Posted on 05/16/2020 10:47:59 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
Volunteers poring over detailed aerial surveys of the borderlands between Cornwall and Devon spotted telltale signs of dozens of previously unknown settlements and miles of roads linking Roman forts.
The project suggests areas including Bodmin Moor, in Cornwall, and Dartmoor, in Devon, were much more populous than previously had been thought.
So far, less than a tenth of the material available has been studied but already 30 previously unknown settlements believed to date from between 300BC and AD300 have been found, as well as more than 20 miles of Roman road...
Because this could not be done, the volunteers (just eight of them) were asked if they would like to study highly detailed topographical scans of the Tamar Valley - the border between Cornwall and Devon - and surrounding areas.
The scans cover 4,000 sq km (1,540 sq miles) and Smart has broken them up into 1,000 grids. He hands out a number of grids to the volunteers, who then study them at their leisure and try to pick out human-made features hidden in the landscapes, such as enclosed settlements. They cross-refer them to records of known archaeology and historic maps to find sites previously missed...
They have found about 20 prehistoric burial mounds, as well as the remains of hundreds of medieval farms, field systems and quarries...
One of the most exciting discoveries is the remains of a Roman road the researchers believe would have once linked the forts of Calstock, near Tavistock, and Restormel, near Bodmin.
(Excerpt) Read more at theguardian.com ...
The University's interest in Calstock began in 2006, during the search for a medieval administrative centre for the Crown silver mines at Bere Ferrers, which documents tell us was based somewhere in the parish during the early part of the fourtenth century. Whilst that site remains elusive, our survey work identified a large Roman fort on top of the hill where today St Andrew's church stands proud in glorious isolation (almost). Four seasons of excavation between 2008 and 2011 confirmed that the fort was occupied between c. AD 50/55 and 80, by an auxiliary cohort of up to 500 men. Those excavations also identified a Roman camp, constructed before the fort as part of initial military campaigning in the South West, and a much larger defensive enclosure that may have Iron Age origins. The excavations also tell us why the church stands well outside the present-day village - the village has moved! Archaeological evidence shows that between the eighth and thirteenth centuries a settlement flourished immediately adjacent to the church, and probably contracted as the riverside settlement began to flourish.Calstock© University of Exeter
Time Team S14-E13 In the Shadow of the Tor, Bodmin Moor, Cornwall
Following Sherlock Holmes: The Real Hound of Baskerville | Ancient Tracks | TRACKS
Roman roads. Very cool.
Quam frigidus...
This can’t be! All ancient sites MUST be discovered by an archeologist connected to a major university, otherwise they are considered fake. It’s the unwritten law! /s. And, it must be some sort of a religious site. /s
And, it must be some sort of a religious site.
Absolutely true. No one built anything without a religious purpose.
No one has ever found a pre-historic wal mart now have they?
Sounds like a perfect job for Lance, Andy and Beves.
If they would have had satellite, high altitude aerial, and drone photos in my teens and 20s, I would have been glued to the computer, the nerd that I am.
Dang.
An early VII-XI
And all the artifacts have religious meaning or something to do with sacrificial ceremony.
Metal detectorist detectoring...
Heh heh. I have been doing my own research unaffiliated since the 90s, and I used to have to track down old books and journals at academic libraries. No more. Almost everything is online and I can pore over it at my leisure.
Independent scholars can be hit or miss quality wise, but that’s the same for academia too.
Discovered “Time Team”two years ago and really enjoy the show. RIP Mick.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
