‘Lost’ medieval bridge discovered under the River Teviot

Ancrum Bridge has been hidden beneath the waters of the River Teviot for centuries.

Archaeologists deem the Ancrum Bridge one of the 'most important medieval structures' in Scotland.

One of the oldest bridges in Scotland has been discovered underwater in a river, with archaeologists deeming it to be the most important medieval structure in the country.

The ‘lost’ Ancrum Bridge has been hidden beneath the waters of the River Teviot in the Scottish Borders for centuries, and has been carbon-dated back to the 1300s, to the reigns of David II of Scotland and Edward III of England.

The standing bridge is around 100 years older than others known to exist, and monarchs such as as James V and Mary Queen of Scots would have used it as part of ‘Via Regia’ (The Kings Way), on its way from Edinburgh to Jedburgh and the border with England.

Using radiocarbon dating of the bridge timbers, experts confirmed a date of the mid-1300s, making this the oldest scientifically dated remains of a bridge ever found in its original position across one of Scotland’s rivers.

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Dutch Archaeologist Discovers Traces of Four Submerged Medieval Settlements

 A satellite image of the Noordoostpolder, a Dutch municipality where the four settlements were found (Public domain via Wikimedia Commons)

A five-year research project yielded the locations of several long-forgotten villages

Archaeologists have long known that multiple medieval settlements stood along the Zuiderzee, a now-obstructed inlet of the North Sea that used to cut through the Netherlands. Researchers unearthed two such historic towns—Urk and Schokland—in the mid-20th century, but until recently, the locations of other settlements remained unknown.

As Dutch regional broadcaster Omroep Flevoland reports, Yftinus van Popta, an archaeologist at the University of Groningen, has identified four “drowned” medieval villages in the Noordoostpolder, a low-lying tract of land reclaimed from the Zuiderzee in the 1940s, after five years of extensive research. (Per the United States Geological Survey, engineers reclaimed the Noordoostpolder and other flood-prone polders by draining water from the Zuiderzee and building a series of dikes.)

Medieval sources suggest that the settlements, called Marcnesse, Nagele, Fenehuysen I and Fenehuysen II, were first inhabited during the 10th and 11th centuries A.D. At some point in the 13th century, the Zuiderzee flooded, submerging the four towns and masking most traces of their existence.

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CBA Festival of Archaeology

 The Council of British Archaeology’s Festival of Archaeology runs from 24 October to 1 November.  The situation with the Corona Virus means that many of the events will be digital, although there will be a number of live events. Please use the search facility on their webpage to see the various events that are offered.

You can find their website here…

Please note that EMAS archaeological Society has offered a quiz on little known archaeological sites in South East England.

You can find a link to the quiz on the EMAS home page here…

Test your knowledge and see how much you know about the archaeology of the area!

Medieval Black Death May Have Sped Up Because of Droplets in the Air

 

And some people complain about having to wear a mask in the 21st century...

Credit: illustrissima / Shutterstock.co

Disease about which we know nothing and against which we have no defense is terrifying, and the plague was one such. In medieval times, its cause was unknown, treatment was nonexistent and its impact was devastating. Death rates are estimated to have ranged from a third to two-thirds for “regular” bubonic plague, and close to 100 percent for the pneumonic form that attacked the lungs. Mortality rates like that make the coronavirus seem practically benign.

Today we know more. Antibiotics were invented in the early 1940s, which is helpful because plague is caused by a bacterium, Yersinia pestis. The plague is still dangerous, especially in the pneumonic form: treatment must begin quickly if it’s to succeed. At least we aren’t reduced to thoughts and prayers.

We also know today that we don’t get plague for our sins. We get the bacteria from being bitten by a Yersinia-carrying rat flea – or from droplets in the air emitted by the sick. Yes, just like the coronavirus.

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HS2: Medieval graffiti to 'ward off evil spirits' found

It is believed the markings are "witches' marks", created to ward off evil spirits

HS2 LTD/PA WIRE

Medieval graffiti associated with warding off evil spirits has been discovered by archaeologists.

A series of lines radiating from a drilled hole were unearthed on two stones at the remains of a church in Stoke Mandeville, Buckinghamshire.

Historians believe the markings are 12th Century "witches' marks" created to protect against spirits by trapping them in an endless line or maze.

The discovery was made in preparation for the building of the HS2 rail line.

Archaeologist Michael Court said it was "a fascinating insight into the past".

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'Long-lost' medieval monastery in Gloucester rediscovered

 The monastery was founded in about 1270 but was mostly demolished in the 16th Century

COTSWOLD ARCHAEOLOGY

A "long-lost" medieval monastery has been discovered by archaeologists in Gloucester city centre.

The remains of the 13th Century Carmelite friary have been found beneath a demolished multi-storey car park.

Historians knew roughly where Whitefriars had stood, but its exact location was a mystery.

The dig, ahead of redevelopment work as part of the regeneration of the city's King's Quarter, took place in July.

City archaeologist Andrew Armstrong said it was "very exciting" finally to reveal the exact location of "this long-lost friary".

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