Archaeologists Found 12th Century Medieval Castle in England

The greatest archeological and historical discoveries are often found in the most unlikely of places. This was the case in December, when construction laborers were left in awe while renovating a men’s prison in Gloucester, England.

Back around the year 1110, the rulers of Gloucester built an impressive castle ”similar to the Tower of London,” It had 3 chapels, 2 drawbridges, and walls that were a solid 12 feet wide. 

During the 15th century reign of Richard III (the hunchback ruler with a bad reputation who was recently found buried under a parking lot), the castle became a country jail.

For the next 200 years or so, it served as a makeshift lockup until, in 1787, it was knocked down to make way for a dedicated Jail. This prison, which closed in 2013 after many updates to the buildings, is now in the process of being renovated.

When the old basketball court was dug up, an archaeological group found a wall from the original castle just two feet beneath the ground. It’s not clear yet what this discovery means for the future of the site.

It was slated for redevelopment of some sort, but as one local planner told the Gloucester Citizen, “you can not just ignore that there is a castle there.”

Intending to tear down and replace the old facility, the team was forced to halt the project when they unearthed pieces of near ancient history. So just what, exactly, was down there? Would you believe it was a medieval castle?

They believe the castle was built between 1110 and 1120, and “was a large structure, with the keep, which we have now located in our work, an inner bailey and stable.

The keep was surrounded by a series of concentric defences which comprised curtain walls and ditches, with the drawbridge and gatehouse lying outside the current site toward the north.”

The keep is believed to have been 30 metres in length and 20 metres wide, and had walls as thick as 12 feet. Neil Holbrook, chief executive of Cotswold Archaeology, told the Western Press Daily, “I am surprised by what we Discovered.

I knew there was a castle however I had expected more of it to have been destroyed.” He added the size and design would have been similar to the Tower of London.

“It would have been a powerful symbol of Norman architecture engineering,” he said. “As you came to Gloucester you would have seen the cathedral and the castle, which is representative of how important the city was in Norman Britain.” 

The archaeologists have so far discovered nearly 900 objects, including medieval pottery and a 6-sided die made of bone. It was believed that the castle had been destroyed in the eighteenth century when a prison was built on the site, however, it seems that the gaol was built over the medieval structure.

 The jail was in use until 2013 and is set for redevelopment. News of the discovery is leading to calls that the site is protected. Paul James, Leader of Gloucester City Council explained to the Gloucester Citizen, “Whatever is done on-site needs to be sensitive to the heritage of both the castle and the listed buildings there.

We are blessed that we have a designer that cares about the heritage of the site. Having glass flooring above it, allowing visitors to see through might be a possibility. The most important matter is to preserve it well, the walls have been here for many years and we want them here for hundreds more.”

Roman Settlement Unearthed in Eastern England

Excavation ahead of road construction in the East Midlands has uncovered human remains, animal bones, roof tiles, an iron sickle, a copper spoon handle, brooches, stone walls, a pottery kiln, and other furnaces and ovens dated to the second or third centuries A.D., according to a Lincolnshire Live report.

Some 400 Roman coins were also recovered. One of the buildings unearthed at the site was built into a hillside. The remains of several adults, including at least eight new-born babies who died in the second or third centuries AD, were found at the site near Grantham.

Overall, thousands of long-forgotten artifacts have been unearthed as part of ongoing works on the Grantham Southern Relief Road.

Catherine Edwards, project manager for AOC Archaeology – the firm contracted to research the site’s archaeology – said: “Although the finds are yet to be looked at by specialists, we believe the oldest activity dates back to the Romano-British period, somewhere between 100 and 410 AD.

“The first step of our investigation was to carefully strip the site’s topsoil. Once the material was moved off-site, we were able to move in and start our investigations.

“First, we used a range of heavy tools, like shovels, spades, picks and barrows, to expose features and artefacts.

“We then used lighter hand tools, like trowels and hand brushes, to excavate and clean what we’d uncovered.

“A full written record of each feature or layer is then produced, describing its function, form and relationships with other features.

“Each discovery is also photographed, and GPS equipment is used to locate each one accurately on a plan.

“This allows us to ‘recreate’ the site and tell its story.”

The three biggest finds

According to Phil Weston, senior archaeological consultant at WSP – the company advising Lincolnshire County Council on highway design and environmental compliance – the three most significant finds discovered as part of this investigation are:

Several exceptionally well-preserved Roman buildings – one building was terraced into the hillside and officials believe that a landslip caused it to collapse.

“The remarkable preservation of this building and several others will help the archaeologists in reconstructing the buildings and the lives of those that used them.”

Burials – as well as a grave containing the remains of several adults, the remains of at least eight new-born babies who died in the second or third centuries AD were found buried under the floors and foundations of some of the buildings.

Phil said: “Such burials are not uncommon on Roman sites and they are referred to as foundation burials.

“No one knows for sure why, but one idea is that they were thought to bring luck to the structure and its occupants.”

Industrial features – a very well-preserved pottery kiln and several other furnace/oven bases were uncovered.

Phil said: “The pottery kiln we discovered indicates that the small settlement was producing its own pottery vessels.

“The function of the other furnaces and oven features is still unclear, but it’s possible they may have been used to bake bread or for metalworking.”

Cllr Richard Davies, executive member for highways, said: “When building a new road, it’s not just about constructing bridges and laying Tarmac.

“First and foremost, it’s really important to understand and protect the area’s heritage so future generations learn from and understand its rich history.

“For example, these investigations where Grantham’s new relief road will be built will greatly contribute to our understanding of the Roman settlement at Saltersford, just south of where Grantham is now – particularly what sort of activities were taking place here hundreds and thousands of years ago and how our Grantham fits into the country’s historical picture.

“It’s truly amazing when you stop and think about what’s underneath the ground below your feet.”

The Grantham Southern Relief Road project is being led by Lincolnshire County Council and supported by South Kesteven District Council, Greater Lincolnshire LEP, Highways England, Department for Transport, Network Rail, Homes England, and local businesses.

Archaeologists Find Unique 1,400-Year-Old Christian Artifact

Around 1,400 years ago, citizens lived near Vindolanda, a northern England Roman fort, inscribed a lead chalice with images of crosses, angels, and other Christian symbols. Now, reports Dalya Alberge for the Guardian, archaeologists say that this vessel—unearthed during the excavation of a ruined sixth-century church—represents the oldest known example of Christian graffiti ever found in Britain.

The chalice was once the size of a cereal bowl, recovered in 14 pieces. Inscriptions adorn every inch of its surface, covering both its interior and exterior. Per a statement, symbols seen on the cup include a chi-rho (or monogram said to represent Jesus Christ), a happy bishop, ships, a congregation, a fish, and a whale. Latin, Greek, and potentially Ogam letters appear alongside the drawings.

Vindolanda served as a key outpost used during construction of Hadrian’s Wall, a 73-mile stone barrier constructed around 122 A.D. to mark the edge of the Roman Empire. Prior discoveries at the fort, including a board game and a scrap of leather cut into the shape of a mouse, have helped reveal aspects of daily life under Roman rule.

Rome controlled Britain for 330 years, only withdrawing from the region in 410 A.D. By the time the chalice arrived on the scene, the Romans had long since abandoned Vindolanda.

Andrew Birley, the archaeologist in charge of excavations at Vindolanda, tells the Guardian, “The discovery helps us appreciate how the site and its community survived beyond the fall of Rome and yet remained connected to a spiritual successor in the form of Christianity.”

Speaking with BBC News, Birley says that finding “a chalice smothered in Christian symbols” offers an opportunity for heightened understanding of Christianity’s spread across the region.

He adds, “Many potential church structures have been located from this period, but without the Christian artifacts to back that up, they could not be proven beyond doubt.”

Thanks to the inscribed vessel, researchers may be able to recontextualize potential churches from the same period that lack clear evidence of Christendom.

As Birley tells Chiara Giordano of the Independent, the inscriptions may have conveyed Christian stories at a time when Bibles were not yet widely available.

Studying the chalice, he says, could help reveal “what was important to congregations almost 1,500 years ago and just after the fall of Roman Britain.”

Remnants of the church suggest it was large enough to house up to 60 worshippers, according to the Independent. At some point, the house of worship collapsed, burying the chalice and inadvertently protecting it from both modern agriculture and thieves.

David Petts, an archaeologist at Durham University who is studying the artifact, tells the Guardian that the find “is genuinely exciting.”

He explains, “When we think of graffiti, we tend to think it’s unauthorized vandalism. But we know from many medieval churches, that people would put marks and symbols on buildings. What is unique about this is finding them on a vessel.”

The chalice’s fragments will now go on display in Vindolanda’s museum as the centerpiece of a new exhibition centered on the site’s history following the Romans’ departure.

Britain’s secret treasure trove of stone age rock art

They have been found where the earth meets the sky, high up on the moorlands of northern England, a mysterious series of strange and ancient carvings hewn into the rocks and boulders.

More than 100 elaborate carvings dating back thousands of years have been discovered on rocks and boulders in the North of England. The art, thought to be the work of Neolithic man, is open to the air but is so remote that it had lain undisturbed and undetected for thousands of years  –  until it was recently discovered by English Heritage.

It includes a series of intricate designs of concentric circles, interlocking rings, and hollowed cups. They are among only 2,500 examples that exist in England – having survived natural erosion, quarrying, and field clearance. Around 100 volunteers, trained by English Heritage, have been recording the location, content, context, and condition of rock art for the last four years as part of the pilot project.

During the Neolithic period, 4,000 to 6,000 years ago, the man moved away from the roaming existence of the hunter-gatherer who traversed the country, following his prey, to a more settled existence.

New Stone Age man preferred to stay put, tending cereals and domestic animals. How all of this fitted in with the abstract curves of their rock carvings is anyone’s guess.

It’s not possible to date the art itself, but its age can be assessed by the context in which it is found. For example, if it is near burial sites which took the form of large cairns or long mounds in which people are buried in groups, it is more likely to date back to the New Stone Age.

The most interesting discovery includes a large carved panel found on a sandstone boulder on Barningham Moor, a 300m-high (984ft) area of Co Durham, on the edge of the Pennines.

It features abstract carvings — interlocking grooves and hollowed cups with surrounding circles. Tools of stone or bone were used to carve the symbols and the work is so well preserved that the ‘peck’ marks are still visible.

Kate Wilson, inspector of ancient monuments at English Heritage, said: ‘There are many theories as to what rock art carvings mean. They may have played a role in fire, feastings and offering activities, or been used as signposts, or to mark territory.

‘They may have spiritual significance. In hunter-gatherer communities, those places where mountains touch the sky or the sea reaches the shore are often considered the domain of supernatural ancestors. Most rock art is found in those areas.’

She said that the Neolithic Age saw the arrival of ‘a fairly sophisticated culture’, with the introduction of agriculture. ‘They were settling and cultivating something,’ she added.

‘You find monuments such as stone circles and henges. Something’s going on where society’s changing. This is a story yet to be told.’

The results of the four year initiative – funded by English Heritage, in partnership with Northumberland and Durham County Councils – will now be published online.

Richard Stroud, a volunteer who discovered the Barningham boulder, said: ‘We expected to discover one or two simple carvings. Instead, we found a breathtaking panel, probably one of the most complex discovered in County Durham.’

He added: ‘There is a gulf of time and civilization between the society that carved this stone and ours, its true meaning is something we will possibly never understand.’

Edward Impey, director of research and standards at English Heritage, said: ‘The online record of the Northumberland and Durham examples will serve as the starting point for a national survey, and, we hope, help us understand their meaning and lead to the discovery of others.’

Logging of ‘rock art’ was led for decades by retired Hexham headmaster Stan Beckensall, who went on to donate his archive to Newcastle University. His finds over the last 50 years have now been added to the online database of 1,500 carvings. English Heritage is now hoping the pioneering work undertaken will be continued in other counties to create a nationwide record.

Sara Rushton, the Northumberland county archaeologist, and manager of the project, said: ‘Our volunteer recorders have worked alongside experts in the field to develop new techniques and produce stunning three-dimensional computer models of rock art for display.

‘These models can be manipulated to show some carvings which are now almost completely invisible to the naked eye and will be a fantastic tool for managing these ancient sites for the future.’

Made with simple tools of stone or bone, some of the patterns are as plain as a hollowed cup shape. Others feature abstract designs painstakingly carved into the local sandstone.  But despite their meticulous notes, there is only so much we will ever know about the men who laboured to leave such an indelible mark on the landscape. And perhaps that is all part of their magic.

Archaeologists say they’ve found a massive underground structure that could be four times the size of Stonehenge

Archaeologists have confirmed that the ruins of a significant, modern prehistoric stone monument, buried less than 3 kilometres (186 miles) from Stonehenge have been identified.

The site is 15 times the size of Stonehenge. The Stonehenge Hidden Landscapes Project team – a group of British archaeologists – used multi-sensor technologies to reveal evidence for a row of about 90 standing stones hidden beneath the bank of what is now called Durrington Walls, a super-henge in Britain.

Durrington Walls is one of the largest known henge monuments measuring 500 meters (0.3 miles) in diameter. It’s thought to have been built around 4,500 years ago.

The word henge refers to a particular type of earthwork, typically consisting of a roughly circular or oval-shaped bank with an internal ditch surrounding a central flat area. Henges may have contained (or may still contain) ritual structures such as stone circles, timber circles and coves.

Durrington Walls may have contained an ancient village at one time. The henge surrounds several smaller enclosures and timber circles and is associated with a recently excavated later Neolithic settlement.

The Stonehenge Hidden Landscapes Project team, using non-invasive geophysical prospection and remote sensing technologies, discovered evidence for a row of up to 90 standing stones, some of which may have originally measured up to 4.5 meters (14.8 feet) in height. Many of these stones have survived because they were pushed over and the massive bank of the later henge raised over the recumbent stones or the pits in which they stood.

These stones have been hidden for millennia.

At Durrington, more than 4.5 thousand years ago, a natural depression near the river Avon appears to have been accentuated by a chalk cut scarp and then delineated on the southern side by the row of massive stones. Essentially forming a C-shaped ‘arena’, the monument may have surrounded traces of springs and a dry valley leading from there into the Avon.

Although none of the stones has yet been excavated, researchers are interested in a unique sarsen standing stone – a kind of sandstone boulder – which they are calling the Cuckoo Stone, in the adjacent field.

The researchers say this particular stone suggests that other stones may have come from local sources.

Previous, intensive study of the area around Stonehenge had led archaeologists to believe that only Stonehenge and a smaller henge at the end of what researchers call Stonehenge Avenue possessed significant stone structures. The researchers now say:

The latest surveys now provide evidence that Stonehenge’s largest neighbour, Durrington Walls, had an earlier phase which included a large row of standing stones probably of local origin and that the context of the preservation of these stones is exceptional and the configuration unique to British archaeology.

The earthwork enclosure at Durrington Walls was built about a century after the Stonehenge sarsen circle (in the 27th century BC), but archaeologists say the new stone row could be contemporary with or earlier than this.

Paul Garwood, Senior Lecturer in Archaeology at the University of Birmingham is the principal prehistorian on the project. Garwood said in a statement:

The extraordinary scale, detail and novelty of the evidence produced by the Stonehenge Hidden Landscapes Project, which the new discoveries at Durrington Walls exemplify, is changing fundamentally our understanding of Stonehenge and the world around it.

Everything written previously about the Stonehenge landscape and the ancient monuments within it will need to be re-written.

Amateur metal detector uncovers 22,000 Roman coins

An enthusiast of an East Devon metal detector has stumbled on one of Britain’s largest hoards of Roman coins ever discovered, prompting a local museum to launch a campaign to buy the “remarkable” collection for the nation.

It is the fifth-largest discovery of Roman coins in Britain, comprising approximately 22,000 coins dating back more than 1,700 years. The British Museum announced the discovery of the Seaton Down Hoard

Laurence Egerton, 51, a semi-retired builder from East Devon, discovered two ancient coins “the size of a thumbnail” buried near the surface of a field with his metal detector in November last year.

After digging deeper, his shovel came up full of the copper-alloy coins. “They just spilled out all over the field,” he said. “It was an exciting moment. I had found one or two Roman coins before but never so many together.”

The metal detectorist called in the experts and watched amazed as archaeologists discovered thousands of more coins buried about a foot deep. To ensure the site did not tamper with Mr Egerton slept in his car nearby “for three cold nights” until the dig was finished.

“It’s by far the biggest find I’ve ever had. It really doesn’t get any better. It is so important to record all of these finds properly because it is so easy to lose important insights into our history,” Mr Egerton said. He found the coins near the Honeyditches site in Devon where a Roman villa had previously been excavated.

Bill Horner, county archaeologist at Devon County Council, said: “We realised the significance and mobilised a team as fast as we could.” He continued: “The coins were in remarkably good condition. Coming out of the ground you could see the portrait faces; a family tree of the House of Constantine.”

Over the past 10 months the coins have been lightly cleaned, identified and catalogued at the British Museum, although there is still more work to do. They range from late AD 260 to almost AD 350. Mr Horner said the coins bore a range of portraits, describing it as a “family tree of the House of Constantine”.

The British Museum called the scale of the find “remarkable”, adding that it was “one of the largest hoards ever found within the whole Roman Empire”. The largest find in Britain was the Cunetio Hoard of almost 55,000 coins discovered near Mildenhall, Wiltshire in 1978

The coins would not have been particularly valuable at the time; with experts estimated they would then have been worth about four gold coins, equivalent to a worker’s pay for two years. The Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery in Exeter hopes to raise money to buy the collection and appealed to the public to donate.

The hoard is yet to be fully valued, but one expert said it would be worth less than £100,000. The proceeds will be split between Mr Egerton and the landowner, Clinton Devon Estates.

One of the coins is particularly special. It marks the one millionth find of the Portable Antiquities Scheme, set up in 1997 to provide a record of all the finds brought in by members of the public. The scheme is managed by the British Museum and funded by the Department for Culture, Media, and Sport’s grant-in-aid to the institution.

Neil MacGregor, director of the British Museum said: “You know what it’s like; you sit waiting for the millionth object to come along and 22,000 come along at once.”

The special coin, called a nummus, was struck by Constantine the Great to celebrate the inauguration of the new city of Constantinople, now Istanbul.

The scheme was set up to keep track of all the finds by metal detectorists and enthusiasts and provide a resource for scholars to study historical objects. Since 1997 a total of 500 Roman coin hoards have been discovered across the country.

Major finds since the PAS scheme was set up include the Staffordshire Hoard, dating to the 7th century, the largest Anglo-Saxon hoard of gold and silver ever found. There have also been significant Viking and Bronze Age finds.

The British Museum said recording the finds has helped revolutionise the understanding of battlefields including Naseby in 1645 and the Battle of Bosworth in 1485. There, the find of a silver-gilt boar badge helped pinpoint where Richard III met his death.

Extremely rare mass grave of decapitated Vikings found in the UK

Archaeologists made the gruesome discovery of 51 Viking corpses buried in the UK – with researchers claiming they may have been killed in sacrifice. Archaeologists believed that the violent killing happened 1000 years ago – the 51 skeletons had languished near Weymouth, Dorset.

Oxford Archaeology removed the skulls which had been placed together in one part of a pit, and the bodies which had been thrown roughly into a heap a few feet away.

Chemical analysis was used to study the teeth from 10 men – and led to a remarkable piece of information.

The men are thought to have grown up in an environment much colder than the UK, with one set of remains believed to be from the Arctic Circle.

Carbon dating showed they were buried between 910 and 1030AD, a time when England was being unified under Saxon kings and when Vikings from Denmark had begun a second wave of raids on the South Coast.

Oxford Archaeology project manager David Score said: “To find out that the young men executed were Vikings is a thrilling development.

“Any mass grave is a relatively rare find, but to find one on this scale, from this period of history, is extremely unusual.”

Researchers had no doubts that the bodies belonged to Vikings.

Evidence suggested they were captured by British soldiers after arriving in the country to raid.

The blows to the back of their necks were so fierce that the swords cut into the jaws and collarbones.

One man had wounds to his hands – indicating that he grabbed for the blade in a futile bid to save himself. Others suffered blows to pelvis, stomach and chest.

There were more bodies than skulls, leading to speculation that three dismembered heads were displayed on stakes.

The first to arrive in Britain were after loot – and they saw the undefended monasteries, which boasted silver-chalices, gold crosses and bejewelled books, as key targets.

Dr Richard Hall, director of archaeology at the York Archaeological Trust, said: “Vikings would be the same build and height as us.

“But there would be few women over 35 because so many died in childbirth. And if you lived to 50 you were doing very well.”

81 ‘rare’ Anglo-Saxon coffins found in England may shed light on early Christians

A remarkable discovery of 81 Anglo – Saxon coffins made from the hollow-out trunks of oak trees may give new insights into how people lived in Britain in the early days of Christianity, archaeologists say

The bones, dated from the 7th and 9th centuries, is discovered by a previously unknown Anglo-Saxon cemetery on a site called Great Ryburgh in Norfolk, eastern England, where six rare plank-lined graves were also found.

Evidence suggesting the cemetery served a community of early Christians includes a timber structure thought to be a church or chapel, wooden grave markers, and a lack of grave goods that would have been expected at pagan burial sites.

“This find is a dramatic example of how new evidence is helping to refine our knowledge of this fascinating period when Christianity and the church were still developing on the ground,” said Tim Pestell, curator at Norwich Castle Museum in Norfolk, where the finds from the dig will be kept.

Few Anglo-Saxon coffins survive because wood normally decays over time, and evidence usually consists of staining in the round from rotten wood.

The site at Great Ryburgh had a combination of acidic sand and alkaline water that allowed the skeletons and wooden graves to survive.

Coffins made from hollowed-out tree trunks were first seen in Europe in the early Bronze Age and reappeared in the early Middle Ages. This is the first time examples of this type of coffin have been properly excavated and recorded by modern archaeologists in Britain.

The plank-lined graves are believed to be the earliest known examples in Britain.

Examination of the bones and wood is taking place at the Northampton offices of the Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA).

“This find is absolutely unique in this country,” MOLA project manager Mark Holmes said.

“Finding wooden coffins of this period hasn’t happened before — it’s going to fill in an enormous amount of our knowledge of this period.”

Lead researcher on the dig Jim Fairclough said he hoped further analysis of the bones would reveal more of the individuals themselves, such as what their lifestyle was like and whether they had any family groups in the same cemetery.

“There are earlier Saxon cemeteries where there’s evidence wood was used in burials but all that remains is basically soil marks and staining where the wood has decayed,” he said.

“So this is the first time, especially in an early Christian context, where the wood coffins have been preserved.”

The excavation on private land at Great Ryburgh was launched to check for archaeological remains ahead of building work to create a lake and flood-defense system to boost biodiversity, alleviate flooding and create a new spot for anglers to fish.