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Transcript
0:00 · okay right have a look have a look at
0:05 · this so so this is this is a paper published in the Oxford Journal of archaeology by Miles
0:14 · Russell it tells a fascinating story of misdirection misinformation all with a
0:22 · goal of publicity Now by and large talks about a character called Mortimer wheeler
0:29 · now mortim erwheeler and his wife Tessa did this 1943 this is just a quick snippet but
0:36 · it was 522 page archaeological report on that just there and it was indeed full of
0:44 · misinformation it was done deliberately and to be clear this wasn't based on lack
0:51 · of Education or understanding this was purely based on misdirection on a Monumental scale
1:04 · welcome to the story of the Hill Fort
1:07 · myth can't quite begin to explain how big this place is not just its size which is
1:17 · probably over 100 acres it's almost a kilometre from one end to the other but
1:23 · also the fortifications it's it's like a maze here is the Western entrance and
1:29 · um here I am in the year 2024 and I'm confused about the right way
1:34 · in and perhaps that is where the story starts Mortimer and Tessa wheeler came
1:43 · here and excavated between 1934 and 1937 each session they brought with them over a 100
1:50 · assistants all with the view of unearthing the secrets that this 2500 year old Fort had hidden
2:02 · okay made it into one of the two entrances to the western side of Maiden Castle now wheeler
2:08 · wanted archaeology to be held in the highest esteem but not only that he also wanted it to
2:15 · be popular cuz if it was popular well then all of a sudden there's funding options and
2:21 · opportunities there was no such thing as Government funding in the 1930s perhaps
2:27 · Maiden Castle here endorse it or perhaps that could be the solution to both of those desires
2:34 · ad43 saw the successful invasion of Britain by the Romans under Emperor Claudius from Kent they
2:40 · headed west and North sweeping across Britain barbarically destroying everything in their
2:46 · path Maiden Castle was no exception despite its size and clear fortifications the tribe
2:52 · here were clearly no match for the Roman army the sheer scale of this place is absolutely
2:59 · ridiculous can't quite begin to imagine the the work it took to build this it's just vast Tessa
3:06 · and mortimer wheeler came here they had two or three years to unearth some of the secrets of
3:11 · this place everything they found really backed the notion of the Roman Invasion the brutality
3:18 · the the organization of that Civilization ad. 43 really was a brutal time right
3:25 · here 1936 and sadly after the passing of Tessa when Mortimer found one of the most significant
3:37 · pieces to the puzzle here he found the grave site with 52 adult males in most of which had suffered
3:46 · significant injury it's a famous image of a uh a spine a human spine with a projectile embedded in
3:54 · it perhaps one of the most persuasive points that wheeler made was at the body bodies were seemingly
4:00 · buried in a hastily manner no real thought given to their position it was clearly done at a time
4:06 · of great stress a battle now further Evidence should you need it of the Roman brutality here
4:13 · in ad 43 well 74% of those bodies found in the grave well they had blows To The Head and the
4:23 · Torso but there was one more thing for that we're going to have to head over to the Eastern
4:32 · side to further understand the brutality of the Roman Invasion here so here now at the Eastern
4:40 · entrance the Eastern Gate just there there's two um Gates just like over on the western side and
4:46 · pretty much right here I'm stood very close to the war Graves that uh wheeler confirmed
4:52 · or here and to make matters worse just up on the hill there towards the Western entrance
4:58 · well there was a lot of round houses and Wheeler had found that they' been burnt to the ground if
5:03 · it wasn't enough that the Romans came here and brutally murdered but they also level the place
5:08 · too the wheelers at the time were making Leaps and Bounds in archaeology they had set up the
5:15 · Institute of archaeology in London and we're really bringing the discipline into the public
5:20 · eye the excavations really played so well into this agenda people flocked to the site to see
5:26 · with their own eyes to see the history come alive the brutality of the Romans upon their Landing
5:32 · here but what if I told you that absolutely none of what I've just told you is
5:44 · true the wheelers wanted the publicity and they got it it was almost as if they were 80 years
5:52 · ahead of their time with regards of modern use of social media he knew exactly what would bring
5:57 · in further funds but you have to find find something good you have to find something of
6:01 · substance for that wheel to continue in motion so this Eastern entrance is almost as much of a
6:09 · maze as the western side now for me this story is really fascinating because today the almost
6:15 · the the opposite is true with archaeology archaeology wants to protect itself protect
6:20 · the sites protect the information until it's known to be completely true and that takes a
6:25 · long time professionalism Reigns so what exactly was wrong with Wheeler's theories we seem to be
6:33 · on to the reasons why perhaps but how do we know that he was so wrong it took until the
6:40 · 1980s for this one event Theory to start being picked apart well in the first instance there
6:46 · was absolutely no evidence to suggest that the injuries and the trauma caused by those in the
6:52 · war grave were done so here absolutely none it was well known certainly here with the duo triers the
6:59 · tri that were here before the Romans that they practiced the use or the ReUse of graves over
7:04 · a long period of time excavations in 1991 niall sharpels detailed that instead of the bodies being
7:12 · placed here hastily and anxiously they were in fact placed in an ordered and careful manner some
7:18 · of the Grave Goods placed alongside them were even still there so you remember the stat that wheeler
7:24 · had they 74% of the male bodies found in there were uh consistent with injuries that were a Blow
7:31 · To The Head and the Torso well that stat is true however what's not true is it didn't happen all at
7:38 · once in one period of time it happened perhaps over centuries and that for me tells more of a
7:45 · uh a sadder tale that the the tribes living here well they were certainly um under more stress for
7:52 · a longer periods of time but what about the the bolt that uh bit of ballista that was found in
8:00 · the spine of that adult male well again there is no evidence whatsoever that that was Roman equally
8:07 · as much there has been the same Weaponry found in other areas on the island it could well have
8:13 · been and likely to have been a native object and finally what about the burning of the roundhouses
8:22 · the last Act of brutality by the Romans well no again sharpells 1991 concluded that the burning
8:29 · here derived largely from the workings here the non-war related iron workings in fact NE sharpells
8:37 · soon after his work in the 1980s described this place as one of the most significant prehistoric
8:45 · Iron Age production of artefacts on the British aisles now that in itself should tell for quite a
8:52 · story now as time goes on evidence suggest that this place was long abandoned before the Romans
9:02 · came here maybe 150 years and perhaps when the Romans did arrive it would have looked just like
9:07 · the landscape it does today wheeler certainly came here with an agenda he came here with a
9:13 · narrative and everything he found he wanted to fit into that narrative and it did for him it
9:19 · seemed a little bit rushed perhaps it's fair to say but you don't much away from wheelie
9:24 · because he did a lot of work for archaeology in those early days and moved it forward and
9:29 · Bounds and perhaps it did get that publicity it badly needed at the time who knows if there was
9:35 · a battle it probably wasn't here I've been puled I hope you've enjoyed this little production if
9:41 · you do you can click on all the good links below including our little patreon if you'd like to help
9:46 · support the channel and get some behind the scenes goodies see you this time next [Music]
9:54 · week

Transcript
0:00	·	okay right have a look have a look at
0:05	·	this so so this is this is a paper published in the Oxford Journal of archaeology by Miles
0:14	·	Russell it tells a fascinating story of misdirection misinformation all with a
0:22	·	goal of publicity Now by and large talks about a character called Mortimer wheeler
0:29	·	now mortim erwheeler and his wife Tessa did this 1943 this is just a quick snippet but
0:36	·	it was 522 page archaeological report on that just there and it was indeed full of
0:44	·	misinformation it was done deliberately and to be clear this wasn't based on lack
0:51	·	of Education or understanding this was purely based on misdirection on a Monumental scale
1:04	·	welcome to the story of the Hill Fort
1:07	·	myth can't quite begin to explain how big this place is not just its size which is
1:17	·	probably over 100 acres it's almost a kilometre from one end to the other but
1:23	·	also the fortifications it's it's like a maze here is the Western entrance and
1:29	·	um here I am in the year 2024 and I'm confused about the right way
1:34	·	in and perhaps that is where the story starts Mortimer and Tessa wheeler came
1:43	·	here and excavated between 1934 and 1937 each session they brought with them over a 100
1:50	·	assistants all with the view of unearthing the secrets that this 2500 year old Fort had hidden
2:02	·	okay made it into one of the two entrances to the western side of Maiden Castle now wheeler
2:08	·	wanted archaeology to be held in the highest esteem but not only that he also wanted it to
2:15	·	be popular cuz if it was popular well then all of a sudden there's funding options and
2:21	·	opportunities there was no such thing as Government funding in the 1930s perhaps
2:27	·	Maiden Castle here endorse it or perhaps that could be the solution to both of those desires
2:34	·	ad43 saw the successful invasion of Britain by the Romans under Emperor Claudius from Kent they
2:40	·	headed west and North sweeping across Britain barbarically destroying everything in their
2:46	·	path Maiden Castle was no exception despite its size and clear fortifications the tribe
2:52	·	here were clearly no match for the Roman army the sheer scale of this place is absolutely
2:59	·	ridiculous can't quite begin to imagine the the work it took to build this it's just vast Tessa
3:06	·	and mortimer wheeler came here they had two or three years to unearth some of the secrets of
3:11	·	this place everything they found really backed the notion of the Roman Invasion the brutality
3:18	·	the the organization of that Civilization ad. 43 really was a brutal time right
3:25	·	here 1936 and sadly after the passing of Tessa when Mortimer found one of the most significant
3:37	·	pieces to the puzzle here he found the grave site with 52 adult males in most of which had suffered
3:46	·	significant injury it's a famous image of a uh a spine a human spine with a projectile embedded in
3:54	·	it perhaps one of the most persuasive points that wheeler made was at the body bodies were seemingly
4:00	·	buried in a hastily manner no real thought given to their position it was clearly done at a time
4:06	·	of great stress a battle now further Evidence should you need it of the Roman brutality here
4:13	·	in ad 43 well 74% of those bodies found in the grave well they had blows To The Head and the
4:23	·	Torso but there was one more thing for that we're going to have to head over to the Eastern
4:32	·	side to further understand the brutality of the Roman Invasion here so here now at the Eastern
4:40	·	entrance the Eastern Gate just there there's two um Gates just like over on the western side and
4:46	·	pretty much right here I'm stood very close to the war Graves that uh wheeler confirmed
4:52	·	or here and to make matters worse just up on the hill there towards the Western entrance
4:58	·	well there was a lot of round houses and Wheeler had found that they' been burnt to the ground if
5:03	·	it wasn't enough that the Romans came here and brutally murdered but they also level the place
5:08	·	too the wheelers at the time were making Leaps and Bounds in archaeology they had set up the
5:15	·	Institute of archaeology in London and we're really bringing the discipline into the public
5:20	·	eye the excavations really played so well into this agenda people flocked to the site to see
5:26	·	with their own eyes to see the history come alive the brutality of the Romans upon their Landing
5:32	·	here but what if I told you that absolutely none of what I've just told you is
5:44	·	true the wheelers wanted the publicity and they got it it was almost as if they were 80 years
5:52	·	ahead of their time with regards of modern use of social media he knew exactly what would bring
5:57	·	in further funds but you have to find find something good you have to find something of
6:01	·	substance for that wheel to continue in motion so this Eastern entrance is almost as much of a
6:09	·	maze as the western side now for me this story is really fascinating because today the almost
6:15	·	the the opposite is true with archaeology archaeology wants to protect itself protect
6:20	·	the sites protect the information until it's known to be completely true and that takes a
6:25	·	long time professionalism Reigns so what exactly was wrong with Wheeler's theories we seem to be
6:33	·	on to the reasons why perhaps but how do we know that he was so wrong it took until the
6:40	·	1980s for this one event Theory to start being picked apart well in the first instance there
6:46	·	was absolutely no evidence to suggest that the injuries and the trauma caused by those in the
6:52	·	war grave were done so here absolutely none it was well known certainly here with the duo triers the
6:59	·	tri that were here before the Romans that they practiced the use or the ReUse of graves over
7:04	·	a long period of time excavations in 1991 niall sharpels detailed that instead of the bodies being
7:12	·	placed here hastily and anxiously they were in fact placed in an ordered and careful manner some
7:18	·	of the Grave Goods placed alongside them were even still there so you remember the stat that wheeler
7:24	·	had they 74% of the male bodies found in there were uh consistent with injuries that were a Blow
7:31	·	To The Head and the Torso well that stat is true however what's not true is it didn't happen all at
7:38	·	once in one period of time it happened perhaps over centuries and that for me tells more of a
7:45	·	uh a sadder tale that the the tribes living here well they were certainly um under more stress for
7:52	·	a longer periods of time but what about the the bolt that uh bit of ballista that was found in
8:00	·	the spine of that adult male well again there is no evidence whatsoever that that was Roman equally
8:07	·	as much there has been the same Weaponry found in other areas on the island it could well have
8:13	·	been and likely to have been a native object and finally what about the burning of the roundhouses
8:22	·	the last Act of brutality by the Romans well no again sharpells 1991 concluded that the burning
8:29	·	here derived largely from the workings here the non-war related iron workings in fact NE sharpells
8:37	·	soon after his work in the 1980s described this place as one of the most significant prehistoric
8:45	·	Iron Age production of artefacts on the British aisles now that in itself should tell for quite a
8:52	·	story now as time goes on evidence suggest that this place was long abandoned before the Romans
9:02	·	came here maybe 150 years and perhaps when the Romans did arrive it would have looked just like
9:07	·	the landscape it does today wheeler certainly came here with an agenda he came here with a
9:13	·	narrative and everything he found he wanted to fit into that narrative and it did for him it
9:19	·	seemed a little bit rushed perhaps it's fair to say but you don't much away from wheelie
9:24	·	because he did a lot of work for archaeology in those early days and moved it forward and
9:29	·	Bounds and perhaps it did get that publicity it badly needed at the time who knows if there was
9:35	·	a battle it probably wasn't here I've been puled I hope you've enjoyed this little production if
9:41	·	you do you can click on all the good links below including our little patreon if you'd like to help
9:46	·	support the channel and get some behind the scenes goodies see you this time next [Music]
9:54	·	week