Richard III - The King Under the Car Park with Mathew Morris Archaeological Services 2021-05-03 | The discovery of King Richard III’s remains during an archaeological excavation in 2012 was a world-wide sensation, a 500 year old missing persons case bought to life through modern archaeological and forensic investigation. In this talk, Mathew Morris, one of the lead archaeologists on the Grey Friars Project, reveals how this amazing discovery was made, shows how archaeologists knew where to look and what was found during the excavation, and takes a close look at how forensic scientists were able to successfully identify 500 year old skeletal remains as Richard III, the last Plantagenet king of England (d.1485). The lecture was recorded live on 14 July 2020.
Stepping out of the Dark: Anglo Saxon settlement at Eye Kettleby Archaeological Services 2024-03-21 | In the mid-1990s, one of the largest known early Anglo-Saxon settlements in the country was excavated by University of Leicester Archaeological Services at Eye Kettleby in Leicestershire. Now the results of the work have been published in a new book titled The Anglo-Saxon Settlement at Eye Kettleby, Leicestershire.Find out more about the site at ulasnews.com/2024/03/21/stepping-out-of-the-darkBuy the book at shop.le.ac.uk/product-catalogue/books-and-gifts/leicester-archaeology-monographs/the-anglosaxon-settlement-at-eye-kettleby-leicestershire
Roman Leicestershire Uncovered Archaeological Services 2024-02-07 | In September 2023 a new training excavation was launched by the University of Leicester for students from the School of Archaeology and Ancient History and local volunteers. The site, at Laughton in Leicestershire, was discovered recently through fieldwork by the Oadby & Wigston and Hallaton Fieldwork Groups. Fieldwalking found high concentrations of pottery sherds and suggested the presence of a settlement from the Roman period (AD 43-410). Geophysical survey revealed a complex picture of many interconnecting ditches and other features. Several small test pits were dug, which confirmed that these 'geophysical anomalies’ were archaeological features of Roman date. In 2023, the Fieldschool excavated a large trench, to find out more. For more information, please visit Find out more about archaeology at the University of Leicester at le.ac.uk/archaeology and le.ac.uk/ulasMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):uppbeat.io/t/northwestern/a-new-beginningLicense code: OATLQJNDVUAG3PNI
Leicester Uncovered - Excavating a medieval mass burial Archaeological Services 2024-01-04 | WARNING! Images of human skeletal remains are shown in this video.Leicester Cathedral's construction of a new heritage learning centre in the Cathedral Gardens has revealed a fascinating snapshot of life in Leicester over the past 2,000 years. This includes a mass burial pit containing over a hundred individuals who all died in the late 11th or early 12th century, a stark reminder that Leicester has previously suffered from and survived catastrophic events. This video shows archaeologists excavating one of the burial layers in snow in March 2023.The restoration of Leicester Cathedral has been made possible thanks to the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Find out more about the project at leicestercathedral.org and ulasnews.com/leicester-cathedral-revealed
ULAS discoveries 2023 Archaeological Services 2023-12-31 | We’ve had many incredible archaeological projects in 2023, from Iron Age settlements to Roman cellars and medieval burial grounds. Many of these discoveries have been filmed by our team, regardless of the weather, capturing our regions archaeology in all its muddy glory! We can't wait to see what we find in 2024!
Episode 6: Drawing the Rutland Trojan War Mosaic Archaeological Services 2023-12-18 | Drawing the Rutland Trojan War Mosaic, a talk by Dr David Neal, Britain’s foremost mosaic expertIn the Summer of 2020 a magnificent figured Roman mosaic was partially uncovered in a Rutland field, showing scenes from the ancient Trojan War story, most famously narrated by Homer in the Iliad. Over two seasons of excavation the mosaic was fully uncovered and despite being damaged, was recognisable as showing the duel between Achilles and Hector. The mosaic was drawn in situ by David Neal, in preparation for producing a tessara by tessara painting. David’s talk will describe the processes of carefully recording the mosaic and transforming his drawing to a full colour painting of this unique example of ancient art.Recorded in front of a live audience at the University of Leicester during 'Reconstructing the Past in Leicestershire and Rutland' on 25 November 2023. Find out more at ulasnews.com/reconstructing-the-past
Episode 5: Recreating Grey Friars Archaeological Services 2023-12-18 | Recreating Grey Friars: Imagining the burial place of King Richard III, a talk by Mathew Morris, Project Officer at ULASThe discovery of King Richard III’s remains during an archaeological excavation in 2012 was a world-wide sensation but behind the headlines an arguably greater archaeological find was made, the discovery of Grey Friars, the Franciscan friary in which the king was buried, which had been lost for over 400 years. Mathew will show how the latest archaeological and historical research has enabled archaeologists and artists to reconstruct what the site may have looked like in the past.Recorded in front of a live audience at the University of Leicester during 'Reconstructing the Past in Leicestershire and Rutland' on 25 November 2023. Find out more at ulasnews.com/reconstructing-the-past
Episode 4: New Visions of Roman Leicester Archaeological Services 2023-12-18 | New Visions of Roman Leicester: From holes in the ground to reimagined views of the ancient townscape, a talk by Dr Gavin Speed, Project Manager at ULASRecent archaeological excavations in central Leicester, utilising new recording methods, have enabled new accurate artist reconstruction images of Roman Leicester to be created. Gavin will explain the process from the initial discoveries uncovered beneath the modern city, via surveys, satellites, and analysis, to create the most accurate reconstruction views of ancient Roman Leicester ever produced, allowing the viewer to get a glimpse into the past.Recorded in front of a live audience at the University of Leicester during 'Reconstructing the Past in Leicestershire and Rutland' on 25 November 2023. Find out more at ulasnews.com/reconstructing-the-past
Episode 3: Re-creating Britains Finest Roman Cavalry Helmet Archaeological Services 2023-12-18 | Re-creating Britain’s Finest Roman Cavalry Helmet from Hallaton, Leicestershire, a talk by Helen Sharp, Archaeology Curator for Leicestershire County Council MuseumsIt is over 20 years since a pit of Roman cavalry helmet parts were discovered at a Late Iron Age ritual site at Hallaton, Leicestershire. Helen will explain the final stages of conservation work completed in February 2020 and delve into the current project to re-create modern versions of this once magnificent helmet. From iconographic research to 3D scanning and printing, the Hallaton Helmet assemblage still has the capacity to surprise and delight.Recorded in front of a live audience at the University of Leicester during 'Reconstructing the Past in Leicestershire and Rutland' on 25 November 2023. Find out more at ulasnews.com/reconstructing-the-past
Episode 2: Taking stock of the pot Archaeological Services 2023-12-18 | Taking stock of the pot: Creating and re-creating the Glenfield Iron Age cauldrons, a talk by John Thomas, Deputy Director at ULASOver the winter of 2013/14 ULAS excavated a spectacular Iron Age settlement on the edge of Glenfield. The long-lived settlement comprised many roundhouses and enclosures, but the standout feature was its metalwork assemblage, marking it out as a very special place to Iron Age people. Among the many metal objects was a group of feasting cauldrons that had been deliberately buried after they had gone out of use. Recent work by conservators from Museum of London Archaeology and scientific experts from the British Museum has revealed how the cauldrons were made, used and maintained, providing a fascinating insight into Iron Age craftworking and social life. John will describe the excavation and analysis of these fascinating objects and explain how the information has been used to create a replica cauldron which will feature in a museum display of the settlement.Recorded in front of a live audience at the University of Leicester during 'Reconstructing the Past in Leicestershire and Rutland' on 25 November 2023. Find out more at ulasnews.com/reconstructing-the-past
Episode 1: Crafting with bark Archaeological Services 2023-12-18 | Crafting with bark: experiments to remake the Enderby Shield, a talk by Matthew Beamish, Project Manager at ULASBetween April 2018 and July 2022 a group of archaeologists and crafts people with diverse backgrounds met on a number of occasions, with the objective of re-making the Enderby Shield. Seven shields were made in all, and Matthew with explain how each told us something of the different problems faced when manufacturing such an item in the past, and also shed light on the different components used.Recorded in front of a live audience at the University of Leicester during 'Reconstructing the Past in Leicestershire and Rutland' on 25 November 2023. Find out more at ulasnews.com/reconstructing-the-past
Leicester Uncovered - Discovering a 19th-century grave stone Archaeological Services 2023-12-09 | Leicester Cathedral's construction of a new heritage learning centre in the Cathedral Gardens has revealed a fascinating snapshot of life in Leicester over the past 2,000 years. This video shows the discovery and reconstruction of a smashed 19th-century gravestone, found by archaeologists from ULAS in November 2021.
Coventry Charterhouse Excavation Time-Lapse Archaeological Services 2023-11-26 | This time-lapse shows the 2-month-long excavation by ULAS of the Carthusian monastery's eastern cells in the Summer of 2020.
Searching for the Knights Hospitaller with Mathew Morris Archaeological Services 2022-04-09 | Recorded on Zoom with Rugby Archaeological Society on 09/04/2022On the edge of Leicester, in Castle Hill Country Park, is a large enigmatic rectangular earthwork. Speculation about its use has suggested that it was an Iron Age encampment, whilst more resent research indicates that it may be a medieval manorial site associated with the Knights Hospitaller. Recently featured on BBC2's Digging For Britain (Series 9.4), in this talk, site director Mathew Morris talks about recent excavations at the site and what they tell us about the monument’s fascinating history.
The Rutland Roman Villa Project with Jennifer Browning Archaeological Services 2021-12-03 | Jennifer Browning from ULAS talks on The Rutland Roman Villa Project. This is the first chance to hear about one of the most exciting excavations since the discovery of Richard III, an extraordinary Roman mosaic discovered beneath a field in Rutland. The mosaic is the first example in the UK displaying scenes from Homer’s The Illiad, and one of only a handful from across Europe. It is considered one of the most remarkable and significant Roman mosaics ever found in Britain.This talk was recorded live for the Leicestershire Fieldworkers on 02/12/2021. The Q&A session is hosted by Peter Liddle, Chair of the Leicestershire Fieldworkers.Find out more about the mosaic here ulasnews.com/2021/11/25/encounters-with-achillesFind out more about the Leicestershire Fieldworkers at leicsfieldworkers.org
Buried Bouskell Community Test Pitting - The Results Archaeological Services 2021-08-26 | Recorded 25 August 2021.The Buried Bouskell Project is a a National Lottery Heritage Funded community archaeology test-pitting project organised by Blaby District Council and University of Leicester Archaeological Services. This digital talk by project archaeologist Mathew Morris reveals the results from the 22 test pits dug across the park by over 130 volunteers and school children and explains what the findings tell us about the history of the park.
Thrown to the Lions? New evidence reveals lions were used during executions in Roman Britain Archaeological Services 2021-08-09 | Archaeologists in Leicester have discovered an elaborately-decorated Roman bronze key handle portraying the execution of captives in the arena by throwing them to lions. The handle portrays a ‘Barbarian’ grappling with a lion, together with four naked youths cowering in terror. The key handle was discovered by University of Leicester Archaeological Services, buried below the floor of a late Roman town house excavated in the city in 2017. After conservation, this unique object was studied at King’s College London and the findings are now published in the journal Britannia.
Aerial LiDAR and the archaeology and history of Bradgate Park Archaeological Services 2021-08-05 | In this talk, Matthew Beamish from University of Leicester Archaeological Services (ULAS) tells the story of how existing theories were illuminated, and many new discoveries were made resulting from an aerial LiDAR survey and assessment of one of Leicestershire's most popular public country parks in 2014. The work was undertaken by ULAS and commissioned by Bradgate Park Trust. This talk was recorded live on 4 August, 2021 for the Council for British Archaeology's Festival of Archaeology.
Monument, Memory and Myth: Use and re-use of the Cossington Bronze Age Barrows Archaeological Services 2021-07-29 | Round barrows were important burial monuments for the Bronze Age communities that built and used them, but what happened to them in later times? Fascinating evidence from three barrows excavated at Cossington gravel quarry in Leicestershire has shown that they were also a focus of activity for later communities, who were attracted to the ancient earthworks to make offerings and bury their dead. In this talk, ULAS Deputy Director John Thomas describes the results of the excavations and examine why the barrows maintained their local importance centuries after their original use. This talk was recorded live on 28 July, 2021 for the Council for British Archaeology's Festival of Archaeology.
From Tide to Table: The Archaeology of Oyster Shells Archaeological Services 2021-07-22 | In this talk, William Johnson from ULAS provides an introduction to the analysis of oyster shells using examples from Roman and medieval sites in Leicester and Coventry and shows how shells from inland sites can be used to investigate oyster exploitation and farming, trade links to the coast and changing patterns of consumption through time. This talk was recorded live on 21 July, 2021 for the Council for British Archaeology's Festival of Archaeology.
The archaeology of Leicester: The most excavated city in Britain? Archaeological Services 2021-07-15 | Walking through Leicester today it is often difficult to appreciate that we are treading on 2,000 years of history, but beneath the city's streets are the remains of an Iron Age oppidum, a Roman city, an Anglo-Saxon burgh and a medieval borough. In this talk Mathew Morris provides an overview of the archaeological exploration of Leicester, from early antiquarian discoveries to the latest commercial excavations. This talk was recorded live on 14 July, 2021 for the Council for British Archaeology's Festival of Archaeology.
Life & Times at a Midlands Hillfort: Excavations at Burrough Hill, Leicestershire with John Thomas Archaeological Services 2021-05-03 | What would life have been like at a hillfort in the Iron Age? With their commanding earthworks, hillforts are recognisable ancient monuments from the later prehistoric period, however much of our understanding of them is based on examples in the southwest. Recent excavations at Burrough Hill provide fascinating new evidence from a hillfort in the English Midlands which paint a vivid picture of life at this important monument. In this talk, John Thomas, deputy director of ULAS, discusses the discoveries made during a 5-year research project jointly undertaken by ULAS and University of Leicester which will make a significant contribution to hillfort studies nationally. This talk was recorded live on 8 December 2020.
iPads volunteers & LiDAR: Discovering the historic landscape of Martinshaw Wood with Matthew Beamish Archaeological Services 2021-05-03 | Work undertaken by ULAS for the Charnwood Roots project between 2014 and 2016 involved the analysis and transcription of numerous potential archaeological features across Charnwood from aerial LiDAR data, recorded by the Environment Agency and now freely available for research. Martinshaw Wood near Groby contained a large number of potential features and was chosen for a ground testing exercise run by Matthew Beamish and Julie Attard, along with volunteers within the Charnwood Roots Scheme. In 2015 and 2016 the wood was visited by teams armed with paper maps and Ipads, on which the features were visible over Satellite Imagery of the wood. Field notes were made and photographs taken as features were identified. In this talk, Matthew Beamish, project manager at ULAS, talks about the project and how its records were then imported into a custom database linked with a GIS in order to interpret the data and interpret some of the woodlands history. This talk was recorded live on 24 November 2020.
Behind the walls - the archaeology of the castles of Leicestershire and Rutland with Mathew Morris Archaeological Services 2021-05-03 | Leicestershire and Rutland are not well known for iconic castles, with few sites still having upstanding remains. Yet castles such as the one at Leicester played significant roles in history whilst others, like Kirby Muxloe were ultra-fashionable expressions of royal favour. In this talk, Mathew Morris, project officer at ULAS, looks at the history and evolution of castle design in the two counties with particular focus on the excavated sites of Leicester, Oakham and Groby. This talk was recorded live on 10 November 2020.
Rituals Hoards & Helmets - the story of the Hallaton Treasure with Vicki Score Archaeological Services 2021-05-03 | 20 years ago, an amateur archaeologist and metal detectorist found a handful of Iron Age coins in an otherwise unremarkable field in Leicestershire. This led to community excavations headed by University of Leicestershire Archaeological Services (ULAS) that uncovered one of the most important iron Age ritual sites in the UK that has challenged many of our preconceptions of Britain at the time of the Roman Conquest. In this talk, Vicki Score, director of ULAS, tells the story of the excavations and the amazing buried finds, among them several thousand gold and silver coins buried in the entrance to the shrine and a fantastic Roman helmet and guarded by ritually buried dogs as well as the evidence for large scale community feasting. This lecture was recorded live on 27 October 2020.
Living With Cauldrons - a unique Iron Age feasting & ritual site with John Thomas Archaeological Services 2021-05-03 | John Thomas, deputy director at University of Leicester Archaeological Services talks about the nationally important discovery of Iron Age cauldrons and other metal finds from a long-lived Iron Age site at Glenfield Park, between the villages of Glenfield and Kirby Muxloe, on the edge of Leicester. Glenfield Park is an exceptional archaeological site, with a fantastic array of finds that highlight this as one of the more important Iron Age discoveries of recent years. The settlement is extensive, with evidence for occupation over several hundred years, but it is the metalwork assemblage that really sets the site apart. The quantity and quality of the finds far outshines most of the other contemporary assemblages from the area, and its composition is almost unparalleled. The cauldron assemblage in particular makes this a nationally important discovery. This lecture was recorded live on 18 August 2020.
Buildings Burials and Bones with Vicki Score Archaeological Services 2021-05-03 | Over the last 10 years, community excavations by the Hallaton Field Work Group, supported by University of Leicester Archaeological Services have uncovered not only the lost chapel of St Morrell but also a medieval graveyard at the spot where the famous Leicestershire bottle kicking traditionally takes place every Easter. Finds suggest that Hallaton could once have been a place of pilgrimage and connections with an important Iron Age shrine nearby point to this being a significant ritual landscape from prehistoric times to the present day. In this talk, Vicki Score, director of ULAS takes a closer look at what has been found. This lecture was recorded live on 28 July 2020.
The Enderby Shield with Matthew Beamish Archaeological Services 2021-05-03 | In 2015, University of Leicester Archaeological Services excavated the remains of a bark object which was deeply buried in the waterlogged fills of a substantial Iron Age pit on a field in Enderby, close to Leicester. The object was soon identified as a bark shield dating from the Middle Iron Age. In this talk, Matthew Beamish, project manager at ULAS, describes the many processes and analyses that have been undertaken on this unique object, including experimental work to create two new examples. We think this is the first bark shield to have been discovered in the northern hemisphere; a truly unique and exciting find. This lecture was recorded live on 23 July 2020.
Revealing Greyfriars - Leicesters lost Franciscan friary with Mathew Morris Archaeological Services 2021-05-03 | The discovery of King Richard III’s remains during an archaeological excavation in 2012 was a world-wide sensation, a 500 year old missing persons case bought to life through modern archaeological and forensic investigation. In this talk, Mathew Morris, one of the lead archaeologists on the Grey Friars Project, reveals how this amazing discovery was made, shows how archaeologists knew where to look and what was found during the excavation, and takes a close look at how forensic scientists were able to successfully identify 500 year old skeletal remains as Richard III, the last Plantagenet king of England (d.1485). The lecture was recorded live on 14 July 2020.
Roman Leicester in 2020 Archaeological Services 2020-07-21 | The historic city of Leicester has in recent years seen a huge increase in urban redevelopment, and consequently a vast amount of new archaeological projects have been undertaken, mainly by University of Leicester Archaeological Services. This work has transformed our understanding of Leicester’s Roman past. To celebrate ULAS turning 25 in 2020, Dr Speed brings together all the latest discoveries and newest interpretations, looking at the key archaeological discoveries in Leicester over time. The talk moves through the four centuries of Roman rule from its Iron Age origins, to the houses and mosaics, its large public buildings, and through to its economic decline and collapse. It shows that much like the modern city today, Roman Ratae was a truly thriving multicultural urban environment.
