Archaeology
Archaeologists find a rare reliquary belonging to a medieval knight
Archaeologists conducting excavations of a knights stronghold have uncovered a rare cross-shaped reliquary.
The discovery was made in the town of Woźniki, located in Lubliniec County, Poland. The structure was a residence of a knight from the 14th to 15th century, which was first explored during the mid-19th century by the Archaeology Department of the Upper Silesian Museum in Bytom.
Since then, extensive agricultural activity has mostly ploughed out and destroyed any visible archaeological remains above the surface. However, researchers from the University of Łódź recently conducted a geophysical study, revealing traces of the stronghold and supporting buildings.
This was followed by an archaeological investigation, where the remains of the lower floor of the structure and a furnace built at the end of the 13th or 14th century was uncovered. Archaeologists also found numerous artefacts and objects, including clay ceramic vessels, door fittings, a padlock, a key, nails, hooks, and militaria consisting of several crossbow bolt heads and three iron stirrups.
According to the researchers: “A rare find discovered by the team is an enkolpion, a cross-shaped reliquary made of a copper alloy. Due to its poor condition, atefact was sent to Wrocław for conservation. Enkolpion (from Greek: “en” – on, “kolpos” – breast) was worn by Christians on the chest; inside there were relics or quotations from the Holy Scripture.”
Enkolpions were an important symbol of the Christian faith, generally worn by Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic bishops. Examples of enkolpions have been found in various forms – from oval, round, four-cornered, and are often surrounded by jewels (usually paste) and topped by an Eastern-style mitre. In antiquarian contexts, an “encolpion cross” is a pectoral cross normally associated with the Byzantine period.
Header Image Credit : Institute of Archeology of the University of Lodz
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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