Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Space Age Lasers Reveal Offa's Dyke Missing Link
Western Daily Press ^ | 6-1-2007 | Janet Hughes

Posted on 06/01/2007 5:36:07 PM PDT by blam

SPACE AGE LASERS REVEAL OFFA'S DYKE MISSING LINK

BY JANET HUGHES J.HUGHES@BEPP.CO.UK

08:00 - 01 June 2007

It has remained hidden for centuries but space-age technology has stripped away layers of history to discover what excited archaeologists believe could be a missing section of Offa's Dyke.

Aerial laser technology, which allows the experts to see what is hidden below the trees and the undergrowth, has discovered a long strip of earthworks in the Forest of Dean.

And archaeologists believe they may have finally found a missing 250-metre stretch of the Dyke built by King Offa between 757 to 796 AD to keep the English and the Welsh apart. Now they are planning a major study to check out if the findings taken from the air match those on the ground.

"The study has produced some exciting results," said senior project officer John Hoyle, the man charged with interpreting the results from the latest Lidar technology.

"There's a section of earthworks which looks like it could be a missing section of Offa's Dyke. Everybody assumed that particular section had been destroyed by quarrying but this shows it could still be there, hidden under all the brambles and bracken.

"But this isn't an exact mathematical process so now we have to validate the findings by pulling on our boots and trying to find it on the ground."

According to the earliest records by King Alfred's biographer Asser, the dyke built by the former King of Mercia to separate England and Wales, stretched "from sea to sea".

Much of the 80-mile stretch snaking from the Wye Valley to Wrexham is still visible and in places walkers can see the original ditch and rampart which was 27ft wide and eight metres high.

But farming has destroyed some sections in the Welsh Marches and some believe extensive mining and quarrying in the Forest of Dean and the Wye Valley is responsible for large gaps at the Gloucestershire end.

The gaps led some historians to question whether Offa did build his dyke sea to sea or stopped short of the Severn estuary, but local archaeologists believe there is enough evidence to prove he did reach Beachley.

The newly found hilltop earthworks at Wyeseal Woods, near St Briavels, fills the main gap on the Tutshill to Redbrook section of the 8th century barrier and is near the site of a disused quarry.

The new section could prove the dyke did go all the way to the Severn and and help back a theory that any differences in construction are because Offa's ancient builders took a few lazy short cuts in the county and filled in the gaps between older, less impressive earthworks, rather than start from scratch.

The mystery earthwork was pinpointed by the 'Lidar' which sends out 33,000 pulses per second to map the ground below the trees and bushes which are later digitally removed from aerial pictures to reveal what lies underneath.

It is the first time the technology has been used on such a large scale and experts from Cambridge University spent hours flying over the Forest in a small plane mapping 280 square metres of forestry.

English Heritage, the Forestry Commission and the local council paid £100,000 for the cost of the survey to help county archaeologists find out more about what lies under the woodlands.

And the missing section of Offa's Dyke is not the only thing local archaeologists are excited about after seeing an initial Lidar report.

It has helped them identify sites of charcoal, iron and coal workings dating back to Roman times .


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: ambrosiusaurelianus; dyke; forestofdean; gloucesetershire; godsgravesglyphs; helixmakemineadouble; kingarthur; lasers; lidar; offas; offasdyke; riversevern; severn; uk; unitedkingdom; wales; wansdyke; watsdyke; welsh; wrexham; wyevalley
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-48 next last
No Pictures.

Fred Nerks can always find pictures...be patient.

BTW, the world's highest concentration of 'O' type blood is behind Offa's Dyke.

1 posted on 06/01/2007 5:36:11 PM PDT by blam
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: SunkenCiv; Fred Nerks

GGG Ping.


2 posted on 06/01/2007 5:36:37 PM PDT by blam
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: blam; All

I thought he was buried in Yankee Stadium!? and he had a lesbian girlfriend??? who knew???


3 posted on 06/01/2007 5:38:10 PM PDT by notdownwidems (Shellback, pollywogs! 1980)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: notdownwidems

Now we know what Geraldo (Jerry Rivers) was really looking for.


4 posted on 06/01/2007 5:46:47 PM PDT by GBA (God Bless America!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: blam
This dyke is the missing link:


5 posted on 06/01/2007 5:47:59 PM PDT by traditional1
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: blam

this wrong on so many levels....


6 posted on 06/01/2007 5:49:03 PM PDT by Drango (A liberal's compassion is limited only by the size of someone else's wallet.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: blam
And archaeologists believe they may have finally found a missing 250-metre stretch of the Dyke built by King Offa between 757 to 796 AD to keep the English and the Welsh apart.

Thank the gods for this welcome news!!

I can't tell you how many nights I've lain awake wondering where those missing 250 meters of King Offa's dyke were.
7 posted on 06/01/2007 5:51:43 PM PDT by Captain Rhino ( Dollars spent in India help a friend; dollars spent in China arm an enemy.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: traditional1

Hahhh.


8 posted on 06/01/2007 5:55:03 PM PDT by spanalot
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: traditional1
Priceless!!!!
9 posted on 06/01/2007 6:02:01 PM PDT by Leo Carpathian (ffffFReeeePeee!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: traditional1
OK. You cracked me up with that one.

FG

10 posted on 06/01/2007 6:07:57 PM PDT by Family Guy (I disagree with what you said, but I'll defend to the death your right to shut up.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: blam
27ft wide and eight metres high

from sea to sea no less. Just WOW!

11 posted on 06/01/2007 6:08:45 PM PDT by DanielLongo (Don't tread on me)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: traditional1
I don't know whether to laugh, cry, or scream. Wait.....

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahh!


12 posted on 06/01/2007 6:10:00 PM PDT by DanielLongo (Don't tread on me)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: blam

Offa's Dyke

13 posted on 06/01/2007 6:11:43 PM PDT by blam
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: traditional1

OK, LOL. I should have known that would make an appearance on this thread.


14 posted on 06/01/2007 6:15:33 PM PDT by FreedomPoster (Guns themselves are fairly robust; their chief enemies are rust and politicians) (NRA)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: blam

WoW!
I always wondered where those little hamburgers came from
and ZOT! there it was.......White Castle! Offa’s dyke must have worked there.


15 posted on 06/01/2007 6:18:16 PM PDT by tet68 ( " We would not die in that man's company, that fears his fellowship to die with us...." Henry V.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: blam

LOL...I can see I got here toooo late!


16 posted on 06/01/2007 11:59:36 PM PDT by Fred Nerks (Fair Dinkum!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: blam
http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/northeast/sites/slideshows/pages/offas_dyke.shtml?3

Hike the Dyke...


17 posted on 06/02/2007 12:05:46 AM PDT by Fred Nerks (Fair Dinkum!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: blam

“Offa’s Dyke”
I thought they were referring to a “Bull” Dyke!


18 posted on 06/02/2007 12:31:37 AM PDT by BnBlFlag (Deo Vindice/Semper Fidelis "Ya gotta saddle up your boys; Ya gotta draw a hard line")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: blam; FairOpinion; StayAt HomeMother; Ernest_at_the_Beach; 1ofmanyfree; 24Karet; 3AngelaD; 49th; ...
Thanks Blam. To all, try a search on "Wat's Dyke" site:freerepublic.com.

To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list. Thanks.
Please FREEPMAIL me if you want on or off the
"Gods, Graves, Glyphs" PING list or GGG weekly digest
-- Archaeology/Anthropology/Ancient Cultures/Artifacts/Antiquities, etc.
Gods, Graves, Glyphs (alpha order)

19 posted on 06/02/2007 7:55:37 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (Time heals all wounds, particularly when they're not yours. Profile updated May 31, 2007.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: blam
keep the English and the Welsh apart

Keep the Saxons and the British apart. Arthur was west of the barrier--British.

20 posted on 06/02/2007 7:58:40 AM PDT by RightWhale (Repeal the Treaty)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-48 next last

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.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson