have been raided, but secrecy surrounding the crime means that it is significantly under-reported. Only 26 cases have resulted in formal legal action, with the punishment usually being a small fine from as little as £38. (Illegally parking a car carries a £120 fine.)

Read the rest of this article...

University's medical hi-tech technology used on rare artefact

2009-02-10T10:31:00.000+01:00

A HI-TECH medical imaging technique is being used to help unlock the secrets of a priceless 1,000 year old artefact.

The Fadden More Psalter – an eighth century book of Psalms – is the latest archaeological find to be examined by scientists from Nottingham Trent University using Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) which was originally developed as for medical imaging.

The technology has been put to work by the university team to develop a new field of imaging for art conservation and archaeology.

Read the rest of this article...

Saxon Cemetary discovered near Lewes

2009-02-08T16:02:00.000+01:00

Two men have spoken of "the find of a lifetime" when they uncovered a Saxon cemetery while metal detecting near Lewes.

Bob White and Cliff Smith, members of the Eastbourne District Metal Detecting Club, made the find on farmland outside the town last October and it is believed the remains laid undiscovered for up to 1,500 years.

As soon as they realised the importance of the site they sought advice from the police and local archaeologists who decided to excavate the graves immediately after seeking permission from the landowner.

Read the rest of this article...

Pair unearth Saxon burial remains

2009-02-04T19:26:00.001+01:00

The remains of a 1,500-year-old Saxon burial ground have been uncovered by two Sussex metal detector enthusiasts.

Bob White and Cliff Smith unearthed brooches, a bronze bowl, a spear and a shield from the graves of a man and two women on farmland near Lewes.

Mr Smith, of Eastbourne District Metal Detecting Club, said he knew he had found something special when he noticed part of a bowl and a piece of skull.

Read the rest of this article...

Oxford study aims to trace Cornish roots

2009-01-31T21:23:00.001+01:00

A study which could prove that people in Cornwall and Devon can trace their roots to the Ancient Britons is being carried out in the two counties in February by Oxford University's genetic research team. This national genetics study 'People of the British Isles' aims to collect a total of 3,500 blood samples from people whose parents and grandparents were born in the same rural locality.

Read the rest of this article...

Record archaelogical finds in Norfolk

2009-01-22T14:20:00.000+01:00

Record amounts of archaeological finds are being uncovered in Norfolk - at a greater rate than anywhere else in the whole of Great Britain - because so many people with metal detectors are sweeping the county for signs of the past.

A record 110 treasure cases were seen and assessed by Norwich Castle last year and museum chiefs face a challenge to decide which objects they can afford to keep.

Read the rest of this article...

Wearmouth Jarrow - Anglo-Saxon monastery

2009-01-08T13:47:00.000+01:00

BUSINESS people and celebrities will be joining forces with church leaders this year in a final push to have a NorthEast monastery declared a World Heritage Site. The twin Anglo-Saxon monastery of Wearmouth Jarrow will be nominated by the Government for World Heritage Status next year. If successful, it will join Durham Cathedral and Hadrian's Wall in carrying the coveted title.

The Wearmouth-Jarrow ambassadors include influential people from the NorthEast such as Kate Adie and Steve Cram. They follow in the footsteps of Prime Minister Gordon Brown, the Duke of Gloucester and South Shields MP David Milliband.

Read the rest of this article...

Fifth Century settlement located

2008-12-12T12:25:00.000+01:00

A Fifth Century Germanic settlement has been discovered on land set out for regeneration in Kent.

A team of 30 archaeologists has been studying debris at the site in Rushenden, on the Isle of Sheppey, to learn how the original settlers lived.

The remains of a large boat-shaped hall have been found as well as evidence of boat-building activity.

Read the rest of this article...

MUSEUMS, METAL DETECTORISTS AND BRITAIN'S RICH ARCHAEOLOGICAL HERITAGE

2008-11-24T08:35:00.000+01:00

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.

Read the rest of this article...