Archaeology in Europe

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• Bulgarian Archaeologists Uncover Major Church Built by Byzantium's Last Emperors
• Codex Calixtinus manuscript stolen from Santiago de Compostela
• Roman Frontier Gallery tells tales from Cumbria's origins at Tullie House Museum
• Reconstructed face of medieval skeleton may reveal Ireland’s ‘Helen of Troy’
• Latest News on the theft of the Codex Calixtinus

Bulgarian Archaeologists Uncover Major Church Built by Byzantium's Last Emperors Posted: 08 Jul 2011 09:43 AM PDT Bulgarian archaeologists have unearthed the main church of a 14th century Byzantine monastery built by the last dynasty of the Eastern Roman Empire located in the Black Sea town of Sozopol. The team of archaeologist Dr. Krastina Panayotova from the National Archaeology Institute of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences has completed the first stage of the excavations of the St. Apostles Monastery and of a medieval feudal castle at the Cape of Sozopol. During the excavations funded by the Bulgarian government, Panayotova's team has uncovered the monastery church, a small cemetery chapel, and a feudal castle dating back to the 13th-15th century, the last days before the Byzantine Empire before it was wiped out of the map by the Ottoman Turkish invaders. Read the rest of this article...

Codex Calixtinus manuscript stolen from Santiago de Compostela Posted: 08 Jul 2011 09:40 AM PDT Priceless 12-century manuscript, which contains Europe's first travel guide, went missing from a safe in Spanish cathedral A priceless 12th-century illustrated manuscript containing what has been described as Europe's first travel guide has been stolen from the cathedral at Santiago de Compostela in northern Spain. The Codex Calixtinus, which was kept in a safe at the cathedral's archives, is thought to have been stolen by professional thieves on Sunday afternoon. Read the rest of this article...

Roman Frontier Gallery tells tales from Cumbria's origins at Tullie House Museum Posted: 08 Jul 2011 09:38 AM PDT The pavements outside Tullie House's beautiful old building, in Castle Street, once played host to Roman posties. Just 20 years after the marauding channel-hoppers had arrived in Carlisle, in around AD 72, letters were being peacefully shuttled between correspondents in the Cumbria settlement. The tablets they were written on serve as handy evidence of the earliest examples of handwriting, forming part of a gripping new gallery in a cavern beneath the doors they were delivered to almost 2,000 years ago. Read the rest of this article...

Reconstructed face of medieval skeleton may reveal Ireland’s ‘Helen of Troy’ Posted: 08 Jul 2011 09:37 AM PDT EXPERTS are set to reconstruct the face and probable appearance of a high-ranking Medieval female, whose skeletal remains were unearthed at the end of last month during excavations at Dungannon's Castle Hill. It is hoped that the project, conducted by experts at Galway University, will reveal more about her true identity, and help bring tourists and local people face to face with the past. The skeleton, dating back to the Medieval Period, was found nearly complete and in a good state of preservation, which means the most advanced studies of forensic anthropology can be performed on it. Read the rest of this article...

Latest News on the theft of the Codex Calixtinus Posted: 08 Jul 2011 09:34 AM PDT The Spanish newspaper El Pais is reporting that the police are looking over hundreds of hours of video footage and having teams go into the cathedral at Santiago de Compostella to look for forensic evidence. A helicopter flew over the church as well, to see if there was a hole in its roof which could have been used by the thief to enter the building. Read the rest of this article...

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Archaeology in Europe

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• Earliest Europeans Were Cannibals, Wore Bling
• Weymouth Relief Road dig reveals dental discovery
• International Medieval Congress begins next week
• .New discovery shows Vikings used to cut 'army stripes' into their teeth

Earliest Europeans Were Cannibals, Wore Bling Posted: 07 Jul 2011 12:07 AM PDT Early humans wore jewelry and likely practiced cannibalism, suggest remains of the earliest known Homo sapiens from southeastern Europe. The remains, described in PLoS One, date to 32,000 years ago and represent the oldest direct evidence for anatomically modern humans in a well-documented context. The human remains are also the oldest known for our species in Europe to show post-mortem cut marks. "Our observations indicate a post-mortem treatment of human corpse including the selection of the skull," co-author Stephane Pean, a paleozoologist and archaeologist at the National Museum of Natural History in Paris, told Discovery News. "We demonstrate that this treatment was not for nutritional purposes, according to comparison with game butchery treatment, so it is not a dietary cannibalism." Read the rest of this article...

Weymouth Relief Road dig reveals dental discovery Posted: 06 Jul 2011 11:59 PM PDT 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. Read the rest of this article...

International Medieval Congress begins next week Posted: 06 Jul 2011 11:57 PM PDT re than 1,600 experts from all over the world will come together and take a medieval look at the contentious themes of poverty and wealth, at a forthcoming conference at the University of Leeds. The 17th annual International Medieval Congress, organised by the University's Institute for Medieval Studies, is the biggest academic event of its kind in the UK and the largest medieval-themed academic conference in Europe. Read the rest of this article...

.New discovery shows Vikings used to cut 'army stripes' into their teeth Posted: 06 Jul 2011 11:54 PM PDT 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. Read the rest of this article...

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Archaeology in Europe

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• Roman silver coins go on display in Warwick
• Key keeper sought for 12th Century castle near Bridgend
• Mobile phone app will help users find North East prehistoric rock art Read More http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-news/todays-news/2011/07/06/m
• Weymouth burial pit shows Vikings filed their teeth
• Cosmeston pottery find shows a thriving medieval craft
• Bulgarian Archaeologists Find Iron Labrys at Ancient Thracian Kings' Residence
• Dorset burial pit Viking had filed teeth

Roman silver coins go on display in Warwick Posted: 06 Jul 2011 05:33 AM PDT A hoard of Roman silver coins which pre-date the birth of Christ are going on show at the Warwickshire Museum. A Roman pot containing 1,146 silver denarii coins was found by a man using a metal detector in a field on Edge Hill in the county. The hoard, which dates back to 190 BC, will be on display from Saturday as the museum in Market Square, Warwick, marks its 60th birthday this month. Read the rest of this article...

Key keeper sought for 12th Century castle near Bridgend Posted: 06 Jul 2011 05:32 AM PDT A key keeper is being sought to take care of a 12th Century castle in south Wales. Cadw, the Welsh Government's historic environment service, needs someone to look after Newcastle, near Bridgend. The post, which comes with a "modest" fee, involves checking the monument on a daily basis and keeping it free of litter. The key keeper will also report any damage, vandalism or anti-social behaviour at the site. Read the rest of this article...

Mobile phone app will help users find North East prehistoric rock art Read More http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-news/todays-news/2011/07/06/m Posted: 06 Jul 2011 05:30 AM PDT THE meaning of rock art created in the North East thousands of years ago has baffled modern day experts. And the prehistoric people who carved the rock images would be equally at a loss to understand today's technology which is revealing their creations to a growing audience. In a project by the International Centre for Cultural and Heritage Studies at Newcastle University, archaeologists have worked with digital media experts to create a mobile phone site enabling people to find the rock art panels. Read the rest of this article...

Weymouth burial pit shows Vikings filed their teeth Posted: 06 Jul 2011 05:29 AM PDT 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...

Cosmeston pottery find shows a thriving medieval craft Posted: 06 Jul 2011 05:27 AM PDT A 13th Century pottery vessel found in the Vale of Glamorgan could indicate a thriving local craft in medieval times. Several fragments of the aquamanile, decorated with a ram's head, were discovered at the site of a manor house at Cosmeston, near Penarth. The vessels were used by guests to wash their hands at the dinner table. Professor John Hines from Cardiff University, leader of the dig, said they had never found such an elegant piece made from the local Vale Ware. Read the rest of this article...

Bulgarian Archaeologists Find Iron Labrys at Ancient Thracian Kings' Residence Posted: 06 Jul 2011 05:25 AM PDT Bulgarian archaeologists have dug up an iron labrys, a ceremonial doubleheaded ax, at the residence of the rulers of the Odrysian Kingdom, the state of the most powerful tribe of Ancient Thrace, located at the mount of Kozi Gramadi. The ax was discovered on Monday, July 4, 2011, by the team of Ass. Prof. Ivan Hristov, Bulgaria's National History Museum announced on Tuesday. It was dug up near the main gate of the fortified residence of the Odrysian rulers, and is the second labrys ever discovered at an Ancient Thrace site, after another such ax was found in the same archaeological site during its first more thorough excavation in 2005. Read the rest of this article...

Dorset burial pit Viking had filed teeth Posted: 06 Jul 2011 05:23 AM PDT 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...

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Archaeology in Europe

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Grab the Vikings Quiz! Posted: 05 Jul 2011 07:11 AM PDT 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…

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Archaeology in Europe

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• Woman’s skeleton found at Sedgeford dig sheds light on Norfolk 4,000 years ago
• Walk of the week: Follow in the footsteps of Vikings in Co Down
• Experts uncover unique medieval tile in Cistercian basilica
• Discoveries at a Templar abbey in Ireland

Woman’s skeleton found at Sedgeford dig sheds light on Norfolk 4,000 years ago Posted: 04 Jul 2011 09:59 AM PDT Archaeologists confirmed the significance of the discovery yesterday as work got under way for the summer season at Sedgeford, near Heacham. Martin Hatton, curator of human remains at the site, was staking out an area of chalk down close to where the find was made last summer, ready for this year's eagerly-awaited dig to begin. "It was a total surprise to us," he said. "You don't bury people anywhere other than near where they live, so what we can say is that people were farming the land here 4,000 years ago." Read the rest of this article...

Walk of the week: Follow in the footsteps of Vikings in Co Down Posted: 04 Jul 2011 09:57 AM PDT This walk across the rocky outcrops of Orlock Point in Co Down affords stunning views of the Copeland Islands and out across the Irish Sea towards Scotland. The area is steeped in archaeology and history, with evidence of Vikings, smugglers and World War II defences, and the outcrops harbour a mosaic of semi-natural habitats which support a rich diversity of plants and animals. The path around Orlock Point has been managed by The National Trust since 1984. It runs from Portavo to Sandeel Bay and is a section of the North Down Coastal Path. Read the rest of this article...

Experts uncover unique medieval tile in Cistercian basilica Posted: 04 Jul 2011 09:55 AM PDT Archaeologists have uncovered rare finds from the High Middle Ages, including a unique tile with a symbol of dragon, during the archeological research accompanying the restoration of the basilica in Velehrad, a popular church pilgrimage complex. Dragon, embodiment of evil, appears only rarely in the Cistercian premises such as the Velehrad basilica, Zdenek Schenk, from the Archaia Olomouc organisation, told CTK Saturday. The tile was uncovered inside a brick construction in front of the entrance of the church belonging to the Velehrad monastery. Read the rest of this article...

Discoveries at a Templar abbey in Ireland Posted: 04 Jul 2011 09:51 AM PDT Mourne Abbey in County Cork, Ireland, has been the focus of an archaeological excavation to discover more about the history of this medieval religious center. The abbey was built around 1199 by the Knights Templar. After the rulers of Europe turned on the Templars and destroyed the order in 1307, resulting in 700 years of conspiracy theories, the abbey was handed over to the Knights Hospitaller. This knightly order got its name because its original purpose was to care for sick pilgrims in Jerusalem after the First Crusade, but soon they acquired more land and more power to become one of the leading forces in the Holy Land and Europe. They owned some of the toughest castles in the world. Their power waned after the Muslims reconquered the Holy Land but the order still exists today. The abbey was abandoned when Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries as part of his break from Rome in 1541. It has since fallen into picturesque ruin. Read the rest of this article...

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Archaeology in Europe

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• Viking Quiz
• Hoard of Viking silver coins unearthed in Furness
• Regret at 'bunny huggers' comment
• Viking silver coin hoard discovered in northern England
• Exhibition of Staffordshire Hoard of gold goes back on display
• Important Roman altar stone unearthed at Cumbrian dig
• Cosmeston: Archaeologists express concern over potential loss of 'living' medieval village
• Staffordshire Hoard 'to help rewrite history'

Viking Quiz Posted: 03 Jul 2011 09:16 AM PDT 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…

Hoard of Viking silver coins unearthed in Furness Posted: 03 Jul 2011 09:07 AM PDT A metal detectorist uncovered a Viking hoard of silver coins and artefacts in the Cumbrian countryside. The collection, which has been provisionally valued at tens of thousands of pounds, was found in an undisclosed site in Furness. It is being examined by experts at the British Museum and is expected to be declared as treasure. Read the rest of this article...

Regret at 'bunny huggers' comment Posted: 03 Jul 2011 09:03 AM PDT A council leader in Cambridgeshire says he now regrets describing archaeologists and conservationists as "bunny huggers". But Fenland District Councillor Alan Melton says he stands by his belief that too much time and money is wasted on digs at new building sites. His comments have prompted a furious response from academics and archaeologists. Read the rest of this article...

Viking silver coin hoard discovered in northern England Posted: 03 Jul 2011 09:02 AM PDT A Viking treasure hoard of silver coins has been discovered in the northern English country of Cumbria. The find is being billed as 'the missing link' by experts who say it is the long-awaited significant evidence of 9th and 10th Century AD material culture of the settlers upon the area around Barrow-in-Furness. The 92 silver coins and artefacts (several ingots and one near-complete silver bracelet) were discovered and brought to the surface in May by a locally-based metal detectorist. Amongst the coins is a pair of Arahttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifbic dirhams – silver currency which circulated in 10th century Europe but rarely found in the United Kingdom. Read the rest of this article...

Exhibition of Staffordshire Hoard of gold goes back on display Posted: 03 Jul 2011 09:00 AM PDT 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. Read the rest of this article...

Important Roman altar stone unearthed at Cumbrian dig Posted: 03 Jul 2011 08:58 AM PDT A historically important Roman altar stone has been discovered by archeologists digging in Maryport. The excavation at Camp Farm is being led by Professor Ian Haynes, of Newcastle University with leading field archaeologist Tony Wilmott. The site is internationally famous as the place where 17 altar stones found in 1870 - they are now on display in the museum at the town's Senhouse Roman Museum. Read the rest of this article...

Cosmeston: Archaeologists express concern over potential loss of 'living' medieval village Posted: 03 Jul 2011 08:55 AM PDT ARCHAEOLOGISTS concerned about the future of Cosmeston Medieval Village have been joined by Penarth Assembly Member Vaughan Gething, in calling on the Vale Council to think again on its proposals for the site. As previously reported, the council identified changes to the Medieval Village as part of proposed savings agreed at the end of February. The proposal involves opening the village up as free entry, resulting in a reduction in staff and savings of £60,000 per year. Read the rest of this article...

Staffordshire Hoard 'to help rewrite history' Posted: 03 Jul 2011 08:52 AM PDT 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. Read the rest of this article...

Archaeology in Europe

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• Council boss under fire for “bunny huggers” attack
• Archaeological dig launched under car park
• Capita consultant on Cumbrian Roman visitor centre
• No Family Plots, Just Communal Burials In Ancient Settlement
• Peking man differing from modern humans in brain asymmetry

Council boss under fire for “bunny huggers” attack Posted: 30 Jun 2011 05:52 AM PDT A council leader has become a hate figure among archaeologists after announcing plans to relax the need for historical surveys which are hampering new developments in the East of England. Fenland council leader Alan Melton said the "the bunny huggers won't like" while launching his proposals this week. The move has sparked a storm of protest among archaeologists. Read the rest of this article...

Archaeological dig launched under car park Posted: 30 Jun 2011 05:51 AM PDT An archaeological dig is under way at a city centre site earmarked for redevelopment. Specialists will be exploring the area under the Sawclose car park for three weeks to see what historical evidence is there. A private car park behind the public spaces opposite the Theatre Royal will be shut completely while spaces in the council car park will be cut during the project Read the rest of this article...

Capita consultant on Cumbrian Roman visitor centre Posted: 30 Jun 2011 05:49 AM PDT Firm is lead consultant and architect on the £10.7m Roman Maryport Development Capita Symonds is the lead consultant and architect for a Roman visitor attraction centre in Cumbria. The £10.7m Roman Maryport development is at Camp Farm, a Victorian model farm that includes a Roman fort and civilian settlement in the Solway Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The site is owned by Hadrian's Wall Heritage and plans have been submitted to Allerdale Borough Council. Read the rest of this article...

No Family Plots, Just Communal Burials In Ancient Settlement Posted: 30 Jun 2011 05:46 AM PDT Human remains discovered beneath the floors of mud-brick houses at one of the world's first permanent settlements, were not biologically related to one another, a finding that paints a new picture of life 9,000 years ago on a marshy plain in central Turkey. Even children as young as 8 were not buried alongside their parents or other relatives at the site called Çatalhöyük, the researchers found. "It speaks a lot to the type of social structure that they might have had," study researcher Marin Pilloud, a physical anthropologist with the United States military at Joint Accounting Command, in Hawaii, told LiveScience Read the rest of this article...

Peking man differing from modern humans in brain asymmetry Posted: 30 Jun 2011 05:44 AM PDT Paleoanthropologists studying the fossil endocasts of Australopithecus, Homo habilis, Homo erectus, Neanderthals, and Homo sapiens have reported that almost all brain endocasts display distinct cerebral asymmetry. Peking man's endocasts are good examples of ancestral brains and are useful in studying human evolution. However, studies examining brain asymmetries in fossil hominids are usually limited to scoring of differences in hemisphere protrusion rostrally and caudally, or to comparing the width of the hemispheres. Read the rest of this article...