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BBC News
26-04-2025
- Science
- BBC News
Next generation of Cambridge archaeologists to train on hillfort
Archaeologists are to begin a five-year project to excavate the site of a nationally important Iron Age hillfort and analyse their finds. The first dig will take place on the protected ancient monument at Wandlebury Country Park, just south of Cambridge, from 28 April to 9 and staff from Cambridge University's archaeology department and the Cambridge Archaeological Unit will be taking Oscar Aldred, from the unit, said it was "a really exciting opportunity to train the next generation of archaeologists". An excavation by the Cambridge team at Wandlebury last year uncovered a later Bronze Age ditch, dating to between 1500 to 800BC, which was reused to support a wooden palisade during the Iron five-year project hopes to reveal more about the history and prehistory of the hillfort, which is protected as a scheduled and test pits will be dug into the ground, following last year's geophysical surveys - techniques that use the properties of the soil to map archaeology below the Aldred said: "Our particular focus this year is to prepare the ground to answer important archaeological questions by assessing the inside of the hillfort, how well-preserved it is, as well as begin to gain a better understanding of the possible hillfort entrance." Visitors to the country park, which is owned by the charity Cambridge Past, Present & Future, will be able to speak to the archaeologists as they estate manager, Allan Scott-Davies, said: "We run a popular Iron Age outdoor education programme for schools, so it would be great to share that knowledge with the children when they visit."A public archaeology open day will be held on 3 May. Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
20-02-2025
- Science
- BBC News
Iron Age: Ancient remains of woman may have been sacrificial
Ancient human remains discovered in peatland in County Londonderry in 2023 are now thought to be those of a young woman who died more than two millennia is believed to have been killed as part of an Iron Age ritual or the 2,000 year old remains were initially discovered close to Bellaghy it was thought they could be those of a teenage experts from the Ulster Museum and a number of universities, including Queen's University Belfast (QUB), have carried out further research on the body. The remains, which were discovered in October 2023, are now thought to be those of a young woman aged between 17 and 22 years was about 5ft 6in tall (1.7m).Dating to approximately 343 to 1 BC they are more than 2000 years old, and from the prehistoric period known as the Iron remains will now be called the "Ballymacombs More Woman" after the townland where they were of archaeology at National Museums NI (NMNI), Niamh Baker, told BBC News NI the discovery of the remains was "very significant"."There was evidence of cut marks on the neck vertebrae," she Baker said it showed "that the individual had been intentionally decapitated at the bog".During the discovery in 2023, no skull was recovered with the remains."It was likely that that was taken away at the time, during the Iron Age," Ms Baker added."Perhaps it is part of a pattern of ritual killings and is a pattern of that across North-West Europe and Ireland." QUB professor of archaeology Eileen Murphy carried out an assessment of the said the young woman's fate was not untypical of finds from the era."As is the case for so many Iron Age bog bodies, the young woman suffered a highly violent death which involved the flow of blood from her throat followed by decapitation," she said."The head was taken away, but the body was left where it fell only to be discovered by machine workers some 2,000 years later." Ms Baker said more research would now be carried out on the remains, to provide more clues about how people lived during the Iron Age."We'll hopefully find out information potentially about her diet, potentially about her movement," she said."That will be able to determine information about who she was, perhaps what population she was part of."There's very little evidence that tells us about everyday life during the Iron Age."What has survived are high-quality, prestige artefacts and objects that tell us that during this time there was a social woven fabric, made of plant material, was found with the body and may go on display in the future. 'Treating remains respectfully' Navan Fort in County Armagh is the best known Iron Age settlement in Northern of the remains were released by the PSNI shortly after they were discovered, but they are unlikely to go on public display in the Ulster is because, according to NMNI's head of curatorial, Hannah Crowdy, museums have to "think very carefully" about the human remains they hold and how to treat them respectfully."The nature of death of this individual was that she was decapitated and obviously that means the remains are in a certain condition that might be distressing for people to see," she said."There has to be a really strong argument for displaying them, we would never want to display them for sensational purposes.""We think we can do a really compelling, really interesting display to help people understand the processes and to tell this young woman's story without showing her remains to the public."That could include artist's impressions of how the young woman appeared when she was alive. Hannah Crowdy said conversations were also taking place about Takabuti, the Egyptian mummy, which has been one of the Ulster Museum's best known exhibits for generations."There's lots of complex issues to explore," she said."With Takabuti there's a very active conversation about if and how she's displayed and about her future."The museum has brought together a range of experts from across the UK and Egypt to discuss Takabuti's future."They're helping inform our thinking on this, and we're also talking to our audiences," she Crowdy added there are strong arguments for and against displaying Takabuti. "We're just navigating those at the moment and trying to do as much consultation as we can."
