Skeleton find halts work on Bishopthorpe Palace revamp

WORK on the redevelopment of Bishopthorpe Palace had to be halted, after excavators discovered a human skeleton in the grounds.

The human bones, believed to be medieval, were found away from any other remains during routine work at the official residence of the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu.

Archaeologists are now investigating the site and conducting further research, but work resumed on the site as soon as the skeleton was removed.

The Archbishop's spokesman Arun Arora said: "During the re-development work at Bishopthorpe Palace, a human skeleton was discovered in the grounds on the afternoon of Wednesday, April 18.

"Field Archaeologist Specialists were already on site as part of the re-development work. Initial estimates suggest the skeleton, which was found in a shallow grave 50cm (20 ins) below topsoil, dates from the medieval period, possibly 14th century. These estimates have been based on the burial rite used, the evidence of a cloth burial shroud and bronze pin as well as the wooden coffin.

"No other remains have been found, suggesting this burial occurred in isolation.

"Having discovered the skeleton, the Home Office was informed under standard procedures and a licence was issued by the Department of Constitutional Affairs allowing for the removal of the remains.

"Field archaeologist specialists are conducting further work in relation to the remains and will discuss their findings with the council's chief archaeologist and the Archbishop in due course."

The palace is currently undergoing a major revamp of its living and office accommodation.

The Church Commissioners, who manage the Church of England's historic assets, also want to ensure the palace meets disability access guidelines.

Andrew Brown, Church Commissioners' secretary, told The Press last year: "Our plans are aimed at providing a modern and appropriate base for the ministry of the current Archbishop and his successors. No major work has been carried out at Bishopthorpe Palace for 30 years. The accommodation for the Archbishop needs to be reordered to provide privacy for him and his family, and it is intended to bring back into productive use areas of the building that have been previously disused."

The earliest parts of the Palace date back to about 1250 with extensions added in about 1480, 1650, 1769 and 1835.

(Gavin Aitchinson, York Press - 24 April 2007)

Culture Minister places export bar on illuminated manuscript

Culture Minister, David Lammy, has placed a temporary export bar on a 15th century illuminated manuscript of the Hours of the Passion.

Previously unavailable to scholars and mostly absent in literature on manuscript illumination of the period, the bar will provide a last chance to raise the money to keep the manuscript in the United Kingdom.

The manuscript comes from the collection of the late Lord Wardington and is a book of hours of the highest quality from the Bedford Workshop in Paris, the most important centre of manuscript illumination in Europe in the 15th century.

The decision on the export licence application for the manuscript will be deferred for a period ending on June 17. This period may be extended until October 17 if a serious intention to raise funds with a view to making an offer to purchase the manuscript at the recommended price of £635,200.00 excluding VAT is expressed

(24 Hour Museum, News in Brief - 19 April 2007)

Bosworth badge may help pinpoint battle

A silver badge probably worn at the Battle of Bosworth has been declared Treasure.

The small broken badge shows a bird, probably an eagle. It has been dated by the British Museum to the late 15th or early 16th century – exactly the right date to be associated with the Battle of Bosworth (1485).

It was found by a volunteer working with Leicestershire County Council’s survey to find the true location of the battlefield, which has been funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund.

"We believe this is a heraldic badge identifying the wearer as a retainer of a particular nobleman," said Richard Knox of Bosworth Battlefield Centre. "Unfortunately, it is broken so we cannot identify whose badge it is. It is just the sort of thing likely to be lost in a battle."

"We are undertaking a systematic survey of the area to locate the battlefield and this represents another piece in the jigsaw. The survey has another year to run and we hope to have come to a conclusion by the time we have finished.’

The badge will be acquired by Leicestershire County Council and will go on display in the Bosworth Battlefield Centre.

(24 Hour Museum News - 20 April 2007)

EJA 8 (3) now available online

Issue 8 (3) of the European Journal of Archaeology is now available online. It contains the following:

Articles
Pierre Allard: Surplus Production of Flint Blades in the Early Neolithic of Western Europe: New Evidence From Belgium

Peter Halkon and Jim Innes: Settlement and Economy in a Changing Prehistoric Lowland Landscape: an East Yorkshire (UK) Case Study

Robert Leighton: Later Prehistoric Settlement Patterns in Sicily: Old Paradigms and New Surveys

Book review essays
Nena Galanidou: The Many Faces of Hunter-Gatherer Research

Håkan Karlsson: The Contemporary Archaeology of Recent Conflict

Deborah Olausson: `Traceology’ Then and Now

Book reviews

by Francisco Gracia Alonso, Xosé-Lois Armada, Wayne E. Lee, Antoon Cornelis Mientjes, Lawrence E. Moore, Martin Rundkvist, Brit Solli, Silvia Tomásková, Elizabeth Twohig, Sergey A. Vasil’ev, David S. Webster and Alasdair Whittle.

Conference review

by Troels Myrup Kristensen.

(European Journal of Archaeology - News, Views & Reviews - 17 March 2007)

Leading Food Historian Encourages Revival of Extinct English Dishes

Eminent Food Historian Caroline Yeldham today encourages the revival of extinct English recipes using English fresh produce and calls on people to learn how to cook them. The comments come as England celebrates St. George's Day, which was declared an English feast day in the 15th Century.

Medieval cookery was the basis of modern European cuisine. However, only a dozen known original medieval recipe texts remain, of which fewer than five are in hard copy print. Only two of the UK's 193 higher education institutions offer specific courses in English Medieval history(1) and estimates suggest there are only a handful of skilled people in England who are professionally preparing English medieval food.

To reintroduce once commonplace dishes Caroline Yeldham has worked with Morrisons supermarkets to create a St. George's Day recipe booklet. Designed to celebrate medieval English cookery and English ingredients, it contains a selection of starters, main courses, sauces, sweet dishes and drinks, originally eaten by English royalty and aristocracy. The booklet is available on 23 April at checkouts throughout Morrisons stores across England, plus on the Morrisons website www.morrisons.co.uk. To offer a range of recipes which can be used throughout the year the booklet indicates when English produce is in season.

Food historian Caroline Yeldham said; "This St. George's Day I urge you to pop down to your local Morrisons, pick up a copy of our medieval cookery booklet and try some of the delicious dishes that you will find inside. You will not only be learning about the roots of modern day food, but helping to keep England's food history alive for generations to come."

"The nation spends thousands on preserving medieval artefacts and art, whilst great value is still placed on medieval literature, music and drawing. Food is a hugely important part of our culture and society and it would be wonderful if we could all play a part in ensuring that this critical part of our history survives.

Medieval cooking is unique in style and flavour and markedly different from contemporary cuisine. The genre is constituent of a wide array of subtle, complex and delicate dishes. Before the advent of refrigerators, it was heavily influenced by the 'natural' food preservation processes such as smoking, salting, brining, conserving and fermenting. Although local produce was the basis of medieval cuisine, the period also saw the importing of spices and ingredients, such as sugar, for royal and aristocratic use.

Supporting St. George's Day, Morrisons already sells hundreds of English products. It is a keen supporter of small English producers and has a large number of local and regional suppliers for its stores.

"We sell some of the best quality produce that England has to offer", said Chris Walker, Produce and Meat Director at Morrisons, "Our approach to food retailing means we buy most of our produce direct from the grower and farmer. By being so close to our agricultural suppliers, we can givec ustomers the freshest products available in any supermarket."

(edited from: BRADFORD, England, /PRNewswire/- www.earthtimes.org - 22 April 2007)

Remains of Roman teenager buried

The remains of a teenage Roman girl who was buried in the City of London more than 1,500 years ago have been laid to rest in her original grave.

The girl's skeleton was discovered in 1995 when the Swiss Re building, better known as the gherkin, was being built.

For the next 12 years the body was housed at the Museum of London, after its discovery during an excavation.

A service was held for the girl at St Botolphs Church after which her remains were reburied near to the gherkin.

The girl was believed to be aged between 13 and 17. She was buried in keeping with the Roman traditions between 350 and 400 AD.

Taryn Nixon, Managing Director of the Museum of London Archaeology Service, described the reburial as a "humane gesture".

"While we will probably never know precisely who this young Roman Londoner was, it is an elegant and fitting reminder of the City's rich layers of history, for Londoners of today and tomorrow," she said.

(BBC News - 17 April 2007)

Hobbit hominids lived the island life

A tantalising piece of evidence has been added to the puzzle over so-called "hobbit" hominids found in a cave in a remote Indonesian island, whose discovery has ignited one of the fiercest rows in anthropology.

Explorers of the human odyssey have been squabbling bitterly since the fossilised skeletons of tiny hominids, dubbed after the diminutive hobbits in J.R.R. Tolkien's tale, were found on the island of Flores in 2003.

Measuring just a metre (3.25 feet) tall and with a skull the size of a grapefruit, the diminutive folk lived around 20,000 and 80,000 years ago and appear to have been skillful toolmakers, hunters and butchers.

They have been honoured with the monicker Homo floresiensis by their discoverers, who contend the cave-dwellers were a separate species of human that descended from Homo erectus, which is also presumed to be the ancestor of modern man.

That claim has huge implications and has been widely contested.

If true, it would mean that H. sapiens, who has been around for around 150,000-200,000 years, would have shared the planet with rival humans far more recently than thought.

And it implies that H. sapiens and H. floresiensis lived side by side on Flores for a while -- and, who knows, may even have interbred, which could have left "hobbit" genes in our DNA heritage.

In a study that appears on Wednesday in the British journal Biology Letters, evolutionary zoologists at Imperial College London believe the hobbits may well have achieved their tininess naturally, through evolutionary pressure.

The principle under scrutiny here is called the "island rule."

It stipulates that because food on a small island is limited, smaller species do well and get bigger over time, sometimes becoming relatively gargantuan.

But larger species, facing fierce competition for a small amount of food, become smaller, because those members that eat less have an advantage.

Lindell Bromham and Marcel Cardillo trawled through published journals and online databases to see how primates performed when subjected to the "island rule."

True enough, small primate species (ones weighing less than five kilos, 11 pounds) all pumped up compared to their mainland relatives -- but all the larger primates became smaller, in a range of between 52 and 80 percent.

That fits in well with H. floresiensis, who was around 55 percent of the mass of a modern Indonesian and probably 52 percent of an H. erectus.

So the evidence backs the idea that the hobbits were an insular dwarf race -- humans who became smaller, possibly after the island separated from the mainland and left them marooned with diminished food resources.

The authors refuse, though, to wade into the debate as to whether the hobbits were H. erectus or H. sapiens.

Also unclear is why the hominids had a relatively undersized brain compared to their diminutive body. A modern human child of the same size has a much larger brain, as do pygmies.

A conflicting explanation for the small brains has been offered by primatologists led by Robert Martin of the Field Museum in Chicago.

He contends that the Flores hominids were not a separate species but quite simply a tribe of H. sapiens who suffered from a pathological condition called microcephaly, which results in a small brain and body.

Martin also disputes the idea that these pint-sized creatures could have wielded the sophisticated stone tools, found in the Flores cave, which were used to butcher animals.

The hobbits tucked into a now-extinct miniature elephant, Stegadon, that also dwarfed-down under the "island rule".

(AFP, Yahoo News - 18 April 2007)

Battle Abbey - breathtaking demonstrations

THERE will be breathtaking demonstrations of early Medieval falconry, dubbed the 'sport of kings', at Battle Abbey next weekend.

Dressed in period robes, skilful members of Raphael Falconry will use a cast of beautiful and fast-flying hunting hawks, peregrine falcons, owls and kestrels to demonstrate the centuries-old hunting techniques and explain how at the date of 1066, hawking changed almost as dramatically as the course of English history.

Although an opening scene of the Bayeaux Tapestry shows King Harold with a hawk on his fist, during Saxon times falconry wasn't a wealthy pastime but used primarily to put food onto medieval tables. Yet when William the Conqueror took to the throne of England, only nobility and royalty were allowed to enjoy the sport and the type of hawk or falcon an Englishman carried on his wrist marked his rank.

From 11am-5pm each day visitors can find out more during spectacular flying displays as the magnificent birds of prey soar above the battlefield site.

The birds can be seen at rest in the early Medieval tented hawk mews, decorated with authentic wall hangings and reproduction falconry furniture and families will have the opportunity to ask questions or take photos of the birds before they perform thrilling air displays including 'running a lure' as a hawk is enticed to swoop down and capture it's 'prey' swung on a line. Admission to the event includes free entry to Battle Abbey's new architect-designed two-level visitor centre, boasting an interactive exhibition to explore and a short film which brings the Battle of Hastings to life. And a visit to the smart new café, serving a selection of light meals, including home-made soups, a Sunday roast or an afternoon Sussex cream tea, is the ideal way to round off a great family day out.

Normal admission prices apply for the 1066 Falconry weekend on April 28 and 29 - £6.30 for adults, £4.70 for concessions and £3.20 for children, £15.80 for a family ticket. Admission is free for English Heritage members, for further information, call 01424 773792). For further information on events taking place at 1066 Battle of Hastings, Abbey and Battlefield or other English Heritage properties in the South East during 2007, call 0870 333 1183 or visit www.english-heritage.org.uk

(Hastings Today - 18 April 2007)

Building work halts for medieval rubbish

BUILDING work at a shopping centre development has been halted after the discovery of a medieval rubbish tip.

The site was intended to house one of Scotland's biggest shopping complexes, part of a GBP200m plan to transform the Bon Accord Centre in Aberdeen. However since the discovery, archaelogists have been collecting material believed to date to the 13th century. So far they have unearthed pottery and animal bones dating to the city's early origins. It is believed the site may be connected to a neighbouring rubbish tip in the Schoolhill area.

Frank Sutherland, manager of the Bon Accord and St Nicholas Centre, said yesterday: "Archaeologists have found bits and pieces of what is thought to be an ancient rubbish dump. It is not totally unexpected because it is part of old Aberdeen."

He added: "Work has stopped on the site just now while archaeologists examine the finds."

The discovery of the ancient dump, measuring about six feet by 12 feet, came during a dig on land around St Paul's Place in the Upper Kirkgate area, which is being cleared to make way for the retail development.

Mr Sutherland added: "We would hope to continue work on the project in the very near future."

Archaeologists unearthed what was believed to have been one of the oldest churches in Scotland in Aberdeen last year.

Diggers working at St Nicholas Kirk in Aberdeen uncovered a burial site, including 300 skeletons, which they believe dates back to the sixth century.

(The Herald, News for Medievalists - 9 April 2007)

The 'grave slab code' baffles experts

What could be a 900-year-old code is baffling archaeologist Peter Ryder. Over the last 30 years Northumberland-based Peter has recorded 700 ancient grave slab covers in the county, plus another 500 each in County Durham and Cumbria.

But the carvings found on one 12th-Century slab, which had been recycled and used 300 years later in a church tower, have set Peter a puzzle. Three 12th-Century grave slabs were incorporated into the tower of St Michael and All Angels Church in Newburn, Newcastle.

They have been discovered during repair work on the tower of the Grade I-listed church, which was hit a year ago by fire. One of the slabs has carvings of an elaborate cross and the symbol for a woman - a pair of shears. But it also has two rosettes - one with eight petals and the other with seven.

"The rosettes must mean something. They are telling us something but we haven't cracked what looks like a lost medieval code," said Peter.

Vicar of Newburn, the Rev John Sinclair, said: "The rosettes could represent the woman's children, aged seven and eight, but we don't really know."

Another twist is that a similar rosette on a grave slab of the same age is at Oving-ham, Northumberland. "It is exactly the same design and must be by the same man," said Peter. Grave slabs were used from Anglo-Saxon times but were at their most frequent in the 12th and 13th Centuries.

Laid horizontally on a grave, they were inscribed not with names but symbols relating to the identity of the individual. The most common is that of a sword for a man, chalice for a priest, crook for a shepherd and also a ploughshare. Top spots for grave slabs are the 50 found at the two churches in Bywell in Northum-berland and more than 30 from Corbridge.

Later builders had no quibbles about recycling the slabs, and at St Brandon's Church in Brancepeth, County Durham, during restoration work following a major fire, more than 100 were found to have been reused.

It is hoped that the Newburn church will be reopened for Christmas.

(Tony Henderson, The Journal, icNewcastle - 12 April 2007)

Newfoundland home to first church in North America?

Remains may be buried under town of Carbonear, eccentric British historian claims in her notes.

Tantalizing clues about a previously unknown Christian mission built 509 years ago in Newfoundland -- if true, the first church in North America -- were left behind by an eccentric British historian who died in 2005.

However, the book about the discovery of Canada by Italian-born navigator John Cabot, which scholars suspect would have been "revolutionary," was never published.

Alwyn Ruddock, a respected chronicler of Cabot's landmark voyages, stunned fellow historians when she ordered her manuscript and all of her research notes destroyed by executors of her will.

Evan Jones, a University of Bristol expert on Cabot's transatlantic expeditions, has reconstructed Ruddock's research from a seven-page book outline she sent to her British publisher -- apparently the only surviving trace of her findings about Canada's dawning days.

"To describe Alwyn Ruddock's claims as revolutionary is not an exaggeration," Jones said upon publishing his detailed analysis of Ruddock's outline in the latest issue of the scholarly journal Historical Research.

"If Ruddock is right, it means that the remains of the only medieval church in North America may still lie buried under the modern town of Carbonear" -- a historic fishing community across Conception Bay from St. John's, N.L.

Despite the bizarre fate of Ruddock's research, neither Jones nor other historians of the discovery era are dismissing her claims.

Among the experts who helped Jones unravel the potential significance of Ruddock's research were Memorial University's Peter Pope, McGill University's Paula Clarke and a host of scholars who have studied the early English voyages of discovery to the New World.

Ruddock was best known for her knowledge of England's expatriate Italian merchant community in the 1400s and 1500s.

It was through her research in this field, Jones has learned, that Ruddock apparently discovered fresh evidence detailing the links between Cabot -- the Genoa-born navigator originally known as Giovanni Caboto -- and Italian clerics living in England in the late 1400s.

According to Ruddock's book plan, a key backer of Cabot's westward expeditions across the Atlantic was Giovanni Antonio de Carbonariis, an Augustinian friar who collected taxes in England for the Vatican.

After Cabot's famous 1497 landfall in Newfoundland, he's known to have returned to North America the following year.

Little evidence of that 1498 expedition has been found by scholars, but Jones says the "most exciting" claim in Ruddock's note to her publisher suggests she discovered a host of documents about Cabot's second voyage to the future Canada.

Friar may have stayed on Rock

Among the facts she apparently unearthed is that Friar Giovanni accompanied Cabot to Newfoundland and stayed there -- to build a church and establish a religious colony -- while the explorer continued sailing along the Atlantic coast of the present-day United States and south through Caribbean waters.

Ruddock appeared to have proof, as well, that the colony named for Carbonariis evolved to become the today's "Carbonear" -- the origins of which have traditionally been attributed to French or Spanish visitors to Newfoundland in the late 1500s or early 1600s.

(Randy Boswell, CanWest News Service - Edmonton Journal - 10 April 2007)

St George's Day Festival - 21 & 22 April

The largest event to be hosted in the East of England, the St George’s Day Festival regularly attracts around 10,000 visitors and promises to be even bigger this year.

Cavalry Displays

Enjoy a thrilling programme of period entertainment. Watch and admire magnificent mounted cavalry displays. Marvel at the skill required to perform a mounted display and admire the clothing, weapons and saddlery of the 5th-century AD.

Rowdy Roman Encampments

Visit the camp of the raucous Romans and see for yourself what life would have been like during these fascinating times. Play traditional games and wonder at some crazy Roman inventions!

Redcoat infantry soldiers

Compare and contrast uniforms and equipment from the 18th and 19th -centuries with exciting drills taking place throughout the day.

Falconry displays

Marvel at magnificent birds of prey flying free in the skies above Wrest Park and learn the techniques of the fascinating art of falconry with our professional falconry team.

Children’s Activities

Children will love the fabulous theatre productions while ‘What a Palaver’ will astound all who gather with their feats of fire breathing and if you listen carefully you’ll hear medieval rhythms as Wynndebagge invites you to put your best foot forward.

Puppet shows, bouncy castles and Peterkin the Fool will guarantee smiles all day, while mums and dads can visit our Historic Market and pick up some souvenirs and tasty treats from the food stalls and craft market.

St George V the dragon

The day will culminate in the Big Match between St George and the dastardly dragon. Watch as St George, resplendent in his shining armour and astride his noble steed battles it out with the dastardly green dragon. Could history be re-written, you’ll need to join English Heritage at Wrest Park to find out!

Refreshments

Refreshments will be available to purchase at the event. A tempting selection of hot and cold snacks will be available to buy on the day. However you are welcome to bring a picnic to enjoy amidst the magnificent grounds. Remember that your ticket enables you to come and go to the event during the day.

(English Heritage)

New model-making technology could help visually impaired visitors to heritage sites

Visually impaired people could soon benefit from new model-making technology developed by Hull University.

The University’s Design Enterprise Centre has collaborated with local business, Visually Impaired Media Access Consultants (Vimac), to create a detailed replica of Thornton Abbey in North Lincolnshire. The model is held in the hand and enabled users to experience the abbey through touch, replicating the intricate details of its architecture.

English Heritage, which manages the abbey, is working with Hull University and Vimac to make similar models available at Thornton and other sites around the country.

The prototype model was made by first scanning images of the abbey into a computer using a 3D laser. The data was then manipulated using Computer Aided Design and the information then fed into their rapid prototype machine to produce a tactile model made of plastic.

“This is an impressive technology with real potential to help bring history to life, particularly for visually impaired visitors,” said Kevin Booth, Senior Curator for the North of England at English Heritage. “We have used tactile models elsewhere at our sites, but nothing entailing this degree of precision. The results are really quite remarkable.”

(News in Brief, 24 Hour Museum - 13 April 2007)

ARCHAEOLOGISTS FIND EVIDENCE ROMANS USED LINCOLN AQUEDUCT

Archaeologists unearthing parts of an underground Roman aqueduct in Lincoln have found the first evidence that it was actually used, contrary to previous thinking.

The aqueduct, near Lincoln’s Nettleham Road, has been known about for centuries, and archaeological investigations of it were carried out in the 1950s and 70s, with no firm evidence for their ever carrying water being found. However, with the recent start of a housing development on the site, the time came for sections of the piping to be removed and studied thoroughly.

Excavations also revealed that a road thought to have been a Roman construction is in fact post-medieval.

Simon Johnson, principal archaeologist at Pre-Construct Archaeology, who carried out the work, explained that visible calcium deposits suggest the pipes did carry water.

“There’s been persistent questions over whether the aqueduct ever functioned,” he said. “We’ve got at least one section where there is furring around the full circumference, suggesting it was used. Who knows for how long? You’re looking at decades to produce that sort of deposit, I should think.”

The aqueduct – an ingenious piece of Roman engineering – is thought to have taken water from a spring known as Roaring Meg, about one kilometre north of the site. There are several theories about the pipes: they might have been up to ten miles long, and possibly fed public baths, or a header tank for further distribution.

The Roman plumbing system is constructed from a series of terracotta pipes surrounded with ‘Roman concrete’, a lime mortar mixed with brick dust and chips (opus sigininum). The sealed construction meant that theoretically, water could be pressurised and transported uphill.

“Lincoln’s Roman aqueduct is one of the most famous in Britain,” said Michael Jones, the city archaeologist for Lincoln, “but also the most problematic, since we are still trying to understand how and from where water was brought uphill to the Roman city.”

“Any new evidence such as this is a bonus, and will not only allow more people to enjoy its fascination but also specialist engineers to test its strength under pressure.”

The sections of aqueduct within the site are well preserved due to their strong construction, apart from some damage by tree root growth and in places where service trenches have been dug. A section of the aqueduct will now be offered to Lincoln museum The Collection for public display, and site developers David Wilson Homes (who also funded the archaeological work) are donating another piece to a local school.

It is hoped that one part of the aqueduct will be subject to further analysis to determine whether it would have been able to support a pressurised flow of water. The limescale deposits could also be analysed, though whether this will yield clues as to how long the aqueduct was used is not certain.

The excavation also threw up a surprise about the road on top of the Roman water system. It was accepted that the road was a Roman creation (simply due to its proximity to the aqueduct) but these are usually well constructed, with cambers and ditches. The one on the site turned out not to be like this, and featured noticeable wheel ruts. In addition, investigations found artefacts such as glazed pottery fragments that date the road to much later, with lots of 17th-19th century debris including horseshoes, a buckle and lead shot adding weight to the theory.

“The excavations have shown clearly that the wide road surface that sealed the aqueduct is relatively recent and might date to the time when the city was growing again in the 18th century,” said Michael. “For example, do the ruts indicate very heavy loads, perhaps stone being brought from nearby quarries?”

One further discovery made during the work, prior to 43 homes being built on the site, has been that the individual pipes of the aqueduct were joined by terracotta collars – similar to modern drains.

“What we were assuming was that the pipes slotted together, with male and female ends, but actually they were male fitted with collars – a bit like modern pipes,” said Simon. “It was an unusual thing, bizarre really!"

(Caroline Lewis, 24 Hour Museum - 12 April 2007)

ARCHAEOLOGISTS UNEARTH EVIDENCE OF MEDIEVAL WINE BUFFS

Medieval residents of Somerset may have enjoyed a drop of French wine with their supper, archaeologists have revealed. Experts have discovered the remains of highly decorated wine jugs from the Saintonge region of southern France on the site of a 13th-century inn in Bridgwater.

Archaeologists said the discovery of a small ceramic figurine from a jug rim was something they had never seen before. Other discoveries include a rare 17th-century Venetian glass bead, which would have been a very treasured and valuable object at the time.

As well as pottery and animal bones, a small building was discovered, which Somerset County Council archaeologists believe to have been a smokehouse.

Most of the finds were from large rubbish pits, discovered in the back yard of the 700-year-old inn. Archaeologist Steven Membery said: "This excavation has revealed that Bridgwater was a thriving port in the middle ages and it is exciting to find evidence of the town's trading links with continental Europe. It's also very nice to know that the medieval patrons of the inn were discerning wine drinkers."

Councillor Justin Robinson added: "Somerset County Council Heritage Group have worked very hard to make these remarkable discoveries which provides a fascinating window into the lives of Somerset people from the past."

(News for Medievalists, Press Association Regional Newswire - 28 March 2007)

Joan of Arc rib' really a bone from Egyptian mummy

Paris -- A rib bone supposedly found at the site where French heroine Joan of Arc was burned at the stake is actually that of an Egyptian mummy, according to researchers who used high-tech science to expose the fake.

The bone, a piece of cloth and a cat femur were said to have been recovered after the 19-year-old was burned in 1431 in the town of Rouen. In 1909 -- the year Joan of Arc was beatified -- scientists declared it "highly probable" that the relics were hers.

But starting last year, 20 researchers from France, Switzerland and Benin took another look. Even they were surprised to find the rib bone came from an Egyptian mummy. Their best guess is that the fake was cooked up in the 19th century, perhaps to boost the process of Joan of Arc's beatification. She was canonized as a saint in 1920 by the Roman Catholic Church.

In medieval times and later, powdered mummy remains were used as medicine "to treat stomach ailments, long or painful periods, all blood problems," Philippe Charlier, who headed the research team, told the Associated Press.

The team's assumption is that a 19th-century apothecary transformed "these remains of an Egyptian mummy into a fake relic, or fake historic remains, of Joan of Arc," he said.

Now the mystery is why?

"Probably not for money," said Charlier. "Perhaps it was for religious reasons. Perhaps it was created to increase the importance of the process of beatification in 1909."

Tests dated the rib bone to between the 7th and 3rd centuries B.C., he said. The cat bone dated from the same period and also was mummified.

The researchers also found pine pollen, probably from resin used in Egyptian embalming, he said. They were unable to extract DNA from the remains, meaning they could not identify the sex of the mummy or the cat.

The remains were supposedly recovered from Joan of Arc's pyre and conserved by an apothecary until 1867, before being turned over to the archdiocese of Tours.

Joan of Arc was tried for heresy and witchcraft and executed after leading the French to several victories over the English during the Hundred Years War, notably in Orleans, south of Paris.

(John Leicester, Associated Press - 5 April 2007)

Call for medieval remains to be buried in Preston

A leading historian is calling for medieval remains unearthed at a building site to be re-buried in Preston Parish Church.

Thirty graves, 12 of them containing virtually complete skeletons, have been discovered at a development site behind the city centre's privately-owned Brunel Court halls of residence on Marsh Lane. Experts from Oxford Archaeology North believe the graves are the likely remnants of a medieval friary located in Preston from 1260 to 1539. And now an order of Franciscan monks, similar to the ones who used to reside in Preston, have expressed an interest in burying the skeletons in their own cemetery in London. But historical experts today said the bones were part of Preston's heritage and should stay in the city.

Stephen Sartin, associate curator for Lancashire County Museum Service, said: "If you start moving bones around which have been there since medieval times, where does it stop? If we are going to move them at all I am sure that order of monks would have wanted to be interred at the site of the most historic church in Lancashire – Preston Parish Church."

David Ward, curator at South Ribble Museum, said: "There are rules and regulations about the handling of human remains. The accepted thing is they should be reinterred at their original site or at a suitable local graveyard."

(Matthew Squires, Lancashire Evening Post - 4 April 2007)

Medieval Corfe Castle reopens after repairs

A medieval ruined castle which was a stronghold in the time of William the Conqueror is partially reopening following major repair work, it was announced yesterday.

The £700,000 project to restore Corfe Castle, in Wareham, Dorset, was announced in August last year to conserve the 1,000-year-old monument for future generations. Phase one of the two-year conservation programme by the National Trust and English Heritage saw stone conservators replace the old lime mortar to consolidate the crumbling masonry in the castle's gloriette and inner ward. Most of the top part of the castle, which was closed due to health and safety fears last year, has now reopened.

Pippa Russell, visitor services manager at Corfe Castle, said: "By 2005, the ravages of time had begun to catch up with the large pieces of stonework around the keep, many of which lie on their side or upside down where they fell when the castle was blown up by gunpowder in 1646.

"The first phase of the restoration project has gone very well and visitors are now able to explore the inner sanctum of the castle again. About 90 per cent of the castle is open, with only the keep area itself still closed."

Phase two, to be completed by summer next year, will focus on repairs to the keep, south west gatehouse and fallen stonework around the ruin which has Scheduled Ancient Monument status.
Perched in a gap in the Purbeck ridge, the castle is thought to have been an important Roman defensive site.

Monarchs have come and gone, including 13th century King John who improved the accommodation and defences and Queen Elizabeth I who sold it to Sir Christopher Hatton, her dancing master and supposed suitor, in 1572.

Corfe Castle was also the inspiration for Kirrin Castle in Enid Blyton's stories.

(Telegraph.co.uk - 5 April 2007)

Ancient remains set for analysis

Analysis is to begin on a number of ancient human remains discovered by developers in Preston city centre.

The bones - unearthed at Marsh Lane, near its junction with Ladywell Street - are believed to be from a medieval burial ground. A total of 30 graves were uncovered in February, with around 12 containing virtually complete skeletal remains.

Experts from Oxford Archaeology North hope to carry out tests to establish a precise age for the bones. They would use dendrochronology to count the tree rings in the oak which made the coffins and, by comparing them with a database, will be able to pinpoint when the trees were felled. Although this does not help establish when the coffins were made, it will give experts an indication of the era.

Medieval friary

This, coupled with radiocarbon dating of the skeletons, will enable them to date the burials within 50 to 100 years. It is believed the graves may have come from a medieval friary dedicated to St Clare which was located in Preston from 1260 to 1539.

Medieval glass and floor tiles thought to be up to 700 years old were also discovered at the site which was sold on as a private residence in 1539, with part of it turned into a jail in 1680.

Stephen Rowland, a project manager at Oxford Archaeology North, said: "In terms of historical interest, this find in Preston is unprecedented.

"Almost nothing is known about the Preston friary apart from when it was established and disbanded. It was located on old maps but these were never particularly accurate. There has never been any significant archaeological evidence about the friary until now."

The skeletons will be re-buried once the analysis has been carried out.

(BBC News - 2 April 2007)

Historic pottery found in river

Changes in water erosion while work takes place on a new bridge over a north Devon river has led to the discovery of centuries-old pottery.

Archaeological enthusiast Mike Palmer was among the first to find it on the River Taw in Barnstaple, where the tidal river has scoured the sand bank.

Pottery has been produced in Barnstaple since the medieval period.

Now the finds, some from as early as the 13th Century, will be displayed at the Barnstaple and North Devon Museum.

Complete vessels

The newly-discovered site lies on an isolated sand bank just downriver from Barnstaple Castle.

Mr Palmer has found some complete vessels, including forms that have not been seen before and some so-called wasters - over-fired or unfinished pieces - that were thrown into the river.

Mr Palmer said: "I was surprised that I haven't had to dig anything there, the river does the work and this just washes up."

"The 17th Century pieces show that most of it was waste and the nearest place to put it was in the river, but there's a lot of pottery there from the 13th and 14th century too."

Once the finds, being collected by experts and volunteers, have been washed and sorted they will be studied by pottery expert John Allan of Exeter Archaeology.

(BBC News - 1 April 2007)

Ancient history to disappear at A-level despite its popularity

Ancient history is to become a thing of the past, with the only exam board offering it as an A-level subject now planning to ditch the course.

The decision by the Oxford and Cambridge and Royal Society of Arts (OCR) exam board has led to concerns that pupils will no longer understand the legacies of ancient civilisations.

The subject has introduced students to topics such as the birth of Athenian democracy, the growth of the Roman Empire, the beginnings of Christianity, the revolt by Spartacus against slavery and the battle of Thermopylae, where the stand by an small Greek force against the Persians in 480 BCE became the byword for heroic struggles.

Last night experts were saying that all these were examples of history that would be lost on future generations.

The irony is that the subject is being ditched at a time when it is growing in popularity - with 1,000 students taking the exam compared with just 300 at the turn of the century. The rise is partly being put down to recenttelevision programmes, such as Boris Johnson's series on the Roman Empire, films such as Gladiator and 300, and the BBC drama series, The Romans.

The OCR board says that ancient history will be incorporated into the classical civilisation A-level programmes of study - so it will not be completely lost.

Dr Peter Jones, of the National Co-ordinating Committee for Classics, said: " Studying classical civilisation is, say, studying Latin poetry whereas ancient history would cover the development of the Roman Empire.

"Students will study Sophocles and Oedipus - but not look at the history of the times. Why single out ancient history for the chop? One imagines OCR is now planning to scrap all histories. After all, they could be taught as part of the English or geography syllabus."

Michael Fallon, the Conservative MP for Sevenoaks, who studied ancient history at A-level, added: "It seems extraordinary that the exam board has no interest in the massive political legacy of the ancient world.

"We are closing the window on the intensive study of our past at a time when it has never been more urgently needed."

An OCR spokesman said the board would be offering four A-levels - in Latin, classical Greek, classical civilisation and a new subject, classics. Students choosing classics or classical civilisation could specialise in areas such as archaeology, history, literature or culture and society.

"Similar content to that in ancient history is covered within the classical Civilisation units," he added. "In addition, across the units there is a new ethos which requires candidates to study sources in their historical and cultural context."

The decision was an example of "dumbing down" the curriculum, said Boris Johnson, the Conservatives' higher education spokesman. He said: " How can we understand ourselves if we cut ourselves off from the past?"

What pupils will miss

* The Battle of Thermopylae - as seen in the film '300' - when a small Greek force held off the huge Persian army led by Xerxes in 480BCE.

* How democracy was first conceived in ancient Athens.

* The rise and fall of the Roman Empire.

* The revolt of the slaves led by Spartacus, against the Romans.

* The beginnings of Christianity and the life of Christ.

(by Richard Garner, Education Editor, The Independent - 31 March 2007)

The Loseley Medieval Festival, June 23rd & 24th 2007

The Loseley Medieval Festival is being staged at Loseley Park, Guildford over the weekend of June 23rd to 24th and will feature a Knights Tournament and Medieval Battle, and a full Festival of family entertainment

The 2007 Loseley Medieval Festival will play host once again to one of Europe's best Jousting Groups, with the members of Destrier competing in Hunting Games and lance shattering jousts to become the Festival Champion. This display will encompass the Medieval sport with riders scoring by breaking their lances against the Armour of an opponent, with a closing speed of nearly 50 miles per hour.Nothing will prepare you for this thrill of Medieval, and once seen you will have experienced the best in Europe.

Other Events at the Festival will include the ancient Art of Falconry, Medieval music and dance, skill at arms, archery, a full scale artillery display, and culminates each day with a re-enactment of a full scale medieval battle of the Wars of the Roses period.

In addition to these arena events there will be a medieval marketplace to browse with many different products from both the UK and Europe. There will also be a Tavern where you can refresh your thirst, and outlets to buy food, as well as the famous Roman Invention - Loseley Ice Cream!

The Living History encampments will be open during the day for you to explore, where the various households and retinues lived with their families during these turbulent times, whilst on military campaign in the 14th and 15th centuries. You will be able to see various crafts and trades, including spinning, weaving, blacksmithing, woodworking, and cooking.

Further details are available on the internet at www.pikeandshot.com
The Festival opens from 10 till 5:30 on saturday, and 10 to 4 on Sunday. Admission is £12:50 per adult, £5 per child, and family tickets from £22:50. Discount tickets are available online.

Pictures from the 2006 Festival can be seen from Rikk Cahill's site at www.rcphotographic.co.uk.

(ClickPress - 27 March 2007)

Medieval Castle's ..... in Pink

A NEW look to an old medieval building is set to paint a Furness town pink. The £100,000 revamp of Dalton Castle will leave it with a pinkish tint, so it might not look out of place in the Scottish resort town of Tobermory, famous for its multi-coloured houses.

Traditional methods using local materials are being used to repair the medieval castle, which has been affected by damp. But despite the new pinkish-brown colour, residents and councillors have welcomed the update of the site, built around 1340.

Harry Pilkington, treasurer of the Friends of Dalton Castle, said: “If it does the job, it should be very good. It has got a very sound roof and would make a very good place to live. I think the pink will fade over time. It will be a lot different from what it is now.”

Friends of Dalton Castle chairwoman Angela McCreath said: “I am sure it will look absolutely beautiful, but it will look very different in a few years. It will look pink but it will fade over the next few years. I’m sure there are always a few people who will complain. It will not look like Tobermory.”

Dalton South borough councillor Gordon Murray was delighted with the choice of colour.

He said: “From what I gather, traditional materials are being used so the building can breathe. I think it’s very commendable of them to do this. It will be wonderful. I think pink is a wonderful colour.”

Councillor Dermot O’Connor, chairman of the Dalton Development Partnership, said: “I am really pleased the National Trust is working on this. I am colour blind to the colour. If it makes it more attractive and more practical then I support it.”

The work is being carried out by contractors hired by the castle’s owners, The National Trust. The castle’s six-foot thick tower walls, which rise 40-feet from the ground, are being repaired by removing modern cement pointing and replacing it with traditional lime mortar. Repairs are also being carried out to worn down sandstone dressings and the lead flashing to the parapet.

The new mortar should help the damp escape as opposed to being trapped in denser modern cement. Sand for the mortar will come from nearby Goldmire Quarry mixed with lime.

A National Trust statement said: “This matches the original colour of the mortar which takes on a pale pinkish-brown derived from the local sand. By the use of traditional materials in repairing buildings such as this, the National Trust aims to preserve buildings in their original state for future generations to appreciate.

“The work of re-pointing should be completed by July 2007. However, some improvements to the area around the building are planned as a later phase. The National Trust would like to thank the Friends of Dalton Castle for their support.”

The castle was built by the abbot of Furness who ruled the whole of the area in medieval times. It contained his courtroom, offices, guardrooms, stores and a dungeon for prisoners. It stayed in use as a courthouse for more than 500 years and was owned by the Crown from 1537 and successive dukes from 1661 before it was given to the National Trust in 1965.

The castle is open on Saturdays between 2pm and 5pm from Easter Saturday until the end of September. Admission is free. Special visits may be made by booking in advance by phoning 01229 463293 or 01229 463330.

(North-West Evening Mail - 28 March 2007)

Human remains 'medieval'

BONES discovered under a driveway at a house in Wiltshire earlier this week are medieval, police confirmed this afternoon.

The site in The Butts, close to the junction with Orchard Road, Westbury has now been cleared.

Police are continuing to examine the bones, which were found by workmen carrying out alterations to a concrete driveway on Tuesday.

(Victoria Ashford, Wiltshire Times - 29 March 2007)

Celebrating Tolkien: 'Lord of the Rings' author's popularity is soaring beyond just 'geeks'

Despite the growth in the ranks of J.R.R. Tolkien enthusiasts since the "Lord of the Rings" films put his fantasy world of Middle-earth on screen, Tolkien's most avid admirers still risk being labeled geeks. But wearing elf ears or not, they are a force to be reckoned with.

"The Lord of the Rings" has sold 200 million copies in 39 languages. The movies based on the novel broke box-office records. And while Tolkien, the Oxford don who created "Rings," "The Hobbit" and "The Silmarillion," died in 1973, this year will be another big one for him.

The first "new" work by Tolkien in 30 years arrives in bookstores on April 17. The book, "The Children of Hurin," is an incomplete manuscript edited by Tolkien's son Christopher. And the release of a multiplayer Internet game, "The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar," is set for April 24.

Naturally, the Tolkien faithful organize Tolkien-themed events. Game players, medievalists, linguists and other scholars all have reasons to become lost in the heroic fantasy of "Rings" and can find gatherings to match their sensibilities.

At the most rarefied level, Tolkienism is a field of academic study, and conference participants leave their fur-tufted Hobbit feet behind. Tolkien's vast created world of invented languages, legends, maps, poetry and creatures invites explication — and debate.

The Tolkien Conference at the University of Vermont in mid-April will offer a keynote speaker, the presentation of papers, a reading and films. "A geek fest," said Chris Vaccaro, the conference co-founder and an adjunct lecturer at the university.

The undergraduate Elvish Club will put on a 10-minute performance entirely in Elvish, a language developed by Tolkien.

In May, the long-running annual International Congress on Medieval Studies at Western Michigan University will include a number of sessions devoted to Tolkien on topics like gender and ethnicity in the books. "In the hands of a knowledgeable instructor," Paul E. Szarmach, director of the university's Medieval Institute, said in an e-mail interview from London, "Tolkien's work can be the text that opens the medieval world."

Reading "Rings" or "The Silmarillion," has inadvertently converted more than one fan of Orlando Bloom, the actor who played the Elvish character Legolas, into an admirer of "Beowulf," which inspired Tolkien.

Two summer events appeal to both amateur scholars and budding actors.

"I'm an obsessed geek," said Marie Miesel, a nurse from Nashville and a presenter at Dragon(AST)Con, perhaps the nation's largest convention for fantasy fans, held in Atlanta annually on Labor Day weekend. "My parents brought me to science fiction conventions when I was 7." She will be leading a seminar on Sept. 2, "The Silmarillion for Dummies."

The four-day convention isn't just about Tolkien, but its Tolkien Track will be a cluster of lectures, game demonstrations, films and panel discussions on topics from "Customizing Your Action Figures" to "Misconceptions of Copyright Law for the Creator of Fan Works." A party called An Evening in Bree (Bree is a village in Middle-earth) will include folk dancing, a trivia contest and a band singing Tolkien-themed lyrics.

On Saturday morning, hundreds of costumed Tolkien fans will march through downtown Atlanta — bearded wizards and snarling orcs — mingling with Klingons ("Star Trek") and Imperial Guardsmen ("Star Wars") from other fantasy-loving groups.

"We have no objection to those things, but we are interested in the books," said David Bratman, chairman of Mythcon 38 (this year, Aug. 3-6 in Berkeley, Calif.). Largely presentations of 40 scholarly papers, this smaller event is run by the Mythopoeic Society, an organization devoted to studying Tolkien and others in the circle called the Inklings, which also included C.S. Lewis and Charles Williams.

But even the staid Mythcon has its whimsical side: the Not Ready for Mythcon Players — "half-rehearsed performances," Bratman said, "of some sort of silly adaptation."

To be closer to the source of the myths that inspired Tolkien, fans can journey to England for the British Tolkien Society's Tolkien Weekend in May. A grassy lawn at Sarehole Mill in Birmingham, where Tolkien spent his formative years, is the staging ground for activities like dramatizations of "The Hobbit," calligraphy, storytelling, folk singing and Viking battle re-enactments.

With about 10,000 visitors each year, the weekend suggests that Tolkien has finally moved beyond geeks.

(Ethan Gilsdorf - New York Times News Service, Naples Daily News - 26 March 2007)