Latest news with #MartinSmith
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
New Study Reveals Chilling Secret of Iron Age War Cemetery
A new study published by archaeologists at Bournemouth University (published in the Oxford Journal of Archaeology) has revealed surprising information about bodies found at a 'war cemetery' at the Iron Age site of Maiden Castle in Dorset, one of the U.K.'s most famous archaeological the burials were initially discovered in 1936, archaeologists believed that they died from a single battle. But after renewed analyses using radiocarbon dating, researchers found that rather than perishing in one mass-casualty event, the individuals had been killed due to violent clashes throughout many generations, from late first century B.C. until late first century A.D. 'The find of dozens of human skeletons displaying lethal weapon injuries was never in doubt, however, by undertaking a systematic programme of radiocarbon dating we have been able to establish that these individuals died over a period of decades, rather than a single terrible event,' said Martin Smith, Associate Professor in Forensic and Biological Anthropology at Bournemouth, who analyzed the believe the cause of the deaths could have stemmed from an era of dynastic turmoil or localized tension, resulting in executions. Whatever the cause, the new discovery upends decades of assumptions on behalf of researchers. 'Since the 1930s, the story of Britons fighting Romans at one of the largest hillforts in the country has become a fixture in historical literature,' Miles Russell, the dig's director, explained. 'With the Second World War fast approaching, no one was really prepared to question the results. The tale of innocent men and women of the local Durotriges tribe being slaughtered by Rome is powerful and poignant. It features in countless articles, books, and TV documentaries. It has become a defining moment in British history, marking the sudden and violent end of the Iron Age.'The trouble is it doesn't appear to have actually happened,' Russell added. 'Unfortunately, the archaeological evidence now points to it being untrue. This was a case of Britons killing Britons, the dead being buried in a long-abandoned fortification. The Roman army committed many atrocities, but this does not appear to be one of them.' Researchers are now scrambling to recontextualize the site, with much of what they assumed about the cemetery at Maiden Castle proving erroneous. "The intermingling of differing cultural burial practices contemporaneously shows that simplistic approaches to interpreting archaeological cemeteries must now be questioned,' said Bournemouth archaeological scientist Paul Cheetham. 'Here we have either a number of distinct cultures living and dying together, or that an individual's burial right was determined by complex social rules and/or hierarchical divisions within this Iron Age society."In addition to the renewed context surrounding the bodies already found, the team is now asking themselves what other undiscovered secrets might lie around the grounds of Maiden Castle. 'Whilst Wheeler's excavation was excellent in itself, he was only able to investigate a fraction of the site,' Cheetham said. 'It is likely that a larger number of burials still remains undiscovered around the immense ramparts."New Study Reveals Chilling Secret of Iron Age War Cemetery first appeared on Men's Journal on May 29, 2025
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Drivers using dangerous junction after road closure
Residents living in a Cotswold village say they are being forced to use a dangerous road junction where there are "deaths and accidents regularly". It follows the closure of a minor road from Brimpsfield to the A417 as part of the Missing Link scheme to build a dual carriageway between Gloucester and Cirencester. The closure means locals are using the busy Birdlip junction on the A417 for the most direct route to Cirencester, which involves crossing both lanes of traffic. National Highways said it "understands the concerns of the residents" and that work was being phased "very carefully to minimise the impact on local communities and motorists". Martin Smith, who has lived in Brimpsfield for nearly 50 years, said there are "deaths and accidents regularly" on the junction. He explained drivers end up waiting at the junction for a gap to appear. "If a lorry is coming it's probably doing 30 or so miles an hour, but motor cars they can sometimes be going 60 or 70," he said. "Very recently I was at that junction, taking two of my family to Kemble and a car came over the top and I thought, I've got plenty of time. But then I thought, No, I haven't and the car hit me up the backside while waiting to join the main road, so it is a notorious junction," Mr Smith added. He said "on the positive side", rat running through the village "is probably going to come to an end, when the missing link is done". Another resident, Patrick Daley, said it was "a terrible junction". "Since we've lived here two women have been killed. It is dangerous and people who are coming up the hill are very pleased to be on the flat again, so put their foot down. "You have to be very conscious to get out safely, so I take my time". The road was initially supposed to close for six weeks from March, but now looks set to remain shut into the summer. Steve Foxley, National Highways' project director for the Missing Link scheme, said they were doing "everything we can" to minimise disruption and keep residents informed. He added: "We understand the concerns of the residents at this location, and we will be opening the local access road by early June, or earlier if possible." "For safety reasons, drivers are unable to access the A417 due to the contraflow in place but access remains from the Elkstone/Highwayman Inn junction" he said. Follow BBC Gloucestershire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630. Bike park reopening after A417 closures What's happening with roadworks on the A417? National Highways
BBC News
09-05-2025
- Automotive
- BBC News
Road closure leaves Cotswold villagers using dangerous junction
Residents living in a Cotswold village say they are being forced to use a dangerous road junction where there are "deaths and accidents regularly".It follows the closure of a minor road from Brimpsfield to the A417 as part of the Missing Link scheme to build a dual carriageway between Gloucester and closure means locals are using the busy Birdlip junction on the A417 for the most direct route to Cirencester, which involves crossing both lanes of Highways said it "understands the concerns of the residents" and that work was being phased "very carefully to minimise the impact on local communities and motorists". Martin Smith, who has lived in Brimpsfield for nearly 50 years, said there are "deaths and accidents regularly" on the explained drivers end up waiting at the junction for a gap to appear. "If a lorry is coming it's probably doing 30 or so miles an hour, but motor cars they can sometimes be going 60 or 70," he said."Very recently I was at that junction, taking two of my family to Kemble and a car came over the top and I thought, I've got plenty of time. But then I thought, No, I haven't and the car hit me up the backside while waiting to join the main road, so it is a notorious junction," Mr Smith added. He said "on the positive side", rat running through the village "is probably going to come to an end, when the missing link is done".Another resident, Patrick Daley, said it was "a terrible junction"."Since we've lived here two women have been killed. It is dangerous and people who are coming up the hill are very pleased to be on the flat again, so put their foot down. "You have to be very conscious to get out safely, so I take my time". The road was initially supposed to close for six weeks from March, but now looks set to remain shut into the Foxley, National Highways' project director for the Missing Link scheme, said they were doing "everything we can" to minimise disruption and keep residents added: "We understand the concerns of the residents at this location, and we will be opening the local access road by early June, or earlier if possible.""For safety reasons, drivers are unable to access the A417 due to the contraflow in place but access remains from the Elkstone/Highwayman Inn junction" he said.
Malaysian Reserve
24-04-2025
- Business
- Malaysian Reserve
Cennox and Retail365 announce a strategic partnership to offer retailers same day access to the cash payments made instore
LONDON, April 24, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Cennox, a global innovator of retail services, including the manufacturing of smart safes and payment technologies, is proud to announce the launch of a strategic partnership with Link FX's Retail365 platform in the UK. This exciting collaboration enables retail customers using Cennox's Lincsafe smart deposit safes and cash recycling devices to access the cash payments they receive instore direct to their bank accounts the same day, before it is physically banked. 'Traditionally, access to cash payments has only been made available to retailers after it has been collected from each device, counted, physically delivered to their bank and credited to their account' said Martin Smith, Strategy & Solutions Director at Cennox – 'This process often takes days to complete, is costly, and can add pressures on cashflow.' The synergy between Cennox's hardware innovation and Retail 365's fintech platform offers an obtainable next-generation cash management solution for the retail sector. 'Cennox has always focused on delivering smart, scalable technologies for retailers' said Ron van Veendendaal, Chief Technology Officer at Cennox. 'By partnering with Link FX and their Retail365 platform, we're giving retailers unprecedented control over their cash flow and unlocking access to the value stored inside their safes—instantly. ' This new alliance marks a major step forward in retail banking innovation and highlights how fintech and physical technology can combine to create smarter, faster, and more secure solutions for the modern retail environment. A partnership with growing importance at a time where cash payments are becoming more popular for paying for goods and services due to the cost of living. 'It was really important for us to find a partner who not only had the right intelligent deposit portfolio, but who actively shared our drive to offer the retail sector the very best in real time, intelligent, cash management innovation' said Adam Durrani, Managing Director at Link FX. 'We are really excited to be working with the teams at Cennox and seeing the impact our two companies will have on the sector at a time where small margin improvements can generate much greater positive revenue efficiencies in a competitive industry'. About CennoxCennox is a global leader in the design, deployment, and maintenance of banking and retail technologies, including smart safes, payment terminals, and security solutions. About LinkFX and Retail365LinkFX is a financial technology company redefining retail banking through its Retail365 platform, offering same-day provisional credit and real-time financial services that empower retailers to streamline their cash management. Logo –
BBC News
01-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Watson leaving Sunderland is 'disappointing'
Former Sunderland forward Martin Smith says he is disappointed in Tommy Watson's decision to leave the club but understands the pull of a club like Brighton given their reputation for developing young players in the Premier League. Earlier on Tuesday, Brighton agreed a deal worth £10m to sign the 18-year-old this on BBC Radio Newcastle's Total Sport, Smith says: "There's been noises that teams have been interested and obviously he's been wanting away if he hasn't signed a new contract which is sort of disappointing."But you can half understand in terms of, if you're going to go anywhere, you can understand the pull of Brighton now because of what they're doing with young lads."The former Black Cats star added: "It'll be interesting to see how he does because you go there, unless they sell Kaoru Mitoma in the summer, he's probably going to be sitting on the bench or looking to get a loan."You can listen to more reaction to Watson leaving Sunderland on BBC Sounds.
