Category Archives: EUROPE

ENGLAND, EUROPE, WORLD

New Thoughts on Fish Consumption in Iron Age Britain

New Thoughts on Fish Consumption in Iron Age Britain

A woman who lived in Orkney 1,800 years ago had a diet that was unusually rich in seafood, say archaeologists. Very little evidence has been found of fish being consumed in Iron Age Britain, despite the abundance of marine life, according to the UHI Archaeology Institute.

Possible reasons for this may have included social restrictions or taboos around eating seafood.

Experts at the institute have been involved in analysing a tooth from a woman’s jawbone that was uncovered during excavations at The Cairns in South Ronaldsay.

The bone appeared to have been carefully placed inside a container made from a whale vertebra, and studies of the tooth have revealed the woman had eaten “fish suppers” all through her life.

Archaeologists suggest she may have had a special role or status and have nicknamed her The Elder.

The jawbone was found inside a vessel made from a whale vertebra
A tooth from the woman’s jawbone was analysed

The UHI Archaeology Institute has been working with the University of York and the British Geological Survey’s National Environmental Isotope Facility in analysing the tooth.

The studies have involved looking at layers of dentine laid down over time as the tooth grew, and of dietary isotopes – evidence of foods – embedded in those layers.

Archaeologists said the tooth was sampled multiple times when the woman was estimated to have been three, seven, nine, 11, 13 and 15 years old.

The results showed seafood had been a fairly consistent part of her diet during her childhood.

Earlier analysis had already shown she was eating fish towards the end of her life.

Martin Carruthers, site director of The Cairns excavations and a lecturer in archaeology at the UHI Archaeology Institute, said: “It’s remarkable to be able to reach back and solve a problem like the question over her diet, which was previously unclear.

“Now we can see that the marine foodstuffs that she ate were after all a normal part of life for her, and this allows us to move on with the further investigation of the mystery over the apparent lack of seafood in Iron Age society at this time.”

EUROPE, TURKEY, WORLD

An 8,500-year-old human skeleton and musical instrument were found in the garden of the apartment

An 8,500-year-old human skeleton and musical instrument were found in the garden of the apartment

An approximately 8,500-year-old human skeleton and a three-hole musical instrument were found during an excavation in the garden of an apartment in the Bahçelievler District of Bilecik.

This place, which is likely to be one of the first points of human settlements in Western Anatolia, was discovered for the first time when a resident of Bilecik reported some ceramic pieces found here to the Archeology Museum.

An 8,500-year-old human skeleton and musical instrument were found in the garden of the apartment

As a result of two years of work, 11 human skeletons estimated to be 8,500 years old and musical instruments with three holes from the same period were found in the garden of the apartment.

Archaeologists also found grains such as lentils, barley and vetch, as well as varieties of wheat used to make bread and pasta.

Stating that this year’s most important find is a three-hole wind instrument, Fidan added: “We also found religious objects such as ornamented boxes made of terracotta, human-shaped amulets and animal figures during the excavations. In addition, a skull we found in the courtyard gives us information about the religious life of that period.”

8,500 years old 3-hole musical instruments found in Bilecik

Fidan said, “We think that this musical instrument, which has 3 holes, is a part of a musical instrument that makes sounds and changes sound notes. He also stated that the tool can be used thanks to an appliqué mouthpiece attached to this piece.

The head of the excavation, Assoc. ErkanFidan said, “The human skeletons found in the excavation area belong to the oldest adolescent people in the Neolithic Age in Western Anatolia.”

Fidan stated that “the human communities that came here 9 thousand years ago and stayed here for about a thousand years, unearthed the first villages.” In addition, Fidan said that people living in the region who know how to do agriculture also domesticated animals.

8,500 years old 3-hole musical instruments found in Bilecik

Fidan also noted that they found other human skeletons in the excavation area and that these skeletons were examined in detail at the Hacettepe University Anthropology Department Laboratory.

He also stated that they aim to learn a lot about these people in the near future, about their age, gender, illness and the food they eat.

The finds found in the excavation will be exhibited in the Bilecik Archeology Museum after the restoration and research works are completed.

EUROPE, POLAND, WORLD

1000-year-old Sword uncovered in Southern Poland

1000-year-old Sword uncovered in Southern Poland

An almost one-metre-long sword estimated to be around a thousand years old has been found in southern Poland. Historians say it is one of the most valuable discoveries in the region in a long time.

The sword was found only 30 centimetres below ground level near the village of Lewin Klodzki, close to the border with the Czech Republic, by Konrad Oczkowski who is exploring the area with the permission of archaeologists.

No remains were found alongside the sword to indicate who its owner was, and neither were any other metal objects.

1000-year-old Sword uncovered in Southern Poland

Mr. Konrad Oczkowski explored the site with our permission and with all the permits – said archaeologist Marek Kowalski from the Wałbrzych branch of the Lower Silesian Monuments Conservation Department. – On Monday morning, he informed us about the possible discovery of an archaeological monument.

Mr Konrad was very professional. Since he was not an archaeologist, after removing the layer of soil and realizing it was a sword head, he covered and masked the monument with earth, marked the find’s location in a familiar way, and notified the conservation services. On Tuesday, July 19, archaeological services emerged at the site and picked up medieval weapons from the ground.

The sword is in good condition. However, it was deposited directly in the ground, so it was partially corroded due to oxygen ingress. The shaft is separated from the rest, and the blade is cracked at the blade.

The sword was found in a place that restorers do not want to disclose yet. The fact is that there was a settlement in the area before 1945, but its origins date back only to the 17th century.

“Such a sword is priceless,” said archaeologist Marek Kowalski, quoted by Gazeta Wyborcza daily.

“It had the value of one or even several villages. So it undoubtedly belonged to some knight. Such things were not simply abandoned.”

It is not yet known whether the sword ended up underground in the 11th century or later. However, the expert who inspected the weapon, Dr Lech Marek from the Institute of Archaeology at the University of Wrocław, has no doubts regarding the sword’s age, said Kowalski.

“Identical swords have been excavated at Ostrów Lednicki, where one of the most important castles of the Piast state was,” Kowalski added, referring to the first historical ruling dynasty of Poland, which ruled Poland until the 14th century.

The first Piasts, probably of West Slavic and Lechitic tribe descent, appeared around 940 in the territory of Greater Poland (Wielkopolska).

The archaeologists speculate that there may have been a fortress near the site where the sword was found. In the 11th century, Bolesław the Brave, the first king of Poland, who was in conflict with the Czechs, ordered his son, Mieszko II, to invade Bohemia, today the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic.

The sword will now be subjected to a historical analysis, examined for metallography using CT scans in an attempt to find inscriptions despite the corroded surface, Kowalski told Gazeta Wyborcza.

This might help the researchers to determine where the sword was made and who was its potential owner.

EUROPE, TURKEY, WORLD

13,000-year-old buildings discovered in Mardin

13,000-year-old buildings discovered in Mardin

The ongoing excavations in the southeastern province of Mardin have uncovered the remains of several buildings, which feature many beads with various depictions engraved on them dating back 13,000 years.

Mardin

“There are structures dated much older in the world called pre-neolithic temporary shelters,” said archaeologist Ergül Kodaş, who leads the excavation works. “However, some structures unearthed in Boncuklu Tarla [Beaded Field] site in Mardin date back 13,000 years, and they are among the first examples of permanent villages.”

The site is one of the rare settlements which gives information about the entire early Neolithic period, according to Kodaş.

The archaeologist also pointed out that some structures unearthed at the site are 1,000 years older than Göbeklitepe, which is known as the oldest temple in the world.

Göbeklitepe, declared an official UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2018, was discovered in 1963 by researchers from the universities of Istanbul and Chicago.

Various historical artefacts, including a 65-centimetre-long human statue dating back 12,000 years, have been discovered during the excavations.

“The remains of 12,000-year-old buildings that were built on top of each other from three different periods have been found during the excavations,” the expert noted.

She stated that the buildings were presumed to be temples, but it is not known what exactly they were used for.

“The buildings can be thought of as a communal living centre. What we know is that these are not residences, but we don’t know whether they were buildings used for gatherings on special occasions, for rest, for storage purposes, or if they were religious buildings.”

“It’s hard to call many of these buildings faith-centred, which is why we call them public buildings,” she added.

Stating that they encountered figures such as mountain goats, scorpions, bullhead, snakes and spider on the beads, Kodaş said these were used as pendants.

“They carved the bone and put bead stones on it,” she explained, adding that most of them belong to 8,000-9,000 B.C.

With the support of the Turkish Historical Society, the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums, Mardin Metropolitan Municipality, Dargeçit Municipality and the Dicle Development Agency (DİKA), excavations have been completed in a four-decare area of the site.

After the excavation works to be started in the new areas are completed, the region will be opened to tourism. Boncuklu Tarla was discovered in 2008 during a field survey. Its first excavations started in 2012.

Houses with quarry stone walls and stiffened clay floors from the Aceramic Neolithic Age, which date back to 10,000 B.C. and 7,000 B.C., were found during the excavations at the site in Dargeçit.

Along with thousands of beads used in ornaments, obsidian or flint blades, waste from ornament making and stone chipping tools were found at the site.

The tools include blades, gimlets, arrowheads and microliths.

ENGLAND, EUROPE, WORLD

Pesticides May Have Contributed to Corrosion on Roman Bowl

Pesticides May Have Contributed to Corrosion on Roman Bowl

A corroded Roman bowl dated almost 2,000 years old contains traces of a modern chemical once used in pesticides.

The study highlights that soil polluted with chlorobenzenes may pose a continuing threat to the preservation of archaeological material still in the ground.

The chemicals are synthetic compounds that can be toxic at high levels and most have been banned in the UK following concerns about environmental pollution.

However, it is thought these compounds accumulated in the environment through previous agricultural and industrial use.

A Roman bowl from the late iron age

In the new study, researchers from the University of Oxford, and Conservation Science Investigations (CSI): Sittingbourne, analysed a Roman bowl from the Late Iron Age (between 43 and 410 AD).

Made of a copper alloy, the vessel was found in 2016 on a farm in Kent, a site that was known to have been used for agriculture since at least 1936.

Luciana da Costa Carvalho and colleagues analysed the green and brown-coloured corrosion on the bowl to identify their different components.

They found elements that were indicative of the changes over time in the soil caused by human activities.

Researchers found chlorobenzenes present in the green-coloured corrosion.

The authors also found diethyltoluamide (also known as DEET) in the brown-coloured corrosion, a modern compound that is still used in insect repellents.

They suggest that the chlorobenzenes were associated with increased corrosion in the Roman bowl.

They say that even though the chemical is no longer used in the UK, polluted soil may still threaten the preservation of archaeological material still buried and more research needs to be undertaken to better understand the processes involved.

Writing in the Scientific Reports Journal, the authors said: “Chlorobenzenes are common soil contaminants in rural areas from the use of pesticides, many of which were banned more than 50 years ago.

“Here we show that their presence is associated with accelerated corrosion and this provides a threat to the preservation of archaeological metal objects in the ground.”

EUROPE, TURKEY, WORLD

Archaeologists find a 1,800-year-old military medal in Türkiye’s Perre

Archaeologists find a 1,800-year-old military medal in Türkiye’s Perre

A 1,800-year-old military medal that was given to successful soldiers and troops in the Roman army has been unearthed in an ancient city in southeastern Türkiye, according to archaeologists.

Archaeologists find a 1,800-year-old military medal in Türkiye's Perre
A 1,800-year-old military medal engraved with the head of Medusa in the ancient city of Perre, in Adıyaman, Türkiye, Oct. 5, 2022.

During excavations this year, which has been periodically conducted since 2001, in the ancient city of Perre – one of the five largest cities of the ancient Kingdom of Commagene – in the Adıyaman province, archaeologists found the bronze military medal bearing the head of Medusa, a monster in the form of a woman with snakes for hair, the very sight of which would turn a person to stone.

Mehmet Alkan, director of the Adıyaman Museum, told reporters that excavations continue in the area with mosaics and in the section called the “infinity ladder.”

“The medal with a Medusa head appears as an award given to a soldier for his success,” he explained.

“As it is known, a bronze military diploma, which was given to a Roman soldier named Calcilius Antiquus after he served in different legions of the empire for 20 years, during the reign of Roman Emperor Hadrian, was unearthed in 2021.

This diploma was very important in terms of showing that Roman retired soldiers were placed in the city of Perre during the Roman Empire period,” Alkan said.

“The bronze phalera and the iron sword unearthed during the 2022 excavations are finds that support this thesis. Military phaleras, which have examples made of gold, silver, bronze and sometimes glass, can be explained as a kind of medal given to soldiers and troops who were successful in the Roman army,” he explained.

“They can be attached to the breastplates of the soldiers and sometimes to the banners of the troops.

The head of Medusa was carved in relief on the bronze phalera unearthed in the ancient city of Perre. The head of Medusa also functions as a kind of apotropaic symbol, that is, as a protector.”

ENGLAND, EUROPE, WORLD

Suspected Roman ford unearthed near Evesham during waterworks

Suspected Roman ford unearthed near Evesham during waterworks

Suspected Roman ford unearthed near Evesham during waterworks
The cobbled road would have been used as a crossing, said, archaeologists

Archaeologists say a cobbled ford uncovered near Evesham could be the finest Roman example of its type in Britain. The 10m-stretch, believed to extend to a depth of 3m, was discovered during routine waterworks by Severn Trent.

Aidan Smyth, archaeology officer from Wychavon District Council, said the discovery “took his breath away”.

If confirmed to originate from the first century AD, it would be “beyond rare”, he added.

A team from Historic England is expected to analyse the excavations.

The ford carries marks presumed to have been made by carts

The discovery, at an as yet undisclosed location, aligns with the dating of a nearby villa complex.

A spokesperson for Severn Trent Water said network improvement works were halted as soon as the ford was uncovered.

“Our teams… are working closely with Historic England, with representatives due to attend the site following further excavations,” they added.

Mr Smyth said the ford, which crosses a brook, carries marks to suggest it was used by carts.

The discovery was made during network improvements, said Severn Trent Water

“The stonework is absolutely perfect,” he said. “It just ticks every box for being Roman,” he said.

“When I came down to look at it, honestly, I thought it’s too good to be true.

“But then you look at the alluvium [a deposit of silt] that it’s filled up, so that hasn’t happened in one or two centuries. That’s taken millennia to be able to get that deep.

“The only place I can see similar when I was doing some research is in Pompeii. I can’t find anything else anywhere like that.”

Mr Smyth will work with a field archaeologist to dig a small area at the ford’s side on Monday for a typological assessment.

He is expecting to confirm its origin by the end of next week.

“If it is of a Roman date, it’s the only one of its kind in Britain,” he said.

EUROPE, POLAND, WORLD

Traces of Original Manor Found at Poland’s Branicki Palace

Traces of Original Manor Found at Poland’s Branicki Palace

Traces of Original Manor Found at Poland’s Branicki Palace

A fragment of the floor of a large 15th-16th century building, probably from the times of the first owners of the Białystok estates was discovered by archaeologists during the work in the parade courtyard of the historic Branicki Palace in Białystok. They believe that it is an important discovery in the history of the city.

Archaeological work in the parade courtyard of the Branicki Palace began last week as a result of an agreement between three universities in Białystok: the Medical University of Białystok, which is located in the palace, the Białystok University of Technology and the University of Białystok. This is the first such research project at the place.

Later last week, the Museum of the History of Medicine and Pharmacy of the Medical University of Białystok informed on social media about the discovery of 15th-16th century relics. “It is a fragment of a stone and clay floor of a large building, probably dating from the times of the first owners of the Białystok estates,” the museum reports.

The discovery was confirmed by the head of the archaeological work, Dr. Maciej Karczewski from the University of Białystok.

He told PAP: “During these four days of work, we managed to uncover a very large part of the previously unknown history of this place. I am very pleased with that result.”

He added that it was a real ‘time travel’ from the 20th to the 15th-16th century, with fragments of prehistory.

According to Karczewski, the 5 by 5 meters excavation was dug in a place where previous GPR surveys had shown a number of anomalies (differences in the density of layers indicating human intervention).

He continued: “This outline anomaly turned out to be a very solid floor made of clay and field stones, which probably supported the structure with wooden walls that have not survived.”

Dating back to the 15th-16th century, the floor fragment is part of a manor belonging to the Raczkowicz family, the first owners of the Białystok estates.

Karczewski said: “The layout of the manor complex remained completely unknown until now. The size of this anomaly indicates that it must have been a large building, and the tiles found in this place may indicate that the building could have been located close to the manor house.”

Three hundred years were lost during the exploration of the layers, directly under the layer from the first half of the 20th century/end of the 19th century, the 15th-16th-century layer immediately appeared. 

According to Karczewski, it is most likely the result of cleaning the area during the Russian partition or in the interwar period. He added that although there were no surviving layers from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, individual fragments of relics from that period were found, including ceramic tiles from the time of the court of Piotr Wiesiołowski, a glass vessel and a John II Casimir copper shilling called boratynka.

In the part of the excavation where there is no floor, archaeologists also found traces of a prehistoric settlement. According to Karczewski, the oldest discovered relic is a Mesolithic burin. It is a hard material tool made of flint. Karczewski estimates that it comes from the 5th-7th millennium BCE.

In addition, the archaeologists found traces of the early Iron Age, the stroke-ornamented ware culture, a population that participated in the ethnogenesis of the Slavs but is recognized in the areas of today’s Belarus, and Podlasie was the western periphery of this population’s range. 

Karczewski said: “In the place of today’s palace courtyard they had their settlement, camp.”

For now, the dig is 70-80 cm deep. Drilling is to be carried out by the Białystok University of Technology, and archaeological work will resume.

The two-week research in the parade courtyard is conducted as a survey. As previously reported by the Medical University of Bialystok, it will cost approx. PLN 20,000.

The Branicki Palace is one of the most iconic places in the city and the region. The beginnings of the palace and garden complex date back to the 16th century. The place achieved its greatest splendour during the time of Hetman Jan Klemens Branicki in the 18th century. At that time, Białystok had one of the most beautiful baroque gardens in Poland, and even in Europe.

Previous archaeological research in the vicinity of the palace was carried out mainly in gardens; the entrance courtyard and gardens were revitalized a few years ago.