Archaeology
Archaeologists reveal traces of Henry VIII’s Otford Palace
A team of community archaeologists have conducted a survey in Kent, England, revealing traces of Henry VIII’s Otford Palace, also known as the Archbishop’s Palace.
The site of Otford palace lies in the parish of Otford, Kent, a few miles south-east of Greater London and adjacent to the Pilgrims Way.
The origins of the present site can be traced back to the Saxon period, however, the first documented mention of a structure on the site was by Lanfranc Archbishop of Canterbury, which was valued at £60 in the Doomsday survey of 1086.
Over the course of the following 400 years, the original manor house underwent significant expansions under the remodelling efforts of Archbishop William Courtenay. He transformed the house into a stunning edifice with a great hall in the late 14th century.
Image Credit : Darent Valley Landscape Partnership
150 years later, William Warham, Courtenay’s successor, made a lasting impact on Tudor building design with the construction of a building that can be seen as a precursor to Hampton Court and many styles of Tudor architecture.
In 1514, Warham embarked on a complete redesign of Otford, creating a palace that was fitting for a prince of the church, and which conveyed a clear expression of his power and status. He demolished most of the existing buildings and constructed a new lavish palace that established the current layout of Otford Palace.
Cardinal Wolsey took Warham’s place as the key political leader in Tudor England and intensified a rivalry that was to continue until Wolsey’s death.
When we look at the plan and design features of Otford Palace, and compare them to Wolsey’s edifice at Hampton Court, we can see a glimpse of the rivalry and dislike that existed between both men. Both buildings were built over existing manor houses and they shared common architectural features.
Otford Palace was designed and laid out on such a scale that it compares favourably with any of the largest contemporary palaces in England. At over 163m by 98m, it covered an area greater than the later renaissance influenced Nonsuch Palace, or the moated area of Eltham Palace.
As part of the English Reformation, Henry VIII acquired Otford Palace and it became a Royal Palace with the title The Honour of Otford in 1537. Despite some investment by Henry, the upkeep was insufficient, and the condition of the building gradually worsened.
From 1553 to 1558, Cardinal Reginald Pole, the final Roman Catholic Archbishop of Canterbury, resided at the palace. He was the last of 56 Archbishops of Canterbury to occupy the Palace before it fell out of use.
Image Credit : Darent Valley Landscape Partnership
As part of a community led project by the Darent Valley Landscape Partnership, an organisation that works to conserve and enhance the distinctive heritage landscapes of the Darent Valley, community archaeologists have conducted an electrical resistance survey across Palace Field adjacent to the surviving palace ruins.
The survey measures the pattern differences as electrical current is passed through the ground, revealing archaeological features which can be mapped when they are of higher or lower resistivity than their surroundings.
The study has revealed the NW tower of the palace and the western range, showing the higher resistance where the wall foundations lie, in addition to sections of the palace layout.
The Hidden Palace – Otford’s own Hampton Court project is working alongside the Archbishop’s Palace Conservation Trust to help safeguard the Palace’s future and make it more accessible to the local community.
Darent Valley Landscape Partnership
Header Image Credit : Shutterstock
A clay token unearthed by the Temple Mount Sifting Project, is believed to have served pilgrims exchanging offerings during the Passover festival 2,000-years-ago.
The token features a seal imprint depicting an amphora and an Ancient Greek inscription. Greek letters appear around the amphora which reads ΔΟΥ-ΛΟ[Υ] (DOULOU), the genitive of the personal name, Doulês.
Doulês was a common name in parts of Thrace, Macedonia, and regions of the Black Sea, where during the Late Hellenistic and Early Roman periods was settled by communities of Jewish people.
Based on the form of the amphora, archaeologists from the Temple Mount Sifting Project suggest that the token dates from the second half of the first century AD and was likely carried by a pilgrim to the Temple Mount (approximately a century before the Second Temple’s destruction).
Unlike typical clay sealings known as bullae, the token is pinched on the back, indicating that it was intended to be handled rather than attached to a knot securing a document or container.
According to the researchers, the token is similar to another example found near Temple Mount, which bears an Aramaic inscription reading דכא/ליה and initially interpreted as “pure to God” by the archaeologists.
“The Aramaic token adds further context for the Greek-inscribed token from the Temple Mount. Notably, it depicts a wine jar, aligning with the Mishnaic text that discusses nesachim, a term for the wine libation poured on the Temple altar and also used to refer generally to all the offering components. It is plausible that this token was intended for Greek-speaking pilgrims, possibly including Jews from the diaspora,” said the Temple Mount Sifting Project.
Header Image Credit : Zachi Dvira
Sources : Temple Mount Sifting Project
This content was originally published on www.heritagedaily.com – © 2023 – HeritageDaily
A study by a team of archaeoastronomers are investigating the possible connection of the moon in influencing the Stonehenge builders.
According to a press statement by the Royal Astronomical Society, academics from Oxford, Leicester and Bournemouth universities, suggest that a major lunar standstill, a rare astronomical phenomenon, may have influenced the monument’s alignment.
A lunar standstill, also known as a lunistice, is when the Moon reaches its furthest north or furthest south point during the course of a month. A major lunar standstill is when the declination at lunar standstill varies in a cycle 18.6 years long between 18.134° (north or south) and 28.725° (north or south), due to lunar precession.
Professor Clive Ruggles, emeritus professor of archaeoastronomy at Leicester University, said: “Stonehenge’s architectural connection to the Sun is well known, but its link with the Moon is less well understood.
“The four Station Stones align with the Moon’s extreme positions, and researchers have debated for years whether this was deliberate, and – if so – how this was achieved and what might have been its purpose,” added Professor Ruggles.
The researchers plan to document Moonrises and sets at key moments in the year when the moon will be in alignment with the Station Stones. In addition, they plan to document the event and show the visual effect on the stones though light patterns and shadows.
It is believed that at least one major lunar standstill was marked during the early phases of construction at Stonehenge. This is evidenced in the cremated remains in the ditch and bank that now surrounds the stone circle, and in the Aubrey Holes – 56 pits. Many of the cremations are located in the south-eartern part in the direction of the most southerly rising position of the moon.
English Heritage, said: “The Station Stones may have been employed to help measure out the sarsen circle around 500 years after the site was first used for cremations, when the large sarsen circle was being built, suggesting a compelling and enduring connection between the lunar cycles and the architecture of Stonehenge.”
Header Image Credit : iStock
Sources : Royal Astronomical Society
This content was originally published on www.heritagedaily.com – © 2023 – HeritageDaily
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