Archaeology at the University of Reading

Friday featured site: the La Tène lakeside trophaeum, Switzerland

Discovered in November 1857, the La Tène site has been at the heart of studies into the later European Iron Age. Renowned for its numerous weapons, particularly iron swords in decorated scabbards and spearheads, the finds from the site were remarkably preserved within the lake. Unfortunately, these factors resulted in the site being plundered, with many of its finds sold and scattered across Europe and America.

Between 1880 and 1917, detailed investigations revealed two Iron Age bridges crossing an ancient River Thielle channel, along with wooden building remains on the banks. Only a small sample of bone was kept from the 1907-1917 excavations, but estimates suggest that the remains of up to 100 people were originally present, including both males and females. An unusually high proportion of horse bones was also found, with holes in two horse skulls suggesting that their heads had been displayed on poles.

Historically viewed as a votive site, recent interpretations suggest that La Tène served as a trophaeum, where the bodies and weapons of a defeated army were displayed around 220–200 BC.

You can read more about the site here:

https://the-past.com/feature/la-tene-a-place-of-memory/
https://www.world-archaeology.com/features/la-tene/

📸 from the article in PAST

What we're learning this week: analysing metalwork from Fishbourne Roman Palace

The REMADE (Roman and Early Medieval Alloys Defined) team recently visited Fishbourne Roman Palace, one of the project’s partners, to analyse objects from their incredible collection. The team used portable x-ray fluorescence (pXRF), which uses the interaction of x-rays with a material to determine its elemental composition, to non-destructively analyse 150 objects.

Among the analysed items were a lion-headed stud, various brooches and dress accessories, seal box lids, vessel and mirror fragments, keys, and mounts. These analyses will add to the story of metal recycling, social identity, and the flow of material culture and people in the 1st millennium AD.

REMADE is a new initiative that will explore copper-alloys across the UK in the 1st millennium AD, funded by UKRI and based at the University of Reading. The project is creating the first UK-wide chemical framework for copper alloys by analysing thousands of objects in collaboration with a diverse range of groups including national and regional museums, commercial units, local trusts, and the Portable Antiquities Scheme.

Find out more about the REMADE project here: https://research.reading.ac.uk/remade/

For more updates about the REMADE project, you can follow them on twitter/X: https://twitter.com/REMADEUoR

📸 credit: Fishbourne Roman Palace, Sussex Past

What we’re learning this week: one of our postgraduate researchers, Anqi Mao, recently attended the Colonial Collections and the Responsible Use of AI in Museums and Heritage workshop. This excellent workshop allowed discussion of new technologies and AI with museum scholars.

Here's what Anqi had to say about the experience:
"I attended the Colonial Collections and the Responsible Use of AI in Museums and Heritage workshop at the Leeds Armouries Museum this Monday. The workshop's main focus was on using AI responsibly in museums and heritage organizations with colonial collections and histories and understanding and exploring definitions and approaches to responsible AI and colonial materials. Museum workers, scholars in AI, archaeologists, and others participated in the workshop and, in groups, tried to design AI tools that could be applied to museums de-colonizing their exhibits. Very interesting!"

Reading Archaeology News: Our new colleague, zooarchaeologist Geoff Smith, was involved in a study published in Nature today that shed light on the ability of an extinct human species, the Denisovans, to survive in extreme climatic conditions on the Tibetan plateau from around 200,000 to 40,000 years ago.

Geoff said “Only a handful of Denisovan remains have ever been discovered and little is currently known about the lifeways of these extinct humans. Baishiya Karst Cave, located 3,280m above sea level, is one of the only two places where Denisovans are known to have lived. By studying 2,500 bone fragments, including with state-of-the-art proteomic identification methods, we could identify that Denisovans hunted, butchered and ate a range of animal species like blue sheep and adapted to shifting climates and high altitude conditions for much longer than previously thought. We also identified a new Denisovan rib fragment, making this a crucial site to come to a better understanding of this extraordinary human species.”

You can access the publication at: Xia et al., "Middle and Late Pleistocene Denisovan subsistence at Baishiya Karst Cave", Nature. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-07612-9

Also available at: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07612-9

Photo 1: Entrance to Baishiya Karst Cave
Credit: Dongju Zhang’s group (Lanzhou University).

Photo 2: Excavations at Baishiya Karst Cave
Credit: Dongju Zhang’s group (Lanzhou University).

What we're reading this week: Two of our postgraduate researchers, Jack Eggington and Rebecca Pitt, have recently teamed up with one of our previous post-doctoral researchers, Claire Hodson, to publish a paper in the International Journal of Paleopathology.

Their work discusses the pars basilaris, a small bone at the base of your skull, and aims to further understand how it is affected by growth and development. Study of the pars basilaris has previously been used to indicate that an individual may have suffered from scurvy, a condition caused by a lack of Vitamin C in the diet. However, the authors suggest that changes to this bone may have been previously mistakenly interpreted, as natural growth and development of the human skeleton results in changes to bone surfaces.

This research highlights how researching even the smallest of bones in the body can aid our understanding of growth and development, helping us as researchers more clearly evaluate human health in the past.

Please note the article contains images of human skeletal remains. It is open access and available for reading at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1879981724002870

Our Olistadh 2024 Islay Fieldschool is officially over, and the site has been left to be reclaimed by the landscape!

See our before and after pictures below, of the site before deturfing on the very first day, and of the site after returfing on the very last day.

Picture 1: Before deturfing, the first day on site
Picture 2: After returfing, the last day on site
Picture 3: Trench 6 before deturfing
Picture 4: Trench 6 after returfing

Have your opinions heard!

The Council for British Archaeology and the Museum of London Archaeology are running a survey, with the aim of understanding how archaeology can be made more accessible for everyone.

You don't need any background in or knowledge of archaeology to take part.

The 'Trowel and Error' survey can be accessed here: https://www.archaeologyuk.org/what-we-do/collaborative-projects/trowel-and-error.html

There's still time to register for the University Archaeology Day 2024 - a FREE event held at the British Museum!

👩‍🏫 Meet the experts - talk to archaeologists from universities across the UK
🔬 Learn about the exisiting research that is taking place, and the opportunities available for students.
🧑‍🎓 Get application and career tips.

The event is mainly aimed at students in years 12 and 13 and mature students considering studying archaeology. However, anyone with an interest in the subject is more than welcome to attend in person or by Zoom during the panel events.

For more information and to register, visit: https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/university-archaeology-uk

For more information about our degree, visit: https://www.reading.ac.uk/archaeology/

OLI24! Our Olistadh 2024 Islay Fieldschool team photo! What a fantastic bunch of students we had this year. Great job everyone! :-D

Friday featured site: Gortyn, Crete, where the Code of Gortyn was discovered

If asked to name an archaeological site in Crete, your mind probably jumps to Knossos due to its link with the Greek myth of Theseus and the minotaur. But Gortyn, situated south of the modern-day capital of Heraklion, also boasts a rich archaeological history. Archaeological evidence has found human occupation on the site as far back as 7000BCE, however it was not until 68BCE that Gortyn truly reached the height of its power, when it was chosen to become capital of the Roman province of Crete and Cyrenaica.

Archaeological interest at the site begun in 1884, when blocks inscribed with the ancient laws of Gortyn were discovered dating to the first half of the 5th century BCE. These inscriptions stretched across a circular wall of what is thought to have been a public civic building in the agora, representing one of the most extensive surviving monuments of Greek law before the Hellenistic Age. A total of 600 lines of text are thought to have been carved. The code itself discusses private law, especially surrounding family property, and discusses details including inheritance, sale of property, marriage and divorce rights, and adoption.

Read more here:
https://the-past.com/feature/the-great-inscription-law-and-order-at-gortyn/

https://www.ancientworldmagazine.com/articles/set-stone-law-code-gortyn/

Check out what an amazing experience our placement student Niamh has had with Thames Valley Archaeological Services. This is an excellent example of how our placement students benefit from first hand experience and also get to contribute to the important work of our colleagues in the professional archaeology sector. Well done Niamh!

For more information about placements, please visit:
https://www.reading.ac.uk/archaeology/undergraduate/why-study-with-us and https://www.reading.ac.uk/essentials/careers/placements

What we’re learning this week: The Penwyllt Hoard

As part of his research with the University of Reading and Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales, doctoral student Chris Griffiths recently visited Penwyllt, a small hamlet in Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) National Park.

“I’m in the final stages of my project, but couldn’t pass up the opportunity to revisit this incredible place. The Penwyllt hoard was buried around 3,000 years ago, during the Late Bronze Age in Britain, before it was discovered in July 1886.”

“It’s easy to imagine what this landscape would have looked like before it was quarried in the 19th and 20th centuries. While the exact location of the hoard remains unknown, the dark brown patina of the objects suggests they came from a peaty environment. My site visits are focused on recording this information, to better understand the relationship between these deposits of metalwork and their burial landscapes. I’ll be publishing the results of my research soon, so watch this space!”

📸 Photos by Chris Griffiths:

1. View overlooking Penwyllt
2. A patch of peat bog on the hill, December 2023
3. The Penwyllt hoard (©Amgueddfa Cymru - Museum Wales)

Reading Archaeology News: Professor Steve Mithen's article discussing 'How Babies and Young Children Learn to Understand Language' is now available to read on Literary Hub.

Understanding our mother-language is something we as human beings come to do without any conscious awareness. When we speak, we can identify words without difficulty, and even understand meaning based on the cadence and structure of sentences. This is a skill we have developed as babies and young children, but how? If you think of a language you are unfamiliar with, you may be overwhelmed with the challenge of understanding both words and meaning. Yet, as babies, we unconsciously take on what would appear to be an impossible task to both understand and speak a language.

Professor Steve Mithen examines the remarkable act of how babies and young children learn to firstly separate the conversations they hear into distinct words, and secondly, how they learn associated meaning. This is part of his authored book 'The Language Puzzle: Piecing Together the Six-Million-Year Story of How Words Evolved'.

To read the full article at Literary Hub: https://lithub.com/how-babies-and-young-children-learn-to-understand-language/

As we are in the middle of our final week here at the Islay Fieldschool, and starting to thinking about backfilling, have a look at some of the fantastic archaeology we've been working on! More of the archaeological story of the Olistadh we will bring to you very soon.

Archaeology News: Prehistoric DNA unearthed in Wales

Archaeologists investigating Wogan Cavern, which lies beneath Pembroke Castle in south-west Wales, aim to use DNA obtained from intact deposits to reveal clues about how Neanderthals and early Homo sapiens lived in Britain.

Dr Rob Dinnis, of Aberdeen University, said that the preserved layers of bone, stone tools, and DNA go back at least 40,000 years ago. However, the presence of hippopotamus remains suggests some materials could be as old as 125,000 years.

While other cave sites in Britain have also yielded evidence of early Homo sapiens, these were often stripped of their evidence by Victorian or Edwardian archaeologists. Researchers hope this site will illuminate the relationship between modern humans and Neanderthals by analysing the DNA left behind by its prehistoric occupants.

Read the full article here: https://www.theguardian.com/science/article/2024/jun/22/does-a-cave-beneath-pembroke-castle-hold-key-to-fate-of-early-britons

Find out more about the site here: https://www.wogancavern.org/

📸from the article in the Guardian

Friday Featured site: Neolithic burials in Eichendorf, Germany

About 6,800 years ago, a high-status individual, dubbed "The Mayor," was buried with an array of food, drink, and valuable items, including a split boar's tooth, near Eichendorf in southern Germany. The Middle Neolithic grave, discovered by archaeologists in the village of Exing, contained goods suggesting the person's elevated status, possibly as an elder or chieftain. The investigation has yet to determine the individual's age or gender. The finds suggest that the buried individual was of high status (some items made of gold), likely earned through their achievements rather than inheritance.

To read the full article, go to the live science website: https://shorturl.at/e4KCJ

Insta: link.in bio

Image from article

Congratulations to all of our wonderful finalists in the Department of Archaeology! We're so proud of everything that each and every one of you achieved.

If we don't see you at graduation, please keep in touch! We love seeing how our graduates take their passion out into the world.

Archaeology News: Roman Oyster processing site found

A suspected Roman oyster processing site has been discovered on the banks of the Humber Estuary near Weeton, East Yorkshire, during flood defence work by the Environment Agency. York Archaeology found large quantities of misshapen oyster shells, suggesting they grew naturally on a shell reef, near what appears to be an early Roman settlement. Oysters were a prized staple in the Roman diet and may have influenced Julius Caesar's decision to invade Britain. For the past three years, the agency has been realigning sea defences to create new wetlands. Today, the Wilder Humber partnership is reintroducing oysters to the estuary to help protect the coastline by stabilizing the seabed and absorbing wave energy.

Read the article on the BBC News website: https://shorturl.at/i5L87

Image from article

Instagram linkin.bio

Friday featured site: Karanis, Roman town, Egypt

A new study published in the journal Antiquity suggests that the ancient Greco-Roman settlement of Karanis in Egypt was occupied until the 7th century, contrary to previous beliefs that it was abandoned in the mid-5th century. Karanis, an agricultural town in the Faiyum Oasis founded in the 3rd century B.C. under the Ptolemaic dynasty, continued to thrive under Roman rule.

The settlement, notable for its Roman domestic architecture and urban development, is an important historical site comparable to Pompeii. It provides extensive data on everyday Roman life, economy, and demography. Karanis has been well-studied since the 19th century due to the numerous papyri found there, offering insights into the Roman Empire, its decline, environmental changes, and the Antonine Plague of A.D. 165-180.

Read the full article on the news week website: https://shorturl.at/pAncP

Image from article

Happening this evening! PhD student Henrietta Hammant will speak about Inuit art at the upcoming 'Arctic Mirage' event at Reading Museum!!

Thursday 13 June, 5:30pm - 6:30pm

Free talk, book here: http://rdguk.info/booking_7HGVy

Insta: Link in bio

Whilst on Islay one of our fieldschool team members will be singing some folk songs in a midsummer concert below the Youth Hostel in the The Natural History Trust. Sarah will be joined by alumni and flint knapper Will Attard, and she's hoping a few of the students will join in too. She's been writing a song about our current fieldschool site of Olistadh this season. Here's a link to last season's song which she and Will wrote together: https://youtu.be/8pQbqmNXYfs?si=slLCfNiSU_HhZZaC

A Midsummer Concert Islay Natural History Centre

Announcing the 2024 Research Output Prize Winners
Heritage & Creativity
Winner: Annemieke Milks (Archaeology), for her co-authored article in PLOS ONE: "A double-pointed wooden throwing stick from Schöningen, Germany: Results and new insights from a multi-analytical study."

By examining a 300,000-year-old wooden hunting implement, Annemieke Milks’ research demonstrates that early Neanderthals possessed the cognitive skills necessary for advanced woodworking techniques. These skills enabled them to create aerodynamic and ergonomic tools, potentially used by children for hunting. The study provides evidence that early humans were technologically adept at hunting small and aerial prey, thereby reshaping our understanding of the origins of woodworking in human evolution.

Archaeology News: Enhanced dating techniques

Researchers at the University of Bern have precisely dated a prehistoric settlement of early farmers in northern Greece to over 7,000 years ago. By combining tree ring measurements with a radiocarbon spike from 5259 BC, they accurately dated timber from the Dispilio site to between 5328 and 5140 BC. This breakthrough provides a reliable chronological reference for other Southeast European archaeological sites. The research, published in Nature Communications, enhances our ability to date prehistoric finds accurately, improving our understanding of early human settlements in the region.

Read the full article on the University of Bern's website: https://shorturl.at/rKJyF

BA Museum Studies & Archaeology

The BA Museum Studies and Archaeology degree offers a comprehensive exploration of archaeological techniques alongside practical training in museum practices, ethics, and perspectives. Delving into humanity's past, from the earliest hominins to contemporary societies, you'll have the flexibility to tailor your studies to your interests. Critical issues such as diets, health, identity, inequality, migration, and environmental change are examined through archaeological and heritage lenses, preparing you to investigate, interpret, and present the human past through various mediums like artefacts, sites, digital platforms, and museum exhibitions. The program fosters the development of subject-specific and transferable skills, including artifact investigation, museum management, exhibition preparation, and engaging diverse audiences with archaeological subjects. By understanding past societies and contemporary museum practices, you'll gain insights into how today's issues are rooted in history and how previous cultures addressed similar challenges.

To learn more about this course go to: https://n9.cl/cis8jr

To see the most recent student projects go to Youtube: https://n9.cl/ihc03

Our Open Days are happening Friday 14th and Saturday 15th June 9:00–16:00

To register for the Open Days go to: https://rb.gy/eg42i8

Friday Featured site: Roman swimming pool, Durrës, Albania

In Durrës, Albania, archaeologists uncovered a 1,600-year-old indoor pool, a unique find even in a city known for its Roman ruins. While excavating for a new school, they discovered an ancient Roman neighborhood, including a villa with a well-preserved mosaic-decorated pool, described as the first of its kind in Albania.

Nearby, they found two shallow bathtubs with waterproof mortar and ruins that might be part of a two-story Roman bathhouse, along with fragments of walls, ceilings, and tile mosaics. The finds date back between 1 and 400 A.D., according to Albania's National Institute of Cultural Heritage.

Read the full article from the Miami herald website: https://shorturl.at/H1CY2

Image from the article

BA Archaeology & History

The BA Archaeology and History degree integrates the study of history with hands-on archaeological training. Through archaeological exploration, you'll delve into humanity's past, from the earliest hominins to modern times. Historical studies cover a thousand years across various regions like Britain, Europe, Africa, America, the Middle East, and South Asia, utilizing diverse sources such as texts, art, photographs, films, and oral accounts. By combining these disciplines, you gain a comprehensive understanding of human history, balancing critical analysis of historical records with tangible archaeological evidence. The program fosters the development of both subject-specific and transferable skills, including artifact investigation, examination of societal development over millions of years, exploration of global history, analysis of warfare and social dynamics like migration, gender, and religion.

To learn more about this course go to: https://n9.cl/t7hhjx

Our Open Days are happening Friday 14th and Saturday 15th June 9:00–16:00

To register for the Open Days go to: https://rb.gy/eg42i8