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News : CPAT PHOTO Offa’s Dyke: built by multiple kings? The first radiocarbon dates ever obtained from Offa’s Dyke have revealed new evidence to suggest that its construction may have begun as much as 200 years before the reign of the Mercian king that gave it his name, and continued for years after his death. As most of the 285km monument – the longest linear earthwork in the UK – is Scheduled, opportunities to examine its deeper construction layers had previously been limited. But when the section near Chirk was vandalised last summer, the resulting rescue excavation allowed Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust to take nine samples from two areas some 20m apart. The dyke has traditionally been associated with Offa of Mercia (r.757796), thanks to a single reference by the 9th-century Welsh monk Asser, who wrote in his Life of King Alfred that ‘there was in Mercia, in fairly recent times, a certain vigorous king called Offa, who terrified all the neighbouring kings and provinces around him, and who had a great dyke built between Wales and Mercia from sea to sea’. The Trust’s new findings suggest a longer and more complex history for the earthwork, however. Analysis of a layer of redeposited turf within the bank, thought to represent an early construction phase, yielded a date of c.AD 541-651, while samples from contexts immediately above and below this were dated to c.430-643 and c.475-652. The lower levels of the other sampled section produced a much later date, however, ranging between AD 887 and 1019. ‘These new dates throw the association with Offa into question, indicating that the dyke was a long-term project by several rulers of Mercia, rather than the work of a single king,’ said Paul Belford, Director of Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust. ‘We now have a much more interesting story about the people living on both sides of this border – it was clearly a contested landscape for a much longer period than was previously thought, likely reflecting the after-effects of a post-Roman rebalancing of power.’ a contested landscape for a much longer ‘Offa was undoubtedly a very important king, who certainly consolidated this border and would have wanted to be associated with it, but we should see be associated with it, but we should see ABOVE Not by Offa alone? Radiocarbon dates from Offa’s Dyke suggest that the famous earthwork may have developed over the reigns of multiple Mercian monarchs rather than solely that of the 8th-century ruler to whom it is traditionally credited. BELOW A silver penny of Offa of Mercia (r.757-796), found in Surrey. the dyke’s construction as a piecemeal development rather than a single act,’ he added. ‘We now need to look at the dating evidence in more detail; there is much more research to be done before we can say with any confidence who built this monument, and why, and when. Given its protected status it is unlikely that permission will be granted to take more samples, but we hope that with all these new possibilities opening up, we might be able to put together a research project that could look into it.’ iti e s Sc heme An tiqu le Por tab of the cour tesy Council, County : Surrey PHOTO 6 current archaeology | www.archaeology.co.uk December 2013 | June 2014 |
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Heritage lish : Eng PHOTO Signs of the Synod at Whitby Abbey Some 1,350 years ago, the Medieval monastery at Whitby hosted one of the most important debates in Britain’s ecclesiastical history: whether the powerful kingdom of Northumbria should follow the traditions of the Celtic or the Roman Church. Known as the Synod of Whitby, it was a discussion that would affect religious practices throughout the British Isles. Today, the headland is dominated by the dramatic Gothic ruins of a 13thcentury Benedictine abbey – but now excavations within its grounds have uncovered the remains of a small chapel that may date from the time of Whitby’s historic assembly. Measuring about 5m square, the stonebuilt structure was identified by English Heritage archaeologists – who have been working intermittently on the eroding promontory for the last 21 years – in the centre of an Anglian cemetery of more than 200 graves. The lower courses of two walls, and robbed-out traces of their counterparts, can still be seen, and as the building has not cut into any of the burials surrounding it, it is thought to date back to the earliest phase of the graveyard. Precisely when this might be was not initially clear, as few human remains had survived in the acidic local soil, limiting opportunities for radiocarbon dating. But when the team discovered a cremation burial among the graves – an unusual find in Christian cemeteries of this period – analysis produced a date of c.AD 610-680. ‘The Synod of Whitby was in AD 664, which falls right in the middle of this span, so it is possible that this building was standing at the time of the gathering,’ said Project Director Tony Wilmott. ‘We have interpreted it as a chapel, as it lies right in the middle of the cemetery, completely surrounded by graves.’ The team have also found tantalising traces of a possible boundary ditch, cutting off the promontory from the mainland, Tony added. ‘We had initially interpreted this as a cemetery boundary, but then we noticed that the ditch took a turn away from the burial ground, linking up with a previously excavated stretch of ditch to the west, and maybe with another to the east,’ he said. ‘There is more research to be done, but it is just possible that we have identified the ditch and bank marking the edge of the monastic settlement.’ The Synod of Whitby came about because successive kings of Northumbria had been converted by missionaries both from Rome, and from Iona (whose monks followed the teachings of the Irish Church), leading to two competing strands of Christianity operating in the kingdom. These traditions differed on certain aspects of monastic life, such as the correct style of tonsure, but also on major doctrinal points including how to calculate the date of Easter. In order to resolve this, King Oswiu summoned leading churchmen to Whitby to argue for both sides, and ultimately ruled that Northumbria should follow Roman practices. We will be running a full feature on the Whitby Heritage Project in a future issue of CA. LEFT Excavations within the grounds of Whitby Abbey have uncovered the remains of a chapel that may date back to when the site hosted the influential Synod of Whitby. NEWS IN BRIEF Boat Race boasts Disappointed Cambridge fans still smarting from this year’s Boat Race might take comfort from the recent discovery of 100-year-old graffiti celebrating an earlier victory by the university’s rowing team. Written in pencil using flowing copperplate script, the text was spotted on the wall of a Victorian passageway in Chesterton, Cambs. Its author records that in 1914 the Light Blues ‘won [by] 4 and a half lengths’. Surveying Suffolk scribbles The Norfolk Medieval Graffiti Survey (CA 256) has expanded its research to take in inscriptions from churches in Suffolk – the first large-scale survey of the county’s early graffiti, which will shed new light on how Suffolk congregations interacted with their churches. The two counties have over 1,100 Medieval churches, many similar in architectural style, Project Director Matt Champion said, but their graffiti show differences in subject-matter and distribution: windmills and astrological symbols are more common in Suffolk, while Norfolk has more curses. Find out more at www.medieval-graffitisuffolk.co.uk, or follow @suffolkgraffiti on Twitter. See also p.8 ‘Lovesick Lydgate’. ion Champ : Matthew PHOTO Nelson’s true colours Analysis of paint traces found on original timbers from HMS Victory could result in the historic vessel being redecorated in a lighter hue than her current vivid yellow-orange stripes. Patches of ochre were identified on a fragment from the foremast of Nelson’s flagship, and experts from the University of Lincoln are now examining further samples from the 72 layers of paint that have been applied to the ship over the past two centuries, to see if her hull was the same colour. | Issue 285 | Issue 291 www.archaeology.co.uk | current archaeology 7

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Heritage lish

: Eng

PHOTO

Signs of the Synod at Whitby Abbey

Some 1,350 years ago, the Medieval monastery at Whitby hosted one of the most important debates in Britain’s ecclesiastical history: whether the powerful kingdom of Northumbria should follow the traditions of the Celtic or the Roman Church. Known as the Synod of Whitby, it was a discussion that would affect religious practices throughout the British Isles.

Today, the headland is dominated by the dramatic Gothic ruins of a 13thcentury Benedictine abbey – but now excavations within its grounds have uncovered the remains of a small chapel that may date from the time of Whitby’s historic assembly. Measuring about 5m square, the stonebuilt structure was identified by English Heritage archaeologists – who have been working intermittently on the eroding promontory for the last 21 years – in the centre of an Anglian cemetery of more than 200 graves. The lower courses of two walls, and robbed-out traces of their counterparts, can still be seen, and as the building has not cut into any of the burials surrounding it, it is thought to date back to the earliest phase of the graveyard.

Precisely when this might be was not initially clear, as few human remains had survived in the acidic local soil, limiting opportunities for radiocarbon dating. But when the team discovered a cremation burial among the graves – an unusual find in Christian cemeteries of this period – analysis produced a date of c.AD 610-680.

‘The Synod of Whitby was in AD 664, which falls right in the middle of this span, so it is possible that this building was standing at the time of the gathering,’ said Project Director Tony Wilmott. ‘We have interpreted it as a chapel, as it lies right in the middle of the cemetery, completely surrounded by graves.’

The team have also found tantalising traces of a possible boundary ditch, cutting off the promontory from the mainland, Tony added.

‘We had initially interpreted this as a cemetery boundary, but then we noticed that the ditch took a turn away from the burial ground, linking up with a previously excavated stretch of ditch to the west, and maybe with another to the east,’ he said. ‘There is more research to be done, but it is just possible that we have identified the ditch and bank marking the edge of the monastic settlement.’

The Synod of Whitby came about because successive kings of Northumbria had been converted by missionaries both from Rome, and from Iona (whose monks followed the teachings of the Irish Church), leading to two competing strands of Christianity operating in the kingdom. These traditions differed on certain aspects of monastic life, such as the correct style of tonsure, but also on major doctrinal points including how to calculate the date of Easter. In order to resolve this, King Oswiu summoned leading churchmen to Whitby to argue for both sides, and ultimately ruled that Northumbria should follow Roman practices. We will be running a full feature on the Whitby Heritage Project in a future issue of CA.

LEFT Excavations within the grounds of Whitby Abbey have uncovered the remains of a chapel that may date back to when the site hosted the influential Synod of Whitby.

NEWS IN BRIEF

Boat Race boasts Disappointed Cambridge fans still smarting from this year’s Boat Race might take comfort from the recent discovery of 100-year-old graffiti celebrating an earlier victory by the university’s rowing team. Written in pencil using flowing copperplate script, the text was spotted on the wall of a Victorian passageway in Chesterton, Cambs. Its author records that in 1914 the Light Blues ‘won [by] 4 and a half lengths’.

Surveying Suffolk scribbles The Norfolk Medieval Graffiti Survey (CA 256) has expanded its research to take in inscriptions from churches in Suffolk – the first large-scale survey of the county’s early graffiti, which will shed new light on how Suffolk congregations interacted with their churches. The two counties have over 1,100 Medieval churches, many similar in architectural style, Project Director Matt Champion said, but their graffiti show differences in subject-matter and distribution: windmills and astrological symbols are more common in Suffolk, while Norfolk has more curses. Find out more at www.medieval-graffitisuffolk.co.uk, or follow @suffolkgraffiti on Twitter. See also p.8 ‘Lovesick Lydgate’.

ion

Champ

: Matthew

PHOTO

Nelson’s true colours Analysis of paint traces found on original timbers from HMS Victory could result in the historic vessel being redecorated in a lighter hue than her current vivid yellow-orange stripes. Patches of ochre were identified on a fragment from the foremast of Nelson’s flagship, and experts from the University of Lincoln are now examining further samples from the 72 layers of paint that have been applied to the ship over the past two centuries, to see if her hull was the same colour.

| Issue 285

| Issue 291

www.archaeology.co.uk | current archaeology

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