Archaeology
Excavation uncovers preserved wooden cellar from Roman period
Archaeologists from the Frankfurt Archaeological Museum have uncovered a well-preserved wooden celler in Frankfurt, Germany.
During the Roman period, Frankfurt’s modern districts of Heddernheim and Praunheim, once constituted the Roman town of Nida.
In AD 110, Nida was the largest town on the Limes and rose to prominence as the capital of the Civitas Taunensium.
The town had a population of around 10,000 inhabitants, however, by AD 259 the population went into decline, possibly attributed to the Alemanni’s conquest of the Agri Decumates region.
A recent exavation conducted by archaeologists from the Frankfurt Archaeological Museum has uncovered a Roman residential house, situated on the southern side of the Roman town’s two main streets (platea praetoria).
Within the dwelling are the remains of a well-preserved wooden cellar with steps leading down a staircase. Throughout the cellar are the remains of charred beams, charcoal, and fire debris, indicating that hoes was destroyed by fire during antiquity.
The heat of the fire reached such an intensitivy, that tools were left abandoned on the cellar stairs along with a glass jar that was found partially melted. Archaeologists also found ceramic and glass vessels, and several unual objects made from metal.
Image Credit : Frankfurt Archaeological Museum
Speaking to HeritageDaily, a spokesperson from the Frankfurt Archaeological Museum clarified that the team will analyse the archaeological materials to ascertain the precise dates of the building’s construction and destruction. Furthermore, by employing meticulous extraction techniques using synthetic resins, silicon rubber, and gypsum laminates, the team successfully transported the cellar intact for further preservation.
According to a press statement issued by the Frankfurt Archaeological Museum: “The cellar is not the first wooden cellar with fire debris identified in Roman Nida. Similar finds were discovered during excavations in the ancient city numerous times over the past 100 years; yet were less well preserved and not examined as extensively with modern excavation method“.
Header Image Credit : Frankfurt Archaeological Museum
Sources : Frankfurt Archaeological Museum – Salvage of a Roman wooden cellar in Frankfurt am Main
This content was originally published on www.heritagedaily.com – © 2023 – HeritageDaily
A study of archaeological sites in Winchester, England, has revealed that red squirrels served as a host for Mycobacterium leprae strains that caused leprosy in people.
Leprosy is one of the oldest recorded diseases in human history and is still prevalent to this day in Asia, Africa, and South America.
It has previously been suggested that the extensive trade of red squirrel fur, greatly valued during medieval times, could have contributed to the leprosy epidemic in medieval Europe.
The results of the study, published in the journal Current Biology, studied 25 human and 12 squirrel samples from two medieval sites in Winchester.
During this period, the city had strong connections to the fur trade and housed the leprosarium, a hospital that treated people with Hansen’s disease (leprosy) caused by Mycobacterium leprae bacteria.
Verena Schuenemann of the University of Basel in Switzerland, said: “With our genetic analysis we were able to identify red squirrels as the first ancient animal host of leprosy.”
The study found that the medieval red squirrel strains were more closely related to human strains in Winchester, rather than to modern squirrel strains from England – suggesting an independent circulation of Mycobacterium leprae strains.
“Our findings highlight the importance of involving archaeological material, in particular animal remains, into studying the long-term zoonotic potential of this disease, as only a direct comparison of ancient human and animal strains allows reconstructions of potential transmission events across time,” says Sarah Inskip of the University of Leicester, UK, a co-author on the study.
Header Image Credit : Shutterstock
Sources : Current Biology, Urban, Blom, and Avanzi et al.: “Ancient Mycobacterium leprae genome reveals medieval English red squirrels as animal leprosy host.” https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(24)00446-9
This content was originally published on www.heritagedaily.com – © 2023 – HeritageDaily
Archaeologists from the Uncovering Roman Carlisle project have discovered a rare lump of Tyrian purple at the grounds of the Carlisle Cricket Club in Carlisle, England.
The project is a community supported excavation by Wardell Armstrong, focusing on uncovering a Roman bath house found in 2017.
The bath house is located near the Roman fort of Uxelodunum (meaning “high fort”), also known as Petriana, in the Carlisle district of Stanwix.
Uxelodunum was constructed to control the territories west of present-day Carlisle and an important crossing on the River Eden. The fort was garrisoned by the Ala Petriana, a 1,000-strong cavalry unit, whose members were all granted Roman citizenship for valour on the field.
Previous excavations at the bath house have discovered colossal sandstone heads depicting Roman gods, in addition to engraved gems known as intaglios, figurines, animal bones, and imperial-stamped tiles.
During the latest season of excavations, archaeologists found a mysterious lump of a soft purple substance. The substance was tested by researchers from Newcastle University, revealing that it contained levels of Bromine and beeswax.
According to the researchers, the substance is Tyrian purple, a coloured dye associated with the Imperial Court in the Roman Empire. Tyrian purple is secreted by several species of predatory sea snails in the family Muricidae, rock snails originally known by the name Murex.
Frank Giecco, Technical Director at Wardell Armstrong, said: “For millennia, Tyrian Purple was the world’s most expensive and sought after colour. It’s presence in Carlisle combined with other evidence from the excavation all strengthens the hypothesis that the building was in some way associated with the Imperial Court of the Emperor Septimius Severus which was located in York and possibly relates to an Imperial visit to Carlisle.”
“It’s the only example we know of in Northern Europe – possibly the only example of a solid sample of the pigment in the form of unused paint pigment anywhere in the Roman Empire. Examples have been found of it in wall paintings (like in Pompeii) and some high status painted coffins from the Roman province of Egypt,” said Giecco.
Header Image Credit : Wardell Armstrong
Sources : Wardell Armstrong
This content was originally published on www.heritagedaily.com – © 2023 – HeritageDaily
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