Archaeology in Europe

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• Henry VIII’s Nonsuch Palace rebuilt in miniature
• Before They Left Africa, Modern Humans Interbred With Archaic Humans, Reports DNA Study
• Ancient humans were mixing it up
• Could this be the oldest pub in Scotland?
• Model of lost Surrey Tudor palace unveiled

Henry VIII’s Nonsuch Palace rebuilt in miniature Posted: 07 Sep 2011 05:11 AM PDT That which no equal has in Art or Fame, Britons deservedly do Nonesuch name', translates the comment of a German visitor to Nonsuch in 1568. Nonsuch Palace in Surrey was the greatest piece of dynastic propaganda erected by the English crown before the 19th century. Built by Henry VIII to rival the palaces of the French King, Francis I, Nonsuch no longer survives as it was demolished by a mistress of King Charles II in 1682-90. However, thanks to research carried out over decades by an Oxford professor, a huge model has been unveiled that provides an accurate recreation of the palace that once symbolised the power and the grandeur of the Tudor dynasty. Read the rest of this article...

Before They Left Africa, Modern Humans Interbred With Archaic Humans, Reports DNA Study Posted: 07 Sep 2011 05:06 AM PDT It has become increasingly clear through DNA studies that modern humans may have interbred with Neanderthals in Eurasia following their migration from their ancestral African homeland. Now, based on new DNA research conducted by a team of scientists from the University of Arizona and the University of California, San Francisco, it seems that modern humans had already established a pattern of mixing it up with their more archaic cousins before they even left their southerly African climes. Read the rest of this article...

Ancient humans were mixing it up Posted: 07 Sep 2011 05:04 AM PDT Anatomically modern humans interbred with more archaic hominin forms even before they migrated out of Africa, a UA-led team of researchers has found. It is now widely accepted that the species Homo sapiens originated in Africa and eventually spread throughout the world. But did those early humans interbreed with more ancestral forms of the genus Homo, for example Homo erectus, the "upright walking man," Homo habilis, – the "tool-using man" or Homo neanderthalensis, the first artists of cave-painting fame? Direct studies of ancient DNA from Neanderthal bones suggest interbreeding did occur after anatomically modern humans had migrated from their evolutionary cradle in Africa to the cooler climates of Eurasia, but what had happened in Africa remained a mystery – until now. Read the rest of this article...

Could this be the oldest pub in Scotland? Posted: 07 Sep 2011 05:03 AM PDT A historic site's true purpose may have been revealed - as an Iron Age boozer. Experts believe that 4600 years ago, thirsty natives may have been enjoying a pie and pint at Jarlshof in Shetland. They say the layout of the stone settlement near Sumburgh Head suggests it may be the oldest pub ever found in Britain. And a dozen or so quernstones - for grinding barley - indicate it may have served as both a drinking den and a bakery. Read the rest of this article...

Model of lost Surrey Tudor palace unveiled Posted: 07 Sep 2011 05:00 AM PDT A model of a Surrey palace built by Henry VIII and that once symbolised the power and the grandeur of the Tudor dynasty is to be unveiled. Nonsuch Palace in Cheam was constructed to rival those of the French King, Francis I. It was demolished by a mistress of King Charles II in the late 17th century. Research carried out by an Oxford University professor has now led to a 2.2m by 1.2m (7ft 2in by 3ft 11in) model of the palace being made. Read the rest of this article...

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Archaeology in Europe

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• 1,700-year-old map of Roman roads used for online journey planner
• Ruins of Roman gladiator school found in Austria
• Massive gladiator school is found under Austrian town
• King's College Chapel, Cambridge: 'A gravity-defying hall of light' - video
• Ruins reveal how Roman gladiators won their spurs

1,700-year-old map of Roman roads used for online journey planner Posted: 06 Sep 2011 06:54 AM PDT A Dutch historian has used a unique 1,700 year old map of Roman roads to create an online journey planner giving the destinations, distances and timings of routes used by ancient travellers in the days of empire. Routes are based on the Tabula Peutingeriana, a one of a kind chart, which shows an imperial Roman road network, or curses public's, that stretches from Britain to the river Ganges that flows through India and Bangladesh. The huge map, last updated in the third or fourth century, shows 2,760 towns with lists of distances and destinations on the Roman roads connecting them, all set out on a scroll of parchment almost 23 feet long. Read the rest of this article...

Ruins of Roman gladiator school found in Austria Posted: 06 Sep 2011 06:51 AM PDT Archaeologists in Austria say they have discovered a large, well preserved school for Roman gladiators. The remains of the school, at a site east of the modern capital, Vienna, were found using radar imagery. The school was part of a Roman city which was an important military and trade outpost 17 centuries ago. Read the rest of this article...

Massive gladiator school is found under Austrian town Posted: 06 Sep 2011 06:49 AM PDT A ROMAN gladiator school where men were trained to fight to the death in the arena has been found by archaeologists on the outskirts of the Austrian capital, Vienna - the first to be discovered outside Italy. Ground-penetrating radar was used to identify the site of the school at a Roman settlement called Carnuntum, a town of 50,000 people 30 miles east of Vienna that flourished about 1,700 years ago. It was a major military and trade outpost linking the far-flung Roman empire's Asian boundaries to its central and northern European lands. The academy was one of 100 created to train the fighters who were pitted against each other - and against wild animals - for the entertainment of emperors, senators and commoners alike. Read the rest of this article...

King's College Chapel, Cambridge: 'A gravity-defying hall of light' - video Posted: 06 Sep 2011 06:40 AM PDT In the first of seven films celebrating the best British buildings, Andrew Dickson visits King's College Chapel in Cambridge, a powerful example of gothic architecture – covered in Tudor propaganda and topped by the world's largest fan-vault ceiling Read the rest of this article...

Ruins reveal how Roman gladiators won their spurs Posted: 06 Sep 2011 06:29 AM PDT Archaeologists using sophisticated radar equipment say they have located a remarkably well-preserved underground Roman gladiator school that will give them "sensational" new insights into the lives of the fighters 1,700 years ago. The site, 24 miles east of Vienna, contains the remains of a heated training hall for combatants. It was discovered beneath the former Roman settlement of Carnuntum, which is already home to one the finest amphitheatres ever found. Archaeologists say it is the first gladiator school ever found outside Italy. Frank Humer, an archaeologist with Vienna's Ludwig-Boltzmann Institute, which found the school while conducting a detailed radar scan of the site, said: "The wooden post that gladiators traditionally used as their mock opponent during training is still visible in the middle of the school's arena." Read the rest of this article...

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Archaeology in Europe

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• Forteviot dig uncovering new story of Scotland's past
• Volcanic artifacts imply ice-age mariners in prehistoric Greece
• Rome monuments attacked by vandals
• Viking coin haul is officially treasure
• Amateur treasure-hunter's haul
• Archaeologists dig at Pillar of Eliseg near Llangollen
• Gloucester Cathedral's monastic library opens to public

Forteviot dig uncovering new story of Scotland's past Posted: 05 Sep 2011 05:51 AM PDT The colossal and exquisitely-preserved Iron Age broch uncovered near Dunning is thought to have once been the seat of a Celtic chieftain. Though just a fraction of the site has been excavated, the findings have already been hailed by the Scottish Government and could have "potentially far-reaching implications" for how we view our history. The incredible discoveries already made in and around the structure are believed to date from very first contact between the Picts and the Roman Empire. They reveal evidence of trade between the two peoples from the outset, with a variety of high-value items from the continent drawn from the earth. Read the rest of this article...

Volcanic artifacts imply ice-age mariners in prehistoric Greece Posted: 05 Sep 2011 05:48 AM PDT Mariners may have been traveling the Aegean Sea even before the end of the last ice age, according to new evidence from researchers, in order to extract coveted volcanic rocks for pre-Bronze Age tools and weapons. A new technique which dates obsidian -- volcanic glass which can be fashioned into tools -- suggests that people were mining for obsidian in Mediterranean waters and shipping the once valuable rocks from the island of Melos in modern day Greece as far back as 15,000 years ago. "Obsidian was a precious natural rock-glass found only in Melos, some in [the modern-day Greek areas of] Antiparos and Yali," explained Nicolaos Laskaris of the University of the Aegean in Greece. "From there it was spread all over the Aegean and in the continent too through contacts of trade." Read the rest of this article...

Rome monuments attacked by vandals Posted: 04 Sep 2011 03:31 PM PDT Three historic monuments have been attacked by vandals in the Italian capital, Rome. In the first attack, a man was caught on security cameras chipping two pieces off a marble statue on a fountain in the Piazza Navona. Hours later tourists watched as a man threw a rock at the famous Trevi Fountain in the centre of the city. Police then said they caught an American student scaling a wall of the Colosseum to chip off pieces of marble. Read the rest of this article...

Viking coin haul is officially treasure Posted: 04 Sep 2011 01:44 PM PDT A VIKING hoard found in Furness has been officially declared treasure. The collection of 92 silver coins and artefacts was discovered by a metal detectorist in the Furness area over the Easter weekend. The hoard was officially declared as treasure by South and East Cumbria Coroner, Ian Smith, yesterday(31). The hoard was provisionally valued at tens of thousands of pounds when it was first found and is the largest amount of Viking treasure ever found in Furness. Read the rest of this article...

Amateur treasure-hunter's haul Posted: 04 Sep 2011 01:41 PM PDT We take a look at what amateur treasure-hunter David Booth found... An ANGLO-SAXON STRAP-END and three ANGLO-SAXON COINS, found near Dumfries, have been allocated to Dumfries Museum. The fragmentary strap-end, above, dates from the ninth century. Such items are not uncommon finds in southern Scotland, but this example is all the more significant in being recovered alongside three Anglo-Saxon coins, which also date from the ninth century. Medieval experts say this small group of finds is a substantial reminder of the cultural ebb and flow which constituted the Scotland of the Early Historic period. Read the rest of this article...

Archaeologists dig at Pillar of Eliseg near Llangollen Posted: 04 Sep 2011 01:37 PM PDT Archaeologists are launching a new dig to try to unearth the secrets of a 9th Century stone monument on a prehistoric mound. Bangor and Chester university experts will begin excavations at the Pillar of Eliseg near Llangollen, Denbighshire. It is part of work by historical monuments agency Cadw to conserve the mound and better explain it to people. Last year excavations focussed on the mound, which was identified as an early Bronze Age cairn. Read the rest of this article...

Gloucester Cathedral's monastic library opens to public Posted: 04 Sep 2011 01:33 PM PDT A cathedral in Gloucester is to allow the public access to its monastic library for the first time. The 14th Century library at Gloucester Cathedral will be opened on 10 September as part of the city's History and Heritage Week. Some of the delicate manuscripts and deeds in the archive's collection date back to the 13th Century. Preservation and monitoring work has been carried out to ensure the works are not damaged when people visit. Read the rest of this article...

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Archaeology in Europe

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• 500 years ago, yeast's epic journey gave rise to lager beer
• Roman Remains Found at Charles Street, Dorchester
• Ancient Gold Necklace Found in West Fjords
• Archaeologists uncover amphitheatre used to train gladiators near Vienna
• Iron age hill fort excavation reveals 'possible suburbia'
• Bronze Age excavation project begins in Cornwall
• Tomb found at Stonehenge quarry site
• Stone tools shed light on early human migrations
• Conditions in Nelson's navy uncovered by scientists

500 years ago, yeast's epic journey gave rise to lager beer Posted: 03 Sep 2011 10:42 AM PDT In the 15th century, when Europeans first began moving people and goods across the Atlantic, a microscopic stowaway somehow made its way to the caves and monasteries of Bavaria. The stowaway, a yeast that may have been transported from a distant shore on a piece of wood or in the stomach of a fruit fly, was destined for great things. In the dank caves and monastery cellars where 15th century brewmeisters stored their product, the newly arrived yeast fused with a distant relative, the domesticated yeast used for millennia to make leavened bread and ferment wine and ale. The resulting hybrid - representing a marriage of species as evolutionarily separated as humans and chickens - would give us lager, the clear, cold-fermented beer first brewed by 15th century Bavarians and that today is among the most popular - if not the most popular - alcoholic beverage in the world. And while scientists and brewers have long known that the yeast that gives beer the capacity to ferment at cold temperatures was a hybrid, only one player was known: Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the yeast used to make leavened bread and ferment wine and ale. Its partner, which conferred on beer the ability to ferment in the cold, remained a puzzle, as scientists were unable to find it among the 1,000 or so species of yeast known to science. Read the rest of this article...

Roman Remains Found at Charles Street, Dorchester Posted: 03 Sep 2011 10:36 AM PDT Wessex Archaeology has just completed a four week excavation within the southern part of the Charles Street Development in Dorchester. Neil Holbrook, of Cotswold Archaeology has been acting as archaeological consultant on behalf of the developers, Simons Developments and WDDC. A watching brief is currently being maintained on groundwork being undertaken by Cowlin Construction and their subcontractors associated with the construction of West Dorset District Council's new offices, library and adult learning centre. As the site occupies an area near to the southern edge of the Roman town of Durnovaria it was predicted evidence of Roman town life would be uncovered during the works. The prediction proved correct; immediately below the modern overburden, the remains of Roman houses were uncovered. These buildings were built around 100AD and were orientated according to the town's street plan, which it has been possible to map using evidence from other excavations in Dorchester. Read the rest of this article...

Ancient Gold Necklace Found in West Fjords Posted: 03 Sep 2011 10:33 AM PDT Archeologists and university students recently discovered an ancient gold necklace during an excavation project in Vatnsfjördur in Ísafjardardjúp in the West Fjords, which has been ongoing for the past eight summers. Scientists from different fields participate in the project, along with international university students, ruv.is reports. Vatnsfjördur was settled early in the Settlement Era, which sources state began in the 9th century AD, and later became the site of a manor and a chieftain's residence. Read the rest of this article...

Archaeologists uncover amphitheatre used to train gladiators near Vienna Posted: 03 Sep 2011 10:31 AM PDT The ruins are a 'sensational discovery' with a structure to rival the Colosseum in Rome, archaeologists say Archaeologists say they have located and excavated the ruins of a huge amphitheatre used to train gladiators east of Vienna, describing it as a "sensational discovery". They claim that the ruins found through ground radar measurements rival the Colosseum and the Ludus Magnus in Rome in their structure. The Ludus Magnus is the largest of the gladiatorial arenas in the Italian capital, while the Colosseum is the largest amphitheatre ever built in the Roman empire. Read the rest of this article...

Iron age hill fort excavation reveals 'possible suburbia' Posted: 03 Sep 2011 10:28 AM PDT Size of settlement suggests Ham Hill site was a town rather than a defensive structure, archaeologists believe The most intensive investigation ever undertaken of Britain's largest iron age hill fort is expected to reveal new details of how Britons lived 2,000 years ago – and maybe even that they were almost as suburban as we are. Stretching across 80 hilltop hectares, behind three miles of ramparts, the fort, at Ham Hill in Somerset, and the outline of its history have been known for many years. Read the rest of this article...

Bronze Age excavation project begins in Cornwall Posted: 03 Sep 2011 10:25 AM PDT A 10-day excavation project at a Bronze Age site in Cornwall has begun. Organisers hope they will find more information on a settlement at the site near Lanyon. Previous excavations have revealed Middle Bronze Age and Iron Age artefacts, said archaeologist, Dr Andy Jones. Read the rest of this article...

Tomb found at Stonehenge quarry site Posted: 03 Sep 2011 10:23 AM PDT The tomb for the original builders of Stonehenge could have been unearthed by an excavation at a site in Wales. The Carn Menyn site in the Preseli Hills is where the bluestones used to construct the first stone phase of the henge were quarried in 2300BC. Organic material from the site will be radiocarbon dated, but it is thought any remains have already been removed. Read the rest of this article...

Stone tools shed light on early human migrations Posted: 03 Sep 2011 10:21 AM PDT Hominins with different tool-making technologies coexisted. The discovery of stone axes in the same sediment layer as cruder tools indicates that hominins with differing tool-making technologies may have coexisted. The axes, found in Kenya by Christopher Lepre, a palaeontologist at Columbia University in New York, and his team are estimated to be around 1.76 million years old. That's 350,000 years older than any other complex tools yet discovered. Read the rest of this article...

Conditions in Nelson's navy uncovered by scientists Posted: 03 Sep 2011 10:15 AM PDT Sailors in Admiral Nelson's navy were plagued by scurvy, ridden with syphilis and often mutilated by amputations but only a minority were from lowest social class, Oxford University archaeologists have found. An examination of 340 skeletons from three 18th and 19th century Royal Navy graveyards found that a "surprisingly high" proportion suffered from scurvy and infected wounds. The bones, excavated from sites in Greenwich, Gosport and Plymouth, also found that more than six per cent of sailors in Nelson's navy, were amputees, many of whom died as a result of operations that went wrong. Read the rest of this article...

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Archaeology in Europe

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• Bulgaria subway expansion digs up Roman city
• Ancient secrets of Cornwall cliff revealed
• Bulgarian Archaeologist Discovers Unknown Christian Archbishopric at Perperikon
• Iron Age road link to Iceni tribe

Bulgaria subway expansion digs up Roman city Posted: 15 Aug 2011 11:29 PM PDT Cars zoom by on the boulevards overhead as work progresses on expanding the subway underneath -- and in between a full-fledged Roman city has emerged right in the heart of the Bulgarian capital. Archaeologists have little by little unearthed well-preserved stretches of cobbled Roman streets, a public bath, the ruins of a dignitary's house and the curved wall of an early Christian basilica, all dating back to the 4th century AD. If all goes well, the ruins will be fashioned into a vast underground museum due to open to the public in late 2012. Read the rest of this article...

Ancient secrets of Cornwall cliff revealed Posted: 15 Aug 2011 11:28 PM PDT Archaeologists have been unearthing the secrets of a Cornish cliff face which is in danger of being destroyed. Gunwalloe on the Lizard is thought to have been the site of an early medieval settlement and home for Saint Winwaloe from Brittany. But the site is eroded by winter storms every year. Read the rest of this article...

Bulgarian Archaeologist Discovers Unknown Christian Archbishopric at Perperikon Posted: 15 Aug 2011 11:27 PM PDT Leading Bulgarian archaeologist Prof. Nikolay Ovcharov has discovered two archbishop's seals proving the existence of a previously unknown Christian archbishopric in the Middle Ages. Ovcharov has been excavating the Ancient Thracian rock city of Perperikon in the Rhodope Mountains for the past few years, and his finds have increasingly proven that Perperikon (also known as Hyperperakion) used to be a crucial urban center during the Middle Ages as well in the Byzantine Empire and the First and Second Bulgarian Empire, and not just in the Antiquity period. The archaeologist presented Monday his latest find at Perperikon - two lead seals that belonged to Constantine, Archbishop of Archidos. Read the rest of this article...

Iron Age road link to Iceni tribe Posted: 15 Aug 2011 11:25 PM PDT A suspected Iron Age road, made of timber and preserved in peat for 2,000 years, has been uncovered by archaeologists in East Anglia. The site, excavated in June, may have been part of a route across the River Waveney and surrounding wetland at Geldeston in Norfolk, say experts. Causeways were first found in the area in 2006, during flood defence work at the nearby Suffolk village of Beccles. Read the rest of this article...

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Archaeology in Europe

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• Oxford Viking massacre revealed by skeleton find
• Iron Age people gave interiors of dwellings a decorative streak
• Stone Age toe could redraw human family tree
• Salme Yields Evidence of Oldest Sailing Ship in Baltic Sea
• Snails help date Britain's last three million years

Oxford Viking massacre revealed by skeleton find Posted: 12 Aug 2011 07:24 AM PDT Evidence of a brutal massacre of Vikings in Oxford 1100 years ago has been uncovered by archaeologists. At least 35 skeletons, all males aged 16 to 25 were discovered in 2008 at St John's College, Oxford. Analysis of wound marks on the bones now suggests they had been subjected to violence. Archaeologists analysing the find believe it dates from 1002 AD when King Ethelred the Unready ordered a massacre of all Danes (Vikings) in England. Read the rest of this article...

Iron Age people gave interiors of dwellings a decorative streak Posted: 12 Aug 2011 07:20 AM PDT Archaeologists in Saxony-Anhalt have discovered a 2,600-year-old wall painted in bright patterns. It reveals that Iron Age houses were not the drab constructions they were once thought to be. The State Museum for Prehistory in the eastern German city of Halle put part of the prehistoric clay wall on display on Monday. The wall was apparently part of a sprawling, Iron Age human settlement. Read the rest of this article...

Stone Age toe could redraw human family tree Posted: 12 Aug 2011 07:18 AM PDT ON THE western fringes of Siberia, the Stone Age Denisova cave has surrendered precious treasure: a toe bone that could shed light on early humans' promiscuous relations with their hominin cousins. New Scientist has learned that the bone is now in the care of Svante Pääbo at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, who revealed the first genetic evidence of interbreeding between ancient humans and other hominins (New Scientist, 30 July, p 34). There are tantalising hints that the find strengthens the case for a third major group of hominins circulating in Eurasia at the same time as early humans and the Neanderthals. It might possibly even prove all three groups were interbreeding (see diagram). Read the rest of this article...

Salme Yields Evidence of Oldest Sailing Ship in Baltic Sea Posted: 12 Aug 2011 07:15 AM PDT The ancient ship burial site in Salme on the island of Saaremaa still has some surprises in store. The archeological excavations in Salme, soon to be completed, have yielded evidence that the ship that had been buried with 35 warriors and nobles had a keel, which in turn leads to the conclusion that it used sails. This represents the earliest known use of sails on a vessel in the Baltic Sea region, reported ETV. Read the rest of this article...

Snails help date Britain's last three million years Posted: 12 Aug 2011 07:02 AM PDT Scientists have built the most comprehensive timeline yet for working out the exact order in which geological and archaeological events happened in Britain over the last three million years. And they've done it using fossilised snails. Snail The mammoth 11-year project, published online in Nature, is the most comprehensive of its kind and clears up a number of archaeological and geological debates. Read the rest of this article...

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Archaeology in Europe

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Archaeologists uncover 3,000-year-old lion adorning citadel gate complex in Turkey Posted: 10 Aug 2011 07:25 AM PDT Archaeologists leading the University of Toronto's Tayinat Archaeological Project in southeastern Turkey have unearthed the remains of a monumental gate complex adorned with stone sculptures, including a magnificently carved lion. The gate complex provided access to the citadel of Kunulua, capital of the Neo-Hittite Kingdom of Patina (ca. 950-725 BCE), and is reminiscent of the citadel gate excavated by British archaeologist Sir Leonard Woolley in 1911 at the royal Hittite city of Carchemish. The Tayinat find provides valuable new insight into the innovative character and cultural sophistication of the diminutive Iron Age states that emerged in the eastern Mediterranean following the collapse of the great civilized powers of the Bronze Age at the end of second millennium BCE. Read the rest of this article...

Ancient DNA reveals secrets of human history Posted: 10 Aug 2011 07:23 AM PDT For a field that relies on fossils that have lain undisturbed for tens of thousands of years, ancient human genomics is moving at breakneck speed. Barely a year after the publication of the genomes of Neanderthals1 and of an extinct human population from Siberia2, scientists are racing to apply the work to answer questions about human evolution and history that would have been unfathomable just a few years ago. The past months have seen a swathe of discoveries, from details about when Neanderthals and humans interbred, to the important disease-fighting genes that humans now have as a result of those trysts. Read the rest of this article...

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