Fascinating Artifacts Unearthed in TWO Newly Discovered Neighboring Anglo-Saxon Sites in England

Ancient Origins

Preparations for two new Cambridgeshire housing development projects have uncovered a fine collection of precious ornamental items and weaponry from Anglo-Saxon times and rare Roman era domestic artifacts. The finds provide new insight on the fashion and lifestyle of the wealthy who lived in the area during the 5th-7th centuries AD.

The discoveries were made in Cambridge and near Soham in Cambridgeshire, England. Heritage Daily reports that the Anglo-Saxon objects were likely owned by nobles and include several well-preserved items. The jewelry they found at the sites includes beaded items made of glass, amber, jet, and amethyst, silver wrist clasps, bone pins, and rings.

Some of the Anglo-Saxon beads found at the Cambridge site. ( Archeology by Weston Homes )

Cambridge News says that one of the brooches found at the Soham site holds special importance for researchers as it still has textile fragments, which they can use to recreate Anglo-Saxon clothing

An Anglo-Saxon brooch discovered at the site with textile still attached to it. ( Cambridge News )

Some of the Anglo-Saxon domestic artifacts of the Soham site are a decorative bone comb, tweezers, buckets, and buckles.

As for the weaponry, the team of archaeologists from the University College London (UCL) discovered a dagger, iron shield bosses, and spear heads at the Soham site.

An iron Anglo-Saxon dagger found at the Soham site, by the Centre for Applied Archaeology. ( UCL Institute of Archaeology )

A final discovery of importance at the site near Soham was an Iron Age enclosure which measured at least 50m (164 ft.) by 20m (65.6 ft.) and was 2 m (6.6 ft.) deep. The archaeologists believe “The enclosures form part of a productive agricultural landscape with finds of quernstones for processing grain, animal bones and other domestic refuse, and pits possibly used for grain storage. Although no buildings were identified, it is likely a settlement focus was located nearby.”

Assistant director of UCL’s Archaeology South-East, Louise Rayner, told Cambridge News that the archaeologists were expecting to find something at the Soham site, though they were surprised to find as much as they did:

“The site was expected to contain archaeological remains after a large excavation immediately to the south-east had previously uncovered extensive evidence for the Late Bronze Age, Iron Age and Roman periods, but it was great to discover such a range of artefacts”.

Following the Roman departure from the area, Anglo-Saxons arrived in Soham and surrounding areas around 411 AD. It is believed that they probably re-used the Roman villas they found.

In contrast, pottery vessels were found at the Cambridge housing development site, such as a rare glass claw beaker (named due to the claw-shaped handles which were attached to the conical walls near the stem of the vessel). The History blog states these “vases were very highly prized, probably imported from Germany, and have mainly been found as grave goods in 5th and 6th century Anglo-Saxon burials.” Cambridge News adds that “These elaborate drinking vessels are normally found further south east such as in Kent, northern France, the Netherlands and Germany.”

The rare claw beaker found at the Cambridge site. ( Stephen Collins )

Duncan Hawkins, Head of Archaeology and Build Heritage for CgMs discussed some of the Anglo-Saxon structures and features discovered during the Cambridge excavations:

“The site fell out of use in the 7th century but we discovered evidence of 8th century Middle Saxon activity including post-built structures, possibly workshops and livestock pens. Pits dug in this attest to local industrial activity and further processing of soil samples should help us understand what these were used for.”

A cross found during the Cambridge dig. ( Cambridge News )

Archaeologists were also delighted with the discovery of a Roman era pottery kiln and some plates, as well as a ditch delignating a field from the Late Iron Age and Roman times (all found at the Cambridge site). As Hawkins told Heritage Daily:

“Evidence of the time period 5th to 7th century AD is almost non-existent so this gives us a highly important window into understanding how people lived in that era, their trade activities and behaviours. The academic value of this collection is therefore immeasurable

The Cambridge site is located on the western edge of a Middle Saxon settlement previously found near Church End. It formed part of a 9th to 10th century manor. The Domesday Book shows that it was known as Hintona by 1086.

The Cambridge site during excavations. ( David Johnson )

Now that the artifacts have been recorded and removed from both of the Cambridgeshire sites, the builders have been given the go-ahead for their work. As development of the area continues, David Ivell, technical director at the Bovis Homes site, said:

“We’re delighted that it uncovered items of interest that will help future generations to understand how the land here has changed over many centuries, from an agricultural settlement for Roman families, right through to becoming the modern new homes site we are building here today.”

 Heritage Daily reports that the fascinating collection of Anglo-Saxon and Roman artifacts will be housed in local museums.

Top Image: Vases and pottery found during the dig in Cambridge, England. Source: Stephen Collins

By Alicia McDermott

Archaeologists discover Mycenaean palace and treasure trove of artifacts in southern Greece

Ancient Origins

Greek archaeologists have discovered a pre-classical era Greek palace at Aghios Vassilios hill dating from the Mycenaean Age, which some researchers believe is the long-lost palace of Sparta. Important archaic inscriptions found at the site may help to shed light on the political, administrative, economic and societal organisation of the Mycenaean society around Sparta where the discovery was made.
The Greek Culture Ministry said that the palace, which had around 10 rooms, was probably built around the 17^th to 16^th centuries BC, in a statement reported by the Phys.org website. The archaeologists also discovered a number of important artifacts at the site, including objects used for religious ceremonies, clay figurines, a cup adorned with a bull’s head, swords and fragments of murals.

New excavations at a site near historical Sparta may have uncovered the lost ruins of a Mycenaean Spartan palace. Among the treasures found at the site was this bull's head. Credit: Greek Ministry of Culture

Excavations in the area, conducted since 2009, have revealed inscriptions on tablets, written in the Linear B script, relating to religious practices and also names and places. Linear B is the oldest script to be discovered in Europe and first appears in the historical timeline in Crete from around 1375 BC. It took until the mid-20^th century for experts to decipher it properly.
The palace was probably destroyed by fire at some point in the late 14^th or early 13^th century, according to available evidence.

A photo released by the Greek Ministry of Culture on Aug. 25 shows an excavation site near Sparta in the Peloponnese region with remains of a palace of the Mycenaean period.

The Mycenaean era was the last phase of the Bronze Age in Ancient Greece and is characterised by palatial city-states, works of art and writing. It was at this time that the city-states began to become established, including Pylos, Tiryns, Midea in the Peloponnese, Orchomenos, Thebes, Athens and Iolcos in Thessaly. The most prominent of them was Mycenae in Argolid which was the influence for other settlements in Epirus, Macedonia and on islands in the Aegean Sea, on the coast of Asia Minor, the Levant and in Cyprus and Italy. Mycenaean Greece collapsed at the end of the Bronze Age and the most popular theory concerning its demise places the blame of the mysterious ‘people of the sea’ (or Sea Peoples). Other theories focus on the Dorian invasion or on natural disasters and climate change. Much ancient Greek literature is based on heroes and deities from the Mycenaean era, the most notable of which is the Trojan Epic Cycle.
Homer writes that the Mycenaean era was dedicated to Agamemnon, the king who led the Greeks in the Trojan War. The Mycenaean’s were keen traders, establishing contacts with countries across the Mediterranean and Europe. They were also excellent engineers and are also known for their characteristic ‘beehive’ tombs which were circular in shape with a high roof, consisting of a single stone passage leading to a chamber in which the possessions of the tomb’s occupant were also laid to rest.

Grave circle and main entrance of the citadel at Mycenae, one of the major centres of the Mycenaean civilization. (Wikipedia)

Mycenaean craftsmen produced distinctive items of pottery and bronze, as well as carved gems, jewellery, vases made from precious metals and glass ornaments. Oil and wine were among the major commodities traded by them.
Not much is known about the religious practices of the time, but it is likely that the Mycenaean’s practiced ritual animal sacrifice and enjoyed communal feasting. Images of the double axe in art suggest links with the Cretan Minoan culture. Robert Graves also drew much of his inspiration for his books on the Greek Myths, and later on The White Goddess, from the Mycenaean culture, casting a more romantic slight on the period. It was during this period that the tales of deities such as Dionysus, Hephaestus, Poseidon, Artemis, Hera and Potnia began to emerge. The later Greeks regarded many of the deities in the Mycenaean pantheon more as heroes or demi-gods rather than powerful gods and goddesses in themselves and so undoubtedly there were many interesting tales that were lost to history as a result.
"Tradition tells us that Sparta was an important site in the Mycenaean period," Hal Haskell, an archeologist who studies the ancient Mycenaean culture at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, told Live Science. Yet no palace had been unearthed in the Spartan plain. Haskell believes the new site could be that lost Spartan palace.
Featured image: A handout photo released by the Greek Ministry of Culture shows the excavations site with remains of a palace of the Mycenaean period, bearing important inscriptions in archaic Greek, discovered near Sparta in the Peloponnese region of Greece. Image credits: Greek Ministry of Culture
By Robin Whitlock

Precious Treasures from Ancient Heracleion to be Revealed

Ancient Origins

Artifacts from the Egyptian city of Thonis-Heracleion, once thought to be little more than a legend, will be displayed at an exhibition in Paris in September. The treasures include a fine sculpture of a pharaoh and a depiction of the god Osiris with golden eyes. These are just two of the artifacts discovered underwater in the submerged ruins of Thonis-Heracleion and Canopus, both of which disappeared in the 8th century after being struck by tidal waves caused by an earthquake. The main cause of this disaster was is thought to be liquefaction of the silt upon which the cities were built, causing them to sink by around 12 feet.
The cities are located beneath the surface in Aboukir Bay near Alexandria and have recently been subjected to excavations by French marine archaeologist Franck Goddio, who is the Founding head of the European Institute for Underwater Archaeology in Paris. The remains of the cities cover 40 square miles (110 square kilometers) of seabed and were initially discovered by Mr. Goddio in 2000. At the time, this was considered as one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of modern times, resulting in the identification of colossal statues and the discovery of ancient coins and jewelry, artifacts indicating a considerable level of opulence at the height of this civilizations history.

Ptolemaic coins found at the submerged site of Thonis-Heracleion, Alexandria, Egypt (Wikimedia Commons)

Thonis-Heracleion, a conjunction of the city’s Egyptian and Greek names, was once incredibly prosperous. The city was founded in the 8th century BC and consisted of a network of canals and a port that served as an important gateway to Ancient Egypt. It also became the most important city in the Mediterranean in terms of international trading. Mr. Goddio’s team discovered more than 700 anchors and 60 wrecks dating from the sixth to the second century BC.
“There will be many important artifacts which have never been seen before, even in Egypt, as they have been discovered recently during our underwater missions” Goddio said, speaking to The Guardian.

Statue being uncovered during the underwater mission, Alexandria, Egypt (IMGUR)

Dr Daimian Robinson, Director of the Oxford Centre for Maritime Archaeology at the University of Oxford, added that within the submerged area there are probably two, or possibly three ancient cities, of which perhaps only 2% at most has been investigated so far. The main effort has been focused on surveying the site to assess the topography, accompanied by a few exploratory excavations for clarification of particular research questions.

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Prior to its discovery, the city’s memory was preserved only through ancient texts, such as those of the Greek historian Herodotus who mentioned that the city once had a great temple and had been visited by Helen of Troy and her lover, Paris. The city of Canopus nearby also appears in ancient writing, notably that of second century BC poet Nicander who wrote that Menelaus’s helmsman, Canopus, was bitten by a viper at this location. Diodorus and Strabo also mentioned the cities in their writing.

The Love of Helen and Paris, Jacques-Louis David (1788) (Wikimedia Commons)

The cities were also famous for their sanctuaries, devoted to Osiris and other Egyptian deities and known for their miraculous healing powers. The Temple of Khonsou, son of the god Amun, was also located there. The discovery of artifacts at these locations correlate with texts and inscriptions, including the Decree of Canopus, preserved on a stela from 238 BC that describes donations, sacrifices and a procession of ships.
Goddio explained that unique artifacts “not known before and not represented in any museum,” such as ritual ceremonial barges have also been discovered at the site along with a black granite carving of a priest’s head and a ceramic depicting Bes, a god who protected people against evil spirits.

Granite head of a priest discovered in the submerged ruins of Thonis-Heracleion, Alexandria, Egypt (Cristoph Gerigk)

The artifacts will be presented to the public at an exhibition at the Arab World Institute in Paris from September 8 - January 31, 2016 entitled Osiris, Sunken Mysteries of Egypt. It will incorporate more than 290 artifacts with film footage depicting the underwater atmosphere of the site. Other artifacts will be loaned to the exhibition from museums in Cairo and Alexandria.
By Robin Whitlock
Featured Image: Oil lamp discovered in the submerged ruins of Thonis-Heracleion, Alexandria, Egypt (Cristoph Gerigk)

Incredible Science and Historical Artifacts Up for Auction

By Kelly Dickerson

The Apple-1 computer is the first personal computer model ever sold. There are only 15 working original models left.
Credit: Bonhams
A working Apple-1 computer, a window from the Manhattan Project's bomb-development site and a letter from Charles Darwin discussing the details of barnacle sex will go on sale this month at an auction of rare scientific artifacts.
The vintage Apple computer will lead off the technology section of the auction, which is sponsored by the British-owned auction house Bonhams. The Apple-1 model was the first personal computer with a single circuit board ever sold.
As of January, only 63 originals remain, and only 15 were still working as of 2000. Apple-1 expert Corey Cohen examined the model up for auction and certified that it is working and only needed minor replacement parts. It's valued at around half a million dollars. [See Photos of the Computer and Other Rare Items Up for Auction]

A viewing window from the Manhattan Project — valued at around $200,000 — is another big-ticket item at the auction. The Manhattan Project was a secret government operation during World War II designed to develop the world's first atomic bomb, and included many famous scientists like J. Robert Oppenheimer, Albert Einstein and Richard Feynman. The artifact comes from the project's Hanford site in Washington state, where physicists developed the atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki, Japan. The window is about 54 inches by 36 inches (137 centimeters by 91 centimeters), with a pane of heavy leaded glass 6 in. (15 cm) thick, to protect the scientists from radiation from the atomic-bomb experiments.
A collection of astronomer George Willis Ritchey's deep-space photographs, books and telescope blueprints is also on sale. Ritchey is the co-inventor of the reflector telescope, the basic design of which is still used for most modern telescopes and observatories. Ritchey's collection is valued around half a million dollars.
The auction will also feature a natural-history collection, including an 1857 letter from Charles Darwin to a man who supposedly witnessed barnacle sex. Proportionally speaking, barnacles have the largest penis in the animal kingdom, and in the letter, Darwin says he would be "extremely much obliged" to hear the details of the act. The document is estimated to sell for between $20,000 and $30,000, according to Bonhams.
Bidding will open Oct. 22 at 1 p.m. ET at the company's New York showroom. The full catalog for the auction is now posted on Bonhams' website.
Live Science