Category Archives: Ramsgate

VM_365 Day 253 Roman Copper Alloy bracelet

Archaeology, In the Store, Ramsgate, Roman, Uncategorised, VM_365 Project

VM 253Today’s image for Day 253 of the VM_365 project shows a Roman copper alloy bracelet found within the 3rd to 4th century grave of a young adult female at Grange Road, Ramsgate in 2007. The complete pennanular bracelet is shown in situ in an image for Day 58 of VM_365.

The bracelet measures approximately 75mm in diameter and is made from four strands of wire twisted tightly together to form a single length. The diameter of the twisted wire measures approximately 4mm with each strand measuring 1mm. The ends of the bracelet fasten together in a hook and loop with the hooked end formed from a single strand of the wire reinforced with a flattened copper alloy strip clamped it to prevent unravelling. The looped  end of the bracelet is formed in a similar way but with a single strand of wire bent over on itself and clamped with a strip of metal. The wire forming the looped end of the fastening had been beaten flat.

When it was originally deposited at the foot end of the grave, the bracelet would have been beautifully shiny and almost the colour of gold although now it has become corroded over time and is coloured green.

VM_365 Day 225 An Antiquarian Illustration of an Anglo Saxon grave

Anglo Saxon, Archaeology, From the Archives, Lord of the Manor, Ramsgate, Uncategorised, VM_365 Project

VM 225

The image for Day 225 of the VM_365 project is an illustration of one of the Anglo-Saxon graves from Ozengell, Ramsgate drawn by F. W. Fairholt in the mid 19th century.

The Anglo Saxon cemetery at Ozengell was discovered in 1846. While workmen were digging a cutting for the new South Eastern Railway line from Ashford to Margate a large number of graves were dug through in fields near an Inn on the road to Canterbury from Ramsgate called Lord of the Manor. Many of the graves within the route of the cutting were destroyed and their artefacts sold off by the workmen before any record of them could be made.

However, William Rolfe, a Sandwich Antiquarian, managed to secure a number of the artefacts from the cemetery for recording and was able to arrange for around thirteen undisturbed graves to be opened for investigation by a group of antiquarians including Charles Roach Smith, Thomas Wright and the illustrator,  F. W. Fairholt who drew many archaeological finds of the period.

Fairholt drew this image during his visit and it is an excellent representation of the layout of the one of the graves. The illustration shows the skeleton of a male, with the remains of a shield on his chest,  a spear on his left side, an iron knife at his right hip, a short sword across his pelvis and a pottery vessel at his right shoulder.

The cemetery was not investigated again until over 100 years later, during the 1960’s, 1970’s and early 1980’s and most recently in 2013.  Artefacts from graves investigated during the 1980’s have featured on Day 204, Day 206, Day 209 and Day 211 of the VM_365 project.

Fairholt’s meticulous attention to detail means that his contemporary grave plan gives a level of information comparable with those made over 100 years later.

 

 

VM_365 Day 217 Art and Anglo-Saxon archaeology

Anglo Saxon, Archaeology, From the Archives, Lord of the Manor, Ramsgate, Uncategorised, VM_365 Project

VM 217

The image for Day 217 of the VM_365 project continues yesterday’s series of images showing artistic interpretations by Len Jay of the archaeological investigation of Anglo-Saxon archaeology in Thanet .

The picture in the top left shows a series of Anglo-Saxon graves under excavation. Two archaeologists are shown in the top right, in the familiar but somewhat undignified posture that is often adopted to excavate a grave with care, without standing on a significant find or on the skeleton itself.  Anglo-Saxon cemeteries usually contain many graves, laid in groups or rows. In the Ozengell Anglo-Saxon cemetery which inspired the drawings, the graves were cut into the chalk geology and had been disturbed by many centuries of ploughing over the fields.

The grave in the centre of the image is the one shown in the previous set of pictures, which was robbed soon after it was created by the excavation of a pit through the middle of the mound.  In the centre of the grave the stratigraphy of the later cutting through the grave is demonstrated, with the brown soil of the later robber cut shown sectioned within the lighter grey fill of the earlier grave fill deposit. It is through this careful unravelling of the sequence of events represented by changes in soil colour that allows us to tell the story of the robbing of the Anglo-Saxon graves.

The lower right image shows the grave after the original fill has been removed, with the skeleton lying on the base. The clothes and weapons shown in the first image from yesterday’s post having been laid with the person who was buried, now only exist as corroded metal objects which have to be carefully excavated and conserved. The excavation is recorded in detail in plans and written descriptions and photographs are taken of the objects in place. Overhead shots of the whole grave are taken from the vantage point of the step ladder shown on the right.

The skeleton in the excavated grave is incomplete, the pelvis, lower spine and upper legs have been cut away by the robbers digging their pit into the middle of the mound. By carefully recording the location of the robber pits and comparing their position with the typical grave goods found in complete burials, it is possible to explore the targets of the grave robbers and the types of artefacts they may have been looking for.

The four reconstructions drawn by Len Jay describe all the processes that have occurred to give us one of our most valuable sources of evidence for the lives and habits of the Anglo-Saxon period. The first set of drawings trace the creation of the graves, their alteration by the intervention of other people  and the effect of the natural processes of decay. The second set of image shows how methods of archaeological investigation can explore all these previous events and processes and generate knowledge about life and death in the Anglo-Saxon period.

Like his colleague and friend Dr Dave Perkins, Len Jay wanted to convey to ordinary people how archaeologists carried out their work and to reconstruct the events that their discoveries were revealing. Both Dave and Len achieved this through their considerable artistic abilities.

Further reading:

The subject of grave robbing in Anglo-Saxon cemeteries in Kent is explored in detail by Dr. Alison Klevnäs in her theses titled ‘Whodunnit? Grave-robbery in early medieval northern and western Europe’ which can be downloaded as a PDF from the University of Cambridge website.  The important records of excavations in Thanet contributed evidence for this work.

 

VM_365 Day 216 Art and Anglo-Saxon archaeology

Anglo Saxon, Archaeology, Art Inspired by the Past, From the Archives, Lord of the Manor, Manston, Ramsgate, Thanet archaeology, Thanet's Heritage Pioneers, Uncategorised, VM_365 Project

VM 216

The image for Day 216 of the VM_365 project is drawn from our slide collection, with reproductions of a series of sketches illustrating aspects of the archaeology of the Anglo-Saxon cemeteries that are such a significant part of Thanet’s archaeological landscape.

Thanet has been lucky to have had several talented illustrators among its archaeological community.  A drawing by the Trust’s first Director Dave Perkins featured on Day 111 of the VM_365 project. Today’s images were drawn by Len Jay, a founding member of the Isle of Thanet Archaeological Unit, the predecessor of the Trust for Thanet Archaeology and the Isle of Thanet Archaeological Society. Len Jay was a trained artist and used his abilities to create imaginative illustrations of some of the significant aspects of the archaeology that the Thanet Unit became involved in.

The images in today’s post illustrate a common phenomenon encountered during the investigation of Early Anglo-Saxon cemeteries where archaeologists began to discover that they were not always the first to have dug into the graves furnished with valuable  goods such as weapons, items of jewellery, clothing and vessels in pottery and glass. It is now recognised that many early Anglo-Saxon graves that were were robbed not long after they had been created.

The upper part of the image in today’s post shows a section through a recently created grave, with its occupant dressed in typical costume and accompanied with a shield, sword and knife. In the distance the family are leaving the graveside. In the lower image, two grave robbers have excavated a pit into the centre of the mound that marks the site of the grave, piling the spoil in a heap. They too are seen making a hasty exit with the objects they have recovered.

Grave robbing at an early period has been recognised in many of the large early medieval cemeteries of northern Europe and the phenomenon extends to the cemeteries of East Kent. Although initially it may seem that the motives are relatively simple, recent study has started to consider whether the practise has more complex meanings, perhaps associated with the growth of Christianity and the ambiguous relationship of the converted population with the pagan graves of the pre-Christian era.

Len Jay used his talents as an artist to visualise the processes that were being observed in excavations and explored their meaning through his visual representation, which complemented the body of written material that was also being generated.

 

VM_365 Day 211 Copper Alloy Bird Brooch from Ozengell

Anglo Saxon, Archaeology, Ramsgate, Uncategorised, VM_365 Project

VM 211

Today’s VM_365 image for Day 211 is another picture taken from our slide archive collection showing a copper alloy brooch in the form of a stylised bird.

The brooch, with the bird facing to the left, was found in Grave 167 of the Ozengell Anglo Saxon cemetery near Lord of the Manor, Ramsgate which was excavated in 1980.

Brooches like this were worn by women, sometimes in pairs alligned vertically, one above the other,  to fasten the opening of a cloak.

Other items found deposited with the burial in the same grave included fragments of iron fittings from a box, eight beads, copper alloy wire and an iron buckle.

Examples of other artefacts found within the graves of the Ozengell cemetery have been featured in previous VM_365 posts, on Day 204 , Day 206 and Day 209.

 

VM_365 Day 209 Anglo Saxon Bow Brooch

Anglo Saxon, Archaeology, Ramsgate, Uncategorised, VM_365 Project

VM 209

The image for Day 209 of the VM_365 project is a Copper Alloy bow brooch from Grave 183 of the Ozengell Anglo Saxon cemetery. This image is from one of the slides contained  within our archive, other archive images from Ozengell have featured on Day 204 and Day 206.

Three other brooches, along with this one, were also found in the grave as well as a bone ring, an iron knife and two iron pins.

VM_265 Day 206 Anglo Saxon glass bowl from Ozengell, Ramsgate

Anglo Saxon, Archaeology, From the Archives, Ramsgate, Uncategorised, VM_365 Project

VM 206

Today’s image for Day 206 of the VM_365 project is one from our slide archive collection.

The picture shows one of the many objects found deposited in one of over 200 graves excavated at the Ozengell Anglo Saxon cemetery, Lord of the Manor, Ramsgate between the 1970’s and 1980’s by the Isle of Thanet Archaeological Unit.

This small glass bowl was placed with the burial in Grave 190 along with an iron fragment. We know this period, once refered to as the ‘Dark Ages’, was one where craftsmanship and manufacturing of great skill and advanced technology flourished and as in the Roman period that came before, glass and glass objects were readily available to Anglo Saxon communities in Thanet.

VM_365 Day 204 Bronze Age ‘Bugle’ fitting from Anglo Saxon grave

Anglo Saxon, Archaeology, Bronze Age, Lord of the Manor, Ramsgate, Uncategorised, VM_365 Project

VM 204

Today’s VM_365 image shows a Bronze Age ‘Bugle’ fitting that was found within an Anglo-Saxon grave at  Lord of the Manor, Ramsgate in 1980.

The ‘Bugle’ fitting is named after its similarity in shape to a bugle. This particular example is a cast copper alloy tubular fitting with a hollow body and an opening on the non loop side and at either end. Fittings such as these are attributed to the Late Bronze Age and are thought to form part of a harness or part of its equipment. The most likely use for this object would be for the fastening of a leather strap although its exact function is unknown. Other suggestions for its use have included a dog whistle used in rounding up livestock.

How did it come to be in a grave over a thousand years later? It seems that at all times in history objects from the past have been seen to be interesting enough to be collected and curated as curiosities. This object may have been prized by the occupant of the grave, or have been placed there by a family member as a talisman. Alternatively it may have come to be in the grave by sheer coincidence from the soil backfilled within it.

 

 

VM_365 Day 189 Antiquarian images of Ozengell artefacts

Anglo Saxon, Archaeology, Ramsgate, Thanet's Heritage Pioneers, Uncategorised, VM_365 Project

VM 186

Our image for day 189 of the VM_365 project is of a set of artefacts from a grave at the Anglo Saxon cemetery at Ozengell near Ramsgate, illustrated with pen and watercolour drawings by F.W. Fairholt, to accompany Charles Roach Smith’ s publication Collectiana Antiqua. This image shows that the archaeological investigation of a site can be a long process, in this case spanning a century and a half.

The Ozengell site was first discovered in 1847 and has continued to be explored by excavation until the present day. The practice of archaeological recording and illustration have developed over time and investigation at a site like Ozengell has spanned the development of several new technologies. The objects illustrated in this publication are recognisable and comparable with parallels from this and other sites that were excavated in later periods when illustration was more developed and photography commonplace. Archaeological records represent a growing body of data that can be revisited over time so that new information can be compared with past finds and it is a testament to the quality of Fairholt’s work that these drawings remain a useful resource for understanding this important site.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

VM_365 Day 187 Neolithic round based vessel from Courtstairs

Archaeology, Neolithic, Prehistoric pottery, Ramsgate, Thanet archaeology, Uncategorised, VM_365 Project
VM 189For today’s VM_365 image, on Day 187, we have another of the Neolithic vessels from Courtstairs, near Pegwell Bay, whose dating was supported by the  carbon dated cow skull shown for Day 186.  The picture shows a small, nearly complete round-based coarseware bowl, sadly without its rim.
The first pottery manufactured in the Neolithic period often had rounded bases, meaning that they would not stand on their own without being held upright or propped on some form of frame. It is likely that this property emerged from the round based collecting baskets which were the skeuomorphic models for the vessel shapes and the decoration that was added to them.
Humans developed tools to extend the capabilities of their limbs and organs, creating and experimenting with new objects and implements. We may, with hindsight, trace innovations as a progression of developments toward the most modern examples we know. However, when a new material is being explored, many uses and variations may be experimented with until the whole range pf possible functions and properties are developed.
Innovations eventually become embedded in our experience as the obvious and expected properties of a manufactured object, like a flat bottom in a pottery vessel, which may have appeared unlikely and unnecessary to the early innovators.