Archaeology – Page 9 – Steven Till – Author of medieval fiction

A Follow-Up to the Staffordshire Hoard

Staffordshire Hoard - Anglo Saxon Treasure - Sutton Hoo - Medieval History - Archaeology - Medieval England - Middle Ages History - Early Middle Ages I posted a link the other day to a BBC article about the amazing Anglo-Saxon treasure discovered in Staffordshire. In a follow-up to that, Carla Nayland has a real nice post about it on her site that includes her own speculation about the origins of the treasure. She also a link to a flickr page of images showing the Staffordshire Hoard. The images are simply amazing.

*image retrieved from the Staffordshire Hoard Flickr page, attribution below:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/finds/ / CC BY-NC 2.0

Huge Anglo-Saxon Gold Treasure Discovered in Staffordshire, Larger Than Sutton Hoo

According to the BBC today:

The UK’s largest haul of Anglo-Saxon treasure has been discovered buried beneath a field in Staffordshire.

Experts said the collection of 1,500 gold and silver pieces, which may date to the 7th Century, was unparalleled in size and worth at least £1m …

… The Staffordshire Hoard contains about 5kg of gold and 2.5kg of silver, making it far bigger than the Sutton Hoo discovery in 1939 when 1.5kg of Anglo-Saxon gold was found near Woodbridge in Suffolk.

Hundreds of Saxon Graves Unearthed in Sittingbourne

According to KentNews:

A perfectly preserved pair of glass drinking cups was found when the grave of an Anglo-Saxon warrior was unearthed during building work on a new pub, Yourswale reports.

The burial place was one of more than 200 uncovered at a site in Sittingbourne, known as The Meads.

Other findings included swords, spears, shields, decorative beads and other jewellery, as well as fragments of clothing …

But instead of the work taking place in the bowels of the British Museum it is being carried out in shop fronts in Sittingbourne town centre – next door to the burial site itself.

Holy Grail in America

Did anyone by chance see the episode “Holy Grail in America” that came on the History Channel this past Sunday (9/20)? It may have aired before then but that was the first time I had seen it. I actually only caught small chunks of it and will need to record it when it comes on again.

Episode Description (taken from the History Channel site):

In 1898, a Minnesota farmer clearing trees from his field uproots a large stone covered with mysterious runes. Now known as the Kensington Rune Stone, it details a journey of land acquisition and murder–in the year 1362. Thought by some to be a hoax, new evidence suggests it could be real, and a clue that the Knights Templar discovered America 100 years before Columbus, perhaps bringing with them history’s greatest treasure…The Holy Grail. See how symbols on the Rune Stone match Templar ruins all over Europe. History tells us the Templar were massacred on Friday the 13th, but that a Templar fleet allegedly containing treasure was last seen off Scotland in the late 1300s. Stones with similar markings as the Rune stone have been found on islands across the Atlantic Ocean, as well as in Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. Is it possible the Templar were leaving clues to an incredible journey to the New World?

If you saw the episode, what did you think about the theory? If you didn’t see it, the episode will air again on Saturday, September 26, at 8:00 PM and also on Sunday, September 27, at 12:00 AM.

Bulgaria Archaeologists Find Relics of Medieval Saint at Perperikon

“The team of Bulgarian archaeologist, Professor Nikolay Ovcharov, has discovered relics of a medieval saint at the fortress of Perperikon in the Rhodoppe Mountains.

The remains of human bones were found inside one of two bronze crosses as the archaeologists were excavating two churches.

One of the crosses is larger and has an life-like image of the crucified Jesus Christ on its front, and an image of Virgin Mary praying on its back. It is dated back to 10-11th century.”

10th Century Viking Cowshed Unearthed

“Archeological research undertaken earlier this summer in Keldudalur in Skagafjördur has brought to light an unusually well-preserved cowshed from the 10th century; the first one to be unearthed in Northern Iceland, archeologist Ragnheidur Traustadóttir told mbl.is.”

Vinland Map

Here’s a link to an enlargement of the Vinland map discussed in yesterday’s post. The article at NewsDaily did not have an image of the map.

http://www.econ.ohio-state.edu/jhm/arch/vinland/vmcmx02c.jpg

Skeleton Reveals Violent Life and Death of Medieval Knight

“Archaeologists believe that bones found in an ancient chapel on the site are those of an English knight named Robert Morley who died in a tournament there in 1388.

Radio carbon dating has confirmed that the skeleton is from that period, and detailed analysis suggests that he was in his mid-20s, was heavily muscled and had suffered several serious wounds in earlier contests.”

Bulgarian Archaeologists Find Remains of Medieval Book in Veliko Tarnovo

“Bulgarian archaeologists have discovered the silver and gold casing of a medieval book in the yard of the St. Peter and St. Paul church in the city of Veliko Tarnovo.”

Secrets of Medieval Castle Unearthed

Oxford Castle - Medieval England - Medieval Castles - Norman - Medieval History - Middle Ages History Archaeologists are using radar to try and discover what is hidden under the mound of Oxford castle.