archaeology

By Mr Joseph Bramley

THE chief object in collecting rubbings of monumental brasses is to record the history, use, and development of armour, dress, and ecclesiastical vest­ments, as well as to learn something about the persons the brasses commemorate.

The metal used in making brasses was “latten” or “latton;” it is sometimes called “Cullen metal” when “Flemish,” as such came chiefly from Cologne. It was usually composed of an alloy of the following metals in these proportions :—
      
Copper        64.0%
Zinc            29.5%
Lead            3.5%
Tin              3.0%
                  100%

and was exported to England in slabs and engraved here. The earlier brasses usually had some decoration in coloured enamel.

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Left. St Peter’s church, Awsworth was originally built in 1746 and enlarged in 1902-3 (photo: A Nicholson, 2004).

AWSWORTH is one of those Cinderella-like villages which have suffered undue neglect at the hands of the local historian. Thoroton devoted part of a page to it under the name of Aldesworth, but subsequent writers have been even less generous. It possesses no venerable church or other archaeological remains of interest, mid the charm of its coal pits, blast furnaces, canal, and long railway viaduct have failed to appeal to chroniclers of our time.

It was probably a Saxon settlement and its early name, Ealdeswyrthe, denotes its origin as the "worth" or farm of a person called Kald, a not unusual personal name in Saxon days. Gradually the initial " E " was dropped, at a very much later era the "I" slipped out, and the present spelling was evolved, though the "I" persisted far into the 18th century. Its last Saxon owners were Alwin, who had a manor, and Ulchcte, who, under the Confessor, owned various manors in this district and had here half-a-caracute of land. Burton Priory had for half-a-century held some of its land, but after the Conquest little was heard of it. King William retained the soil, placing it under the care of William Peverel, but it was of little value, for in 1086, when Alden was its tenant, much of it lay waste. One of Lenton Priory’s early benefactions consisted of the land which Robert de Radford held, and when a dispute arose with respect to the mill, the Cluniac monks settled it by accepting a yearly rental of 12d.

By Elizabeth A. Walker

National Museums & Galleries of Wales excavations at Pontnewydd Cave, Denbighshire have discovered the oldest human remains known from Wales dating back some 230,000 years.

The 19 teeth were mainly found deep inside the cave where they were washed by melt water from an ice cap that covered much of Wales. They have been identified by experts at the Natural History Museum, London as belonging to an early form of Neanderthal.

Neanderthals are one branch of the human evolutionary tree that is thought to have died out approximately 36,000 years ago. Our own species shared a common ancestor with Neanderthals, but did not evolve from them.

Neanderthals were fairly short and stocky, had ridges under their eyebrows, big square jaws, and teeth that are larger than ours are today.

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By Dr Steve Burrow

5,500 years ago a common culture spread around the Atlantic coast of Europe linking Brittany, Cornwall, Wales, southern Scotland and Ireland.

Today, evidence of this culture survives in the form of passage tombs - circular burial mounds pierced by stone-lined passages that open into central chambers.

These tombs were built by early farming communities to house the cremated remains of their dead and were used for generations. They must have been important landmarks that linked the living with their ancestors.

Within Wales, passage tombs are best seen on Anglesey where two important examples are sufficiently well-preserved to allow public access - Barclodiad y Gawres and Bryn Celli Ddu.

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By Adam Gwilt

Using ancient sources and archaeological evidence, the origins and development of the druids is explored.

Druids, the ancient priests of Britain and Ireland, have long intrigued and kindled the imagination of large popular audiences. The stereotypical image of the white robed wise man, carrying perhaps a golden sickle and mistletoe, or clasping a white staff, remains strong with us today, the outcome of many centuries of thinking and invention. Yet what evidence do we have for these powerful but elusive figures?

Earliest mention of Druids comes from the Classical authors, notably Posidonius, Strabo and Julius Caesar, writing during the 1st-century BC. These inform us of druidae in Gaul (France) and Britain, who were wise men, observers of natural phenomena and moral philosophers. They performed powerful roles in these Celtic societies, sanctioning war, acting as keepers of knowledge, administrators of justice and supervisors of sacrifices and religious ceremonies.

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THE EMERGING REVISION OF ANCIENT HISTORY: RECENT RESEARCH

by Martin Sieff

Was Shishak of the Bible really Thutmose III as Immanuel Velikovsky claimed? Or was he really Ramses II, as claim Peter James, David Rohl and other proponents of the historical model long pushed by publishers of the British-based Catastrophism and Chronology Review? Did the Exodus occur at the end of the Middle Bronze Age, as they and John Bimson argue, and as Velikovsky himself believed? Or did it take place at the end of the Early Bronze Age, as Donovan Courville, Tom Chetwynd, Stan Vaniger, Emmett Sweeney, Brad Aaronson and I have argued?

Over the years, it seems that detailed new models for the radical revision of ancient history have been falling faster than leaves in the New England autumn… However, amid this babel of tongues and theories, much significant work has emerged within the past five years or so; from both the academic mainstream and revisionists camps…

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By Jody Deacon

Celtic art reflects the way Iron Age people interpreted the world around them. The designs they used help us understand how they viewed themselves, their environment and their gods.

The Celtic art found in Wales is part of a much wider tradition in Britain and Europe, often called La Tène art, which developed during the Iron Age from about 500BC.

The earliest example from Wales is the Cerrig-y-Drudion bowl which was found in 1924 in a stone-lined grave in the county of Conwy. It is one of the few decorated artefacts from Britain to date to the 4th-century BC and was probably made by British craftsmen influenced by Continental traditions.

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The great Iron Age hoards discovered at Snettisham in Norfolk form the richest Iron Age treasure ever discovered in this country. Current Archaeology has published two accounts, in CA 126 and CA 135. This account comes from CA 135.

Right. The ‘Marriage Torc’ from Snettisham. The upper part of the terminal of this gold torc shows a stylised human face. Does the main terminal represent a symbolic belly with the gold ring representing the umbilical cord that attaches to the other terminal?

The Snettisham treasure was first discovered in 1948. The field was being ploughed deeper than usual, and in the course of ploughing the ploughman discovered an interesting lump of metal. He took it to the foreman and asked him what it was. The foreman pronounced it to be part of a brass bedstead: and thus a gold torque - now one of the finest treasures in the Norwich Museum - lay for a week by the side of the field. Then more fragments of metal turned up and a local businessman recognised it as an antiquity, and took it to Norwich Museum where the keeper, Rainbird Clark, confirmed its importance. They returned to the field and the ‘brass bedstead’ was recognised as being a gold torque.

Excavations were carried out in the vicinity and the sites of the hoards were discovered, shallow pits, numbered A B and C. From now onwards, every time the field was ploughed the ploughman was on the lookout for discoveries. Finds were made in 1950, 1964, 1968 and 1973.

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By Susie Mckinnon
World Art and Culture
Instructor: Kathleen Cohen
Spring 2000

Human Sacrifice is a fascinating and alluring topic to research and study about in ancient cultures, but may also be an unbelievable and skeptical topic for many as well. How could such a savage and terrifying act be carried out on one or more humans by other humans, and not be ashamed for such a disregard to human life?

Ancient cultures such as the Celts had a much different outlook on life and lifestyle than modern cultures today. As they intermingled legends with facts, reality with the fantastic and made of life their own universe that was to be understood in those terms, it might be easier to understand why groups such as the Celts may have used human sacrifice as a vice, and event in everyday life, for the benefit of a whole population. It is understood that they believed ardently that there was a life after death, so to kill or be killed was not such a negative act, since it would only give honor to that victim in the eyes of the gods of the ‘Otherworld’.

Human Sacrifice can be viewed in two different ways, and was probably by the Celts as well depending on the circumstance that brought forth the sacrificial event or ceremony. One view was that, as forces of nature ( animals , weather etc.) understood by the Celts as something that could be controlled by gods or goddesses such as the Mother Goddess, if crops were failing or animals falling victim to disease it was possible to offer the gods or nature itself human blood to placate them hoping that in return they will have a positive turn of events to insure the health of the population. Still this might seem far fetched but as put by Cahill, these terms of some kind of manipulation to a view of god, it might not be as hard to understand. "There is probably not a reader-even the most convinced atheist-who has not offered from time to time an old-fashioned quid pro quo prayer: if you let me pass this exam, I will return to church; if you make sure my wife doesn’t learn of my infidelity, I will give my next bonus to charity."(Cahill 136-137)

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Archaeological studies in the 1970s: Project "Archaeology of the Ramayana Sites"

Though results were not reported in that period, between 1975 and 1985 an archaeological project was carried out in Ayodhya [a] to examine some sites that were connected to the Ramayana story. The Babri Mosque site was one of the fourteen sites examined during this project. After a gap of many years since the ecavations the BB Lal led ASI team claimed in the Rashtriya Swayam-sevak Sangh (RSS) magazine Manthan in October 1990 of having found the pillar-bases of what may have been a temple at the site which must have belonged to a larger building than the Babri Mosque.

The team of archaeologists of the ASI, led by B.B. Lal, found rows of pillar-bases which must have belonged to a larger building than the Babri Mosque.

Accordingly, archaeological findings of burnt bases of pillars made of brick, a few metres from the mosque indicated that a large temple stood in alignment with the Babri Mosque since the 11th century.[1] In a trench at a distance of four metres south of the mosque, parallel rows of pillar-foundations made of brick-bats and stones were found.[2]

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Solving The Osteological Conundrum Of Buried Human Remains: What can your local archaeologist offer?

by James Batchelor

Forensic science and crime scene investigation both involve looking at and interpreting the available evidence from the scene of a crime. These developing fields of study are important to the present and future of law enforcement practices.

Forensic science, crime scene investigation and archaeology all involve similar approaches. The essence of these professions is to reconstruct previous human actions. To propose likely scenarios about past events it is necessary to investigate physical remains, whether they be objects, corpses or residues.

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by Angela M.H. Schuster

A survey of the Mediterranean seabed by Robert D. Ballard of the Institute for Exploration, based in Mystic, Connecticut, has found the remains of eight ships, five of which date between ca. 100 B.C. and A.D. 400. Found in 2,500 feet of water off Skerki Bank reef, between the Tunisian port of Carthage and Sardinia and Sicily, the ships include five Roman trading vessels: one from the late first or early second century B.C., a boat of western Mediterranean origin dating to the time of Christ, two first-century A.D. cargo ships, and a fourth-century A.D. merchantman. An eighteenth- or nineteenth-century Islamic fishing vessel and two nineteenth-century merchant ships were also found.

According to project archaeologist Anna Marguerite McCann of Boston University, the earliest of the Roman traders is about 100 feet long with two cargo holds, one fore and one aft of the mast. Among the ship’s artifacts were kitchen and household items, fine bronze vessels, and eight different types of amphorae, including some from Cosa on the Tyrrhenian coast. Amphorae on the ship from the time of Christ suggest trade with North Africa, southern France, and Campania.

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A Natural Wonder

An unforgettable view. (Photos: Vadim Aristov)

To see the Grand Canyon for the first time is an experience few people will forget. The canyon vista — with its incomprehensible size, deep color, and rich display of rock layers — is unmatched by any natural display on Earth. But while the rock formations may seem arid and lifeless, the Grand Canyon is home to an astounding variety of creatures. In its mile-deep plunge, the Grand Canyon’s terrain ranges from conifer forest to desert, with river niches in between.

These different habitats allow a great diversity of wildlife to live throughout the canyon. Looking down from the rim, you might spot a bighorn sheep casually walking up a nearly vertical grade or a chuckwalla lizard basking in the sun. At the bottom, you might catch a glimpse of the Colorado River as it rushes along the canyon floor.

The canyon is a monument to its own creation, owed mostly to the mighty Colorado River. Flowing from the Rocky Mountains to the gulf of California, the Colorado River is the carving force behind this 277-mile-long chasm. This water source is also the lifeline for the many animals that live at the base of the Canyon. From there, you can follow the 6,000-foot walls as they rise from the water, a visual chronology of the six million years it took to form the canyon. (more…)

How Archaeology Makes a Real Difference in Northwest Thailand

by Ben Marwick

Archaeology in Thailand, and Southeast Asia generally, is full of impressive monumental architecture and delicately decorated ceramics. It is easy to see why this is the case - these artefacts have tremendous aesthetic appeal and are easily appreciated by ambling through the ruins at Sukhothai or getting lost in the spirals on Ban Chiang ceramics. Some writers, such as Ian Glover of the Institute of Archaeology, University College London, argue that the focus on monumental and spectacular archaeology in Thailand is a strategy to cultivate a contemporary national identity that traces its roots to powerful, centralised and skilled ancient cultures (as well as making picturesque attractions to capture tourist markets).

Maybe there’s some truth to the suggested political purposes of archaeology in Thailand. But this isn’t all that’s going on, if you’ve had enough of the glitter of empires past then you might be interested to see some of the more exciting and innovative directions that Thai archaeologists have been taking recently. The old-school habits of large military-style surveys and excavations with sweating coolies supervised by monocled, elder gentlemen are well and truly gone. The new directions have two important features: firstly, using archaeology as an instrument of local community development and secondly, telling the stories of the ancient cultures that lived in Thailand for tens of thousands of years before any monuments or ceramics appeared. (more…)

Locating Domains of Devotion, Patronage and Power in the Eleventh Century

by MICHAEL WILLIS

Bijamandal and Bhojpur

The relative importance of Bhilsa vis à vis Udayagiri in post-Gupta times is indicated by the massive temple ruin known as the Bijamandal (Fig. 9). This is not dated but an inscription on one of the pillars belongs to the time of king Naravarman (c. 1093-1134). The inscription gives a short hymn in praise of the goddess Caccika.32 The eulogy, together with sculptures recovered from the debris piled against the lower mouldings, indicate that the Bijamandal was originally dedicated to this goddess and perhaps also to Siva. The inscription does not mention the foundation of the temple and the way it has been engraved on a pillar seems to indicate that it was added to a pre-existing structure. But was the temple relatively new when the inscription was incised on the pillar? Or was the building erected earlier than the reign of Naravarman? If it is earlier, when is it to be placed? These are not simple questions to answer given the present state of the evidence and the degree to which it has been analysed.

One site which potentially provides some answers is Bhojpur.33 The Siva temple there, much celebrated because it houses the largest linga in India, is not far from Bhilsa, standing as it does on the banks of the Betwa about forty kilometres upstream. Although a detailed comparative study would be needed to determine the matter scientifically, the huge base-mouldings at Bhojpur suggest that it is closely related to the Bijamandal, the two monuments perhaps even sharing the same architects and masons. Surviving sculptures from the two sites also share a number of decorative and iconographic conventions (Fig. 10). Because it was never completed, the Bhojpur temple has no dedicatory inscription. The name of the locality, however, points to an association with king Bhoja (c. 1000-55). This link is corroborated by a colossal Jaina image with an inscription mentioning [rajadhi] rajaparamesvara Bhojadeva.34 The Jaina image is in a shrine not far from the Siva temple and the location, if not the shrine’s current fabric, belongs to Paramara times. The implication is that there was considerable sculptural activity at Bhojpur when Bhoja was on the throne in the first half of the eleventh century. (more…)