Posted on 12/16/2010 11:26:35 AM PST by SunkenCiv
Creswell Crags located in Worsop, UK, represents one site among a significant cluster of cave sites inhabited during the last Ice Age in Britain. Archaeological and environmental evidence excavated from the caves show how the area witnessed dramatic changes in climate at the edge of the northern ice sheets and was populated by Ice Age animals such as hyenas, mammoths, woolly rhinoceros, and migrating herds of reindeer, horse and bison.
Archaeology investigations at the caves have uncovered stone, bone and ivory tools which date occupation to the Middle and Upper Palaeolithic era. In, addition archaeology have discovered 13000 year old engraved rock art figures of deer, birds, bison, and horse.
What makes this recent discovery at the caves so important is the piece of rock art discovered dates from the medieval period.
Experts from Sheffield University have identified the piece as an medieval example of the strategy board game Nine Men's Morris, which had been popular since Roman times.
Each player has nine pieces, or "men", which move along the board's twenty-four spots. The object of the game is to leave the opposing player with fewer than three pieces or, as in draughts, with no legal moves left.
This discovery provided a glimpse into medieval activity at the Crags. But it also opened up a medieval mystery; how did the game get there and who had made it?
...This is not the only medieval find at the cave. Other items that have been uncovered include coins and bottles. These items were discovered in conjunction to the stone carved game and are believe to be contemporary. This has lead experts to suggest the caves may have been used as an illegal drinking and gambling den by the monks who lived at nearby Welbeck Abbey.
(Excerpt) Read more at archnews.co.uk ...
This carved stone has led to a medieval mystery at one of Europe's most important Ice Age sites [Copyright: Creswell Crags]
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Nine Men’s Morris bump. Interesting game.
The real mystery is how they came up with that name?
:’)
Creswell Crags, or Nine Men’s Morris?
Lol! Nine Men’s Morris...
No real mystery. Morris is the Anglicised version of the Roman name Mauritius. Mauritius was a Roman soldier who led a legion of Christians that were slaughtered by the Roman Emperor for refusing to worship Roman gods. He later became Saint Maurice, and was the patron saint of soldiers. Later Christian soldiers who placed their faith and survival in God were sometimes referred to as St. Maurice’s Men.
9 Man Morris is a board strategy game where you’re pitting 9 “soldiers” against each other in “combat”. Given that history, it’s a bit understandable how the name came to be.
Hey, that’s pretty interesting. Thanks for the information, didn’t think I’d ever know.
A Medieval clubhouse where the boys could be boys. I love it!
It was a medieval bath house, IOW. ;’)
Actually, I believe that it was the site where they fit 9 guys in a Morris Mini, true story!
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