Builders find remains of 'lost' archbishops of Canterbury in London crypt

The remains of five archbishops of Canterbury have been accidentally discovered by builders in a hidden tomb beneath a London church, site developers said Sunday.

Among the remains are those of Richard Bancroft, the "chief overseer" of the King James Bible 
[Credit: Craig Dick/Garden Museum]

Some 20 lead coffins were discovered in a crypt underneath St Mary's-at-Lambeth, which sits outside Lambeth Palace, the central London residence of the archbishop of Canterbury -- the highest cleric in England.

Two have been identified from name plates, while records show that five were buried in the crypt.

Of the two identified archbishops, one is Richard Bancroft, who was in office from 1604 to 1610 and who oversaw the production of the King James Bible, considered a definitive work of the English language.

Several hundred coffins were cleared out of the church for extensive renovation works in 1850s, during which the vaults were filled in with earth.

But builders accidentally discovered one crypt had been left untouched.

"This was the discovery of a recorded vault below the chancel for high status burials, including those of five archbishops of Canterbury," said the trust which runs the site.

The coffins were stacked on top of each other in a brick-lined vault 
[Credit: Heathcliff O'Malley/Garden Museum]

The deconsecrated church is now the Garden Museum. It closed in October 2015 for renovations.

The discovery of the hidden crypt was made by builders during the re-laying of ledger stones.

"We were lifting the slabs and we uncovered an entry to what looked like a tomb," said site manager Karl Patten.

"We got a camera on the end of a stick and discovered numerous coffins and one of them had a gold crown on top of it."

The crown was an archbishop's mitre.

Among the jumbled coffins found, four had name plates, including those of Bancroft and John Moore, who was the archbishop of Canterbury from 1783 to 1805.

Finding the coffin of Bancroft, the man who oversaw the English language's landmark Bible, is "the most incredible discovery", said historian Wesley Kerr.

Church records fished out since the discovery have revealed that three more archbishops were likely buried in the vault: Thomas Tenison (1695-1715), Matthew Hutton (1757-1758) and Frederick Cornwallis (1768-1783).

The archbishop of Canterbury is the leader of the world's Anglicans and the spiritual head of the Church of England.

Garden Museum director Christopher Woodward said: "We know there are five archbishops buried here.

"What we still don't know is who else is down there."

The museum is due to reopen next month. The coffins have been left undisturbed and a glass panel will allow visitors to see down into the vault.

Source: AFP [April 18, 2017]

byUnknown

in Archaeology, Europe, UK, Western Europe

April 18, 2017

Builders find remains of 'lost' archbishops of Canterbury in London crypt

The remains of five archbishops of Canterbury have been accidentally discovered by builders in a hidden tomb beneath a London church, site d...

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Medieval priest discovered in elaborate grave 700 years after his death

The remains of a medieval priest who died 700 years ago have been uncovered in an elaborate grave. Archaeologists from the University of Sheffield uncovered the rare find at Thornton Abbey in Lincolnshire, which was founded as a monastery in 1139 and went onto become one of the richest religious houses in England.

The 700 year old grave was found in Thornton Abbey, Lincolnshire
[Credit: University of Sheffield]

The priest's gravestone was discovered close to the altar of a former hospital chapel. Unusually for the period, it displayed an inscription of the deceased's name, Richard de W'Peton -- abbreviated from 'Wispeton', a medieval incarnation of modern Wispington in Lincolnshire -- and his date of death, 17 April 1317.

The slab also contained an extract from the Bible, specifically Philippians 2:10, which reads; "that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth."

The discovery of Richard's grave was made by University of Sheffield PhD student Emma Hook, who found his skeletal remains surrounded by the decayed fragments of a wooden coffin.

Examination and recording of the skeletal remains of Richard de W'Peton
[Credit: University of Sheffield]

"After taking Richard's skeleton back to the laboratory, despite poor preservation, we were able to establish Richard was around 35-45 years-old at the time of his death and that he had stood around 5ft 4ins tall," said Emma.

"Although he ended his days in the priesthood, there is also some suggestion that he might have had humbler origins in more worldly work; his bones show the marks of robust muscle attachments, indicating that strenuous physical labour had been a regular part of his life at some stage.

"Nor had his childhood been easy; his teeth show distinctive lines known as dental enamel hypoplasia, indicating that his early years had been marked by a period of malnutrition or illness."

The coffin lid [Credit: University of Sheffield]

In order to further investigate Richard's health, researchers in the Department of Archaeology produced a 3D scan of his skull. The model produced enables detailed features of the skull to be seen with much more ease than with the naked eye.

This revealed a potentially violent episode in the priest's past: a slight depression in the back of his skull shows evidence of an extremely well-healed blunt force trauma suffered many years before Richard's death.

None of the investigations shed light on the cause of his demise at a relatively young age, however there is one possibility that researchers are exploring.

Dr Hugh Willmott from the University of Sheffield said it was very likely that the priest was held 
in extremely high regard [Credit: University of Sheffield]

Dr Hugh Willmott from the University of Sheffield's Department of Archaeology, who has been working on the excavation site at Thornton Abbey since 2011, said: "2017 marks not only the 700th anniversary of Richard's death, but also that of a catastrophic event that is now largely forgotten, but caused years of suffering for the whole of Europe: the Great Famine of 1315-1317.

"Triggered by a whole spring and summer of relentlessly heavy rain that caused widespread crop failures -- which vastly depleted the availability of grain for humans and hay or straw for animals -- this was a period of mass starvation.

"Although not on the same scale as the Black Death, which devastated Europe from 1346-1353 and which also left its mark at Thornton Abbey, these hungry times struck rich and poor alike, killing millions across the continent."

The priest's teeth show signs of malnutrition, which leads scientists to believe he may have died 
in the Great Famine  [Credit: University of Sheffield]

He added: "By spring 1317, when Richard died, the crisis was at its peak and its events would undoubtedly have affected medieval hospitals like Thornton Abbey, and the priests who served there.

"These institutions traditionally cared for the poor and hungry as well as the sick, so during the Great Famine sites like Thornton would have found themselves on the front line. Richard would have ministered to the starving, working in the face of desperately limited resources -- and perhaps despite these efforts, he too succumbed to the natural disaster that was unfolding around him.

"For now, such a narrative can only be a matter of speculation, but it does seem clear that -- whatever caused his death -- at the end of his days Richard was held in high regard, afforded an elaborate burial in the most prestigious part of the hospital chapel, in the very place he would have spent his final years working among the poor and dying."

The skull showed a serious head injury which had healed 
[Credit: University of Sheffield]

This is the latest significant archaeological find at Thornton Abbey in Lincolnshire. Last year a mass burial of bodies, known to be victims of the Black Death, was discovered at the hospital. A total of 48 skeletons, many of which were children, were found by the excavation team including PhD and undergraduate archaeology students.

Source: University of Sheffield [April 17, 2017]

byUnknown

in Archaeology, Europe, Forensics, UK, Western Europe

April 17, 2017

Medieval priest discovered in elaborate grave 700 years after his death

The remains of a medieval priest who died 700 years ago have been uncovered in an elaborate grave. Archaeologists from the University of She...

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New discoveries shed light on Romans in northern England

From Roman shoes and keys, to a rare amber figurine and the most northerly example of coin production ever found in Europe, Archaeologists have recently discovered a range of Roman objects through a major road improvement scheme in North Yorkshire.

Archaeologists excavating Roman revetments, built to protect the river shore from erosion. This excavation was carried 
out in 2014, East of A1 on the south side of the River Swale near Catterick [Credit: Dr Jonathan Shipley]

Discovered as part of the £380 million Highways England Leeming to Barton scheme to upgrade the existing dual carriageway with a new three lane motorway, the finds are shedding new light on Roman life in Northern England.

They hint at a far more sophisticated industrial and administrative centre in Yorkshire than had previously been known about. They also point to wealthy citizens having lived in the area.

The extensive excavations have been carried out by Northern Archaeological Associates, on the advice of Historic England’s experts.

Top recent discoveries:

1. Amber carving: The figure of a toga-clad actor carved from a block of amber was recently found at Scotch Corner. Thought to have been made in Italy during the 1st century AD, a similar example was also found at Pompeii. Nothing like this has ever before been found in the UK.

The figure of a toga-clad actor carved from a block of amber which was recently found at Scotch Corner. 
Nothing like this has ever before been found in the UK [Credit: Northern Archaeological Associates]

Its presence at Scotch Corner, along with a large number of other high status imported items suggests this was an early site furnished with the finest Roman goods.

2. Coin Workshops: Workshops for making gold, silver and copper coins found near Scotch Corner represent the most northerly example of coin production ever found in Europe.

Coin moulds [Credit: Northern Archaeological Associates]

They demonstrate that the Romans were carrying out significant industrial activity in this part of England and potentially producing coins of high value.

3. Roman shoes: A number of well-preserved Roman leather shoes have been found in Catterick, a town south of Scotch Corner known by the Romans as Cataractonium.

A Roman leather shoe which is one of many found in Catterick [Credit: Northern Archaeological Associates]

Large sheets of leather have also been found in the town, perhaps used for producing clothes, indicating that the town was an important leatherworking centre possibly supporting the Roman military.

4. Roman keys: Many keys have been found at Catterick, from small keys on rings to larger ones for lifting latches.

One of the many keys found in Catterick, North Yorkshire [Credit: Northern Archaeological Associates]

The amount found is unusual for a northern suburb, suggesting people who lived in the town were conscious of protecting their valuable possessions.

5. Silver ring: A silver ring shaped like a snake which wraps around the finger has also been found in Catterick.

A silver ring shaped like a snake which was found in Catterick [Credit: Northern Archaeological Associates]

This is a rare find and like the amber figure, it hints at the great wealth of the people who lived here.

6. Pen and inkpot: A pewter inkpot and a number of styli, Roman pens, have also been discovered at Catterick, telling us that the town was a key administrative centre.

A pewter inkpot and many styli, the Roman pens, revealed the most people of Cataractonium 
were able to read and write [Credit: Northern Archaeological Associates]

The sheer amount of pens found suggests that a significant proportion of the population were able to read and write.

7. Lead plumb bob: A lead plumb bob from Cataractonium gives us evidence for construction methods used within the town and was perhaps even used in the construction of Dere Street and other roman roads at the site, giving us a fantastic insight into the engineering technologies of the time.

Earlier date for Romans in Northern England

The excavations have also led to the unearthing of a major Roman settlement at Scotch Corner which pre-dates settlements in York and Carlisle by 10 years, telling us that the Romans had a major presence and even possibly began their territorial expansion into northern England a decade earlier than previously thought.

Archaeologists excavate a section of the Roman road [Credit: Dr Jonathan Shipley]

The settlement was unusually large for the north of England, stretching over 1.4km from north to south which is roughly the size of 13 football pitches positioned end to end.

The finds uncovered at the site, from brooches to gaming counters, suggest the people who lived here, as at Catterick, were wealthy.

The settlement seems to have only been occupied for a short period, perhaps no more than 20-30 years.

It probably became redundant as the Romans kept moving into the north and its demise seems to coincide with the rise of Catterick which we know was an administrative and economic centre in the north of England.

Neil Redfern, Principal Inspector of Ancient Monuments at Historic England said: “The sheer amount of exceptional objects found on this road scheme has been extraordinary. Through them we are learning more and more about life here in the Roman period. This project has given us a unique opportunity to understand how the Romans conducted their military expansion into Northern England and how civil life changed under their control.”

Archaeologists excavate a section of the Roman road [Credit: Historic England]

Highways England project manager, Tom Howard said: “Throughout this project we have been working alongside archaeologists as we make this major improvement to one of the UK’s most historic roads. It is fascinating to discover that nearly 2,000 years ago the Romans were using the A1 route as a major road of strategic importance and using the very latest technological innovations from that period to construct the original road – the very same thing that Highways England is doing today.”

Investigating and upgrading the A1

Works to upgrade the A1 through Yorkshire over the last 20 years have resulted in more than 60 miles of the road being investigated by archaeologists, from Ferrybridge near Leeds up to Piercebridge.

Since these excavations began in 2014, a team of around 60 archaeologists have discovered thousands of artefacts from a range of different periods, demonstrating that this area has been part of England’s story for thousands of years.

Source: Historic England [April 08, 2017]

byUnknown

in Archaeology, Europe, UK, Western Europe

April 08, 2017

New discoveries shed light on Romans in northern England

From Roman shoes and keys, to a rare amber figurine and the most northerly example of coin production ever found in Europe, Archaeologists h...

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Prehistoric alpine farming in the Bernese Oberland

The people in Switzerland were on the move in the High Alps and running alpine pastures 7,000 years ago and therefore much earlier than previously assumed. A study by the University of Bern that combines archaeological knowledge with findings from palaeoecology comes to this conclusion. Prehistoric finds from the Schnidejoch Pass played a crucial part in this.

The ice field on the Schnidejoch Pass (2,756 metres above sea level) has melted dramatically in the last few decades. 
The picture shows the situation in 2005 [Credit: Kathrin Glauser]

Did shepherds actually drive their herds from Lower Valais to the Bernese Oberland and graze their sheep there around 5,000 BC? Many factors indicate that this theory, which would have just been dismissed as speculation until recently, reflects reality. "We have strong indications that argue that people were on the move in the mountains with their animals much earlier than previously assumed," says Albert Hafner, Professor of Prehistoric Archaeology at University of Bern.

Albert Hafner and Christoph Schwörer, environmental scientist and specialist in vegetation history at the Institute of Plant Sciences at University of Bern, have just provided the chain of evidence that supports this assumption in an article in the Quaternary International specialist journal. Both scientists are members of the Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research at University of Bern "The combination of two approaches," explains Albert Hafner, "allowed us to collect better data and also interpret it with a new perspective. Neither archaeology nor palaeoecology would have come to these new findings on their own."

These rings from the Early Bronze Age were made out of braided branches. They were most 
probably used by early pastoralists to fix fence posts [Credit: Badri Redha]

According to the study, this is how we have to imagine early alpine farming between Valais and the Bernese Oberland: the region around today's Sitten was populated by people who ran arable and cattle farming around 5,000 BC. They kept sheep and goats, among others. However, the steep and dry slopes in Lower Valais did not produce much feed, which is why the shepherds undertook a two-day hike as far as the Bernese Oberland where they found good grazing opportunities below the Schnidejoch Pass situated at 2,756 metres above sea level. This nomadic pasture farming was only possible as the glaciers drastically retreated during the so-called Holocene Climatic Optimum. The Schnidejoch did not have any ice for several centuries.

Sediment analysis and prehistoric finds

The two researchers support their theory on the one hand with prehistoric finds from the Schnidejoch situated above the Lenk and on the other hand by the analysis of sediment cores from Lake Iffig (Iffigensee) just a few kilometres away.

This undated photo (probably end 19th century) shows a ring or mobile fence in Teuffenthal near Thun. The man in the 
middle is holding a ring made out of plaited twigs, the man on the right in the photo is holding a whole bundle of rings 
[Credit: Schweizerische Gesellschaft für Volkskunde]

A melting ice field on the Schnidejoch Pass has exposed several hundreds of these kinds of objects since 2003. Including remnants of containers made out of wood, which were very probably used to transport food. The Valais shepherds probably transported provisions in them for the time that they spent with their animals on the Bernese side of the pass. Indications of early alpine farming are also provided by the rings made out of plaited twigs which were used to hold the posts of mobile fences together. The rings originate from the Early Bronze Age (from 2,100 BC).

What is interesting though is that one tradition from this phase of prehistoric alpine farming in the Bernese Oberland was preserved over thousands of years: cattle farmers can be seen in a historic photo from the Thun region who are building a mobile fence using rings made out of plaited twigs – probably using the same method that their Valais ancestors applied around 5,000 BC. "This is obviously an extremely simple and convenient technique that could last long in traditional communities ," says Albert Hafner.

Lake Iffig (Iffigensee) above Lenk in the Bernese Oberland. The analysis of sediment cores allowed
 for the local vegetation history to be reconstructed [Credit: Christoph Schwörer]

Strong indications of very early pastoralism in the area of the Schnidejoch is mainly provided by the reconstruction of the region's vegetation history. Christoph Schwörer analysed the composition of sediment deposits from Lake Iffig for this. The pollen was of particular interest in the process. From the composition of this pollen it can be deduced which plant species were very widespread in a specific location in the past.

For example, nettles, among others, can be evidenced for the time after 5,000 BC. These nutrient-loving plants frequently appear in places where cattle were fenced in overnight. Spores from the Sporormiella, a fungus that thrives extremely well on cattle dung was also found in the sediment core.

When the glaciers advanced again during a colder climatic phase just under a thousand years after the oldest Schnidejoch finds, the route over the pass became impassable again. There is also no indication of the Valais shepherds and their sheep in the lake sediments from Lake Iffig during this time.

Source: University of Bern [April 06, 2017]

byUnknown

in Archaeology, Europe, Switzerland, Western Europe

April 06, 2017

Prehistoric alpine farming in the Bernese Oberland

The people in Switzerland were on the move in the High Alps and running alpine pastures 7,000 years ago and therefore much earlier than prev...

Read More

Panem et circenses - Bread and games in Roman Carnuntum

After the discovery of the gladiator school in 2011, the researchers of the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Archaeological Prospection and Virtual Archaeology (LBI ArchPro) and the ZAMG have now done a complete scan of the ancient town of Carnuntum (east of Vienna, Austria) by using ground penetrating radar. This project has been undertaken on behalf of the county of Lower Austria.

Overview of taverns, amphitheatre and gladiator school – visualization 
[Credit: (c) LBI ArchPro, 7reasons]

The scientists have revealed, without excavation, an entire city area next to the amphitheater, containing bakeries, taverns and shops – an essential infrastructure for Roman spectacles.

Gladiatorial games at Carnuntum – footage [Credit: (c) LBI ArchPro, 7reasons]

Hidden under the later city wall, the radar system detected the remains of a wooden amphitheater located at an intersection of a road that followed the Roman frontier (Danube Limes) and the main road leading back to Rome; a temple for the Quadriviae (Roman goddesses of the cross-roads) was located right next to the building. With this information, we can add yet another chapter to the early history of Roman Carnuntum, one which underlines the significance of Bread and Games on the frontier of the Roman Empire.

Cellar at the taverns – visualization [Credit: (c) LBI ArchPro, 7reasons]

Since 2012, the LBI ArchPro and ZAMG (Austrian Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics), on behalf of the county of Lower Austria together with international partners, have explored the ancient town of Carnuntum with custom made, high-resolution magnetometers and ground-penetrating radar systems. The newly completed map reveals, for the first time, the subterranean Roman remains that have been hidden for thousands of years.

Newly discovered wooden amphitheater – visualization based on geophysical data interpretation 
[Credit: (c) LBI ArchPro, 7reasons]

After the discovery of the universally unique gladiator school, measurements were taken around the excavated amphitheater of the civil town and the subsequent results revealed an entire city area complete with the necessary infrastructure for the gladiatorial games. The route to the spectacles led the people through the city gates past taverns (tabernae), souvenir shops and food vendors (thermopolia), where street merchants offered their goods for sale and invited the public to linger. Behind one of the taverns, the LBI ArchPro specialists discovered a storage building (horreum) and a large oven, where bread was baked for up to 13,000 spectators. The wine and other foodstuffs were stored in underground cellars.

Taverns, amphitheater and gladiator school, view from the city wall of Carnuntum – visualization 
[Credit: (c) LBI ArchPro, 7reasons]

Just 400 meters from the excavated amphitheater and hidden under the later city wall of the civilian city, the archaeologists found the ground plan of an older and as yet unknown wooden amphitheater. It was strategically placed at the crossroads of the road along the Danube frontier (Danube Limes) and the main connecting route back to Rome, but it was also adjacent to a temple dedicated to the Quadriviae (Roman goddesses of the cross-roads).

Without excavating in the ground, this analysis of the geophysical data has added more exciting chapters to the story of Carnuntum. Not only in Rome were so-called ‘bread and games’ of great importance for the entertainment of the masses, but also in Carnuntum –­ a frontier-town along the Danube River, at the edge of the Roman Empire and on the border with barbarians to the north.

Source: Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Archaeological Prospection and Virtual Archaeology [April 04, 2017]

byUnknown

in Archaeology, Austria, Europe, Western Europe

April 04, 2017

Panem et circenses - Bread and games in Roman Carnuntum

After the discovery of the gladiator school in 2011, the researchers of the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Archaeological Prospection and Vi...

Read More

Brexit 1.0: Scientists find evidence of Britain's original separation from Europe

Researchers have found evidence of how ancient Britain separated from Europe, which happened in two stages, they report in Nature Communications.

An illustration of what the land bridge connecting Britain to Europe may have looked like before the formation of the 
Dover Strait. The foreground is around where the port of Calais is today and way in the distance (the background 
of this illustration) is early Britain. Huge waterfalls cascading over the land bridge represents the beginning 
of physical separation of Britain from Europe [Credit: Imperial College London/Chase Stone]

Nearly 450,000 years ago, when Earth was in the grip of an ice age, ice stretched right across the North Sea, from Britain to Scandinavia. The low sea levels meant that the entire English Channel was dry land, a frozen tundra landscape, crisscrossed by small rivers.

Britain's separation from mainland Europe is believed to be the result of spill over from a proglacial lake - a type of lake formed in front of an ice sheet - in the North Sea, but this has remained unproven. Now, researchers from Imperial College London and their colleagues from institutes in Europe show that the opening of the Dover Strait in the English Channel occurred in two episodes, where an initial lake spill over was followed by catastrophic flooding.

Ten years ago, the researchers from Imperial College London revealed geophysical evidence of giant valleys on the seafloor in the central part of English Channel. They believed these valley networks were evidence of a megaflood gouging out the land, which they speculated may have been caused by a catastrophic breach in a chalk rock ridge joining Britain to France.

The new study by the team, working with their colleagues in Europe, now shows for the first time the details of how this chalk ridge in the Dover Strait, between Dover and Calais, was breached. New geophysical data collected by colleagues from Belgium and France has been combined with seafloor data from the UK showing evidence of huge holes and a valley system located on the seafloor.

The team show that the chalk ridge acted like a huge dam and behind it was a proglacial lake. This lake was first hypothesised by scientists more than 100 years ago and the authors of today's study show how the lake overflowed in giant waterfalls, eroding the rock escarpment, weakening it and eventually causing it to fail and release huge volumes of water onto the valley floor below.

Bathymetry map of the Dover Strait showing prominent valley eroded through center of Strait. Note the rock ridge made 
of chalk in southern Britain and northern France which would have connected across Strait prior to breaching 
[Credit: Imperial College London]

The team believe that the huge holes that they analysed on the seafloor are plunge pools, created when water cascading over an escarpment hit the ground and eroded rock. The plunge pools in the Dover Strait are huge - up to several kilometres in diameter and around 100 metres deep and were drilled into solid rock. Around seven plunge pools run in a line from the ports of Calais to Dover. The researchers suggest these plunge pools are evidence of an overflow of water from the lake in the southern North Sea.

The straight line of the plunge pools suggests they were cascading off one single rock ridge perhaps 32 kilometres long and 100 metres high- the land bridge between Europe and the UK.

The researchers have also found evidence that a second event fully opened the Dover Strait. Later on, perhaps hundreds of thousands of years later, a new valley system, the Lobourg Channel, was carved by megaflood processes that crossed the Dover Strait. The researchers demonstrate that this valley system is connected to the giant valley network in the central English Channel. They suggest that a spill over of other, smaller lakes in front of the ice sheets in the North Sea may have been responsible for the later episode of flood erosion.

It has taken ten years, but by pulling all the pieces of the geological jigsaw puzzle together the team say they are more confident about what may have caused the megaflood in the English Channel thousands of years ago.

Dr Jenny Collier, a co-author of the study from the Department of Earth Science and Engineering at Imperial College London, said: "Based on the evidence that we've seen, we believe the Dover Strait 450,000 years ago would have been a huge rock ridge made of chalk joining Britain to France, looking more like the frozen tundra in Siberia than the green environment we know today. It would have been a cold world dotted with waterfalls plunging over the iconic white chalk escarpment that we see today in the White Cliffs of Dover.

3-D perspective view of bathymetry in Dover Strait showing prominent valley in central part of Strait and the chalk 
escarpment in southern Britain that would have connected to northwest France prior to breaching of the Strait. 
The Strait is ~33 km in width [Credit: Imperial College]

"We still don't know for sure why the proglacial lake spilt over. Perhaps part of the ice sheet broke off, collapsing into the lake, causing a surge that carved a path for the water to cascade off the chalk ridge. In terms of the catastrophic failure of the ridge, maybe an earth tremor, which is still characteristic of this region today, further weakened the ridge. This may have caused the chalk ridge to collapse, releasing the megaflood that we have found evidence for in our studies."

Engineers first found evidence of the plunge pools when they were carrying out geological surveys of the Dover Strait seafloor back in the 1960s. No one knew what caused them, but they were called the Fosse Dangeard. The loose gravel and sand infilling these plunge pools meant that the engineers had to move the route of the Channel Tunnel to avoid them. In 1985 a marine geologist named Professor Alec Smith, from Bedford College in London, first proposed that the holes were created by ancient waterfalls, but the lack of hard evidence meant that the assertions were largely forgotten. Now, the authors of today's study say Smith's original assertions were right.

The scientists say if it wasn't for a set of chance geological circumstances, Britain may have still remained connected to mainland Europe, jutting out into the sea similarly to Denmark.

Professor Sanjeev Gupta, a co-author from the Department of Earth Science and Engineering at Imperial, added: "The breaching of this land bridge between Dover and Calais was undeniably one of the most important events in British history, helping to shape our island nation's identity even today. When the ice age ended and sea levels rose, flooding the valley floor for good, Britain lost its physical connection to the mainland. Without this dramatic breaching Britain would still be a part of Europe. This is Brexit 1.0 - the Brexit nobody voted for."

The team still do not have an exact timeline of events. In the next step, the researchers would like to take core samples of the in-filled sediments in the plunge pools, which they will analyse to determine the timing of erosion and infill of the plunge pools, the environments represented by these sediments, and the source of the sediments. Developing a timeline of events would enable them to learn more about the distinctive evolution of Britain, compared to mainland Europe. However, this will be a real challenge for the team as getting sediment core samples in the Dover Strait means dealing with huge tidal changes and traversing the world's busiest shipping lane.

Source: Imperial College London [April 04, 2017]

byUnknown

in Earth Science, Europe, Geology, Palaeontology, UK, Western Europe

April 04, 2017

Brexit 1.0: Scientists find evidence of Britain's original separation from Europe

Researchers have found evidence of how ancient Britain separated from Europe, which happened in two stages, they report in Nature Communicat...

Read More

Archaeological evidence throws light on efforts to resist ‘the living dead’

A new scientific study of medieval human bones, excavated from a deserted English village, suggests the corpses they came from were burnt and mutilated. Researchers from the University of Southampton and Historic England believe this was carried out by villagers who believed that it would stop the corpses rising from their graves and menacing the living.

Knife marks on external surfaces of two rib bone fragments 
[Credit: Historic England]

The team found that many of the bones from Wharram Percy in North Yorkshire showed knife-marks – suggesting the bodies had been decapitated and dismembered. There was also evidence of the burning of body parts and deliberate breaking of some bones after death.

The findings are published in an article in the Journal of Archaeological Science Reports.  The research was led by Simon Mays, Human Skeletal Biologist at Historic England, working in collaboration with Alistair Pike, Professor of Archaeological Sciences at the University of Southampton.

Right parietal from an adult cranium showing burn marks 
[Credit: Historic England]

In medieval times, there was a folk-belief that corpses could rise from their graves and roam the local area, spreading disease and violently assaulting those unlucky enough to encounter them. Restless corpses were usually thought to be caused by a lingering malevolent life-force in individuals who had committed evil deeds or created animosity when living.

Medieval writers describe a number of ways of dealing with revenants, one of which was to dig up the offending corpse, decapitate and dismember it, and burn the pieces in a fire. Perhaps the bones from Wharram Percy were parts of bodies that were mutilated and burnt because of medieval fears of corpses rising from their graves. The researchers considered other theories, but this explanation appears to be the most consistent with the alterations observed on the bones.

A mid-lower thoracic vertebra, showing two almost parallel knife cuts 
[Credit: Historic England]

In some societies, people may be treated in unusual ways after death because they are viewed as outsiders. However, analysis of strontium isotopes in the teeth showed this was not the reason in this case.

Professor Alistair Pike, who directed the isotopic analysis, explains: “Strontium isotopes in teeth reflect the geology on which an individual was living as their teeth formed in childhood. A match between the isotopes in the teeth and the geology around Wharram Percy suggests they grew up in an area close to where they were buried, possibly in the village. This was surprising to us, as we first wondered if the unusual treatment of the bodies might relate to their being from further afield, rather than local.”

The Wharram Percy Medieval village, North Yorkshire, UK 
[Credit: Historic England]

Famines were quite common in medieval times, so another possibility might be that the remains were of corpses that had been cannibalised by starving villagers. However, the evidence did not seem to fit. For example, in cannibalism, knife marks on bone tend to cluster around major muscle attachments or large joints, but at Wharram Percy the knife marks were not at these locations but mainly in the head and neck area.

Simon Mays concludes: “The idea that the Wharram Percy bones are the remains of corpses burnt and dismembered to stop them walking from their graves seems to fit the evidence best. If we are right, then this is the first good archaeological evidence we have for this practice. It shows us a dark side of medieval beliefs and provides a graphic reminder of how different the medieval view of the world was from our own.”

Artist's impression of Wharram Percy in the late 12th century 
[Credit: Peter Dunn/Historic England]

The bones come from the deserted medieval village of Wharram Percy, North Yorkshire, a site managed by English Heritage. There was a total of 137 bones representing the mixed remains of at least ten individuals. They were buried in a pit in the settlement part of the site. They date from the 11th-14th centuries AD.

Source: University of Southampton [April 03, 2017]

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in Anthropology, Europe, Forensics, Religion, UK, Western Europe

April 03, 2017

Archaeological evidence throws light on efforts to resist ‘the living dead’

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