Authors: Lara Cook, Project Archaeologist, and Tom Clayton, Project Archaeologist With our field school at Grace Dieu Priory set to begin in July, we thought it would be a nice idea to give you all a bit more information about the history of the priory and the surrounding estate. The foundation of Grace Dieu Priory…
Author: Lara Cook, Project Archaeologist Our Youtube Channel! If you haven’t already seen it, we’re now on YouTube! Through our channel you’ll have the opportunity to learn about many interesting topics and have all your archaeological questions answered. Videos will include how-to tutorials, Q&As, videos from sites we’re working on, and more! Our first video…
Author: Ruth Tipton, Project Archaeologist Roman Library found in Cologne It’s World Book Day and what better way to celebrate than to talk about an entire library! And not just any library-the earliest known library found in Germany to date. Back in 2017, archaeologists excavating near Antoniter church (a Protestant church in the centre of…
Author: Mattie Bennett, Project Archaeologist Field Surveying and Field Surveyors Field survey, or Landscape archaeology, is the way in which archaeologists are able to assess the geography of an area to examine whether it is a viable site to excavate. There are a multiplicity of ways in which this can be undertaken, here we are…
Author: Lara Cook, Project Archaeologist Roundhouses Roundhouses were structures that were built throughout the UK during the Bronze Age and the Iron Age. The first example of these structures being built in the UK was found in South West Scotland, and dates to the later 3rd millennium BC. Roundhouses were constructed out of timber posts…
Author: Ruth Tipton, Trainee Archaeologist Wassailing Perhaps somewhat unsurprising but drinking has played an important role in celebrating Christmas for a very long time. There are numerous different festive drinking customs but the one we’re going to focus on is ‘wassailing’. Wassailing is traditionally a twelfth night tradition that dates back to Anglo-Saxon times. The custom…
Author: Ruth Tipton, Trainee Archaeologist Grubenhaus A Grubenhaus (which derives from the German words grube [pit] and haus [house]) is a type of sunken floor building that was built in many parts of northern Europe between the 5th and 12th centuries. They are almost entirely exclusive to Anglo-Saxon settlements, though it is not uncommon to…
Author: Ruth Tipton, Trainee Archaeologist To give a brief summary to a fascinating pastime, mumming is a practice similar to carolling in which amateur players visit houses and pubs to perform short plays. It is unknown where exactly the practice originated although some link it to the Roman feast of Kalends-a festival which celebrated the…
Author: Ruth Tipton, Trainee Archaeologist Just imagine it. You’ve picked out a beautiful tree, the smell of pine slowly filling the room. In the kitchen, a loved one is creating a delicious smorgasbord of mince pies and mulled wine. You gather the children to help decorate the tree. Grasping hands reach into The Box. Lights.…
An Archaeologist in Training: Prehistoric Suffolk at Past to Present Archaeology The past year and a half in the world of public archaeology has had its fair share of challenges, with coronavirus thoroughly putting the brakes on community-led projects. Freshly graduated in the class of 2021, this summer I found myself thrust into the world…
