Archaeology
Nationally important treasure hoard from the medieval period unveiled
A large hoard of gold jewellery and silver coins has been unveiled to the public as part of a new exhibition at the National Museum of Antiquities in the Netherlands.
The hoard was discovered by a metal detectorist back in 2021 near Hoogwoud, a small city in the Dutch province of North Holland.
After the initial discovery, the finds were reported to the intermunicipal organisation, Archaeology West Friesland, which were then transferred to the National Museum of Antiquities for examination and preservation.
Metal detecting in the Netherlands requires a license and permission from landowners. It is illegal to use a metal detector on known historical and archaeological sites, with any finds considered “treasure” or of historical importance requiring the finder to notify local authorities.
The hoard consists of four decorated gold earring pendants in the shape of a crescent moon, along with two pieces of gold leaf that fit together, and 39 small silver coins from the medieval period.
Dating of the coins places them to a period between AD 1200 to AD 1250, suggesting that they were deposited in the ground around the middle of the thirteenth century AD.
Small pieces of textile found with the coins indicate that they were wrapped in a cloth or small bag. The 39 coins come from the Diocese of Utrecht, from various counties (Holland, Guelders and Cleves), and from the German Empire. The youngest coins were struck in AD 1247 or AD 1248 and depict William II of Holland.
Image Credit : Archeology West-Friesland/Fleur Schinning
The gold jewellery is much older and dates from the 11th century AD. They were likely family heirlooms and were handed down through generations until they were hidden during a period of conflict.
At the time, the region saw a series of wars between West Friesland and the county of Holland. “This makes the treasure find of great significance for the archaeology and history of North Holland and West Friesland – and even of national and international importance,” said the National Museum of Antiquities.
The earring pendants are decorated on one side and have fragile suspension brackets, suggesting that they were probably not pierced through the ears but were instead worn on a hood or a headband. One of the pendants has an engraving of a man’s head surrounded by rays of sunlight, which has been interpreted as a portrait of Sol Invictus, the “Unconquered Sun.”
National Museum of Antiquities
Header Image Credit : Archeology West-Friesland/Fleur Schinning
A new study published in the journal Antiquity has revealed hundreds of previously unrecorded monuments at Baltinglass in County Wicklow, Ireland.
The Baltinglass area (known as ‘Ireland’s Hillfort Capital’) has a high density of Early Neolithic and Late Bronze Age monuments, however, very little evidence has been recorded that dates from the Middle Neolithic period.
According to Dr James O’Driscoll from the University of Aberdeen, the ancient landscape around Baltinglass was incredibly important to the Early Neolithic people, however, the lack of Middle Neolithic evidence suggests that this importance was lost until the Late Bronze Age.
Using advanced LiDAR technology, archaeologists have created detailed three-dimensional models, revealing hundreds of ancient sites that that been destroyed by thousands of years of ploughing.
Image Credit : Antiquity
Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), is a method of remote sensing using light in the form of a pulsed laser to measure ranges (variable distances) to the Earth. The differences in the laser return times and wavelengths can be used to compile a 3-D digital map of the landscape.
The most significant discovery from the survey is a cluster of five cursus monuments, the largest example found in both Britain and Ireland. The purpose of such monuments are speculative, but some theories propose that they were used in rituals connected with ancestor veneration, that they follow astronomical alignments, or that they served as buffer zones between ceremonial and occupation landscapes.
Image Credit : Antiquity
According to the study authors: “These five cursus monuments are clearly aligned with burial monuments in the landscape, as well as the rising and setting sun during major solar events such as the solstice.”
“This may have symbolised the ascent of the dead into the heavens and their perceived rebirth, with the cursus physically setting out the final route of the dead, where they left the land of the living and joined the ancestors beyond the visible horizon,” said Dr O’Driscoll.
Header Image Credit : Antiquity
Sources : Antiquity | Exploring the Baltinglass cursus complex: routes for the dead? – James O’Driscoll. https://doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2024.39
This content was originally published on www.heritagedaily.com – © 2023 – HeritageDaily
Archaeologist from NIKU are using a revolutionary new GPR robot to explore a Viking Age site in Norway’s Sandefjord municipality.
The robot has been developed as part of a collaboration between AutoAgri, Guideline Geo/MÅLÅ, and NIKU, and uses the I-Series autonomous implement carrier model fitted with the latest high-resolution, multi-channel ground-penetrating radar system.
GPR is a geophysical method that uses radar pulses to image the subsurface. It is a non-intrusive method of surveying archaeological features and patterning beneath the subsurface.
Initial testing of the robot was conducted in Trøndelag Vinnan in Stjørdal municipality, which according to the researchers has demonstrated increased efficiency and provides accurate mapping solutions.
Image Credit : Erich Nau, NIKU
The new robot system has an antenna that produces a much higher resolution than traditional georadar systems, which for the first time can be interpreted in real time.
According to Erich Nau from NIKU, previous systems had to be driven around archaeological sites, however, the new GPR robot only needs a short hour to map the driving route, then the robot does the rest on its own.
The robot is being used as part of a new study of a Viking Age trading post at Heimdalsjordet near the Gokstadhaugen ship burial in Sandefjord.
The non-intrusive approach will provide a detailed picture of the subsurface that previous surveys could have missed, such as traces of longhouses, land plots, roads, wharves and burials.
“This collaboration gives us a unique opportunity to explore and understand our historical landscape with new and advanced technology. We look forward to uncovering new discoveries that can give us valuable insight into our rich cultural heritage,” says Petra Schneidhofer, archaeologist in Vestfold county municipality.
Header Image Credit : Jani Causevic, NIKU
Sources : NIKU
This content was originally published on www.heritagedaily.com – © 2023 – HeritageDaily
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