Medieval syphilis

For a while archaeological evidence has been accumulating for the presence of syphilis in medieval society in contradiction of the widely held belief that the disease came to Europe following Columbus’ voyage to the New World in 1492, and first made itself apparent at the siege of Naples a couple of years later.

This evidence is reviewed and other possible evidence included from literary and visual sources in a recent article in The Conversation..  This appears to make a sensible case. It can be read at Manuscripts and art support archaeological evidence that syphilis was in Europe long before explorers could have brought it home from the Americas

I was particularly struck by the author’s suggestion that the death of King Edward IV in 1483 could be attributed to syphilis. I had not seen this idea before, although the cause of that monarch’s seemingly sudden and unexpected demise has attracted speculation for a long time, from a chill that turned to pneumonia, food poisoning and appendicitis. Syphilis would perhaps fit in with what we know of the King’s private life, especially if combined with the well-attested effects of over-indulgence in food and drink, and maybe the argument of his in many ways irrational move against Clarence in 1477-8 fits in with the mental effects of ventral disease. Whether of not this was the cause of his death it does help to carry forward discussion about the events of 1483.

Early Anglo-Saxon bed burials

Live Science has an interesting piece about a project which has analysed an early Anglo-Saxon burial practice, in which the deceased was interred on a specially made bed, and considered the relationship of such a form to similar European examples.

The conclusion is interesting. Not only were the bodies high status, but all the English instances were female. It is argued that these are the burials of high status Christian wives, encouraged to marry pagan Anglo-Saxon kings or nobles to convert them - rathe like Queen Bertha, wife of King Ethelberht of Kent in the 590s. One such burial that receives particular attention is that from Trumpington near Cambridge. Amongst other grave goods that were found with the human remains is a gold cross of the type so often described as Celtic. This is increasingly suspect as an origin for such pieces, and the other evidence adduced for this article points the viewer to the east and the continent rather than the lands of western Britain or their neighbours.

The illustrated article can be seen at Mystery behind medieval 'bed burials' in UK possibly solved

More about the Poole Bay ship

Live Science has a quite lengthy report about the discovery of the wreck in Poole Bay about which I posted in A thirteenth century ship from Poole Bay

This additional article provides more information about the discovery and more interpretation about the boat itself and its cargo. The article can be seen at 13th-century 'Mortar Wreck' is England's oldest-ever preserved sunken ship

The Chatsworth Parterre revealed

As in several recent years with long dry summers lost landscape features created by past generations have revealed themselves through the patched grass as foundations or as evidence of lost pathways

At Chatsworth the South Lawn has yielded up the details on site of the parterre lad out for the  first Duke of Devonshire in 1699, but turfed over only thirty years later. Drawings exist of the intricate design but now there exists additional physical evidence as to the exact form of the design.

This re-emergence at Chatsworth is set out by the BBC News site at Drone footage reveals hidden 17th Century garden which includes a video with the drone footage about the feature.

The Chatsworth parterre is also discussed in a Mail Online article about several such parch marks indicating lost garden features or foundations. This article looks at new evidence from this summer at Gawthorpe Hall, Mottrsfont Abbey. at Polesden Lacey and Powis Castle. It can be seen at Heatwave reveals historic features at National Trust properties

At Chatsworth there is talk of possibly doing a temporary recreation of the parterre in future years. I think I would be inclined there and at Gawthorpe to see a permanent reconstruction of the former arrangement of paths and planting.

A thirteenth century ship from Poole Bay

PetaPixel has a report about the recent discovery of the remains of a thirteenth century  ship in Poole Bay off the Dorset coast which was discovered in 2020.

The timber for the clinker built vessel was felled in the period 1242-65 which makes these remains an early survival. 

The ship was transporting goods such a ready made grave slabs and mortars which were in transit from Purbeck in Dorset. As a result we can learn not only about maritime trade in the period but also more about the industry on Purbeck fashioning these objects.

Two others, one from the late fifteenth or sixteenth century and another apparently from mid-seventeenth century from off The Needles, have also been identified and listed.

The illustrated article from PetaPixel can be seen at Sunken Medieval Boat is England's Oldest Ever Shipwreck

There is another good account with additional information about all three wrecks from Historic England at Three Exceptionally Rare Shipwrecks Off the Dorset Coast and the Isle of Wight Granted Highest Protection

 

Coins from seventh century Kent

Kent online reports the discovery of four seventh century gold coins and what appear to be lead weights for weighing them in the county and that they have been declared Treasure Trove under the Portable Antiquites scheme. 

The Merovingian origins of at least three of the coins clearly points to cross-Channel contact, either through trading or raiding. The presence of the weights suggests a concern with the absolute value of the gold and its use either in trade or in jewellery or decorative work. 

In these years the See of Canterbury was still a recent creation from the year 597 and Christian Anglo-Saxon culture was developing its own forms and expression.

The illustrated article can be seen at Ancient find declared 'treasure' at inquest

Assessing the claimed discovery of the tomb of King Harald Bluetooth

In my recent posts  Locating King Harald Bluetooth and An update on the Vikings I linked to online articles which reported on the suggested identification of the burial mound of King Harald Bluetooth of Denmark at Wiejkowo in the extreme north west of modern Poland. In sharing them I tried to sound cautious about the idea, whilst not rejecting it altogether as I do not profess any particular expertise in that field.

However someone who does have that is the author of the site produced by The Welsh Viking. In a recent post he gives a critical examination of the evidence adduced for the Wiejkowo site. He finds it seriously lacking in hard evidence or indeed, academic credibility. His video can be seen at Archaeologist Debunks Harald Bluetooth's Tomb Discovery

It looks very much as if my own initial caution was probably right in this instance, although further ‘hard’ evidence might yet, of course, turn up to substantiate the theory.

An update on the Vikings

As so often happens a story or stories relating to a story I have written about here on the blog are often followed within days by reports of new discoveries or interpretations of the subject have just posted about. This has happened again in respect of Viking age finds.

The Mail Online site has a report about the discovery by a Norwegian woman of a gold ring from the period 400-800 amongst a collection of modern costume jewellery. It also links to the suggested identification of King Harald Bluetooth’s burial site which I posted about in Locating King Harald Bluetooth and also to the latest suggested site for a Viking settlement in what is now New Brunswick. These three topics are all covered in Gold ring worn by a Viking chief found in a pile of costume jewelry

This report also links to their previous account of the mound at Wiejkowo and to related discoveries from the reign of King Harald Bluetooth and that can be seen at Burial mound of 'Bluetooth Viking king' is FOUND