Category Archives: EUROPE

EUROPE, SPAIN, WORLD

Scenes of Warriors from 6th Century BC on a Slate Plaque Discovered at Tartessian Site in Spain

Scenes of Warriors from 6th Century BC on a Slate Plaque Discovered at Tartessian Site in Spain

Scenes of Warriors from 6th Century BC on a Slate Plaque Discovered at Tartessian Site in Spain

Archaeologists representing Spain’s National Research Council (CSIC) excavating at the archaeological site of Casas del Turunuelo have uncovered a slate plaque about 20 centimeters engraved on both sides where various motifs can be identified.

The slate plaque includes drawing exercises, a battle scene involving three characters, and repeated depictions of faces or geometric figures.  According to early indications, this rare find in Guareña (Badajoz, Spain) may have supported the engraver as they carved designs into pieces of wood, ivory, or gold.

Three digitally silhouetted figures on the front face of the plate.

The new campaign has also made it possible to discover the location of the east door that gives access to the Stepped Room, excavated in 2023 and known for the discovery of the first figured reliefs of Tartessos.

The Tartessians, who are thought to have lived in southern Iberia (modern-day Andalusia and Extremadura), are regarded as one of the earliest Western European civilizations.

The Late Bronze Age saw the emergence of the Tartessos culture in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula in Spain.

The culture is characterized by the use of the now-extinct Tartessian language, which is combined with local Phoenician and Paleo-Hispanic characteristics. The Tartessos people were skilled in metallurgy and metalworking, creating ornate objects and decorative items.

The team from the Institute of Archaeology of Mérida (IAM), a joint center of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and the Junta de Extremadura, directed by Esther Rodríguez González and Sebastián Celestino Pérez, is responsible for these archaeological excavations.

At a press conference, the team of CSIC experts highlighted the importance of the discovered slate plaque, which shows four individuals identified as warriors, given their decorated clothing and the weapons they carry.

Initial indications, though they require further investigation, point to the piece being a jeweler’s slate, a material that would have supported the artist while they engraved the motifs on pieces of wood, ivory, or gold.

“This discovery is a unique example in peninsular archaeology and brings us closer to understanding the artisanal processes in Tartessos, previously invisible, while also allowing us to complete our knowledge of the clothing, weaponry, or headdresses of the depicted characters, as they proliferate with details,” says Esther Rodríguez.

This documentation complements the finding made in the previous campaign, where the documentation of several faces allowed, for the first time, admiration of how the society of the 6th-5th centuries BC wore their  jewelry.

The researchers also worked on the eastern gate, which they identified in 2023. Based on the nature of the documented architectural remains and the discovery of the building’s east door in the center of a monumental facade more than three meters high, the research team believes that this door confirms the main access to the building on its eastern end, which retains its two constructive floors.

The door links the Stepped Room to a large slate-paved courtyard, which has a cobblestone corridor in front of it. This corridor separates the main body of the building from a set of rooms where interesting material lots have been recovered.

Additionally, the archaeological materials recovered from the adjoining rooms located in front of said access suggest that it is the production or artisanal area of the building.

The finding of the outside rooms devoted to various artisanal activities is also noteworthy since it sheds light on societal issues that were unknown during this time period and strengthens Tartessos’ artisanal identity.

“Our efforts will now focus on studying the recovered remains, both from the face reliefs and the ivories. As for the archaeological work at the site, our goal for the next campaign is to delineate these production areas that seem to extend, at least, along the entire eastern side of the site. In parallel, we will begin to open the rooms flanking the main space, which have an excellent degree of preservation and can help us define the functionality of the building,” said Sebastián Celestino.

ENGLAND, EUROPE, WORLD

Excavation Unearths Traces of 16th-Century Mansion in England

Excavation Unearths Traces of 16th-Century Mansion in England

Excavations undertaken by Warwickshire’s Wessex Archaeology have discovered one of the UK’s best-preserved late 16th century gardens ever discovered.Archaeological investigations have revealed the remains of Coleshill Manor and an octagonal moat, aspects initially spotted by aerial drone images.

As excavations progressed, the remains of a massive garden dating from the very early 17th century were discovered, alongside the manor house.

Experts now believe after marrying an Irish heiress, owner Sir Robert Digby built his home in the modern style, in addition to lavish formal gardens measuring 300m (1km) from end to end, to flaunt his new-acquired wealth and consequent social status.

The hitherto-unknown gardens have been exceptionally well-preserved, and include gravel paths, planting beds, garden pavilion foundations and ornaments organised in an innovative geometric layout.

HS2’s Historic Environment Manager Jon Millward said the site has parallels to the iconic ornamental gardens at Kenilworth Castle and Hampton Court Palace.

Archaeology news: HS2 excavations have unearthed Elizabethan answer to Hampton Court.
Archaeology news: Sir Robert Digby built his home in the modern style

He said in a statement: “It’s fantastic to see HS2’s huge archaeology programme making another major contribution to our understanding of British history.

“This is an incredibly exciting site, and the team has made some important new discoveries that unlock more of Britain’s past.”

Wessex Archaeology’s Project Officer, Stuart Pierson described the discovery as a career-high.

He said: “For the dedicated fieldwork team working on this site, it’s a once in a career opportunity to work on such an extensive garden and manor site, which spans 500 years.

Archaeology news: The hitherto-unknown gardens have been exceptionally well-preserved

“Evidence of expansive formal gardens of national significance and hints of connections to Elizabeth I and the civil war provide us with a fascinating insight into the importance of Coleshill and its surrounding landscape.

“From our original trench evaluation work, we knew there were gardens, but we had no idea how extensive the site would be.

“As work has progressed, it’s been particularly interesting to discover how the gardens have been changed and adapted over time with different styles.

“We’ve also uncovered structures such as pavilions and some exceptional artefacts including smoking pipes, coins and musket balls, giving us an insight into the lives of people who lived here.

“The preservation of the gardens is unparalleled.

“We’ve had a big team of up to 35 archaeologists working on this site over the last two years conducting trench evaluations, geophysical work and drone surveys as well as the archaeological excavations.”

Excavations have also revealed structures believed to date back to the late medieval period.

This includes structural evidence attributed to the large gatehouse in the forecourt of the Hall with its style and size alluding to a possible 14th or 15th century.

Archaeology news: Excavations have discovered one of the UK’s best-preserved late 16th century gardens ever discovered

Dr Paul Stamper, a specialist in English gardens and landscape history, believes that, as a whole, the site is of the utmost archaeological importance.

He said: “This is one of the most exciting Elizabethan gardens that’s ever been discovered in this country.

“The scale of preservation at this site is really exceptional and is adding considerably to our knowledge of English gardens around 1600.

“There have only been three or four investigations of gardens of this scale over the last 30 years, including Hampton Court, Kirby in Northamptonshire and Kenilworth Castle, but this one was entirely unknown.

“The garden doesn’t appear in historical records, there are no plans of it, it’s not mentioned in any letters or visitors’ accounts.

“The form of the gardens suggest they were designed around 1600, which fits in exactly with the documentary evidence we have about the Digby family that lived here.

“Sir Robert Digby married an Irish heiress, raising him to the ranks of the aristocracy.

“We suspect he rebuilt his house and laid out the huge formal gardens measuring 300 metres from end to end, signifying his wealth.”

EUROPE, ITALY, WORLD

A blue painted shrine is the latest discovery in Pompeii ‘treasure chest’

A blue painted shrine is the latest discovery in Pompeii ‘treasure chest’

A blue painted shrine is the latest discovery in Pompeii ‘treasure chest’
The blue room was found during excavations in central Pompeii.

Archaeologists have unearthed an intricately decorated blue room, interpreted as an ancient Roman shrine known as a sacrarium, during recent excavations in central Pompeii in Italy.

The Italian Minister of Culture, Gennaro Sangiuliano, visited the site on Tuesday, describing the ancient city as “a treasure chest that is still partly unexplored.”

The blue color found in this new discovery is rare, with the culture ministry outlining that it is generally associated with environments of great decorative importance.

An in-depth analysis of the room, according to the ministry, found that the space could be interpreted as a sacrarium or a space dedicated to ritual activities and the conservation of sacred objects.

The walls of the room feature female figures.

The walls of the room feature female figures that are said to depict the four seasons of the year, as well as allegories of agriculture and shepherding.

The new discovery came amid excavations in the Regio IX area of central Pompeii, a residential area that is currently one of the most active excavation sites for new findings.

The excavations are part of a broader project to secure a perimeter between the excavated and non-excavated areas of the archaeological park, which currently has more than 13,000 excavated rooms.

The project aims to improve the structure of the area, making the “protection of the vast Pompeiian heritage… more effective and sustainable,” the culture ministry said.

Other recent findings in the area include furnishings belonging to a house, a bronze kit with two jugs and two lamps, building materials used in renovations, and the shells of oysters that had been consumed.

The intricately decorated room was found in the Regio IX section of the popular tourist site.

Last week, it was reported that archaeologists in Pompeii had uncovered children’s sketches depicting violent scenes of gladiators and hunters battling animals.

The drawings, thought to be made by children between the ages of five and seven sometime before Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD, were found on the walls of a back room in the residential sector of the archaeological park.

They showed that even children in ancient times were exposed to extreme violence.

ENGLAND, EUROPE, WORLD

Couple uncover 18th century lime kiln under ‘neglected heap of rubble’ on their land

Couple uncover 18th century lime kiln under ‘neglected heap of rubble’ on their land

Couple uncover 18th century lime kiln under 'neglected heap of rubble' on their land
Dave-Newham

An unsightly heap in the corner of a North York Moors field has revealed a well-preserved historic limestone kiln, thanks to a collaboration between the landowners, the National Park Authority and a local archaeology company.

The find has delighted Elaine and Dave Newham, who had little idea as to what the untidy mound on the edge of their land was hiding. Elaine said: “It was completely neglected, just a heap of earth covered in discarded stones, bushes and nettles.

“It was marked on an old map as a kiln so we knew that’s what had been there, but we had no idea if anything was left of it.”

While researching the types of grants available for farmers and landowners in the National Park, Elaine saw that funding was available through the Farming in Protected Landscapes scheme to help conserve historic structures, as well as to enable more people learn about them.

Through this scheme, the North York Moors National Park was able to provide a grant of just over £12,000 to support the excavation work.

The trees and vegetation were cleared and experts from Staithes-based company Quercus Archaeology set to work carefully investigating the mound, which measured around 300m2.

This revealed a well-preserved section of the kiln’s main firing chamber, lined with handmade bricks, and a stokehole (the mouth of the kiln) from which the fire would be fed with fuel.

The kiln will have once produced lime to improve the local farmland, most likely during the 18th century. After transportation from a nearby limestone quarry, the raw product would be fired in the kiln to produce lump lime (also known as quick lime), before being dispersed over a field.

Located on the Scarborough edge of the North York Moors, the site is now undergoing a more in-depth investigation, with hope the structure can be restored as an educational asset for the benefit of the local community. New trees have also been planted nearby, to replace those removed at the start of the project.

Dave Arnott, Farming in Protected Landscapes Officer, said: “While lime kilns are not an unusual sight in the North York Moors landscape, they remain an important link to our agricultural and industrial past. It’s fantastic that Elaine and Dave want to conserve this heritage for future generations and can see the site’s potential.

Stephen Timms, Director of Quercus Archaeology said: “I’ve been an archaeologist for 30 years and it never ceases to amaze me what is just under your feet. We weren’t expecting to see such a well-preserved kiln under what looked like a big pile of rubble.

“It has been great to be involved in such a positive project which not only adds to our understanding of rural life on the North York Moors but also helps Elaine and David contribute to the local community as part of the Farming in the Protected Landscapes scheme.”

Elaine continued: “It’s been so exciting to see what’s emerged, a very worthwhile process when you think that it could have stayed as it was and been lost. Quite what’s next for our kiln, you’ll have to watch this space!” You can explore the lime kiln for yourself on Sketchfab.

EUROPE, FRANCE, WORLD

Archaeologists uncover ‘astonishing’ remains of horses buried 2,000 years ago

Archaeologists uncover ‘astonishing’ remains of horses buried 2,000 years ago

Archaeologists uncover ‘astonishing’ remains of horses buried 2,000 years ago
Archaeologists have uncovered graves containing the remains of horses buried about 2,000 years ago.

Archaeologists in France have uncovered nine “astonishing” graves containing the skeletons of 28 horses that were buried about 2,000 years ago, though their precise cause of death remains a mystery.

Discovered in Villedieu-sur-Indre, a commune in central France, two of the graves have been fully excavated so far, the French National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research (INRAP) said in a statement.

The horses have been radiocarbon-dated back to somewhere between 100 BC to 100 AD.

Archaeologists found 10 complete horse skeletons in one pit and two in the other, all carefully placed in the same manner lying on their right flank with their heads to the south.

All these horses were buried at the same time shortly after their deaths, archaeologists said after observing the position of the skeletons and the connections between the bones.

Another grave is situated between these two pits but it contains two medium-sized dogs, both lying on their left side with their heads facing west.

Two of the nine graves have been fully excavated so far.

Archaeologists have yet to fully excavate the remaining graves but have already identified a total of 28 horses from the skulls and coxal bones that appear on the surface.

Killed in battle, or ritual sacrifice?

However, the horses’ precise cause of death still remains unclear.

Archaeologists have ruled out an epidemic since there are no foals or mares in these graves; all the skeletons are fully-grown stallions aged over four years old. That leaves, archaeologists said, the possibilities that these horses were either killed in battle or as part of a ritual sacrifice.

When these horses died about 2,000 years ago, there was a fortified Celtic settlement known as an oppidum just a few hundred meters away and this location mirrors that of two other similar horse burial sites that archaeologists had previously uncovered in the same region.

Due to this location, they have hypothesized that the horses’ deaths at the sites could be connected to the battles of the Gallic Wars in which Julius Caesar conquered Gaul between 58 – 50 BC.

The horses may have been killed in battle or sacrificed

There may be another explanation, however: ritual sacrifice.

“The hypothesis that these animals were sacrificed as part of a complex ritual, of which only a few scraps remain, must also be considered,” the INRAP statement said.

If these horses were indeed buried as part of a ritual rather than killed in battle, the sheer number shows the “importance and extent of the sacrifice,” the statement added.

Other finds at the site, which sits on the slope of a valley, include buildings, pits, ditches and a road that archaeologists dated to the late 5th and early 6th centuries.

CZECH REPUBLIC, EUROPE, WORLD

A woman in the Czech Republic found a medieval jackpot during a walk

A woman in the Czech Republic found a medieval jackpot during a walk

A woman in the Czech Republic found a medieval jackpot during a walk

A woman walking in the town of Kutná Hora in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic found a nearly 900-year-old treasure of more than 2,150 medieval silver coins, known as denarii.

The woman found some silver coins while walking through a field in Kutnohorsku and contacted officials, the Institute of Archaeology of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic said in a May 16 news release.

The treasure consisted of more than 2,150 silver coins minted between 1085 and 1107.

Experts believe they were manufactured in Prague and imported to Bohemia. The trove was stored in a ceramic container that was destroyed over the years, but archaeologists discovered the bottom of the container.

“The [discovery was] made of coin alloy, which, in addition to silver, also contains an admixture of copper, lead, and trace metals,” the Institute of Archaeology of the Czech Academy of Sciences (ARUP) stated in the press release. “Determining this particular composition can also help determine the origin of the silver used.”

The discovery of the treasure is one of the largest archaeological finds of the past 10 years, experts say.

Dubbed one of the greatest finds of the last decade, institute archaeologist Filip Velímský believes the discovery is like winning a prize in the lottery—even if someone else was the loser.

“It was probably placed in its place during the first quarter of the 12th century, at a time of internal political instability,” he said.

“At that time, there were disputes in the country between the members of the Přemysl dynasty about the princely throne of Prague,” he said.

According to ARUP, battles were common during the period and the depot could have been cash “for paying wages or spoils of war.”

Czech officials call the discovery “one of the largest finds of the last decade.”

Some of the 900-year-old coins in plastic bags.

According to the experts, that owner couldn’t have been just anyone. “Unfortunately, for the turn of the 11th to 12th century, we lack data on the purchasing power of contemporary coins,” he said. “But it was a huge, unimaginable – and at the same time, unavailable – amount for an ordinary person. It can be compared to winning a million in the jackpot.”

The artifacts were taken to a laboratory for further analysis and documentation, a process that will likely take a year. The artifacts will then be put on display in an exhibit expected to debut in 2025.

EUROPE, GERMANY, WORLD

Fossil of a beetle inside a lizard inside a snake – an ancient food chain

Fossil of a beetle inside a lizard inside a snake – an ancient food chain

Paleontologists have uncovered a fossil that has preserved an insect inside a lizard inside a snake – a prehistoric battle of the food chain that ended in a volcanic lake some 48 million years ago.

Pulled from an abandoned quarry in southwest Germany called the Messel Pit, the fossil is only the second of its kind ever found, with the remains of three animals sitting snug in one another.

Earlier excavations have revealed the fossilized stomach contents of a prehistoric horse, whose last meal was grapes and leaves, and pollen grains were identified inside a fossilized bird. Remains of insects have also been detected in a sample of fish excrement.

Grube Messel

We have been lucky to glimpse such a primordial food chain of the snake, that ate a lizard, that had previously treated itself to a beetle, and ended up in a volcanic lake of the time. It is uncertain how the snake died.

Perhaps the snake’s body fell dead close to the shores of the lake before the waters claimed it. It had died there not more than 48 hours after its “last supper,” scientists say.

“It’s probably the kind of fossil that I will go the rest of my professional life without ever encountering again, such is the rarity of these things.” Such are the words of Dr. Krister Smith, a paleontologist at the Senkenberg Institute in Germany who took charge of the fossil analysis.

According to Dr. Smith, the almost entirely preserved snake was recovered from a plate found in the pit back in 2009, and the discovery soon turned out to be groundbreaking. Smith remarks, “we had never found a tripartite food chain–this is a first for Messel.”

Dr. Smith and Argentine paleontologist Dr. Agustín Scanferla used high-resolution computer imaging to identify the taxonomy of the snake and the lizard, however, they were unable to name the beetle, the least preserved of the three.

Palaeopython fischeri, exhibited in Naturmuseum Senckenberg, Frankfurt am Main, Germany

The snake, measuring some 3.4 feet in length, was identified as Palaeophython fischeri, a species which belongs to a group of tree-dwelling snakes that was able to grow to more than 6.5 feet in length and is related to today’s boas.

The preserved sample from Germany was only a juvenile, an assurance being not only the shorter length but also its food choice, the lizard. Adult boas are known to opt for bigger animals.

The lizard would have measured nearly eight inches and a clear hint for paleontologists that it was inside the snake’s body was that the snake’s ribs overlapped it.

It is an example of the now extinct species Geiseltaliellus maarius, a type of iguanian lizard that inhabited the region of what is now Germany, France, and Belgium. Messel has been the site that has provided some of the best-preserved samples of this lizard species.

What’s also interesting is that, even though lizards are known for shedding their tails when under threat, this one has kept it despite falling prey to the snake.

“Since the stomach contents are digested relatively fast and the lizard shows an excellent level of preservation, we assume that the snake died no more than one to two days after consuming its prey and then sank to the bottom of the Messel Lake, where it was preserved,” explained Dr. Smith.

Fossil of Palaeopython in the Naturhistorisches Museum Wien

This is a rare type of fossil, but it’s not the first instance in which a fossil has simultaneously exposed three levels of an ancient food chain. According to National Geographic, in 2008, a fossil dated at more than 250 millions of years old depicted a shark that had devoured an amphibian that had previously consumed a spiny-finned fish.

Both these findings are precious as they reveal significant details on how food chains functioned. In the case of the snake fossil, it is interesting that the lizard had eaten a beetle.

Before that, scientists didn’t know that the Messel lizard liked to dine on insects, as in previous digs they had been able to identify only remains of plants in fossilized lizard bellies. In the case of the shark, it was revealed that amphibians consumed fish before becoming a menu item to the fish itself.

ENGLAND, EUROPE, WORLD

Possible Roman Oyster Processing Site Found in England

Possible Roman Oyster Processing Site Found in England

A suspected Roman oyster processing site has been unearthed on the banks of the Humber Estuary.

Possible Roman Oyster Processing Site Found in England
The oysters are believed to have grown naturally on shell reefs

The Environment Agency said the discovery was made during flood defence work near Weeton in East Yorkshire. A team from York Archaeology chanced on the find close to what they think was an early Roman settlement.

Oysters were prized by the Romans with some reports suggesting they played a key part in Julius Caesar’s decision to invade Britain.

Sea defences and mudflats under construction between Outstrays and Skeffling on the north bank of the Humber

According to the agency, large quantities of “misshapen oyster shells” were found, supporting the theory that they grew naturally on a shell reef rather than being grown on ropes, which was a common practice at the time.

Jennifer Morrison, the agency’s senior archaeologist, said: “It was truly amazing to find the evidence of this early oyster processing site during our dig.

“We know that, at this time, oysters would have been plentiful and that they were a staple part of the diet.

“We also know that British oysters were prized by the Romans, and it is quite possible that some of these oysters found their way back to Italy.”

For the last three years, the agency has been realigning sea defences to provide 250 hectares of new wet grassland, saltmarshes and mudflats to replace land being lost to human activity on the north bank of the estuary.

Today, oysters – natural filters, which keep the water clean as they absorb carbon and release oxygen – are being reintroduced to the Humber once again as part of the Wilder Humber partnership, comprising Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust and energy company Orsted.

The oyster reefs will help protect the coastline from erosion by stabilising the seabed and absorbing wave energy, the agency said.

People can learn more about Roman and medieval finds at a new exhibition, which runs each Wednesday and Saturday until 22 June at Hedon Museum.