Archaeology
Archaeologists uncover Bronze Age treasure hoard
A Bronze Age treasure hoard has been uncovered in Güttingen, Sweden.
The discovery was made by a metal detectorist, who upon realising the significance of the find notified local authorities.
According to a press announcement by the Canton of Thurgau, archaeologists conducted a block recovery at the find site by removing 50x50x50 cm of earth. The block was transported to a laboratory in Frauenfeld, where bronze discs, spiral rings, and over 100 amber beads that date from the Middle Bronze Age around 1500 BC were recovered.
The block contained 14 bronze discs, each decorated with three circular ribs and a round “spike” in the middle. On the inside is a narrow grommet from which a thread or leather strap could be pulled through.
Image Credit : Canton of Thurgau
Based on similar examples from this period, the discs are likely part of a high status jewellery piece which had spirals hung between the discs as spacers. 11 such spacer spirals were found in the block, as well as 8 larger spirals made from fine gold wire.
More than 100 amber beads the size of pinheads were removed from the block with tweezers, in addition to 2 finger rings, a bronze arrowhead, a beaver tooth, a perforated bear tooth, a rock crystal, a fossilised shark tooth, a small ammonite, and several lumps of polish ore.
A study of the area where the block recovery took place has yielded no evidence of a burial, suggesting that the treasure hoard was deposited intentionally either for security or during a time of conflict.
There are very few Bronze Age settlements known in the Güttingen area, except for a large Bronze Age pile-dwelling village, however, this site dates from 1000 BC.
The objects, some of which are very sensitive, are currently being restored so that they can be exhibited in the Museum of Archaeology in Frauenfeld in 2024.
Header Image Credit : Canton of Thurgau
Archaeologists from the University of Warwick are conducting an underwater study to document the submerged Mesolithic site of Bouldnor Cliff before it vanishes due to erosion.
Bouldnor Cliff is situated in the Solent between the Isle of Wight and the southern coast of England. The site was first discovered in 1999 when divers observed a lobster discarding worked flint tools from its burrow on the seabed.
At a time when Britain was cut off from mainland Europe by rising sea levels, the area of the Solent was a river valley inhabited by an advanced Mesolithic community who developed a boat building technology 2,000 years ahead of their time.
The study aims to find new data on the nature of the late Ice Age environment during the development of the Mesolithic era, and the extent of the interaction between the inhabitants of Bouldnor Cliff and Europe, including the exchange of materials.
Professor Robin Allaby, who is leading the expedition, said: “This is an incredible opportunity to understand the lost world in which the Mesolithic developed using the latest techniques before our chance is gone.”
The study will involve a comprehensive palaeoenvironmental analysis, in addition to state-of-the-art techniques such as optical simulated luminescence for constructing ecological profiles. Furthermore, archaeologists intend to recover archaeological artefacts and environmental markers to reconstruct the past environment.
Dr Kinnaird adds: “This is an exciting research project to showcase the new innovations in luminescence dating, which can tell when an object was last exposed to the Sun. The relevance of this technique in writing the narratives for 4000 years of history, at the time that the British coastline was rapidly changing, is huge!”
According to the researchers, these discoveries carry the potential to significantly transform our comprehension of the era when Britain emerged as an island.
Header Image Credit : University of Warwick
Sources : University of Warwick
This content was originally published on www.heritagedaily.com – © 2023 – HeritageDaily
A study of the “Excalibur” sword found in Valencia has been revealed to have Islamic origins sometime during the 10th century AD.
Valencia is one of the oldest cities in Spain, founded under the name of Valentia Edetanorum by the Romans in 138 BC.
The city was conquered by the Moors in the 8th century AD, and was destroyed by Abd al-Rahman I of the Umayyad dynasty. Under Caliphate rule, the wider city area became known as Madînat al-Turâb (meaning “city of earth” or “sand”).
The sword was discovered back in 1994 in a house on Valencia’s Historiador Chabàs Street, where it was found standing upright in a grave beneath an Islamic era house.
Dubbed “Excalibur” due to the circumstances of its discovery, the sword is made from iron and has a hilt decorated with bronze plates. In mythology, Excalibur was the legendary sword of King Arthur and appears in various medieval poems describing Arthur pulling the sword from a stone.
However, the “Excalibur” from Valencia was found in a sedimentary strata from the 10th century AD and was likely the weapon of a cavalryman from the Andalusian Caliphate Era.
According to the archaeologists, the sword measures 46 centimetres in length and has a slightly curved blade towards the tip. Swords from this period are rarely found well-preserved due to the levels of oxygen and water in the soil that causes oxidation of the iron.
“It is the first Islamic sword that appears in the city of Valencia, with only one similar example being found during the excavations of Medina Azahara, the caliphal city of Abd al-Rahman III, in Córdoba,” said the Valencia City Council.
Header Image Credit : The Archaeology Service (SIAM) of the Valencia City Council
Sources : Valencia City Council
This content was originally published on www.heritagedaily.com – © 2023 – HeritageDaily
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