Archaeology
Pictish ring discovered at Burghead Fort
Archaeologists from the University of Aberdeen have discovered a rare Pictish ring during excavations of Burghead Fort in the town of Burghead in Moray Scotland.
Burghead Fort was a promontory fort that served as one of the earliest power centres of the Picts in the Kingdom of Fortriu.
The fort’s archaeological remains were mostly destroyed during the remodelling of Burghead’s harbour and town in the early 19th century. However, its layout was documented in a plan drawn by William Roy in 1793.
Excavations of the fort are part of a long-term project funded by Historic Environment Scotland, which has enabled archaeologists to create 3D reconstructions of how the monument might have once looked.
On the last day of this season’s excavation, one of the community volunteers unearthed a rare Pictish ring that dates from 1000 to 1500 years ago.
Professor Noble from the University of Aberdeen said: “There are very few Pictish rings which have ever been discovered and those we do know about usually come from hoards which were placed in the ground deliberately for safekeeping in some way.”
“We certainly weren’t expecting to find something like this lying around the floor of what was once a house but that had appeared of low significance so, in typical fashion, we had left work on it until the final day of the dig,” added Professor Noble.
Excavations have also uncovered evidence of buildings within the fort interior, in addition to traces of metalworking. This further indicator of the high-status production of metalwork adds to the growing evidence that Burghead was a really significant seat of power in the Pictish period.
Header Image Credit : Directorate of External Relations, University of Aberdeen
Sources : University of Aberdeen
This content was originally published on www.heritagedaily.com – © 2023 – HeritageDaily
Archaeologists from the State Office for Monument Preservation and Archaeology (LDA) of Saxony-Anhalt have rediscovered the Mallerbach Chapel at the site of the Kaltenborn monastery.
Between 1524 to 1525, a large number of peasants, urban lower classes, and lesser nobles living in the German-speaking areas in Central Europe rebelled against a combination of economic, social, and religious factors. These include:
Economic hardship and inequality: Peasants faced heavy burdens from taxes, dues, and rents imposed by landlords, the church, and secular rulers.
Feudal oppression: Many peasants grew increasingly resentful of the limitations placed on their freedoms by feudal lords, including restrictions on hunting, fishing, and access to communal lands.
Religious influence: The Reformation inspired many peasants who saw in it a call for social and economic reform against a corrupt church.
Legal grievances: Peasants sought greater control over local governance and justice. They were frustrated by the arbitrary decisions made by their lords and demanded more influence over the laws and rules that governed their daily lives.
Image Credit : LDA
Following the outbreak of the Peasants’ War, insurgents from the nearby villages of Riestedt and Emseloh plundered the Kaltenborn monastery near Allstedt in the German district of Mansfeld-Südharz, leading to the monastery’s decline and eventual dissolution in 1538.
According to a press statement by the LDA: “It’s destruction – an act of rebellion against the Cistercian convent of Naundorf, which was in charge of the Chapel of St. Mary and to which the Allstedt residents were subject to taxes – can be seen as the first flare-up and harbinger of the coming uprising of the ‘common man’ against the authorities.”
Recent excavations at the monastery site have located the 12th/13th century Mallerbach chapel, a sacred place of worship for pilgrims who came to witness a weeping image of the Virgin Mary.
Archaeologists have uncovered the original floor plan of the chapel, which measures around 17 metres in length with a rectangular choir and semicircular apse. Excavations have also found the altar foundations, as well as traces of burning from the time of the German Peasants’ War.
Header Image Credit : LDA
Sources : State Office for Monument Preservation and Archaeology (LDA)
This content was originally published on www.heritagedaily.com – © 2023 – HeritageDaily
Archaeologists have excavated the remains of Fregellae, an ancient city in central Italy that revolted against the Roman Republic.
Fregellae was founded during the 4th century BC near the present-day commune of Arce in the province of Frosinone. Due to the strategic location of the city, the Romans established a colony in 328 BC as a bulwark against Samnite incursions.
In 125 BC, the inhabitants of Fregellae revolted against Rome, demanding equal standing as Roman citizens. In response, Rome dispatched a force led by praetor Lucius Opimius, who swiftly suppressed the uprising and razed the city to the ground.
Archaeologists from the Leibniz-Zentrum für Archäologie (LEIZA) and the University of Trier have excavated the remains of an agricultural villa which belonged to the local elite within the extent of Fregellae.
Image Credit : Dominik Maschek
Based on archaeological evidence, the villa was constructed around AD 45 and produced wine, fruit and grain in a dedicated production complex.
Prof Dr Dominik Maschek, project manager at LEIZA, said: “The wine was probably not only produced for the local market. It is quite possible that it was traded within Mediterranean exchange networks as far as Spain and France. The cultivation of grain and fruit, on the other hand, was certainly intended for the local market.”
Excavations also revealed traces of the encampment used by the Roman forces that destroyed the city. The camp covered an area of 90 x 143 metres and was surrounded by a defensive rampart and ditch.
Archaeologists suggest that the destruction of Fregellae dealt a severe blow to the region’s economy, leaving the area uninhabited for more than 170 years until the site was reused as a rubbish dump in AD 50.
Header Image Credit : Dominik Maschek
Sources : Leibniz-Zentrum für Archäologie (LEIZA)
This content was originally published on www.heritagedaily.com – © 2023 – HeritageDaily
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