Latest news with #TimeTeam
The National
10-07-2025
- Science
- The National
Time Team archaeologists hunt for Viking boat burial in Shetland
A team from the long-running show spent a week at Huesbreck in Dunrossness, south of the island, as they searched for the resting place of a high-status Norse settler. Dr John Gater, of Time Team, previously said there was a 'sense the site could be very special' as his team geared up to determine the exact nature of the site after Historic Environment Scotland listed the area as the likely home to a Viking boat burial due to the oval-shaped feature in the landscape. The results from the dig have been kept under tight lips until the excavation is shown on the show, which has been moved to online streaming on its own website after it was pulled off air by Channel 4 in 2014. READ MORE: Historic Scottish hotel to be transformed following major hotelier purchase Vikings arrived in Shetland and Orkney in the early to mid-9th Century and integrated with the residents on the island. Around 13 Viking burials have been discovered on Shetland so far. Paul Clark, of the Orkney Research Centre for Archaeology (Orca) at the University of the Highlands and Islands, said discovering a boat burial site would be 'very significant' for the island. He also believes that the three separate mounds on the site could also be a Pictish cemetery, as there is previous evidence of Viking burials being found along with them. According to the Scotsman, in an application to Historic Environment Scotland for scheduled monument consent for the dig, Clark said: 'Although the precise nature of the three mounds is uncertain, the presence of apparent man-made features on the geophysical survey results and their proximity to the potential boat burial suggests they may be additional burial features, supporting the interpretation that this site is a ship burial rather than a house site. 'In Scotland, there is a wider pattern of the location of pagan Viking burials, including boat burials, on the same site as earlier prehistoric or Pictish cemeteries...' Clark said the square-like features picked up in previous geophysical surveys would 'be consistent with burials from the Pictish period'. He added: 'The Huesbreck burial site has significant potential to enhance our understanding of both the Pictish and the Viking period within Scotland. (Image: Stonham Barns Park) 'Pictish burials, meanwhile, rarely include grave goods, but often include important organic material that can further enhance our understanding of this period of Scotland's history. 'The evidence suggests that the site has a high potential to be a relatively undisturbed Pictish cemetery, later reused for a Viking ship burial. 'This would be an exceptionally rare undisturbed example of this type of site within Scotland on our current knowledge, and it has high potential to enhance our understanding of both Pictish and Viking era funerary and ritual practices within Scotland.' If the Time Team archaeologists do find evidence that suggests that a boat burial does exist at Huesbreck, it would join a small group of confirmed Viking-era boat burials in the UK. Such burials are considered archaeologically significant and typically give an insight into individuals of high social standing.
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Scotsman
10-07-2025
- General
- Scotsman
Time Team searches for Viking boat burial and Pictish graves on Scottish island
Excavation team 'sense the site could be very special' Sign up to our History and Heritage newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The site of a 'probable' Viking boat burial on Shetland has been excavated by archaeologists from Time Team. Crews from the long-running show spent a week at Huesbreck in Dunrossness in the south mainland to examine the site to determine whether it was the last resting place of a high-status Norse settler. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad READ MORE: Travel routes and landing places of Vikings in Scotland to be mapped like never before Historic Environment Scotland earlier listed the area site as the likely site of a Viking boat burial given the oval-shaped feature in the landscape. The Time Team excavation will determine the exact nature of the site, which is close to land earmarked for a proposed housing development. Dr John Gater, of Time Team, earlier said there was a 'sense the site could be very special'. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The results of the Time Team excavations are being kept under wraps until the dig features in an episode of the long-running show, which is now broadcast online after coming off Channel 4 in 2014. READ MORE: Why Vikings enjoyed high fertility rates on Scottish islands Paul Clark, of the Orkney Research Centre for Archaeology (Orca) at the University of the Highlands and Islands, said establishing a Viking boat burial at the site would be 'very significant' for Shetland. While Viking burials have been found on Orkney, only 13 are known on Shetland so far. Vikings arrived on Shetland and Orkney in the early to mid-9th Century and ultimately integrated into established communities, with a healthy population growth then following. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The site at Huesbreck also features three separate mounds, which could indicate the presence of a prehistoric or Pictish burial ground. Mr Clark, in an application to Historic Environment Scotland for scheduled monument consent for the dig, said: 'Although the precise nature of the three mounds is uncertain, the presence of apparent man-made features on the geophysical survey results and their proximity to the potential boat burial suggests they may be additional burial features, supporting the interpretation that this site is a ship burial rather than a house site. 'In Scotland, there is a wider pattern of the location of pagan Viking burials, including boat burials, on the same site as earlier prehistoric or Pictish cemeteries...' READ MORE: The ancient Orkney site where Picts and Vikings settled Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad He added that square-like features picked up in a geophysical survey of the site would 'be consistent with burials from the Pictish period'. Mr Clark added: 'The Huesbreck burial site has significant potential to enhance our understanding of both the Pictish and the Viking period within Scotland. 'Pictish burials, meanwhile, rarely include grave goods, but often include important organic material that can further enhance ourunderstanding of this period of Scotland's history. 'The evidence suggests that the site has ahigh potential to be a relatively undisturbed Pictish cemetery, later reused for a Viking shipburial. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'This would be an exceptionally rare undisturbed example of this type of site within Scotland on our current knowledge, and it has high potential to enhance our understanding of both Pictish and Viking era funerary and ritual practices within Scotland.' Dr Val Turner, the regional archaeologist for Shetland, first came across the site and observed distinctive features during a routine survey for the proposed housing development. If confirmed, Huesbreck would join a small group of known Viking-era boat burials in the UK, which are often linked to individuals of high social standing. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Such burials are considered archaeologically significant for what they can reveal about Norse settlement and belief systems during the early medieval period.
Scotsman
27-06-2025
- General
- Scotsman
Possible viking boat burial to be excavated in Shetland by Time Team
Time Team will lead an excavation on a suspected Viking boat burial site in Shetland this summer, working in collaboration with local archaeologists and heritage authorities. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The mound, located on private land, first drew attention in 2023 when Shetland County Archaeologist Dr Val Turner observed distinctive features during a routine survey for a housing development. Measuring approximately 22.5 metres, the site has remained undisturbed and has now been granted Scheduled Monument Consent by Historic Environment Scotland. If confirmed, the find would join a small group of known Viking-era boat burials in the UK, which are often linked to individuals of high social standing. Such burials are considered archaeologically significant for what they can reveal about Norse settlement and belief systems during the early medieval period. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Time Team's involvement follows contact from the landowners after the site was flagged. The group previously excavated a disturbed Viking burial in Shetland in 2002, also involving Dr Turner and Norse specialist Dr Colleen Batey, who will return for this project alongside Time Team regulars Dr John Gater, Matt Williams, and Jackie McKinley. Historic Environment Scotland Grants Permission for Time Team-Led Dig Dr Gater and Dr Nick Hannon from Historic Environment Scotland carried out separate surveys in 2023 and 2024, which strengthened the case for a full excavation. Work has since progressed in partnership with the Orkney Research Centre for Archaeology (ORCA), which will join the dig team on-site. As well as examining the mound itself, the team plans to survey the surrounding area to identify related archaeological features. A detailed metal detection and recording operation is also scheduled to secure the site and recover any surface artefacts.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
1,500-year-old bucket was cremation burial vessel, archaeologists say
A 1,500-year-old bucket discovered in England has been identified as an ancient cremation burial vessel, experts said. The 6th-century bucket was found at Sutton Hoo, an archaeological site near Suffolk, England, that is home to two ancient cemeteries. Fragments of the bucket, named the Bromeswell bucket, were first found in 1986. Researchers found more pieces of the relic last year during an excavation by Time Team, a British TV show where archaeologists conduct excavations on-camera. An analysis of the newly-discovered pieces determined that Time Team had found the entire base of the bucket, and that it contained human bone fragments, the National Trust, a U.K.-based conservation organization, said in a news release. The bones included part of an ankle bone and fragments of a skull, which the National Trust said was proof of an "early Anglo-Saxon cremation burial." Angus Wainwright, a National Trust archaeologist, said in the news release that the burial appeared to be "very special," and that researchers will conduct further analysis. There were also animal bones inside the bucket, which is made of copper alloy and is decorated with a hunting scene. The National Trust said the bones were larger than those of a pig, and noted that horses were often included on funeral pyres as a symbol of status during this time. The bones will undergo radiocarbon dating, the National Trust said. "We knew that this bucket would have been a rare and prized possession back in Anglo-Saxon times, but it's always been a mystery why it was buried," Wainwright said. "Now we know it was used to contain the remains of an important person in the Sutton Hoo community." The bucket was made in the Byzantine Empire and may have been a diplomatic gift or acquired by a mercenary Saxon soldier, the National Trust said. The vessel is decorated with a scene of men armed with swords and shields. The scene also includes lions and dogs. The newest fragments help complete the picture, showing feet, paws, the base of shields and the face of one hunting man. Also inside the bucket was a double-sided comb that the National Trust said was likely made from antler. The agency said its researchers hope ancient DNA can be recovered from the object. The item was not burned in the cremation process, the National Trust noted. The inclusion of such combs in other burial sites suggest that "personal appearance and grooming was important to the Anglo-Saxons." The comb could also have been used to control lice, the trust said. Plant remains were found during the excavation of the bucket pieces. Analysis of those pieces could "reveal more about the climate and seasonality around the time the bucket was buried," the National Trust said. Time Team aired a documentary about the discovery and year-long analysis project earlier in May. The group will conduct more research at Sutton Hoo through mid-June. Trump delivers Memorial Day remarks at Arlington National Cemetery Full interview: Jack McCain on "Face the Nation" Trump seeks to end all federal contracts with Harvard
CBS News
27-05-2025
- Science
- CBS News
1,500-year-old bucket with human bones found inside was cremation burial vessel, archaeologists say
A 1,500-year-old bucket discovered in England has been identified as an ancient cremation burial vessel, experts said. The 6th-century bucket was found at Sutton Hoo, an archaeological site near Suffolk, England, that is home to two ancient cemeteries. Fragments of the bucket, named the Bromeswell bucket, were first found in 1986. Researchers found more pieces of the relic last year during an excavation by Time Team, a British TV show where archaeologists conduct excavations on-camera. An analysis of the newly-discovered pieces determined that Time Team had found the entire base of the bucket, and that it contained human bone fragments, the National Trust, a U.K.-based conservation organization, said in a news release. The bones included part of an ankle bone and fragments of a skull, which the National Trust said was proof of an "early Anglo-Saxon cremation burial." Some of the pieces of the Bromeswell Bucket on display. David Brunetti, National Trust Images Angus Wainwright, a National Trust archaeologist, said in the news release that the burial appeared to be "very special," and that researchers will conduct further analysis. There were also animal bones inside the bucket, which is made of copper alloy and is decorated with a hunting scene. The National Trust said the bones were larger than those of a pig, and noted that horses were often included on funeral pyres as a symbol of status during this time. The bones will undergo radiocarbon dating, the National Trust said. "We knew that this bucket would have been a rare and prized possession back in Anglo-Saxon times, but it's always been a mystery why it was buried," Wainwright said. "Now we know it was used to contain the remains of an important person in the Sutton Hoo community." The bucket base, with bone fragments and the double-sided comb to the left. FAS Heritage The bucket was made in the Byzantine Empire and may have been a diplomatic gift or acquired by a mercenary Saxon soldier, the National Trust said. The vessel is decorated with a scene of men armed with swords and shields. The scene also includes lions and dogs. The newest fragments help complete the picture, showing feet, paws, the base of shields and the face of one hunting man. Also inside the bucket was a double-sided comb that the National Trust said was likely made from antler. The agency said its researchers hope ancient DNA can be recovered from the object. The item was not burned in the cremation process, the National Trust noted. The inclusion of such combs in other burial sites suggest that "personal appearance and grooming was important to the Anglo-Saxons." The comb could also have been used to control lice, the trust said. Plant remains were found during the excavation of the bucket pieces. Analysis of those pieces could "reveal more about the climate and seasonality around the time the bucket was buried," the National Trust said. Time Team aired a documentary about the discovery and year-long analysis project earlier in May. The group will conduct more research at Sutton Hoo through mid-June.
