Archaeology
Munich was densely populated during the Iron Age
In a press announcement issued by the Bavarian State Office for Monument Preservation, archaeologists have uncovered evidence indicating that Munich, located in Bavaria, Germany, was densely populated during the Iron Age.
Excavations in preparation for the development of a residential estate have uncovered over 100 ancient dwellings that could house up to 500 inhabitants during the Iron Age.
The discovery was made in the Feldmoching district, where circular brown features and post holes revealed the imprint of structures in large concentrations. According to the researchers, the structures vary in size and floor plan, which were half-timbered wooden houses using clay as a filling material.
Over 2,800 finds have been discovered, as well as two groups of graves consisting of 9 burials that date from the late Iron Age between 450 to 15 BC.
The team also found evidence of Roman occupation, evidenced by Roman burials from the 3rd to 4th century AD. In one of the burials, the researchers found funerary offerings of a plate, an intact ceramic jug, and a drinking cup made of soapstone.
According to the press announcement, the area likely contained a scattered agricultural settlement, indicated by the discovery of part of a sickle in one of the Roman burials.
Previous excavations in the region have uncovered a Roman settlement north-east of Munich, which was excavated in the neighbourhood of Denning.
During the Roman period, the Via Julia, a major Roman highway, crossed the River Isar south of Munich, and connected the colony of Augusta Vindelicorum (Augsburg) with the Municipium Claudium Juvavum (Salzburg).
Apart from scattered settlements by the Baiuvarii during the 6th century AD, major settlement of the Munich area wouldn’t take place until the founding of the town of Munich in 1158 during the Medieval period.
Bavarian State Office for Monument Preservation
Header Image Credit : Bavarian State Office for Monument Preservation
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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