Evidence for prehistoric human dismemberment found at Carrowkeel, Ireland
The ancient people of Ireland have provided new insights into the death rites. And they’re a bit disgusting. A little disgusting. The New Zealand University of Otago ‘s Anatomy Department has studied ancient Irish funerals. The results were published in the Bioarchaeology International journal.
Dr. Jonny Geber, the lead author of the new paper, focuses on the Passage Tomb Complex, which is 5,000 years old at Carrowkeel in County Sligo in northwestern Ireland.
This place is one of Europe’s most remarkable ritual landscapes. But despite that, is relatively unknown.
Cairn K – Part of a 5000-year-old Passage Tomb Complex at Carrowkeel in County Sligo in the north-west of Ireland. This site is one of the most impressive Neolithic ritual landscapes in Europe, but despite that, is relatively unknown.
The research team analyzed bones from up to seven passage tombs that included both unburnt and cremated human remains from around 40 individuals. Much remains unknown about these Stone Age people.
Dr. Geber says he and his colleagues determined that the unburnt bone displayed evidence of dismemberment.
“We found indications of cut marks caused by stone tools at the site of tendon and ligament attachments around the major joints, such as the shoulder, elbow, hip, and ankle,” he says.
Cut marks on some of the human remains which were discovered at Carrowkeel Cut marks, marked in white (above) and magnified (below), observed on a left humerus (upper arm) from Cairn K (a), the ilium of a left coxae (part of the pelvis) from Cairn K (b), and a right femur (upper leg) from Cairn K (c)
One of the 18 boxes re-discovered in the Duckworth Laboratory at the Leverhulme Centre for Human Evolutionary Studies, University of Cambridge, England.
Dr. Geber says the new evidence suggests that a complex burial rite was undertaken at Carrowkeel, which involved a funerary rite that placed a particular focus on the “deconstruction” of the body.
“This appears to entail the bodies of the dead being ‘processed’ by their kin and community in various ways, including cremation and dismemberment.
It was probably done with the goal to help the souls of the dead to reach the next stages of their existence.”
This study has been able to show that the Carrowkeel complex was most likely a highly significant place in Neolithic society in Ireland and one which allowed for interaction and a spiritual connection with the ancestors.
The evidence suggests that the people of Neolithic Ireland may have shared similar beliefs and ideologies concerning the treatment of the dead with communities beyond the Irish Sea, according to the researchers, Dr. Geber says.
So if an Irish relative proposes dismembering you after death, don’t be offended, they are just following original Irish burial rites. Ick!
Evidence of Iron Age temples uncovered at Navan Fort
During an examination of the Navan Forts in Co Armagh, Queen’s boffins uncovered evidence of a huge temple complex. The discovery at Ulster’s mythical capital, known as Emain Macha, could date back as far as the Iron Age.
The research was worked together by scholars from Queen’s, the University of Aberdeen, and the German Archaeological Institute, Frankfurt.
They believe it evidences a vast temple complex and ceremonial center of prehistoric Europe, as well as the first evidence of continued medieval activity when Navan Fort was associated with the kingship of Ulster.
Dr Patrick Gleeson, Senior Lecturer in Archaeology at the School of Natural and Built Environment at Queen’s, said: “Excavation in the 1960s uncovered one of the most spectacular series of buildings of any region of prehistoric Europe, including a series of figure-of-8 buildings of the Early Iron Age and a 40m timber-ringed structure constructed c.95 BC.
“Upon the latter’s construction, it was immediately filled with stones and burnt to the ground in order to create a massive mound that now dominates the site.
“Our discoveries add significant additional data, hinting that the buildings uncovered in the 1960s were not domestic structures lived in by kings, but a series of massive temples, some of the largest and most complex ritual arena of any region of later prehistoric and pre-Roman Northern Europe.”
The survey’s findings will be published in the Oxford Journey of Archaeology.
Navan Fort was one of Ireland’s so-called Royal sites – a group of five ceremonial centers of prehistoric origins that were documented in medieval times as the capitals of the five fifths that divided Ireland.
It is hoped this work to uncover what was once at Navan will “add rich discoveries to the iconic site of Navan Fort”.
But these efforts, which are part of the Comparative Kingship project funded by the Leverhulme Trust, and supported by Historic Environment Division of the Department of Communities, are in their initial stages.
Dr. John O’Keeffe, Principal Inspector of Historic Monuments in the Department for Communities, said: “We were pleased to facilitate the survey work at Navan Fort, which is owned by the Department for Communities and is one of 190 State Care Monuments in Northern Ireland managed by the Department for Communities.
“The work has shone new light on the monument and will inform further research as we explore what Navan Fort meant to our forebears and how they used the site, for years to come.
“It provides additional insights that inform visits to this enigmatic monument and landscape today.”
Navan Fort is one of Ireland’s most ancient landscapes because it is the seat of legendary kings, like Chonchobhar and mac Nessa, and provides the backdrop to the exploits of warriors like Cú Chulainn, Conal Cernach and others in the great epic saga Táin Bó Cuailainge, or the Cattle Raid of Colley.
In addition to identifying residences of early medieval kings of Ulster, activity at Navan Fort is contemporary with the foundation of Armagh by St Patrick only 1km to the east. Some of the buildings uncovered are likely to be identifiable with the house built by Níall ÓG Ua Neill for all the poets of Ireland in 1387.
It also appears that activity continued at Navan after the coming of Christianity and the foundation of Armagh, the primatial see of the Church in Ireland, is particularly significant.
5,000-year-old Sligo tombs being destroyed by vandals, say archaeologists
Five-thousand-year-old Neolithic tombs in Co Sligo are suffering damage and vandalism “on a scale never seen before” and will not survive unless action is taken immediately, archaeological experts have warned.
There are 75 passage tombs in Co Sligo, almost one-third of the estimated 240 in the State, according to the Sligo Neolithic Landscapes Group, which is pressing for the county’s Neolithic heritage to be deemed a World Heritage Site by Unesco.
In County Sligo, almost a one-third of all Neolithic tombs in the Republic of Ireland are found with a total of 75 tombs.
A Megalithic passage tomb in Carrowkeel is one of several that has been damaged in recent weeks.
The Sligo Neolithic Landscapes Group said that so much material had been taken from one passage tomb – Teach Cailleach a’ Bheara (the House of the Witch) – that there is now a hole large enough for an adult to lie in.
Dr. Robert Hensey, a neolithic expert, said that people are walking on top of some cairns so frequently that there is now a fear that they will be lost during this generation.
“Not only is there a fear that they won’t be there for future generations, but they may also be lost to this generation,” Hensey told the Irish Times.
The Sligo Neolithic Landscapes Group is advocating for the county’s neolithic heritage to be deemed a Unesco World Heritage Site and warned that the landscape is “very fragile” and under an “existential threat.”
Increased footfall has additionally damaged one of Sligo’s best-known landmarks, Dr. Hensey warned. Queen Maebdh’s cairn on the top of Knocknarea has suffered walking scars, according to Hensey, due to the increased traffic.
The megalithic passage grave at Carrowkeel has also been plagued by graffiti, with several people scratching their names into the stones, potentially damaging the megalithic art.
Hensey additionally said that some people have been stealing quartz from some tombs to sell online, while others are looking for secret passages at tombs in the hope of finding undiscovered chambers containing treasures of gold or bronze.
Martin Kenny, a Sinn Féin TD for Sligo, Leitrim, North Roscommon, and South Donegal, is calling on Michael Malcolm Noon, the Minister for State for Heritage. to take action against the vandalism and to support the Sligo Neolithic Landscape Group in their bid to make the landscape a World Heritage Site.
He said that he has also invited the Minister of State to visit Sligo and see the tombs for himself.
“I have invited the minister of state to visit Sligo and see the sites for himself and he assures me that he will take action, immediately, to protect the tombs,” Kenny told the Leitrim Observer.
Roman-Era Coins Unearthed at Spa Complex in Bulgaria
More than 40 ancient coins, most of which from the 4th century CE, have been discovered since the excavations were started in the summer of 2020 on the site Aquae Calidae near Bourgas on the southern Bulgarian Black Sea coast.
This was announced by the head of the archaeological dig, Associate Professor Dimcho Momchilov. During the current archaeological season, excavations are being carried out in the north-eastern sector of the complex.
“The idea is, if possible, to complete the northeastern apoditerium (vestibule) of the ancient, early Byzantine and medieval bath this year,” Momchilov said.
This will be followed by partial conservation and restoration. Among the interesting new finds from the current archaeological season is a monumental step that bore a roof structure.
Momchilov said that remnants of construction from the Roman period, and the Roman period, had been found. Apart from the coins, other items from the fourth century CE had been found.
“Our desire is to explore the shaft we found east of the building. It is from an early period and is very interesting. There are partially preserved water pipes and we will try to open it this year.
It had a variety of materials, but only after when I open it, I can say how long it has been for sure. In any case, for me, this shaft is connected with the early Roman bath, and the construction of the whole early Byzantine bath was in accordance with this shaft,” he said.
Excavations at the Aquae Calidae archeological complex are scheduled to continue until the end of July. Aquae Calidae Thermopolis originated around the warm Bourgas mineral springs in Thracian times, in the first millennium BCE.
The Thracians turned the hot spring into a revered sanctuary of the Three Nymphs. The spa complex has an area of six acres. In the north-south direction, its length is 86 meters.
In the late Middle Ages, Aquae Calidae became known as Therma or Thermopolis. By the sixth century, the settlement already had expanded baths and fortress walls.
In the 16th century, Ottoman ruler Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent built a contemporary Turkish bath at the site.
Medieval “plague” mass grave discovered in north Dublin
According to an Irish Central report, walkers in North County Dublin spotted bones eroding out of the surface of the ground during a period of drought this spring.
Examination of the bones by osteoarchaeologist Maeve McCormick revealed they belonged to a boy who was about 12 years of age at the time of his death.
The 12-year – old skeletal remains were found in River Valley Park, Swords, North County Dublin in April 2020. The bones that have now been extracted from the test area date back to the 15th century.
The skeletal remains of a 12-year-old, found in Swords, earlier this year are believed to be part of a plague burial ground.
Experts at the National Museum of Ireland said the bones became exposed due to the unseasonably dry weather in March and April.
Sadly, due to COVID-19 restrictions, the site could not be excavated. However, Fingal County Council told the Irish Times that with the easing of restrictions the examination has begun.
The site where the remains were found by walkers is a recorded archaeological monument, where archaeologists from the National Monuments Service excavated six skeletons in 1999.
They said the bones “were medieval in date and as the burials were deposited in an irregular fashion within a flood plain it was thought they may reflect some form of communal hasty burial of victims of plague or other trauma.”
The excavation was undertaken by Maeve McCormick, of Archer Heritage Planning Ltd, under license from the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht in consultation with the National Museum.
McCormick, an osteoarchaeologist, indicated that the latest skeleton unearthed was a juvenile, probably between ten and 12 years of age and that these remains are part of a burial site excavated in the area, in 1999.
Radiocarbon dating of the animal and human remains will allow them to get a precise timeline for the site.
Fingal County Council’s Heritage Officer Christine Baker says this analysis will “add to the story of this burial ground”.
“We are also investigating the most appropriate means to suspend the erosion of the site and will continue to work with the National Monuments Service and the National Museum of Ireland to protect this archaeological monument,” she said.
A hidden hoard of more than 6,000 silver coins found in a forest in Poland
This year a forest ranger in eastern central Poland came up with a lifetime discovery — he had found a treasure hidden in a wooded area near the village of Guzów, which included thousands of silver coins.
A hidden hoard of more than 6,000 silver coins found in a forest in Poland
Forest worker Bogusław Szwichtenberg spotted two clay pots along the wooded road in April this year. A cache of more than 6,000 silver coins was discovered as he opened them. He turned the find over to the Archaeological Museum of the Middle Oder in Zielona Góra, where conservation experts are now attempting to restore the coins, reports the museum’s Facebook page.
According to Polish news site Science & Scholarship in Poland (PAP), the silver coins have been provisionally dated to the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. They were recovered in fairly good condition but were tarnished and stuck together in lumps.
The tarnished coins found in clay jars by a forester in Poland.
Barbara Bielinis-Kopeć, the Lubuskie Provincial Conservator of Monuments and specialists in the field of archaeological preservation has pointed out that not all of the coins have yet been cleaned, so dating could change. So far, the oldest coin was minted in 1516, and the newest in 1612.
In total there were 5,370 smaller coins (denarii), and 787 larger ones (Prague groschen).
“For now, they are easily separated, but only at the end of the conservation work we will see if we can separate all of them without damage,” Bielinis-Kopeć told PAP.
Silver coins found in a forest in Poland, as cleaned by archaeological restorers.
The area where the coins were found has been marked as an archaeological study location. The site was hidden by the side of an old road that connected two small towns.
By all measures, the silver coins are an excellent find, and yet other remarkable coin hoards have been discovered in Poland, including what is known as the “Treasure of Głogów”. One of the largest treasure finds in Poland, the famous medieval cache was uncovered in 1987 by locals.
Archaeologists finally counted more than 20,000 silver coins in all, as well as thousands of coin fragments, and seven bars of silver.
The coins dated back to the 11th and 12th centuries. They were thought to have been owned by a wealthy cleric or knight, as Głogów was a vital center for the church and state at the time.
It has been a busy year for archaeology in Poland as researchers have located an 18th-century sex toy in latrines in Gdańsk, a Scythian treasure site at a ceremonial spring, and a huge Roman-era burial site including ‘princely graves’.
Bielinis-Kopeć said of the recent coin find, “This is the greatest discovery of this kind made in today’s province Lubuskie.”
More details are expected to be announced by officials as the coins are restored. The silver treasure is a lucky find that adds to the picture of the early modern era Poland.
The underwater statues at Baiae are replicas but still feel “ghostly and sublime”. “You’re sure I can cross?” I had to almost shout to be heard. Wooden slats dotted the ground before me.
About 30m to my right, steam rose into the sky in thick grey-white clouds. And somewhere between where I stood now, and there, the earth turned from solid and cool to boiling and viscous. Wherever that exact change happened, I wanted to make sure I was none too close. It’s very dangerous here “ Sì, sì, ” said volcanologist Enzo Morra, my guide for the day. He was already climbing the hill on the other side of the wooden slats before me.
I edged one foot onto one piece of wood, then the next. The ground felt firm. As I reached the far side and climbed the hilltop, I could see the source of the steam: a bubbling pool of dull gunmetal-grey mud, ominous as the contents of a witch’s cauldron and a great deal louder. The air smelled of sulphur.
“It’s very dangerous here,” Morra welcomed me when I arrived. “More dangerous than Vesuvius.” Campi Flegrei is one of 20 known “supervolcanos” on the planet I laughed nervously. “I wish you’d told me that when we were over there. Why are you telling me that when we’re here ?”
We were overlooking one of the fumaroles of Campi Flegrei, known in English as the Phlegraean Fields. One of 20 known “supervolcanoes” on the planet – capable of erupting with a volume thousands of times stronger than an average volcano – Campi Flegrei commands less notoriety than Mt Vesuvius, just 30km to the west.
But that is largely down to luck. If Campi Flegrei were to blow at maximum capacity today, it would make the 79AD eruption of Mt Vesuvius that destroyed Pompeii look like a puppy’s sneeze. Fortunately, Campi Flegrei hasn’t had a full-force eruption in thousands of years.
That isn’t to say it’s impossible. Researchers call the supervolcano “restless”, and there are concerns it is becoming more so. In 2012, the alert level was raised from green to yellow, indicating a need for more monitoring. Most recently, a “seismic swarm” in April 2020 saw 34 different earthquakes.
Campi Flegrei is more than a (fitfully) snoozing menace. It’s why the ancient Romans built one of the most magnificent resort towns on the Italian peninsula here: Baiae, famed for its hot springs and bad behavior.
It’s also why at least half of the town, with its precious marbles, mosaics, and sculptures, sank beneath the Mediterranean over the following centuries. Now, this “restless” supervolcano is the reason why much of this archaeological site is at risk today – both indirectly, thanks to the sea’s effect on the artifacts, and directly, in terms of the threat of earthquakes or another volcanic eruption.
The underwater statues at Baiae are replicas but still feel “ghostly and sublime”
The Romans had few ways of knowing when an eruption or earthquake was coming. They were all but helpless when it came to protecting their town against the encroaching sea. But that’s no longer true. Today, a team of archaeologists and engineers are developing some surprising new technologies to protect the underwater site for future generations. And that’s what I’ve come here to learn more about. Lured by the volcano’s hot springs, the Romans built the magnificent resort town of Baiae here (Credit: Amanda Ruggeri) Over its full 13km radius, the supervolcano, almost all of it at ground level or beneath the sea, has 24 craters and more than 150 pools of boiling mud. It’s easy to see how the ancient Greeks, who settled here first, came up with the name: “Phlegraean Fields” is from the early Greek verb phlégō (“to burn”).
This underwater mosaic was once part of a floor of a magnificent villa
The danger of Campi Flegrei isn’t just its size and strength, but its randomness. When a volcano-like Vesuvius erupts, you know where the eruption will come from the cone at its peak. Not here.
“The activity isn’t ever in the same place. Every eruption has its own story and place of emission,” Morra said. “Therefore, we obviously don’t know when the eruption will happen. But we also don’t know where the next eruption will happen, if there is one.”
Another danger is the type of activity: more than 90% of the activity Campi Flegrei is explosive, not effusive. In other words, when it blows, it won’t leak lava over the ground; it will punch a column of rock and lava into the air. When the detritus lands, the ash will blacken the sky and thicken the air, making both seeing and breathing near-impossible. The column’s collapse causes a pyroclastic flow: extreme heat of up to 700C that vaporises everything in its path.
That, at least, is what happened 39,000 years ago, the date of Campi Flegrei’s largest eruption. Molten rock spewed 70km high. Ashes were found as far away as Siberia. The explosion was so powerful, the volcano collapsed into a caldera. The cooling that occurred in the ensuing years may even have helped bring about the end of the Neanderthals.
Volcanic vents made the water warm — and look almost oily
Fifteen thousand years ago, Campi Flegrei erupted again. The eruption wasn’t as large, but it threw significant volumes of yellow tufa into the air – enough to give Naples its colour today. People carved through and built with the local stone, giving the palazzi, churches, and even underground tunnels their golden colour. The last significant eruption was in 1538. Compared to these previous two events, it was tiny. It was also big enough to throw ash and pumice 5.5km high. As the column collapsed, it created a “new mountain” (dubbed, quite literally, Monte Nuovo), measuring 123m high – and burying a village beneath it. If this happened today, in the vicinity of Italy’s third-most-populous city, Naples, the damage would be severe.
So what is the possibility of such an eruption happening in our lifetimes?
“Obviously we can’t make estimates,” Morra said, almost languidly. “We know that an active volcano, an active volcano, can erupt. Clearly, in our heart – we hope not.” I looked worried. “Have courage!” he said. “Like Vesuvius, Campi Flegrei is continuously monitored by colleagues at the Vesuvian Observatory, the oldest volcano observatory in the world. This can make us feel more tranquil.”
Close monitoring means an eruption can be predicted months in advance. With enough warning, the hope is that the metropolitan area can be safely evacuated.
Signs of a pending eruption aren’t the only data that volcanologists collect. The Vesuvian Observatory was also the first to discover, and chart, a phenomenon known as “bradyseism”: the slow rising, and sinking, of land over time. As the magma in Campi Flegrei’s massive magma chamber moves 3km below ground, so does the land above – sometimes significantly. Over the last 15,000 years, the movement of the magma has pushed the land above it upward by some 90m. At the same time, other parts of the caldera have fallen.
Researchers left ‘speechless’ by ‘magical’ Iron Age treasure
Archaeologists were stunned when they unearthed Iron Age treasure owned by extremely wealthy figures from the time period. The amazing discovery was made in 2016 as two treasure hunters – Mark Hambleton and Joe Kania – found the earliest example of Iron Age gold ever found in Britain.
The collection included four twisted metal neckbands, called torcs and a bracelet. Experts concluded the jewellery would have been owned by wealthy powerful women who probably moved from continental Europe to marry rich Iron Age chiefs.
Mr. Hambleton was also delighted when he and his partner were told the find could be worth hundreds of thousands of pounds. Mr. Hambleton said at the time: “We weren’t expecting to find anything. I was just about ready to give up for the day when Joe said he thought he had found something.
The jewellery was worth over £300,000
“We both looked at it and were speechless.”
Mr. Kania added: “We have found the odd Victorian coin, but mostly it has just been junk.
“So I couldn’t believe it when I picked out this mud-covered item and on cleaning it off, I thought this might actually be gold.”
Mr. Hambleton also told of how he slept with the jewellery before taking it to the Portable Antiquities Scheme at Birmingham.
He added: “I kept the gold right next to my bed to make sure it was safe until we could hand them into the experts.
“I used to go metal detecting with my dad when I was young and he said to me ‘why are you bothering fishing? You should be back in those fields.’
“I am so glad we took his advice and pleased, of course, that he got the chance to see these amazing pieces and prove he was right all along.”
Dr. Julia Farley, Curator of British & European Iron Age Collections for the British Museum lauded the find.
She said: “This unique find is of international importance.
“It dates to around 400–250 BC and is probably the earliest Iron Age gold work ever discovered in Britain.
“The torcs were probably worn by wealthy and powerful women, perhaps people from the continent who had married into the local community.
David Booth, metal detector enthusiast poses with his hoard of Iron Age Gold
The torcs were buried nested together and archaeologists believe they may have been buried for safekeeping. Others claimed they could have been buried as an offering to a God, or even as an act of remembrance for someone who had died.
The find was made about 45 miles north of Hammerwich, near Lichfield – the site of the 2009 Anglo-Saxon Staffordshire Hoard find, which was officially valued at £3.2 million.
