Archaeology
Excavations uncover gothic cemetery filled with ornate jewellery
Archaeologists have discovered a 2,000-year-old gothic cemetery during excavations in the Wda Landscape Park (Wdecki Park Krajobrazowy), located in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland.
According to a press announcement by park authorities, the cemetery was first identified by Olaf Popkiewicz, an archaeologists and content creator who runs a YouTube Channel with over 65,000 followers.
Popkiewicz found traces of the site during a preliminary study near the village of Stara Rzeka, leading to a full scale survey over an area of 250 square metres in the Wda Landscape Park. Archaeologists found 50 ancient burials that date from the 4th century AD, a period when the region was inhabited by the Goths.
Image Credit : Olaf Popkiewicz/Facebook
The Goths were a Germanic ethnic group that significantly contributed to the decline of the Western Roman Empire and the dawn of medieval Europe. In the Gothic language, the Goths were called the *Gut-þiuda (‘Gothic people’) or *Gutans (‘Goths’). A people called the Gutones, possibly early Goths associated with the Wielbark culture, are documented living near the lower Vistula River in Poland during the 1st century AD.
Excavations have uncovered numerous high status grave goods, including two silver necklaces, two silver fibulae, a necklace made from silver beads, jewellery with a snake motif, and a perfectly preserved urn.
Image Credit : Olaf Popkiewicz/Facebook
According to the announcement: “This constitutes only a small fragment of the site area which we estimate to be over 2.4 acres. Unfortunately, the conditions of a large part of the cemetery means that urgent excavations are needed to help save and preserve the site.”
Previous studies in the area have found a Gothic settlement near the village of Osie, with a well-preserved spacial arrangement of objects that date from the 4th century AD.
Header Image Credit : Wda Landscape Park
Archaeologists from Oxford Archaeology have uncovered a well-preserved Bronze Age wooden well in Oxfordshire, England.
The discovery was made during construction works for the Benson Relief Road in compliance with planning conditions to ensure archaeological finds are recorded.
John Boothroyd, Senior Project Manager at Oxford Archaeology, said: “When investigating what appeared to be a standard pit for the site, the archaeological team started exposing the remains of a preserved wooden post driven vertically into the ground.”
Excavations revealed that the posts formed the uprights of a wattle structure lining the edge of the pit, which have been well-preserved due to the soil conditions being waterlogged.
The timber structure was digitally recorded, before being carefully dismantled by hand for removal to the Oxfordshire Museum Service.
Samples of the preserved wood have been sent for further analysis to indicate the type of wood used in the construction. Excavations also found pieces of struck flint, animal bone and pottery used for storage and waste.
Previous studies of the area around Benson and as far as Wallingford have revealed traces of Bronze Age activity and settlement.
“Despite the extremely challenging conditions, the team were able to expose and fully record the well. The specialist soil samples collected will also help establish what the surrounding landscape would have been like, and the intensity to which it was settled, when the well was actively being used.”
Councillor Judy Roberts, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Infrastructure and Development Strategy, said: “This find gives fantastic insight into the area’s past land use. It is thought the well may have been used for agricultural irrigation purposes for settlements nearby. Archaeological surveys like this are an important part of the process of delivering construction schemes. They help us identify and understand past residents of the area and record them for future generations.”
Header Image Credit : Oxford Archaeology
Sources : Oxfordshire County Council
This content was originally published on www.heritagedaily.com – © 2023 – HeritageDaily
A restoration project to remove invasive plants from dunes in the Heist Willemspark, Belgium, has led to the discovery of three intact WWII bunkers.
Heist Willemspark is located in the Knokke-Heist municipality, situated on the coastline of Belgium near the border with the Netherlands.
During WWI, the area of the park was used as a German position for heavy artillery batteries known as “Freya” and “Augusta”, and a series of forward observation bunkers for ranging shipping in the English Channel.
A number of these structures were repurposed by the German army in WWII, and further fortified as part of the Atlantic Wall, a system of coastal defences built between 1942 and 1944 along the coast of continental Europe. The area of the Atlantic Wall at Heist Willemspark was designated by the German army as Stützpunkt Heyst.
Image Credit : Municipality of Knokke-Heist
According to a press statement by the Municipality of Knokke-Heist, the bunkers were discovered by the Agency for Nature and Forests during a restoration project called LIFE DUNIAS.
Excavations at a depth of only a few feet revealed three Gruppenunterstand Type VF2a bunkers. The VF2a is intended for housing a Gruppe (the smallest German unit consisting of 10 soldiers) who operated forward radar positions. The bunkers at Heist Willemspark measure 6 by 7 metres externally, and are capped by a concrete reinforced roof measuring 1 metre thick.
The project also found traces of brick trenches, a fragment of a concrete track, and large amounts of rubble containing objects such as utensils, ammunition, cabling, and water pipes.
A representative of LIFE DUNIAS said: “These ruins illustrate the previous attempts to completely erase the park’s war history. The lighter structures were demolished and reduced to rubble, while heavier bunkers were covered with a layer of soil and hidden, as if they had never existed.”
Header Image Credit : Municipality of Knokke-Heist
Sources : Municipality of Knokke-Heist
This content was originally published on www.heritagedaily.com – © 2023 – HeritageDaily
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