So far I haven't gone on any excavations but I have been given plenty of "archaeological tours" by my professor, Dr. Pam Graves, a leading Medieval archaeologist. I have also attended a seminar on current archaeology at a local castle, Bamburgh Castle, located about 2 hours north of where I live. Bamburgh Castle sits on the shores of the North Sea and spans over nine acres. Graeme Young (the speaker) focused his presentation on the inner ward where current archaeology is being conducted. In particular he focused on two trenches, one in the center and one off to the side located beside the Church. The archaeologists believe Bamburgh Castle has always been occupied as there is no evidence of burning or abandonment. Focusing primarily on the Church site (they've found a lot of 12th century pottery there), Young showed pictures of the excavation, including -- and here is the exciting part -- under what they perceived as ruins was actually 12th century walls, the REAL Medieval Church ruins! The ruins that are above ground are actually folly ruins! The stone work dates back to the 19th century. If anyone would like to know more about Bamburgh Castle they can visit either of these sites:
Other than that, this term I'm taking one class "Archaeology of the Towns of Britain 1100-1800". So far all we've looked have been maps from the 1300s and 1800s and comparing how towns and villages have progressed. It's all been very interesting. In the next 3 weeks I'll be going on field trips to look historical sites and also York, which still has sections that easily resembles medieval towns. If anyone has any questions or would like to know more, they are more than welcome to contact.
I hope all is well, I've looked at the blog and am very jealous I haven't been able to work the site on Sundays!
-Maggie
(Chapter member, Maggie, began her studies in the UK a couple months ago.)
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