Human remains dug up from an ancient grave in Oxfordshire add to a growing body of evidence that Britain's fifth-century transition from Roman to Anglo-Saxon was cultural rather than bloody. Anglo-Saxon burial site, Oxfordshire [Credit: Oxford Archaeology] The traditional historical narrative is one of brutal conquest, with invaders from the North wiping out and replacing the pre-existing population. But a new study, published in the Journal of Archaeological Science, hints at a more peaceful process. Dr Andrew Millard, from Durham University, is one of the study's authors. 'The main controversy over the years has centred on how many Anglo-Saxons came across the North Sea,' he says. 'Was it a mass invasion, where the existing population was wiped out completely or forced back into Wales, or was it a small band of elites whose ways were then adopted very quickly?' 'Our evidence favours the second option.' The team of archaeologists investigated the tooth enamel of 19 individuals dug up from an early Anglo-Saxon cemetery in the Upper Thames Valley in Oxfordshire. The balance of particular chemicals in our teeth can give clues about where most of our food and drink have come from. Scientists can use this information to work out where ancient people were born, and where they lived in childhood. Had there been a mass invasion, the graves would be expected to contain around 20 per cent immigrant remains. But only five per cent of the buried individuals seem to have come from outside the local area. 'Oxfordshire is quite some distance from the landing point of any invasion, but it seems that there was not a mass invasion everywhere,' says Millard. 'The broader question is still open to debate, and we're still gathering evidence, but our evidence favours a scenario where there was not a wholesale replacement of the population, but a shift in culture.' 'By exploring this question, we hope that we can address the broader issue of how cultural change happens on a wide scale.' Author: Alex Peel | Source: PlanetEarth Online [February 14, 2014] Labels Ancient, ArchaeoHeritage, Archaeology, Breakingnews, Europe, Forensics, UK, Western Europe TANN you might also like Newer Post Older Post
Navalny died in the IK-3 penal colony, also known as Polar Wolf, in the settlement of Kharp in the Yamal-Nenets Region of Russia , around 1,200 miles from Moscow
A new study shows abortions actually go up when the U.S. pulls funding from NGOs offering abortion referrals. That's only one way underserved populations suffer.
Do cilantro microgreens taste better than cilantro? Learn how to grow cilantro microgreens in your New York Garden.
When we don't understand how natural systems work, it's easy to become suspicious and afraid. As I child, my great fear was cemetery honey.
I’m sparing you any special occasion or novelty jewelry in this post and giving only what I wear every day in heavy rotation and what I’ll take to the grave. Sorry sisters…
Fresh catnip is a real treat for cats. Get expert tips for growing the unique catnip herb at home, both in your garden and even indoors.
Teens and young adults with ADHD may feel depressed,frustrated and lost during the COVID-19 pandemic. Here are strategies to help them build resilience.
Cunoscută pentru beneficiile sale încă din antichitate, Aristotel a scris despre sfecla roșie în secolul al IV-lea. În anotimpul rece sfecla roșie ar trebui să fie nelipsită de pe masa noastră.
Across China, where new developments are keeping pace with the rapidly growing economy, reports continue to surface so-called "nail houses."
Facebook reminded me that I posted this exactly five years ago. I'm re-posting it now and am happy to say that my dear English friend and her 95-year-old husband are still thriving in Gloucestershire. We’re back in Northern Greece after a four-day weekend spent in the English countryside—specifically in Gloucestershire where a dear friend was celebrating her husband’s 90th birthday with a lavish outdoor party at Chastleton House which included tours of the stately home, waiters who were professional opera singers and a picnic lunch which included champagne and smoked salmon and cucumber sandwiches in the famous topiary gardens. The day before—Saturday—an erudite gentleman named Sebastian Halliday gave us a tour of the bucolic villages of the area including Bibury, Swinbrook, Minster Lovell and Burford. We explored the thatch-roofed cottages and ancient churches covered with climbing roses and honeysuckle vines and ate in a pub overlooking the wide, shallow river that wound through each village. Along with Japanese tourists we photographed swans, ducks and horses with new foals, sheep and gardens at their peak of glory. We saw graves of knights and soldiers, church dignitaries and ordinary people who died of the black plague in 1349. I love exploring cemeteries in every place I visit. (Favorites are in Edinburgh, New Orleans, Pere Lachaise in Paris and the Poor Cemetery in Martinique.) The green, mossy ancient stones leaning every which way in a rural Cotswold churchyard always remind me of Sir Thomas Gray’s “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard” which mourns the many simple peasants and villages who have lived and died without leaving any record of their lives or their talents and abilities. I photographed the tombs of the Fettiplace knights, all resting on their elbows in the church of St. Mary’s in Swinbrook, and was fascinated by the tombs of several of the Mitford sisters—perhaps the most controversial, scandalous and talented sisters ever produced by England. (The engraving at the top of Nancy Mitford's gravestone is a mole, which is the animal of the coat of arms of the Mitfords because she hated crosses.) But the only gravestone that moved me to tears was one near the ruins of the Lovell stately home at Minster Lovell, near the wide shallow river, filled with water lilies, where children and dogs were wading. I was drawn to the grave because it featured a statue of a sleeping cat. The stone read “Noah Wright/ 14-11-05/ 16-1-05/ May your light shine through.” This grave was in memory of a little boy, born in November of 2005 who lived only two days—not even surviving to his first Christmas. His parents and mourners had visited his grave repeatedly, leaving flowers (fresh and artificial), a stone, and, on top of the sleeping cat statue, a yellow ceramic star. I picked it up and turned it over, thinking it looked like a Christmas ornament. On the other side someone had lettered in a child-like hand “Noah.” I put the star back where it was and went into the church to photograph the tomb of a sleeping knight with his hands folded in prayer but I couldn’t get the thought of Noah and his parents out of my mind. And I remembered the most famous lines from Thomas Gray’s elegy: Full many a flower is born to blush unseen And waste its sweetness on the desert air
Some flowers can't handle a full day of sun in the South, so we've rounded up our favorite full-sun flowers for your garden, containers, and hanging baskets.
Also known as Chapel Euny Barrow, the entrance grave at Brane is a particularly interesting example of a Neolithic chambered tomb.
Watermelon growing stages start from seed germination to harvesting the fruit. The process is time-consuming, and patience gonna be your key ...
Hoya carnosa Wilbur graves with high splash and active growth. A hardy hoya that grows at a decent speed.
In honor of our recent blog award from Frugaldad com we thought it would be a good idea to address the theme of frugality in lawn and garden care Contrary to the idea that a beautiful lush lawn can only be achieved after spending huge amounts of money I intend to show that you can actually have the best looking lawn in the neighborhood while at the same time spending far less on it than you might think Sure some of the following ideas might cost a little more upfront but the long term savings far exceed the initial expense
Welcome back to the Ancient Tree Research Project. This is part 2 for the giant cedars of Lebanon. If you have not watched part one, please do so when you can. Then this video will make more sense.…
This local area guide to Nunhead, London will help you get a feel for what Nunhead is like and what you'll find when you get here.
Try some of these robust, low-growing groundcovers for shade or tough spots—wherever you need year-round coverage.
The fifth point of my plan is reall a sub-set of the fourth, Live Simply. The basic theme is that you can make or grow almost everything you need. My house was moved off the street around 1900 and …
About 20,000 Secrets of Tea An accessible guide to the medicinal properties of teas, featuring delicious, refreshing, and soothing drinks that can help you fight cold and flu, lower cholesterol, enhance memory, lose weight, and more! An ancient Chinese legend: Once there was a man who knew 100,000 healing properties of herbs. He taught his son 80,000 secrets. On his deathbed, he told his son to visit his grave in five years, and there he would find the other 20,000 secrets. When the son went to his father’s grave, he found, growing on the site, a tea shrub. . . . Tea has been a favorite beverage worldwide for hundreds of years. A cup of tea on a rainy evening can chase the chills away and a pot of tea shared among friends can lend an air of enchantment to an afternoon. But more than that, teas are the gentle, natural, most beneficial way to absorb the healing properties of herbs—easily and inexpensively. A simple cup of tea not only has the power to soothe and relax but to deliver healing herbal agents to the bloodstream more quickly than capsules, tinctures, or infusions. In this invaluable guide, you’ll discover: • An A-Z listing of common ailments and the teas best used to help combat them • Instructions on how to create your own medicinal kitchen • Advice on creating your own tea blends • Descriptions of 100 popular herbs and their healing properties • And more! Hot or iced, the recipes in 20,000 Secrets of Tea offer delicious ways to stay healthy and revitalize you from the inside out.
It may look like a harmless and pretty flower but the poisonous Hemlock is one of the deadliest plants in Tennessee.
Grave gardening is a fun new trend that actually has its roots in the Victorian Age. Planting flowers around a grave was a common hobby in the 1800s both in America and Europe. Planting around headstones, filling cradle graves, to lush plantings in forgotten rural cemeteries, grave gardening is com
La mandragora è una pianta spontanea le cui foglie ricordano la borragine e gli spinaci, tuttavia, a differenza di questi, ingerirla può causare allucinazioni,…
White Campion is mildly toxic as it contains saponins so is best used as a soap substitute. It is quite a common plant that often grows with and can hybridize with the very common Red Campion, Silene ...
