Archaeological Find May Lead To Rewriting Of History

Dawn ^ | 11-21-2003 | Robin McKie

[blam]

Archaeological find may lead to rewriting of history

By Robin McKie

LONDON: Scientists have uncovered a landscape of buried buildings and villages representing more than 6,000 years of British history.

Anglo-Saxon settlements, Roman houses, Bronze Age graves and Iron Age homes - covered by thick layers of sand and loam - have been pinpointed using hi-tech magnetic sensors and air reconnaissance surveys.

The discovery, at West Heslerton in northern England, suggests the British countryside may have been far more intensively occupied and farmed than previously realized. The surveys have also directed archaeologists to make several significant finds, including a 1,300-year-old brooch scrawled with letters that are the oldest known form of writing in English.

Archaeologists believe the Heslerton Parish project could lead to a shake-up in our understanding of the nation's history. "Take the Dark Ages," said project leader Dominic Powlesland. "Our work shows they never really existed. Civilization didn't disappear in Britain when the Romans left. Buildings were in continuous use and farms operated quite successfully between the Romans leaving and the Anglo-Saxons taking over."

But the discovery - rated as one of the most important archaeological finds in Britain - is under threat. Farmers are being urged to start digging up land to plant potatoes for the nearby McCain French fries factory.

"This is the archaeological equivalent of finding the Domesday Book - then having it burned before your eyes before you get a chance to open it," said David Miles, chief archaeologist of English Heritage. "This site is as important as Stonehenge or Avebury. The graves, burial mounds, and houses have been left untouched by mechanized farming which has wrecked so much of the rest of our archaeology. What they can tell us is of immeasurable importance."

In an attempt to halt the site's destruction, urgent talks have been set up between English Heritage and the UK Department for the Environment, while project leaders and local farmers have also begun discussions.

The remarkable secret was revealed after councillors gave the go-ahead for a mineral extraction scheme in the middle of the site. Archaeologists carried out a survey before quarrying began and discovered an entire early Anglo-Saxon village and cemetery, preserved by sands that had blown from dunes in nearby wetlands.

Archaeologists - backed by the state-funded conservation body English Heritage - mapped the area to try to discover other settlements. First they used aerial reconnaissance photographs, then moved on to exploit new techniques for measuring magnetic variation underground. "When you make bricks or pots or plates, you cause tiny magnetic particles in the clay to line up to the lines of Earth's magnetic field," said Powlesland. "You can then detect the magnetic anomalies they produce underground."

After walking hundreds of kilometres with their instruments, archaeologists produced a map of buried roads, buildings and graves, and found that the 5 sq km site was criss-crossed with settlements and trackways.

These were then dated by drilling to retrieve samples. From this, they created a map of the different settlements and discovered that the drifting sands had sometimes covered a site during the Roman era, Anglo-Saxon times or the Bronze Age.

"We are not dealing with a single site," said Miles. "We are dealing with an entire three-dimensional landscape that covers 6,000 years of our history and prehistory. This place is unique."

It is the preservation of the buildings that causes special scientific excitement, say researchers. "Most Bronze Age burial mounds in this country have been broken into or cut up," said Powlesland. "In the past, it was assumed they were graves built only for important people and leaders.

Our surveys of the intact ones down there suggest it is more likely they were burial places for extended families. This is a vast untapped resource. We have to ensure that its most important parts are saved so that we can excavate and study them carefully. It would be tragic if this place was wrecked for a few potatoes." -Dawn/The Observer News Service.

[blam]

I hope while they're digging that they make note of the dust layer from the comet/asteroid impact that began the Dark Ages in 540AD.

[blam]

Catastrophic Event Preceded Dark Ages - Scientist

[NautiNurse]

How does one date a brooch to 1300 years old?

[dirtboy]

Probably by the layer they found it in, in which they would have performed carbon-14 dating on any organic material.

[going hot]

How does one date a brooch to 1300 years old?

What a silly question. Why, by the pawn shop tag affixed to it of course. :-)

[mewzilla]

FWIW, here's a neat site with some explanations of dating techniques.

[PeterPrinciple]

A tough decision........would I rather have french fries or create a government beauracracy

I vote french fries.

[CROSSHIGHWAYMAN]

Archaeological Find May Lead To Rewriting Of History

Liberal professors volunteer in hordes out of habit!

[Celtjew Libertarian]

This looks like a job for Time Team!

[NautiNurse]

Thanks for the info. There are a lot more dating methods than I had imagined.

[mewzilla]

The absolute dating techniques make my brain hurt, but then I only got a C in physics :)

[Puppage]

Archaeological Find May Lead To Rewriting Of History

Just hand the whole thing over to the DNC.....they'll rewrite it.

[Clean_Sweep]

You ask if she wants to go, then give her a kiss.

[Thud]

ping

[farmfriend]

Gods, Graves, Glyphs
List for articles regarding early civilizations , life of all forms, - dinosaurs - etc.

Let me know if you wish to be added or removed from this ping list.

[farmfriend]

Thanks for the ping.

[martin gibson]

I vote french fries.

uh, better make 'em Freedom Fries there, Pilgrim...

[myself6]

You know, this reminds me of a statement I read recently (cant remember where). "...They are trying to turn or country into a museum..."

I fully understand the interest in history. I am an avid student of history and think it is important to know where you’ve been and where you came from to know where you’re going. Very few things intrigue me more than discovering lost links to our past or some "forgotten" history. However, I do have a problem with the single-mindedness of academics in their pursuit of intellectual knowledge. They sincerely wish to turn this planet into a MUSEUM so that they may study whatever it is that interests them undisturbed and unopposed. Its almost as if they believe that everything that came before now is more important than what will be or could be or what exists now is more important than what may exist.

You just have to let some things go for the sake of today and tomorrow. Not ALL things can be let go of course (freedom, liberty, natural rights, etc) the livelihood of a families farm is a bit more important than studying some old structures. A persons property rights and by extension his freedom is more important than every historical site on the planet.

If you feel you MUST see these buried treasures, deal with the property owner in good faith. Either negotiate to BUY his land or appeal to his "good will" to let you use it for a while. If the owner refuses, the only thing you need to understand is that YOUR desires DO NOT outweigh his. You are NOT morally bound to take what is his because he doesn’t "understand" the "importance" of your desire.

The reason we have property rights is because EVERYONE has their own desires and EVERYONE thinks their desires are more important or nobler than others. These rights erect a "wall" that protects the weak from the strong. BY weak I do not mean poor and strong does not mean rich. An army of the poor is much stronger than a rich landowner. Oppressive government is stronger than a poor or rich land owner. A poor or rich man who is physically strong can take the property from a physically weak poor or rich landowner. Property rights stop this from happening. Property rights do not take desires into account nor should they.

[PeterPrinciple]

Freedom Fries

Sorry, I am not one to be politically correct even for conservatives. Reminds me of: If you call a dogs tail a leg, how many legs does it have?

Anyway, you did cause me to get the BIG dictionary out and look up french and I did learn a new word:

FRENCH LEAVE - to take French Leave is to absent oneself without permission or go away without leave-taking

Would anyone know the origin of this? Assume it is military but would it be in regard to the French Revolution, WWI or WWII or????

Thanks for today's education!

Your reference to pilgrim makes me think of John Wayne and thinking of John Wayne always makes it a good day.

[Mackey]

How does one date a brooch to 1300 years old?

One way would be to find it associated with coins which could be assessed as to age-- the reign of a particular sovereign, for example.