Ancient floor tile from Yorkshire abbey sets researchers a puzzle Down Under
1 August 2007
Yorkshire Post
A fourteenth century floor tile from Rievaulx Abbey in North Yorkshire is causing a bit of a fuss Down Under. The tile turned up in St David's Cathedral in Hobart, capital of the island state of Tasmania. However, it was made around 300 years before Abel Tasman discovered Tasmania in 1642.
Cathedral curators were searching through an old chest in the vaults when they came across the tile. It is thought to be of the Usefleet group, named after a wealthy medieval Yorkshire knight and benefactor of Rievaulx.
The discovery was reported to English Heritage by a Northallerton man who had been on holiday in Tasmania. English Heritage curator Susan Harrison said: "It certainly looks like a genuine Rievaulx tile and represents an intriguing find. It's possible the tile was removed from the site in the 1800s and became an item in a Georgian gentleman's cabinet of curiosities and was handed down through the family."
There are about 50 tiles of the Usefleet group in English Heritage's collection, including some in situ at Rievaulx. Decorative tiles were expensive to produce and became a status symbol.
The church at Rievaulx, near Helmsley, was extensively tiled, befitting Britain's most important Cistercian house. It was forced to close by Henry VIII in 1583.
The tile found in Hobart was set in a 19th century picture frame. The professor of history at the University of Tasmania, Rodney Thomson, said: "The tile certainly left Rievaulx much earlier than the 20th century."
In handwriting which Prof Thomson dates to around 1800, were the words "Luke Thompson" and "Medieval tile from Rievaulx Abbey Yorkshire".
English Heritage thinks the name may give a clue to a Yorkshireman who emigrated many years ago - taking a piece of medieval history with him.
Saturday, August 04, 2007
Dig unearths key to ancient manor
Dig unearths key to ancient manor
30 July 2007
Western Morning News
An ancient key to a medieval manor house in the Westcountry may have been uncovered by archaeology students during an excavation on a historic site. The 15cm-long iron find, thought to date back to the 16th century, could be the key to Stokenham's medieval manor house near Kingsbridge, South Devon.
Lynsey Dunn, a first-year archaeology student at the University of Exeter, uncovered the key among rubble from the abandonment and collapse of the manor house in the late 16th century. It is just one of a number of finds that students from the university have uncovered during an excavation of the site over the past few weeks.
The dig has also unearthed 13th century coins, a belt buckle, building materials, fish hooks, animal bones, sea shells and pieces of pottery. Each of the items helps to piece together the history of the manor house - but the key, which has a heart-shaped handle, has been described as the "most exciting discovery yet".
Dr Howard Williams, a senior lecturer in archaeology at the university and dig leader, said: "This site, now just a field, contains the well-preserved remains of a medieval and Tudor manor house, which would have been the heart of the village until the 16th century. The site is full of clues as to who lived here and how the house was used. Amid the vast arrange of building material, objects and artefacts uncovered, the key is a particularly striking find. At first glance a familiar item to the modern eye, the key dates to a period when life was markedly different from today, but which saw the dawning of the modern age. This could be the key to Stokenham's medieval manor house. The archaeological evidence at Stokenham is casting light on the period when medieval institutions such as the manor were undergoing rapid alteration. The final abandonment of manor house at Stokenham in favour of a fresh site nearby may have been a means of making a break with the medieval past."
Animal bones which have been found provide an insight into medieval lordly life, while the discovery of deer bones by first-year student Grace Doughty hints at a lifestyle of hunting and feasting.
Dr Williams and his team of 28 students have worked with local volunteers and school groups to reveal the structure of the building, which was completely hidden underground. They have unearthed several collapsed walls and have also found evidence of a road leading up to the house. About 85 students have gained experience of a site at Stokenham in the past three years after locals approached the university.
The initial dig began on a site which has since been used to provide a much-needed extension to the local graveyard. It allowed the necessary excavation to take place ahead of the graveyard being extended, which will take place once the ground has been consecrated. The link-up has also provided a valuable training site for university archaeology students to practice their skills.
Despite the unusually wet weather this summer, the team is pleased with the progress it has made. Dr Williams said: "We've only lost about two hours' work through bad weather. The enthusiasm of the students and the support of the community has been superb."
The team will now take its finds back to the university for analysis.
30 July 2007
Western Morning News
An ancient key to a medieval manor house in the Westcountry may have been uncovered by archaeology students during an excavation on a historic site. The 15cm-long iron find, thought to date back to the 16th century, could be the key to Stokenham's medieval manor house near Kingsbridge, South Devon.
Lynsey Dunn, a first-year archaeology student at the University of Exeter, uncovered the key among rubble from the abandonment and collapse of the manor house in the late 16th century. It is just one of a number of finds that students from the university have uncovered during an excavation of the site over the past few weeks.
The dig has also unearthed 13th century coins, a belt buckle, building materials, fish hooks, animal bones, sea shells and pieces of pottery. Each of the items helps to piece together the history of the manor house - but the key, which has a heart-shaped handle, has been described as the "most exciting discovery yet".
Dr Howard Williams, a senior lecturer in archaeology at the university and dig leader, said: "This site, now just a field, contains the well-preserved remains of a medieval and Tudor manor house, which would have been the heart of the village until the 16th century. The site is full of clues as to who lived here and how the house was used. Amid the vast arrange of building material, objects and artefacts uncovered, the key is a particularly striking find. At first glance a familiar item to the modern eye, the key dates to a period when life was markedly different from today, but which saw the dawning of the modern age. This could be the key to Stokenham's medieval manor house. The archaeological evidence at Stokenham is casting light on the period when medieval institutions such as the manor were undergoing rapid alteration. The final abandonment of manor house at Stokenham in favour of a fresh site nearby may have been a means of making a break with the medieval past."
Animal bones which have been found provide an insight into medieval lordly life, while the discovery of deer bones by first-year student Grace Doughty hints at a lifestyle of hunting and feasting.
Dr Williams and his team of 28 students have worked with local volunteers and school groups to reveal the structure of the building, which was completely hidden underground. They have unearthed several collapsed walls and have also found evidence of a road leading up to the house. About 85 students have gained experience of a site at Stokenham in the past three years after locals approached the university.
The initial dig began on a site which has since been used to provide a much-needed extension to the local graveyard. It allowed the necessary excavation to take place ahead of the graveyard being extended, which will take place once the ground has been consecrated. The link-up has also provided a valuable training site for university archaeology students to practice their skills.
Despite the unusually wet weather this summer, the team is pleased with the progress it has made. Dr Williams said: "We've only lost about two hours' work through bad weather. The enthusiasm of the students and the support of the community has been superb."
The team will now take its finds back to the university for analysis.
Archaeological discovery at Somerset
Medieval discoveries
2 August 2007
Central Somerset Gazette
Evidence of medieval life in central Somerset that has lain hidden for centuries has been uncovered. A building site at Street has unearthed gems dating back several hundred years.
Builders working on behalf of McCarthy and Stone are turning the site of the former Holmcroft Millfield School boarding house in Somerton Road into a new retirement complex. The boarding house itself was Victorian but it had not been known that its history pre-dated that building by several centuries.
Archaeologist Steve Weaver of CGMS Consulting explained they were brought in after an initial report suggested there might be remains worth investigating. "We found evidence of various structures - a stone wall, stone surface and a stone-capped well," he said. "To judge from pottery we found, it dates from the medieval to post-medieval period - somewhere between the 12th and 14th centuries. Not a lot of known archaeology has been discovered in Street, so it's an exciting find."
The items will be now be taken away for more exact dating, with pieces of pottery and animal bone likely be donated to a local museum.
Meanwhile work on the site continues and this week a planning notice at the site has left some residents upset. McCarthy and Stone has applied for permission to fell three trees on the site, which falls within a conservation area.
Mendip District Council is giving residents until the middle of August to make any comments on the proposed chop and one person who is urging people to take note is Josie Sherwood, of Street. "These trees are very old, planted a long time before Holmcroft was a boarding house," she said. "My husband Terry lived there from when he was four years old and now he's 71. He can remember them being there all his life. I think we should be seeking a preservation order."
However McCarthy and Stone spokesman Adam Boyle said there were good reasons for giving the trees the axe. He said: "We are proposing to cut down a proportion of the trees, some of which our investigations have shown are diseased and some that need removing for the management of the remaining trees, but the principal trees will be left."
2 August 2007
Central Somerset Gazette
Evidence of medieval life in central Somerset that has lain hidden for centuries has been uncovered. A building site at Street has unearthed gems dating back several hundred years.
Builders working on behalf of McCarthy and Stone are turning the site of the former Holmcroft Millfield School boarding house in Somerton Road into a new retirement complex. The boarding house itself was Victorian but it had not been known that its history pre-dated that building by several centuries.
Archaeologist Steve Weaver of CGMS Consulting explained they were brought in after an initial report suggested there might be remains worth investigating. "We found evidence of various structures - a stone wall, stone surface and a stone-capped well," he said. "To judge from pottery we found, it dates from the medieval to post-medieval period - somewhere between the 12th and 14th centuries. Not a lot of known archaeology has been discovered in Street, so it's an exciting find."
The items will be now be taken away for more exact dating, with pieces of pottery and animal bone likely be donated to a local museum.
Meanwhile work on the site continues and this week a planning notice at the site has left some residents upset. McCarthy and Stone has applied for permission to fell three trees on the site, which falls within a conservation area.
Mendip District Council is giving residents until the middle of August to make any comments on the proposed chop and one person who is urging people to take note is Josie Sherwood, of Street. "These trees are very old, planted a long time before Holmcroft was a boarding house," she said. "My husband Terry lived there from when he was four years old and now he's 71. He can remember them being there all his life. I think we should be seeking a preservation order."
However McCarthy and Stone spokesman Adam Boyle said there were good reasons for giving the trees the axe. He said: "We are proposing to cut down a proportion of the trees, some of which our investigations have shown are diseased and some that need removing for the management of the remaining trees, but the principal trees will be left."
West Pennard medieval farmhouse at risk
Medieval farmhouse added to buildings at risk register
2 August 2007
Central Somerset Gazette
A medieval farmhouse in central Somerset has been identified by English Heritage as one of the most at-risk buildings in the country. The farmhouse in the village of West Pennard has been added to the 2007 Buildings at Risk Register, published last week by English Heritage. The register, produced annually, brings together information on Grade I and II listed buildings known to be "at risk" through neglect or decay, or those vulnerable to becoming so. The farmhouse in East Street, West Pennard, was built in the medieval period and remodelled in the 17th century, but it has been unoccupied for several decades and is in a very poor structural condition.
The English Heritage rate buildings on a scale of A to F, with A being the most at risk. The West Pennard farmhouse has been given a D rating, described as slow decay, with a solution agreed but not yet implemented. In 2006 the farmhouse was sold and the new owners surrounded the building in protective scaffolding. Planning applications were submitted to install a sewage treatment tank and a reed bed system.
At the launch of the register, last week, chief executive of English Heritage, Simon Thurley, said: "English Heritage is the safety net when all else fails, essentially the social services of the heritage world. The buildings like the ones we have identified today deserve a second chance and we should be their best hope. If we fail to act today the cost of saving these buildings will continue to rise and their decay will advance."
2 August 2007
Central Somerset Gazette
A medieval farmhouse in central Somerset has been identified by English Heritage as one of the most at-risk buildings in the country. The farmhouse in the village of West Pennard has been added to the 2007 Buildings at Risk Register, published last week by English Heritage. The register, produced annually, brings together information on Grade I and II listed buildings known to be "at risk" through neglect or decay, or those vulnerable to becoming so. The farmhouse in East Street, West Pennard, was built in the medieval period and remodelled in the 17th century, but it has been unoccupied for several decades and is in a very poor structural condition.
The English Heritage rate buildings on a scale of A to F, with A being the most at risk. The West Pennard farmhouse has been given a D rating, described as slow decay, with a solution agreed but not yet implemented. In 2006 the farmhouse was sold and the new owners surrounded the building in protective scaffolding. Planning applications were submitted to install a sewage treatment tank and a reed bed system.
At the launch of the register, last week, chief executive of English Heritage, Simon Thurley, said: "English Heritage is the safety net when all else fails, essentially the social services of the heritage world. The buildings like the ones we have identified today deserve a second chance and we should be their best hope. If we fail to act today the cost of saving these buildings will continue to rise and their decay will advance."
Restoration of Porch House in Thornbury
Work set to start on revamp of historic hall
by Hugo Berger
3 August 2007
Bristol Evening Post
Work is soon to start on the refurbishment of a historic community hall in Thornbury after it was granted more than £100,000. Essential conservation and upgrading work will get under way later this month on the 15th century Porch House in Castle Street.
The money was granted from the Heritage Lottery Fund, Ibstock Cory Environment Trust and the Biffaward charitable trust. Project spokesman Ray Pioli said: "The success of our fundraising has exceeded our expectations and we thank all our partners for their support. As a result, we can extend the scope of the project to encompass the complete refurbishment of Porch House. In addition to the essential conservation work to the house and hall, we will now be providing new disabled facilities and access, improved catering facilities, new toilets and many other enhancements."
Porch House is one of the oldest medieval buildings in Thornbury. It is used by community groups and is the venue for amateur dramatics and other events.
Angela Haymonds, secretary of Ibstock Cory Environmental Trust, said: "We are delighted to fund this worthwhile project and assist the Porch House refurbishment by providing disabled facilities in order to meet new disability and safety requirements and benefit the community."
Martin Bettington, chairman of Biffaward, which awards money from landfill tax, said: "Porch House is an excellent example of the type of community project we're here to support. Our grant will fund the new kitchen, new toilets and other enhancements."
When work starts in August, Porch House will close for the summer. It will reopen in the autumn for regular community use. The first major events to be hosted in the refurbished complex will be the beer festival in November and the pantomime Treasure Island in January.
The official reopening will be marked next year with Spirits of the Past - a journey through time charting the history of Porch House. Visitors will be able to meet the residents, share in their lives and the times and revel in the music of their age.
Porch House dates back to at least the 15th century, though it has been altered and extended over the years. It has had a colourful history. It was reputedly attacked by Parliamentarian troops during the English Civil War in the 17th century.
The original door now hangs inside the hall, complete with what is said to be an axe-mark made by the Roundheads. Since then it has served as a farm house, home, butcher's shop, accountant's office, tailor's shop, home of the town football team, church and priest's house.
by Hugo Berger
3 August 2007
Bristol Evening Post
Work is soon to start on the refurbishment of a historic community hall in Thornbury after it was granted more than £100,000. Essential conservation and upgrading work will get under way later this month on the 15th century Porch House in Castle Street.
The money was granted from the Heritage Lottery Fund, Ibstock Cory Environment Trust and the Biffaward charitable trust. Project spokesman Ray Pioli said: "The success of our fundraising has exceeded our expectations and we thank all our partners for their support. As a result, we can extend the scope of the project to encompass the complete refurbishment of Porch House. In addition to the essential conservation work to the house and hall, we will now be providing new disabled facilities and access, improved catering facilities, new toilets and many other enhancements."
Porch House is one of the oldest medieval buildings in Thornbury. It is used by community groups and is the venue for amateur dramatics and other events.
Angela Haymonds, secretary of Ibstock Cory Environmental Trust, said: "We are delighted to fund this worthwhile project and assist the Porch House refurbishment by providing disabled facilities in order to meet new disability and safety requirements and benefit the community."
Martin Bettington, chairman of Biffaward, which awards money from landfill tax, said: "Porch House is an excellent example of the type of community project we're here to support. Our grant will fund the new kitchen, new toilets and other enhancements."
When work starts in August, Porch House will close for the summer. It will reopen in the autumn for regular community use. The first major events to be hosted in the refurbished complex will be the beer festival in November and the pantomime Treasure Island in January.
The official reopening will be marked next year with Spirits of the Past - a journey through time charting the history of Porch House. Visitors will be able to meet the residents, share in their lives and the times and revel in the music of their age.
Porch House dates back to at least the 15th century, though it has been altered and extended over the years. It has had a colourful history. It was reputedly attacked by Parliamentarian troops during the English Civil War in the 17th century.
The original door now hangs inside the hall, complete with what is said to be an axe-mark made by the Roundheads. Since then it has served as a farm house, home, butcher's shop, accountant's office, tailor's shop, home of the town football team, church and priest's house.
Greek prosecutors investigate Bulgarian claim to Byzantine-era silver plates
Greek prosecutors investigate Bulgarian claim to Byzantine-era silver plates
31 July 2007
Associated Press Newswires
Greek authorities began an investigation Tuesday into claims that nine Byzantine-era plates on display at three Greek museums were illegally smuggled out of Bulgaria.
The silver plates decorated with gold filigree date to the late 12th century, according to Greek experts. They measure between 26 and 33 centimeters, or 10 and 13 inches, in diameter.
Judicial authorities said the investigation into the Bulgarian claims was expected to last several months. The results will be forwarded to Bulgarian authorities.
The plates are on display at Thessaloniki's Byzantine Heritage Museum, and Athens' Benaki Museum and Byzantine and Christian Museum.
Prosecutors in Athens and Thessaloniki will interview museum officials and Greek experts. If evidence is found to support the claims, the plates could be seized from the museums.
Earlier this month, Bulgarian prosecutor Kamen Mihov said he had "categorical proof" the artifacts were illegally excavated in Bulgaria.
In documents sent to Greece, Bulgarian prosecutors say the plates were excavated from a site near the town of Pazardzhik in central Bulgaria in late 2000 and 2001.
Greece rejects Bulgaria's claim on medieval plates
By Karolos Grohmann
31 July 2007
Reuters News
Greece on Tuesday rejected calls from Bulgaria for the return of nine silver medieval plates which Sofia says were illegally excavated and smuggled out of the country.
Earlier this month Bulgarian prosecutors lodged an official demand with Greek judicial authorities for the return of the rare plates, saying they were illegally taken in the 1990s.
"Greece will have a full documentation dossier proving they were legally purchased, when the case goes to court," a culture ministry official who declined to be named told Reuters. It was not clear when the case would be heard.
The plates, on display in Greece's Benaki Museum, the Museum of Byzantine Culture and the Byzantine and Christian Museum of Athens, date back to the 13th and 14th centuries and are decorated with gold.
In the past year Greece has launched an international campaign to get back hundreds of ancient artefacts illegally excavated and smuggled out of the antiquities-rich country.
It has so far managed to obtain four objects from the J.P. Getty Museum in the United States, that were a result of illegal excavation or smuggling before they were purchased by America's richest art institution.
Several other objects and fragments of the Acropolis have also been returned to Greece and Athens is still demanding the return of the Parthenon marbles, also known as the Elgin marbles, currently housed in the British Museum.
The head of one of the three museums that displays the plates said he believed there was nothing wrong with the purchase.
"When these plates went on sale they were accompanied by considerable international publicity and announcements," Byzantine and Christian Museum Director Dimitris Konstantios told Reuters.
"There was never an issue regarding their legality. I believe that there is no problem here."
The purchase on behalf of all three museums was handled by the Benaki Museum, Konstantios said. Each institution houses three plates.
Benaki officials could not be reached for a comment.
31 July 2007
Associated Press Newswires
Greek authorities began an investigation Tuesday into claims that nine Byzantine-era plates on display at three Greek museums were illegally smuggled out of Bulgaria.
The silver plates decorated with gold filigree date to the late 12th century, according to Greek experts. They measure between 26 and 33 centimeters, or 10 and 13 inches, in diameter.
Judicial authorities said the investigation into the Bulgarian claims was expected to last several months. The results will be forwarded to Bulgarian authorities.
The plates are on display at Thessaloniki's Byzantine Heritage Museum, and Athens' Benaki Museum and Byzantine and Christian Museum.
Prosecutors in Athens and Thessaloniki will interview museum officials and Greek experts. If evidence is found to support the claims, the plates could be seized from the museums.
Earlier this month, Bulgarian prosecutor Kamen Mihov said he had "categorical proof" the artifacts were illegally excavated in Bulgaria.
In documents sent to Greece, Bulgarian prosecutors say the plates were excavated from a site near the town of Pazardzhik in central Bulgaria in late 2000 and 2001.
Greece rejects Bulgaria's claim on medieval plates
By Karolos Grohmann
31 July 2007
Reuters News
Greece on Tuesday rejected calls from Bulgaria for the return of nine silver medieval plates which Sofia says were illegally excavated and smuggled out of the country.
Earlier this month Bulgarian prosecutors lodged an official demand with Greek judicial authorities for the return of the rare plates, saying they were illegally taken in the 1990s.
"Greece will have a full documentation dossier proving they were legally purchased, when the case goes to court," a culture ministry official who declined to be named told Reuters. It was not clear when the case would be heard.
The plates, on display in Greece's Benaki Museum, the Museum of Byzantine Culture and the Byzantine and Christian Museum of Athens, date back to the 13th and 14th centuries and are decorated with gold.
In the past year Greece has launched an international campaign to get back hundreds of ancient artefacts illegally excavated and smuggled out of the antiquities-rich country.
It has so far managed to obtain four objects from the J.P. Getty Museum in the United States, that were a result of illegal excavation or smuggling before they were purchased by America's richest art institution.
Several other objects and fragments of the Acropolis have also been returned to Greece and Athens is still demanding the return of the Parthenon marbles, also known as the Elgin marbles, currently housed in the British Museum.
The head of one of the three museums that displays the plates said he believed there was nothing wrong with the purchase.
"When these plates went on sale they were accompanied by considerable international publicity and announcements," Byzantine and Christian Museum Director Dimitris Konstantios told Reuters.
"There was never an issue regarding their legality. I believe that there is no problem here."
The purchase on behalf of all three museums was handled by the Benaki Museum, Konstantios said. Each institution houses three plates.
Benaki officials could not be reached for a comment.
Vivid new shrine paints the story of St Ethelbert
Vivid new shrine paints the story of St Ethelbert
3 August 2007
The Times
A new shrine to St Ethelbert, King and Martyr, has recently been dedicated in Hereford Cathedral. Born in East Anglia in the late 8th century, St Ethelbert travelled to Mercia to seek the hand of Aelfrytha, the daughter of King Offa. Offa subsequently arranged for him to be murdered in Marden, five miles from Hereford.
Many legends have grown up around him -that a spring rose at the site of his beheading; that the body was taken by ox-cart to what is now Hereford; that during that journey the head fell from the cart; and that it was found by a blind man who promptly regained his sight.
Ethelbert's body was buried at Hereford Cathedral and became the centre of a pilgrim cult. Until the Dissolution his head was a focus of devotion at Westminster Abbey.
The shrine tells the story in 12 vibrant images. Its seven- sided wooden structure, which surrounds a pillar east of the high altar, was designed by the cathedral architect Robert Kilgour and made by the furniture maker and designer Stephen Florence.
The icons were painted in the Byzantine style by Peter Murphy, a noted iconographer (and stuckist) who uses traditional early medieval techniques and materials including gold leaf and egg tempera.
On two carved bands encircling it are the words "Jesus said: All who want to be followers of mine must renounce self. Day after day they must take up their cross and follow me." (Luke ix, 23) -words which, the Dean, Michael Tavinor, has said, serve to "remind us... that Ethelbert's story of suffering is one experienced by so many in the world today -and underline the gospel message of following Jesus in joy and in sorrow".
3 August 2007
The Times
A new shrine to St Ethelbert, King and Martyr, has recently been dedicated in Hereford Cathedral. Born in East Anglia in the late 8th century, St Ethelbert travelled to Mercia to seek the hand of Aelfrytha, the daughter of King Offa. Offa subsequently arranged for him to be murdered in Marden, five miles from Hereford.
Many legends have grown up around him -that a spring rose at the site of his beheading; that the body was taken by ox-cart to what is now Hereford; that during that journey the head fell from the cart; and that it was found by a blind man who promptly regained his sight.
Ethelbert's body was buried at Hereford Cathedral and became the centre of a pilgrim cult. Until the Dissolution his head was a focus of devotion at Westminster Abbey.
The shrine tells the story in 12 vibrant images. Its seven- sided wooden structure, which surrounds a pillar east of the high altar, was designed by the cathedral architect Robert Kilgour and made by the furniture maker and designer Stephen Florence.
The icons were painted in the Byzantine style by Peter Murphy, a noted iconographer (and stuckist) who uses traditional early medieval techniques and materials including gold leaf and egg tempera.
On two carved bands encircling it are the words "Jesus said: All who want to be followers of mine must renounce self. Day after day they must take up their cross and follow me." (Luke ix, 23) -words which, the Dean, Michael Tavinor, has said, serve to "remind us... that Ethelbert's story of suffering is one experienced by so many in the world today -and underline the gospel message of following Jesus in joy and in sorrow".
Exhibition of Syrian mosaics goes on display in the Church of San Domenico, Ravenna
ANCIENT SYRIAN MOSAICS SHINE IN RAVENNA
3 August 2007
ANSA - English Media Service
Ravenna, the capital of Roman and Byzantine mosaics, has turned its hand to a fresh clutch of works, restoring a number of priceless designs on loan from Syrian museums. The mosaics, which go on public display here at the start of August, were all created by artists during the late Roman period, when Syria was a province of the Roman Empire.
Ravenna was the centre of late Roman mosaic art in the 5th century AD but Syria was also considered a crucial production point. Its capital Antioch was particularly renowned, and was for a long time one of the most important areas of mosaic production in the entire Roman Empire. 'Mosaici d'Oriente. Tessere sulla via di Damasco' (Mosaics of the East. Tiles on the Road to Damascus) will showcase a selection of precious artworks from this era.
Most of the mosaics were designed for the floor and feature a variety of animals - symbolic designs whose meaning is still being studied by experts. One shows a series of animal pairs - a zebra and a lion, a cheetah and a unicorn - facing a fruit tree. Another depicts symmetrical pairs of birds and quadrupeds standing next to a large urn. A third panel shows scenes from a hunt, including animals chasing one another, against a background of stylised rose-designs.
The exhibition, the result of months of careful restoration work by Ravenna experts, is the second in a series of collaborations between the western Italian city and Syria. A show last year, looking at the golden age of Ravenna, explored the town's influence throughout the Mediterranean and included a number of Syrian mosaics among its 100 pieces on show.
Ravenna developed rapidly after first replacing Rome as capital of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD and later becoming capital of the Byzantine Empire. Its rulers built the finest Byzantine churches outside Constantinople and to this day, the city retains its name as the 'Capital of Mosaics'. Among the city's most famous pieces is its Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, from 425-430, which shows a gold cross in the middle of a starry sky.
Later pieces, completed after Ravenna was conquered by the Byzantine Empire, include mosaics in the Basilica of San Vitale, showing a series of scenes from the Old Testament, and small sequences in the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo, depicting Christ's miracles and parables on one side, and the Passion and Resurrection on the other.
The exhibition of Syrian mosaics goes on display in the Church of San Domenico, from August 4 until November 5.
3 August 2007
ANSA - English Media Service
Ravenna, the capital of Roman and Byzantine mosaics, has turned its hand to a fresh clutch of works, restoring a number of priceless designs on loan from Syrian museums. The mosaics, which go on public display here at the start of August, were all created by artists during the late Roman period, when Syria was a province of the Roman Empire.
Ravenna was the centre of late Roman mosaic art in the 5th century AD but Syria was also considered a crucial production point. Its capital Antioch was particularly renowned, and was for a long time one of the most important areas of mosaic production in the entire Roman Empire. 'Mosaici d'Oriente. Tessere sulla via di Damasco' (Mosaics of the East. Tiles on the Road to Damascus) will showcase a selection of precious artworks from this era.
Most of the mosaics were designed for the floor and feature a variety of animals - symbolic designs whose meaning is still being studied by experts. One shows a series of animal pairs - a zebra and a lion, a cheetah and a unicorn - facing a fruit tree. Another depicts symmetrical pairs of birds and quadrupeds standing next to a large urn. A third panel shows scenes from a hunt, including animals chasing one another, against a background of stylised rose-designs.
The exhibition, the result of months of careful restoration work by Ravenna experts, is the second in a series of collaborations between the western Italian city and Syria. A show last year, looking at the golden age of Ravenna, explored the town's influence throughout the Mediterranean and included a number of Syrian mosaics among its 100 pieces on show.
Ravenna developed rapidly after first replacing Rome as capital of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD and later becoming capital of the Byzantine Empire. Its rulers built the finest Byzantine churches outside Constantinople and to this day, the city retains its name as the 'Capital of Mosaics'. Among the city's most famous pieces is its Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, from 425-430, which shows a gold cross in the middle of a starry sky.
Later pieces, completed after Ravenna was conquered by the Byzantine Empire, include mosaics in the Basilica of San Vitale, showing a series of scenes from the Old Testament, and small sequences in the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo, depicting Christ's miracles and parables on one side, and the Passion and Resurrection on the other.
The exhibition of Syrian mosaics goes on display in the Church of San Domenico, from August 4 until November 5.
Czech archaeologists uncover unique Central European ditch
Czech archaeologists uncover unique Central European ditch
31 July 2007
CTK Daily News
Archaeologists have uncovered a unique medieval ditch in Sumperk which they say is unique in Central Europe by its structure, the regional supplement to daily Mlada fronta Dnes (MfD) and daily Denik write today.
The bank of the ditch is reinforced with wood that has been preserved in the ground to date, the papers write.
"We have been taken by surprise by the important find. Such a wood-reinforced medieval ditch has not been registered anywhere in Central Europe," archaeologist Vladimir Gos is quoted as saying.
The find has interrupted work on the construction of a new house.
The archaeologists also found a part of a Lostice cup, a relic of famous ceramics made in Lostice, north Moravia, in the Middle Ages.
"Lostice cups had an excellent name in Europe at that time. It is interesting that this is the first Lostice cup ever found in archaeological research in Sumperk," Gos said.
The most surprising about the ditch is the wood in the ditch walls.
"The wood is in such a condition as if it were put into the ground last year," another archaeologist Jakub Halama said.
The exact date of the ditch construction will be determined by Prague experts in dendrochronology. It is now estimated that the ditch comes form the 13th or 14th century.
31 July 2007
CTK Daily News
Archaeologists have uncovered a unique medieval ditch in Sumperk which they say is unique in Central Europe by its structure, the regional supplement to daily Mlada fronta Dnes (MfD) and daily Denik write today.
The bank of the ditch is reinforced with wood that has been preserved in the ground to date, the papers write.
"We have been taken by surprise by the important find. Such a wood-reinforced medieval ditch has not been registered anywhere in Central Europe," archaeologist Vladimir Gos is quoted as saying.
The find has interrupted work on the construction of a new house.
The archaeologists also found a part of a Lostice cup, a relic of famous ceramics made in Lostice, north Moravia, in the Middle Ages.
"Lostice cups had an excellent name in Europe at that time. It is interesting that this is the first Lostice cup ever found in archaeological research in Sumperk," Gos said.
The most surprising about the ditch is the wood in the ditch walls.
"The wood is in such a condition as if it were put into the ground last year," another archaeologist Jakub Halama said.
The exact date of the ditch construction will be determined by Prague experts in dendrochronology. It is now estimated that the ditch comes form the 13th or 14th century.
Archaeology of Somerset
Unearthing a treasure trove of local history
3 August 2007
Western Morning News
Archaeology has never been so popular, thanks largely to television programmes such as Channel 4's Time Team, which has been presided over by Mick Aston, Bristol University's retired professor in landscape archaeology.
Fourteen series of the programme have been made since its cameras first focused in on Alfred the Great's abbey fort site at Athelney in Somerset in January 1994.
Since then numerous return visits to the county have been made by Time Team's squad of investigators - a fact that highlights the importance of Somerset in helping to raise the profile of archaeology in the nation's consciousness.
"It's a county like no other," says Prof Aston, who more than 30 years ago arrived in Somerset as the county council's first field archaeologist.
"They were exciting times. The M5 had just cut a swathe through the county, disrupting landscapes that had been settled and farmed for thousands of years. Professional archaeologists, together with an army of volunteers, struggled to record the wealth of archaeology that emerged as a result. That was also the period when the work of the archaeologist finally gained acceptance as an essential part of the planning process, and when landscape archaeology emerged strongly as a discipline in its own right.
"Somerset 30 years ago was still a place where you could make really important discoveries just by looking over a hedge. I well remember the summer evening in 1976 when I climbed a gate in south Somerset and found myself confronted by an amazing sea of earthworks. I had just discovered Nether Adber, one of the county's best-preserved deserted medieval villages."
Somerset has been rich in other finds and research since then and they are included in the latest book to chart the history of the county from the Palaeolithic and Mesolithic eras right through to new areas of discovery - the archaeology of the Second World War and the Cold War.
With a foreword by Prof Aston, the new tome features a series of highly readable chapters penned by experts on key periods in time. They include Chris Webster, Somerset Heritage Service's historic environment record manager, who has edited the book with Tom Mayberry, the county's heritage officer.
Two of the contributors - Somerset County Museums' head Stephen Minnitt and historic environment record officer Talya Bagwell - reveal that human awareness of the past was first glimpsed as far back as 2,000 years ago when artefacts recovered during the excavation of the Iron Age lake villages at Glastonbury and Meare included items from earlier times, such as Neolithic stone axes and leaf-shaped arrowheads.
The items were brought from elsewhere, but the motive for collecting them is still unclear, though superstition, personal gain or simple curiosity are among the possible explanations.
Later, in the Roman period, there is evidence that Bronze Age round barrows were investigated, probably in a search for grave goods.
When Wick Barrow, Stogursey, was excavated in 1907 the primary burial and grave goods were missing, removed by robbers who conveniently left behind a coin dating to around AD 340.
Later people occasionally re-used earlier Roman artefacts. At least two graves excavated at Cannington cemetery had Roman coins placed within them.
More unusually, a broken Roman antler hoe was found in a medieval quarry at Shapwick. One suggestion is that the hoe was a chance find recovered in the Middle Ages during stone robbing of a Roman ruin.
As well as the collection and re-use of physical items from the past, monuments became associated with folklore, say the experts.
"A past was fabricated, showing an awareness of the passage of time and a need to understand what had gone before," they say.
"There are many instances of fanciful stories attached to such monuments in Somerset. Stones at Battlegore, Williton, probably from a chambered tomb, are said to have resulted from a stone-throwing contest between the devil and a giant. Robin Hood's Butts, a group of round barrows in the parish of Otterford, are reputedly the result of giants throwing heaps of earth at one another. Cow Castle, a hillfort of Iron-Age date on Exmoor, is claimed to be a fairy stronghold, built to withstand dangerous earth spirits."
Out of the murkiness of legend a more serious interest in the past developed from the Tudor period onwards. Among the foremost of Tudor antiquaries was the scholar and royal librarian John Leland, who made three visits to record Somerset sites between 1535 and 1543.
In the 19th century interest often focused on round barrows and John Skinner, the rector of Camerton, was especially active. He employed coal miners from the North of the county to open up sites.
Then in 1849 the Somerset Archaeological and Natural History Society was formed. For its first 50 years, the society's interest was mainly focused on history and topographical Somerset, with a particular emphasis on castles, churches and monasteries. But some chance archaeological discoveries were published, including a hoard of Bronze Age metalwork from Edington Burtle in 1854 and the probably 6th-century inscription on the Caratacus stone on Exmoor in 1890.
Arguably the first large-scale excavations of high standard in Somerset were those conducted by local man Arthur Bulleid on the site of the Glastonbury Lake Village. He discovered the site in 1892 after searching for four years for Somerset parallels to the then recently reported Swiss lake villages. The lake villages of Glastonbury and Meare are the most extensively excavated and best-preserved Iron Age sites in Somerset.
The second half of the 20th century saw the growth of professional archaeology in the county. Foremost among the early professionals was Philip Rahtz whose work included excavations at Cheddar, where the Saxon and medieval palace later used by the bishops of Bath and Wells, were discovered.
In the mid-1960s a revival of interest in King Arthur led to excavations at sites at Glastonbury, long believed to be the isle of Avalon, and South Cadbury, which local people had told John Leland was the site of Camelot.
After excavating the summit of Glastonbury Tor, Rahtz was able to demonstrate the presence of timber structures in the 6th century, with evidence of associated metalwork. At South Cadbury, Cardiff academic Leslie Alcock, who directed large-scale operations between 1966 and 1970, discovered extensive new defences and evidence of the site's post-Roman re-use.
An initiative born out of the need to record a vanishing resource was the Somerset Levels Project in the Brue Valley. It was sparked by the discovery in 1970 of the Sweet Track, Britain's oldest-known wooden walkway, which was built to cross two kilometres of reed swamp between the Polden Hills and the then island of Westhay in 3807 BC. It was named after Ray Sweet, the local peat cutter who discovered it.
Large-scale excavations started in 1973 and techniques developed over the 15 years of the project formed the basis of wetland archaeology now practised across the world.
Today, there is more archaeological work in the county than ever before, mostly funded by developers and carried out by professional archaeological contractors. Somerset County Council coordinates the activity.
And in recent decades there has also been increasing interest in discovering more about 20th-century pillboxes and airfields.
The suddenness of the German success in Western Europe early in the Second World War sparked an emergency programme of defence construction in Britain to counteract the invasion threat. In Somerset, defensive "stoplines" were created and in late 1940 more than 1,000 pillboxes were constructed in a few months.
Hospitals were built around Yeovil and Taunton, including Musgrove Park, which is still in use.
Few remains of civil defence installations can be seen in Somerset, but domestic shelters survive in gardens and there are communal shelters still visible in Yeovil.
"The Archaeology of Somerset" is edited by Chris Webster and Tom Mayberry and is published in paperback by Halsgrove. It costs £12.99
3 August 2007
Western Morning News
Archaeology has never been so popular, thanks largely to television programmes such as Channel 4's Time Team, which has been presided over by Mick Aston, Bristol University's retired professor in landscape archaeology.
Fourteen series of the programme have been made since its cameras first focused in on Alfred the Great's abbey fort site at Athelney in Somerset in January 1994.
Since then numerous return visits to the county have been made by Time Team's squad of investigators - a fact that highlights the importance of Somerset in helping to raise the profile of archaeology in the nation's consciousness.
"It's a county like no other," says Prof Aston, who more than 30 years ago arrived in Somerset as the county council's first field archaeologist.
"They were exciting times. The M5 had just cut a swathe through the county, disrupting landscapes that had been settled and farmed for thousands of years. Professional archaeologists, together with an army of volunteers, struggled to record the wealth of archaeology that emerged as a result. That was also the period when the work of the archaeologist finally gained acceptance as an essential part of the planning process, and when landscape archaeology emerged strongly as a discipline in its own right.
"Somerset 30 years ago was still a place where you could make really important discoveries just by looking over a hedge. I well remember the summer evening in 1976 when I climbed a gate in south Somerset and found myself confronted by an amazing sea of earthworks. I had just discovered Nether Adber, one of the county's best-preserved deserted medieval villages."
Somerset has been rich in other finds and research since then and they are included in the latest book to chart the history of the county from the Palaeolithic and Mesolithic eras right through to new areas of discovery - the archaeology of the Second World War and the Cold War.
With a foreword by Prof Aston, the new tome features a series of highly readable chapters penned by experts on key periods in time. They include Chris Webster, Somerset Heritage Service's historic environment record manager, who has edited the book with Tom Mayberry, the county's heritage officer.
Two of the contributors - Somerset County Museums' head Stephen Minnitt and historic environment record officer Talya Bagwell - reveal that human awareness of the past was first glimpsed as far back as 2,000 years ago when artefacts recovered during the excavation of the Iron Age lake villages at Glastonbury and Meare included items from earlier times, such as Neolithic stone axes and leaf-shaped arrowheads.
The items were brought from elsewhere, but the motive for collecting them is still unclear, though superstition, personal gain or simple curiosity are among the possible explanations.
Later, in the Roman period, there is evidence that Bronze Age round barrows were investigated, probably in a search for grave goods.
When Wick Barrow, Stogursey, was excavated in 1907 the primary burial and grave goods were missing, removed by robbers who conveniently left behind a coin dating to around AD 340.
Later people occasionally re-used earlier Roman artefacts. At least two graves excavated at Cannington cemetery had Roman coins placed within them.
More unusually, a broken Roman antler hoe was found in a medieval quarry at Shapwick. One suggestion is that the hoe was a chance find recovered in the Middle Ages during stone robbing of a Roman ruin.
As well as the collection and re-use of physical items from the past, monuments became associated with folklore, say the experts.
"A past was fabricated, showing an awareness of the passage of time and a need to understand what had gone before," they say.
"There are many instances of fanciful stories attached to such monuments in Somerset. Stones at Battlegore, Williton, probably from a chambered tomb, are said to have resulted from a stone-throwing contest between the devil and a giant. Robin Hood's Butts, a group of round barrows in the parish of Otterford, are reputedly the result of giants throwing heaps of earth at one another. Cow Castle, a hillfort of Iron-Age date on Exmoor, is claimed to be a fairy stronghold, built to withstand dangerous earth spirits."
Out of the murkiness of legend a more serious interest in the past developed from the Tudor period onwards. Among the foremost of Tudor antiquaries was the scholar and royal librarian John Leland, who made three visits to record Somerset sites between 1535 and 1543.
In the 19th century interest often focused on round barrows and John Skinner, the rector of Camerton, was especially active. He employed coal miners from the North of the county to open up sites.
Then in 1849 the Somerset Archaeological and Natural History Society was formed. For its first 50 years, the society's interest was mainly focused on history and topographical Somerset, with a particular emphasis on castles, churches and monasteries. But some chance archaeological discoveries were published, including a hoard of Bronze Age metalwork from Edington Burtle in 1854 and the probably 6th-century inscription on the Caratacus stone on Exmoor in 1890.
Arguably the first large-scale excavations of high standard in Somerset were those conducted by local man Arthur Bulleid on the site of the Glastonbury Lake Village. He discovered the site in 1892 after searching for four years for Somerset parallels to the then recently reported Swiss lake villages. The lake villages of Glastonbury and Meare are the most extensively excavated and best-preserved Iron Age sites in Somerset.
The second half of the 20th century saw the growth of professional archaeology in the county. Foremost among the early professionals was Philip Rahtz whose work included excavations at Cheddar, where the Saxon and medieval palace later used by the bishops of Bath and Wells, were discovered.
In the mid-1960s a revival of interest in King Arthur led to excavations at sites at Glastonbury, long believed to be the isle of Avalon, and South Cadbury, which local people had told John Leland was the site of Camelot.
After excavating the summit of Glastonbury Tor, Rahtz was able to demonstrate the presence of timber structures in the 6th century, with evidence of associated metalwork. At South Cadbury, Cardiff academic Leslie Alcock, who directed large-scale operations between 1966 and 1970, discovered extensive new defences and evidence of the site's post-Roman re-use.
An initiative born out of the need to record a vanishing resource was the Somerset Levels Project in the Brue Valley. It was sparked by the discovery in 1970 of the Sweet Track, Britain's oldest-known wooden walkway, which was built to cross two kilometres of reed swamp between the Polden Hills and the then island of Westhay in 3807 BC. It was named after Ray Sweet, the local peat cutter who discovered it.
Large-scale excavations started in 1973 and techniques developed over the 15 years of the project formed the basis of wetland archaeology now practised across the world.
Today, there is more archaeological work in the county than ever before, mostly funded by developers and carried out by professional archaeological contractors. Somerset County Council coordinates the activity.
And in recent decades there has also been increasing interest in discovering more about 20th-century pillboxes and airfields.
The suddenness of the German success in Western Europe early in the Second World War sparked an emergency programme of defence construction in Britain to counteract the invasion threat. In Somerset, defensive "stoplines" were created and in late 1940 more than 1,000 pillboxes were constructed in a few months.
Hospitals were built around Yeovil and Taunton, including Musgrove Park, which is still in use.
Few remains of civil defence installations can be seen in Somerset, but domestic shelters survive in gardens and there are communal shelters still visible in Yeovil.
"The Archaeology of Somerset" is edited by Chris Webster and Tom Mayberry and is published in paperback by Halsgrove. It costs £12.99
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