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The Heroic Age
Issue 4Winter 2001
Archaeology Digest
Compiled by Michelle Ziegler
<A HREF="http://www.mun.ca/mst/heroicage/issues/4/#anchor1586028">England</A>
<A HREF="http://www.mun.ca/mst/heroicage/issues/4/#anchor101552">Ireland</A>
<A HREF="http://www.mun.ca/mst/heroicage/issues/4/#anchor107444">Scandinavia</A>
<A HREF="http://www.mun.ca/mst/heroicage/issues/4/#anchor131291">Scotland</A>
<A HREF="http://www.mun.ca/mst/heroicage/issues/4/#anchor184489">Wales</A>
England
Kentish Palace of the Archbishop of Canterbury DiscoveredArchaeologists
working at Teynham, 15 miles south of Canterbury, have discovered a palace
used by the Archbishop of Canterbury between the 9th and 16th centuries. This
palace had a reputation for its vineyards and wine. The Swale Archaeological
Survey, directed by Paul Wilkinson, found the site this summer by field
walking, geophysical survey, and small-scale excavations. To date, the
gatehouse, courtyard and stables have been discovered. Pottery found on the
site had yielded the expected date range with most of it dating to the 13th
-14th century. The palace's wine store may be the building discovered on the
site in the 1970s. The site was deeded to Archbishop Athelard by King
Cenewulf of Kent in 801. The estate was greatly expanded by Archbishop
Lanfranc in 1070. It passed from the church back to the crown under Henry
VIII in 1538 and was much later demolished.Source: Simon Denison (October
2000) "Archbishop of Canterbury's palace discovered in Kent" British
Archaeology <A HREF="http://www.britarch.ac.uk/ba/ba55/ba55news.html#kent">http://www.britarch.ac.uk/ba/ba55/ba55news.html#kent</A>Lord of
Sutton Hoo's Ancestors FoundOn a small hill-top overlooking the River Denben,
approximately 500 meters from Sutton Hoo, an older high status cemetery has
been discovered. Artifacts found on the site date it to the later 6th
century, approximately one to two generations earlier than the Sutton Hoo
cemetery. Artifacts found include a decorated bronze hanging bowl, six graves
with a spear and shield, one grave with a sword, two female bronze ring
brooches and a beaded necklace. One of the shields was decorated with bronze
studs and "decorative mounts in the shape of a fish". (Photos are available
on the Sutton Hoo Society news site below.)Some 18 cremation and 5 inhumation
burials were found. A circular ditch enclosed some of the cremation burials
and many were under mounds. This is unusual in Britain but common in the
River Elbe region of northern Germany suggesting that these settlers were
still in touch with their homeland or newly arrived in Britain. This cemetery
is contemporary with the richer site of Snape a few miles north which
contained a boat burial. It has been suggested that these two cemeteries may
represent rival branches of the Anglian royal house as it began to increase
in power. It is possible that these northern German settlers were displaced
by those with a stronger Scandinavian influence and who were buried at Sutton
Hoo. A 3500 year old Bronze Age burial mound was also found along with
several silted up Bronze and Iron Age ditches.When excavations are complete,
the site is to be developed into the new visitor's center and exhibition
center for the Sutton Hoo heritage site. The new buildings are scheduled to
open in the spring of 2002.Sources: Simon Denison (August 2000) "Sixth
century cemetery points to the origins of Sutton Hoo" British Archaeology <A HREF="http://www.britarch.ac.uk/ba/ba54/ba54news.html">
http://www.britarch.ac.uk/ba/ba54/ba54news.html</A> ; "Archaeologists uncover
another cemetery of the 6th/7th century" (June 2000) The Sutton Hoo Society
News. <A HREF="http://www.suttonhoo.org/Digupdate/digphotos.htm">http://www.suttonhoo.org/Digupdate/digphotos.htm</A> Downloaded December
18, 2000. ; David Keys (June 24, 2000) "Sutton Hoo gives up a royal Dark Age
secret" The Independent <A HREF="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/UK/This_Britain/2000-06/archeology240600.shtml">
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/UK/This_Britain/2000-06/archeology240600.sht
ml</A><A HREF="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/UK/This_Britain/2000-06/archaeology240600.shtml"> </A>Downloaded September 14, 2000. London's Lady Gladiator?Reexamination of
the remains of a Roman woman's grave has raised new questions as to whether
or not she was a gladiator. The remains were first discovered in 1996 and
have only recently been reexamined. The grave was found outside of the Roman
walled cemetery but of relatively high status with exotic grave goods. Her
unusual grave reveals that she was cremated on an open pyre that then
collapsed into a pit. The remains were determined to be female in her 20s
based on the remains of a pelvic bone. Some sixteen ceramic objects were
found with the remains, including three pieces depicting the Egyptian god of
the dead, Anubis, and a lamp depicting a gladiator. In the Roman pantheon,
Anubis was equated with the Roman god Mercury, in whose costume slaves
removed the bodies of fallen gladiators. The combination of the unusual
funeral pyre, burial outside of the walled cemetery, an exotic funeral feast
serving dates, almonds, and doves, Mediterranean pinecones burned as incense
at the funeral, and objects depicting a gladiator and Anubis have suggested
to some that she may have been a rare female gladiator. Gladiatorial contests
originated in Roman funeral games. According to literary sources, women were
known to occasionally compete in gladiatorial contests but this could be the
first archaeological proof. Gladiator's graves have been excavated in Tier,
Germany, but these lacked the wealth of this grave. This may support the
belief that the earliest female gladiators were from the upper class. Female
gladiators were banned from the arena by AD 200. A gladiatorial arena was
found in London in 1986 under Guildhall that could have held up to one third
of the city's population at the time.Source: David Keys (September 13, 2000)
"Roman burial site suggests that female gladiators fought in Britain" The
Independant <A HREF="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/UK/This_Britain/2000-09/gladiator130900.shtml">http://www.independent.co.uk/news/UK/Thi
s_Britain/2000-09/gladiator130900.shtml</A>
Downloaded December 18, 2000; Dalya Alberge (September 13, 2000) "Woman
Gladiator found buried in London" The Times <A HREF="http://www.the-times.co.uk/news/pages/tim/2000/09/13/timnwsnws02039.html">
http://www.the-times.co.uk/news/pages/tim/2000/09/13/timnwsnws02039.html.</A>
Downloaded September 13, 2000; Philip Howard (September 13, 2000) "Spice
Girls with serious attitude" The Times <A HREF="http://www.the-times.co.uk/news/pages/tim/2000/09/13/timnwsnws01038.html">
http://www.the-times.co.uk/news/pages/tim/2000/09/13/timnwsnws01038.html</A>
Downloaded September 13, 2000; Robert Barr (September 12, 2000) "Remains may
be of female gladiator" Salon.com <A HREF="http://www.salon.com/mwt/wire/2000/09/12/female_gladiator/print.html">
http://www.salon.com/mwt/wire/2000/09/12/female_gladiator/print.html</A>
Downloaded September 13, 2000. Lost Stretch of Hadrian's Wall
UncoveredArchaeologists working at Newcastle upon Tyne have finally solved an
old mystery, the route of the end section of Hadrian's Wall. Most of this
region of the wall was destroyed during the development of Newcastle but a
two-meter section has discovered during a public works construction. >From
the current dig, archaeologists were able to uncover the foundation revealing
two lines of sandstone fragments filled in between with clay. On the northern
side of the foundation, there was a defensive ditch and a series of
postholes, which may have held sharpened stakes. A similar defensive system
of postholes was also found on the northern side of the wall at Wallsend. At
least twenty yards surrounding this section will now be excavated.Sources:
David Derbyshire (November 2, 2000) "Lost stretch of Hadrian's Wall is
unearthed" The Electronic Telegraph Issue 1987 <A HREF="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/et?ac=000140326706927&rtmo=VkZGGjFx&atmo=FFFFFFFX&pg=/et/00/11/2/nwall02.html">
http://www.telegraph.co.uk:80/et?ac=000140326706927&rtmo=VkZGGjFx&
atmo=FFFFFFFX&pg=/et/00/11/2/nwall02.html </A>Downloaded December 18, 2000; David
Keys (November 2, 2000) "Lost section of Hadrian's Wall is uncovered" The
Independent Downloaded December 18, 2000.More of Boadicea's Destruction of
London RevealedAn excavation 400 meters northwest of the Tower of London by
the Museum of London Archaeological Service has uncovered more of the remains
of Boadicea's destruction of the first city of London. The site near
Fenchurch Street has revealed a layer of burnt building debris up to 30 cm
thick in some areas. It is estimated that the area of excavation could have
held up to twenty buildings at the time of Boadicea's rebellion. This site
could reveal the best evidence of the extent of damage inflicted on the city
by the British. It is also revealing the extravagant masonry buildings
decorated with mosaics and plaster painted with pigments from Iran and
Afganistan that replaced the original wattle and dub buildings.Source: David
Keys (June 28, 2000) "Remains of the London that Boadicea burnt to ground are
found by Tower" The Independent <A HREF="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/UK/This-_-Britain/2000-06/boadicea280600.shtml">
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/UK/This_Britain/2000-06/boadicea280600.shtml
</A>
Downloaded September 14, 2000.One of the Oldest Roman tombstones in Britain
fully restoredThe cavalryman Longinus was one of the first Romans in Britain
honored with a tombstone. Longinus was buried in 43-49 AD, only one to seven
years after the Claudian invasion. So soon after that it has been suggested
that he was part of the invasion force. The stone showing a cavalryman riding
down an early Briton, along with another memorializing Facilis the centurion,
are believed to have been destroyed in the Boudicca's rebellion in
AD61.According to the inscription, Longinus Sdapeze was the second in command
of a Thracian cavalry unit. He died in Colchester after fifteen years of
service to the Roman army. It also indicates that the 40 year old Longinus
was born in the area of the modern Sofia, Bulgaria.The stone was discovered
over 70 years ago near Colchester in Essex but until now the stone was
incomplete. Archaeologists returned to the site in 1996 to survey in front of
a new housing project and found the missing fragments of the tombstone
including the fragments from the face of Longinus. The fragments were
actually found by the amateur Colchester Archaeology Group. The
stratification, with the head buried slightly deeper than the rest of the
tomb, indicates that tomb may have been rebuilt without the head after its
initial destruction, only to be destroyed again at a later date.Source: Maev
Kennedy (October 31, 2000) "Restored tombstone puts a face to Roman invader"
The Irish Times on the Web. Downloaded December 18, 2000; Simon Denison
(December 2000) "Roman horseman reunited with his head" British Archaeology
Issue 56 <A HREF="http://www.britarch.ac.uk/ba/ba56/ba56news.html#head">http://www.britarch.ac.uk/ba/ba56/ba56news.html#head</A> Downloaded
January 2, 2001. Roman Vindolanda's POW campRecent excavations at Vindolanda
have reinforced the theory that the fort was used as a prisoner of war camp
in the third century. The southwestern corner of the fort has yielded 13
native circular stone buildings similar to those found earlier in the center
and north of the camp. Archaeologists now assume the entire fort was covered
in these circular native huts, arranged in back to back in narrow rows. Part
of the fortress may have even been flattened to make room for more huts. If
their assumptions are correct, then the fortress housed up to 2000 prisoners
in approximately 300 huts. The rows of huts contained only hearths but no
other signs of everyday life indicating that they were regularly sweep clean
in antiquity. The huts have been linked to the uprisings of 209 and 211.The
2000 excavation also yielded a first century bath house. The bricks and tiles
captured a snapshot of wild life in the regions by preserving dog, cat,
squirrel, deer and possibly one bear print. One tile must have been in a
virtual stampede, reflected by its 17 prints.Source: Simon Denison (August
2000) "More evidence of Roman POW camp on Hadrian's Wall" British Archaeology
Issue 54 <A HREF="http://www.britarch.ac.uk/ba/ba54/ba54news.html#pow">http://www.britarch.ac.uk/ba/ba54/ba54news.html#pow </A>; David
Derbyshire (August 11, 2000) "Roman POW camp found at Hadrian's Wall" The
Electronic Telegraph Issue 1904 <A HREF="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/et?ac=000405944438668&rtmo=gwwYwrNu&atmo=hhhhh%2520%0Ahhe&pg=/et/00/8/11/npow11.html">
http://www.telegraph.co.uk:80/et?ac=000405944438668&rtmo=gwwYwrNu&
atmo=hhhhh%2520%0Ahhe&pg=/et/00/8/11/npow11.html</A> The Founders of Saxon
Hamwic, SouthamptonHamwic was one of the earliest towns in Anglo-Saxon
England. Recently the high status cemetery that might contain the founders of
Hamwic was discovered on the northwestern edge of the town. The graves
yielded weapons, gold and other precious jewelry. The date of Hamwic has been
pushed back to the late seventh century by pottery and other artifacts found
at the cemetery. This makes Hamwic a contemporary of the Saxon London and
Ipswich trading centers.The trading center of Hamwic made its founders
relatively rich. Of the forty graves found to date, two adults were buried
with glass and amber necklaces set off by a golden pendent centerpiece. One
of the pendants features a snake chasing its tail and a center of
semi-precious stone jewels. At the feet of this same person, a wooden box
with a single silver object, similar to an unstamped coin, was discovered.
Another beaded necklace contained a Roman signet ring featuring a sculpted
glass intaglio.In addition to the cemetery, excavators found part of the town
of Hamwic. This area produced the typical artifacts of domestic occupation in
addition to waste from metal and bone-working industries. Among the
presumably accidental industrial losses were a skein of gold thread and part
of a copper spoon. The area also lacked solidly constructed buildings
suggesting it was a poor outlying district of the town.Source: Simon Denison
(August 2000) "Saxon royal cemetery discovered in Southampton" British
Archaeology Issue 54 <A HREF="http://www.britarch.ac.uk/ba/ba54/ba54news.html#royal">http://www.britarch.ac.uk/ba/ba54/ba54news.html#royal</A>The
Roman Fort at CarlisleExcavations done ahead on Carlisle's Millennium Project
have uncovered the Roman fortress under the current Castle Green.
Archaeologists have been able to uncover remains of the improvements in the
fortress walls from the original turf rampart to the final stone walls. They
have found artifacts from all aspects of life from standing wooden buildings,
original road surfaces, leather goods, environmental remains such as
parasites, insects, and weeds, to correspondence. The commander's house was
discovered, as was some of the barracks where horses were quartered with the
men. Although nothing extraordinary was discovered, the excavations have
provided a valuable slice of life from Roman times and an unusual opportunity
for deep stratification excavations.Source: Giles Worsley (September 4, 2000)
"Fort dig reveals downside of life on Hadrian's Wall" The Electronic
Telegraph Issue 1928 <A HREF="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/et?ac=000405944438668&rtmo=r93FSmbX&atmo=99999999&pg=/et/00/9/4/nfort04.html">http://www.telegraph.co.uk:80/et?ac=000405944438668&
rtmo=r93FSmbX&atmo=99999999&pg=/et/00/9/4/nfort04.html</A>Downloaded Decemeber
18, 2000. Roman towns and villas discoveredThe Roman town of Noviomagus is
well documented in Roman sources but until now archaeologists had been unable
to locate it. The location is at West Wickham, Kent, near the St. John the
Baptist church. Brian Philip discovered the site in 1966 and he has spent the
following 34 years compiling evidence and trying to convince archaeologists
to excavate. Finally he convinced Archaeologist Sheppard Frere who instigated
the excavations and confirm the location.Just outside of Lewes, East Sussex,
an extensive Roman villa complex is being uncovered. The villa had at least
25 rooms richly decorated with painted plasters and mosaics, under floor
heating, and bath complex with three buildings, a separate temple building
and agricultural buildings. The elaborate lifestyle of the Roman era
inhabitants is also evident in Gallic and Mediterranean imports, red tile
roofs, shards of delicate glass vessels, and debris from oyster feasts.The
estimated diameter of the Lewes villa is 120 meters and the entire villa
complex covers 8,300 square meters. This manor may have controlled a farming
estate of at least four square miles. The villa is believed to have been
built in the first century and occupied for 300 years. Local records suggest
the villa continued to be an administrative center after the Romans left,
through the Saxon and Norman periods. Even today, it is still a focal point
in the local area.Source: Adam Lusher (July 30, 2000) "Archaeologist's dig
reveals solution to ancient riddle of lost Roman town" The Electronic
Telegraph Issue 1892 <A HREF="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/et?ac=000140326706927&rtmo=fqafMNqs&atmo=fqafMNqs%2520%0A&pg=/et/00/7/30/narch30.html">http://www.telegraph.co.uk/et?ac=000140326706927&
rtmo=fqafMNqs&atmo=fqafMNqs%2520%0A&pg=/et/00/7/30/narch30.html </A>Downloaded
July 30, 2000; David Keys (August 5, 2000) "Roman villa complex found in
Sussex" The Independent <A HREF="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/UK/This_Britain/2000-08/tb11roman050800.shtml">
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/UK/This_Britain/2000-08/tb11roman050800.shtm
l </A>Downloaded September 14, 2000. Saxon JusticeAnother Saxon execution may
have been discovered at Hinchingbrooke near Huntington. The burial resembled
those in the execution cemetary at Sutton Hoo, with in this case, the
skeleton discovered buried face-down on its knees in a pit. This site had
been a former Roman villa and an earlier middle and late Iron Age farmstead.
The Iron Age farm yielded roundhouses, pots, and iron currency bars found in
ditches. The Roman villa yielded painted plaster, a building thought to be a
temple, possible garden features, and an aisled barn in trial excavations.
Hopes of further excavations were been dashed when the Cambridge County
Council canceled excavation plans and put the property up for sale.A skeleton
previously found in Stonehenge has been radiocarbon dated to AD 650-690. Like
other executions, the victim, in his 30s, had been beheaded. The location of
the grave had lead to speculation that the victim could have been a Christian
slain in a period when Wessex was not yet ruled by a unified dynasty and when
Christianity was not yet accepted by all its inhabitants. However, it has
also been noted that Stonehenge sits on a hundred boundary, the type of
location later used for judicial executions. The three other skeletons found
in the past may reinforce the latter since two of them may also be execution
victims. Recent estimations suggest that up to three percent of males in this
period died by execution. There have been approximately twenty execution
cemeteries found to date.Source: Simon Denison (October 2000) "Saxon
Criminal" British Archaeology Issue 55 <A HREF="http://www.britarch.ac.uk/ba/ba55/ba55news.html#inbrief">
http://www.britarch.ac.uk/ba/ba55/ba55news.html#inbrief</A>; Simon Denison
(August 2000) "Stonehenge man" British Archaeology Issue 54 <A HREF="http://www.britarch.ac.uk/ba/ba54/ba54news.html#inbrief">
http://www.britarch.ac.uk/ba/ba54/ba54news.html#inbrief</A>; David Keys (July 14,
2000) "Stonehenge used as Saxon execution site" The Independent <A HREF="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/UK/This_Britain/2000-07/henge140700.shtml">
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/UK/This_Britain/2000-07/henge140700.shtml</A>
Downloaded September 14, 2000. Saxon LondonNew pottery found in London
suggests that a Saxon presence could have been in the city earlier than had
been supposed. One of the pots was produced with tempered bone meal, of the
same type found at sites west of London in the 5th-6th century. The new site
is at the west end of Long Acre, west of a large Saxon site found in Convent
Garden under the Royal Opera House. The Convent Garden site produced a
6th-7th century bronze saucer-brooch. It has been suggested that Saxon
Lundenwic could have been located in the region of the Convent Garden and the
Strand. It should be mentioned that without other evidence of settlement,
pottery could reach the site by trade or other means.Source: Norman Hammond
(August 11, 2000) "Unearthing a Bone of Contention" The Times <A HREF="http://www.sunday-times.co.uk/news/pages/tim/2000/08/11/timcrtcrt01002.html">
http://www.sunday-times.co.uk/news/pages/tim/2000/08/11/timcrtcrt01002.html</A>
Sexing Anglo-Saxon RemainsNew work done under the direction of Dominic
Powlesland has brought into question methods for sexing Anglo-Saxon remains.
Skeletons from the Heslerton Anglo-Saxon village, near Malton, in North
Yorkshire have been subjected to DNA analysis and yielded some surprises. Two
skeletons buried with spears and a knife have turned out to be genetically
female while six remains buried with "brooches, beads and handbangs" are
genetically male. Previously, burials containing spears were assumed to be
male and those with beads and handbags were assumed to be female.Source: Nick
Nuttall (August 22, 2000) "New light on the Dark Ages" The Times <A HREF="http://www.the-times.co.uk/news/pages/tim/2000/08/22/timnwsnws01005.html">
http://www.the-times.co.uk/news/pages/tim/2000/08/22/timnwsnws01005.html</A>
Downloaded August 22, 2000. Ireland
Sixth Century Crozier Discovered Stuck in the MudMs. Ellen O'Carroll of the
Archaeological Development Services discovered a rare sixth century Bishop's
crozier stuck vertically in the mud as she surveyed in advance of peat
harvesting in Offaly county near Ferbane, about ten miles from Clonmacnoise.
The crozier, now broken into several segements, was originally about 1.25
meters long with a 25mm diameter. It appears to have been carved out of a
single branch or stem of Cherry wood.The crozier is believed to be the
earliest one discovered in Ireland. Surprisingly, the crook is crafted to
enclose a Greek cross and the tip of the crozier is "stepped and pointed". It
is unclear if it originally had a metal point on the end. It was discovered
next to a pathway of split oak planks dated by dendrochronology to AD 596. It
has been suggested that it could have been a 'ritual deposition' of a cross.
The pathway was constructed to give an elevated walkway above the surface of
the bog. It provided access on foot from dry land of Killiaghintober to
Leamanaghan Island, which contains the remains of St. Manchan's Church. The
foundation of the church is reputed to have predated St. Manachan's death in
AD 665. In the process of removing the upper layers of peat, networks of
other pathways have been uncovered. These other pathways have been dated to
the 10th to 17th centuries. In addition to the pathways, some coins and
leather shoes have also been discovered.Source: "Archaeologist uncovers 6th
century crozier in Offaly" (June 22, 2000) The Irish Times <A HREF="http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/ireland/2000/0622/hom5.htm">
http://www.ireland.com:80/newspaper/ireland/2000/0622/hom5.htm</A> downloaded
June 25, 2000; Simon Denison (August 2000) "Bishop's Crozier" British
Archaeology Issue 54 <A HREF="http://www.britarch.ac.uk/ba/ba54/ba54news.html#inbrief">http://www.britarch.ac.uk/ba/ba54/ba54news.html#inbrief</A>
Bronze Age to Early Christian Cemetery Uncovered in MeathWorking in advance
of a new development project, archaeologists in Laytown, Meath, have
discovered an early Christian cemetery and a Bronze Age enclosure. By August,
50 stone-lined graves of both men and women had been uncovered but curiously
they found very few children. Double ditches suggesting extensive defenses
encircled the Bronze Age sub-rectangular enclosure, although no artifacts had
yet been discovered in August. Another Bronze Age settlement with its
cemetery was discovered about two years ago at Bettystown, only a half a mile
from Laytown.Source: Elaine Keogh (August 15, 2000) "Meath dig yields early
Christian Graves" The Irish Times <A HREF="http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/ireland/2000/085/north10.htm">
http://www.ireland.com:80/newspaper/ireland/2000/085/north10.htm</A> Downloaded
August 21, 2000. Scandinavia
Roman Era Warriors Camp Discovered in NorwayAn approximately 2000 year old
military camp has been discovered at Spangereid, Norway. The site of
Spangereid is located on the Norweigan coast at the point closest to Denmark,
at the time possibly held by the Jutes. This site is the easternmost of
twenty newly discovered camps in Norway. The site with the remains of ten
buildings has been determined to have been a military court because it lacked
artifacts of normal civilian settlements. Several large boathouses were
discovered near the Spangereid site. It has been suggested that these
boathouses were used to house warships. The nearby village produced several
rich graves illustrating contact with Britain, Roman Gaul, and the Baltic
after A.D. 200.Source: Frans-Arne Stylegar. (December 12, 2000) "A Warrior
Camp: Pre-Viking Chieftans Likely Drove Scandinavian Contacts" Discovering
Archaeology <A HREF="http://discoveringarchaeology.com/articles/121200-warrior.shtml">http://discoveringarchaeology.com/articles/121200-warrior.shtml</A>
Downloaded December 13, 2000. (When this story was originally posted by
Discovering Archaeology they credited it to Michael A. Stowe. It as since
been changed to Frans-Arne Stylegar.) King Gorm Laid to Rest...AgainKing Gorm
the Old died in AD 959 and was buried in a pagan mound at Jelling, Denmark.
Gorm's son King Harold Bluetooth (r. 959-987) was the first Danish king to
convert to Christianity and, according to legend, in an effort to save his
father's soul, had his father exhumed and reburied in a wooden church in the
same cemetery. Like many other wooden churches, this church burned down, as
did two subsequent churches on the site, before a stone church was built in
c. 1100. That this site was assoicated with Gorm and his son Harold is
confirmed by the presence of two rune stones along with burial mounds. The
oldest rune stone was dedicated by Gorm himself to the memory of his wife
Thyra who is called "Denmark's Adornment". Harold erected the second stone to
the memory of his parents, Gorm and Thyra, and claims that Harold won Denmark
and Norway and made Denmark Christian.The saga of Gorm's travels after death
began in 1820 when archaeologists excavated his first mound burial and found
it empty, except for a single silver cup. Dendrochronological studies on the
wooden beams in the burial chamber in the mound later confirmed a cutting
date of c. 959, matching the reported date of Gorm's death. Further
excavations sanctioned by King Frederik VII in 1861 excavated the other
burial mound at the site and found it also empty. In the 1970s, the remains
of a 173 cm middle aged man were found in a burial chamber in the stone
church at Jelling. There is some controversy between archaeologists on
whether or not these remains belonged to Gorm. Since their discovery, the
remains had been studied and stored at Coppenhagen's University and National
Museum. The remains were reburied in the Jelling church in the presence of
Queen Margrethe II and the royal family. The new sealing stone on the tomb
reads "King Gorm Laid to Rest in 959 and Later Entombed Here".Mark Rose
(November/December 2000) "Gorm the Old Goes Home" Archaeology Volume 53
Number 6. <A HREF="http://www.archaeology.org/0011/newsbriefs/gorm.html">http://www.archaeology.org/0011/newsbriefs/gorm.html </A>; Peter Starck
(August 30, 2000) "Viking-era bones reburied - but is it Gorm" Reuters. (via
OldNorseNet) Roman Era Swedish Temple DiscoveredA unique pentagonal shaped
pagan temple has been found at Västerhanige, fifteen miles south of
Stockholm, Sweden. The six postholes have up to a three-foot diameter and are
five and a half feet deep with a lining of sturdy packing stones. The
postholes are an impressive 23 feet apart. To date, there is no evidence of
other supporting posts suggesting that these posts may have supported a roof.
If so, this roof would have spanned 40 feet. There is disagreement between
the archaeologists on whether or not there was a roof based partially on the
suggestion that no roof spanned more than 30 feet until the Middle Ages. One
of the posts was split to allow a granite and red sandstone threshold,
possibly marking the entrance to the structure. In the center of the
structure, a burial pit with creamated bones and a partially preserved clay
floor have been preserved. A small strand of Roman gold thread dated to c.
A.D. 150-345 has dated the remains.Source: Erling Hoh (October 11, 2000)
"Unique Pentagonal Temple" Archaeology <A HREF="http://www.archaeology.org/online/news/sweden.html">
http://www.archaeology.org/online/news/sweden.html</A> Gotland treasure hoard the
largest ever foundArchaeologists working on Gotland have found the largest
ever Viking treasure hoard. The 70 kg hoard of 13,000 Arabic silver coins,
500 Viking arm bands and bracelets, dozens of silver bars, rings and
countless jewelry fragments were discovered under the floorboards of a
merchants home. It is believed that the hoard was buried in AD c. 870. The
hoard is valued at £400,000.This hoard will be added to some 800 other
treasure hoards discovered on Gotland alone. The vast wealth of this hoard
and the sheer number of other hoards discovered over the years illustrate the
wealth and importance of Gotland as a trading center. Gotland traded with
Russia, Sweden, the Baltic coast and further afield. Although today Gotland
is part of Sweden, it was a semi-independent state of approximately 30,000
people with its own parliament in the ninth century when this hoard was
buried. Then, Gotland was dominated by merchants, the metal working industry,
and shipbuilding.Source: David Keys (September 4, 2000) "Viking treasure is
discovered after 11 centuries under the floorboards" The Independent <A HREF="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/UK/This_Britain/2000-09/viking040900.shtml">
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/UK/This_Britain/2000-09/viking040900.shtml</A>
Downloaded September 14, 2000. Roman Era finds discovered in Skåne, Southern
SwedenThis years excavations at Uppåkra, near Lund focused on an area known
as "Jonas' Hill", where previous excavations had found sheets of gold and
artifacts suggesting a workshop. This year further parts of the settlement,
dating from the early first century, were uncovered. The main structures of a
house were well preserved including its outside walls, and oven. Finds were
mostly confined to pottery and bones. One building did yield a sheet of
silver and some charred stones that may suggest this was a silversmith's
shop. Graves had previously been discovered 600-700 meters from "Jonas'
Hill'.In late October, archaeologists found a remarkably rich grave of a tall
in Österlen, Skåne. The site is at Simrishamn, five kilometers west of
Gärdestad. Among the artifacts found withher include a silver cup from the
Black Sea region, a silver clasp, and over ninety amber beads. The grave has
been dated to the fourth century. It is believed that this is one of the
three richest graves found to date in Skåne.Source: Sydsvenska Dagbladet (30
October 2000) 'Järnåldersgrav funnen i Skåne' <A HREF="http://sydsvenskan.se/pub/hpsart-43.html">
http://sydsvenskan.se/pub/hpsart-43.html</A> . ; Birgitta Åkesson, "Uppåkra -
avslutade grävningar", Artefact, Nr. 11. November 2000, <A HREF="http://welcome.to/artefact">
http://welcome.to/artefact</A> Information for these stories was contributed to
the Heroic Age by Sara E. Ellis. Scotland
Caledonian extortion of Rome.A new hoard of Roman coins has been found at
Birnie, near Elgin in northern Scotland. The hoard contained some 300 Roman
coins, which date from the early third century. Literary sources indicated
the Roman governor paid large sums of money to the inhabitants of southern
Scotland but this hoard now brings into question if the Romans were also
paying off the northern Caledonians as well. Reexamination of the coin hoards
held by the National Museums of Scotland indicate that the payments were made
to the Britons and Caledonians in four areas: southern Scotland (south of
Edinburgh), Fife and Dundee, the Aberdeen region, and along the southern
shore of the Moray Firth. The hoards of 200-400 silver coins were often
ritually deposited. This newest hoard was found buried in a pot in a hole
that had previously held a post. The Birnie hoard is estimated to be worth
£20,000.Source: David Keys (November 3, 2000) "Romans paid Scots protection
money" The Independent <A HREF="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/UK/This-_Britain/2000-11/roman031100.shtml">
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/UK/This_Britain/2000-11/roman031100.shtml</A>
Downloaded December 18, 2000. Early Orkney Monastery DiscoveredA monastery
has been discovered on the remote island of Papa Stronsay in the Orkney
archipelago. The discovering archaeologists from Headland Archaeology of
Edinburgh and the University of Birmingham have dated the ruins to the
seventh or eighth century. By August, archaeologists had found a small church
(23 feet by 11.5 feet), a circular chapel (16.5 feet by 10 feet) and several
small domestic huts. It has been suggested that the monastery was founded AD
650-750 and that the monastery was a supply center for other hermits in the
Orkney archipelago. Although the monastery was abandoned in the Middle Ages,
two chapels continued to be maintained on the island until the eighteenth
century.Source: David Keys (August 27, 2000) "Early Christian outpost found
in remote Orkneys" The Independent <A HREF="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/UK/This_Britain/2000-08/orkney270800.shtml">
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/UK/This_Britain/2000-08/orkney270800.shtml</A>
Downloaded September 14, 2000. Easter Ross Monastery Redated to the Sixth
CenturyThe monastery of Portmahomack in Easter Ross has been redated to the
sixth century based on new radiocarbon dating of the human remains. Earlier
excavations had discovered an all male cemetery and an enclosure including
Christian sculpture
Best Regards, John Piscopo
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