Medieval Longsword Found in Nobleman's Grave in Sweden

HALMSTED, SWEDEN—According to a Live Science report, the remains of a man who stood about six feet, three inches tall, and an iron sword measuring more than four feet long, have been uncovered within the boundaries of a church at a medieval friary in southwestern Sweden. Archaeologist Johan Klange of Cultural Environment Halland said that the weapon is a late medieval longsword with an iron blade inlaid with small Christian crosses made from another metal. The blade was snapped at the hilt, perhaps during roadwork at the site in the 1930s. Klange thinks the man may have been a nobleman at the turn of the sixteenth century who supported the Kalmar Union, an agreement in which Sweden, Denmark, and Norway were ruled by a single king between about 1397 and 1523. “We hypothesize that he was part of the high nobility of the Kalmar Union, and may have owned property in both Sweden and Denmark,” Klange said. “These people became very, very powerful.” The Kalmar Union ended in 1520 when Sweden’s King Christian II executed nearly 100 of his enemies. DNA analysis of two burials found near the tall man’s grave may reveal if the three were related. To read about sword hilts that were found protruding from the earth in a Viking cemetery in southern Sweden, go to "Standing Swords."

Old Dongola’s Historic Fabrics Analyzed

WARSAW, POLAND—Science in Poland reports that Magdalena M. Woźniak of the University of Warsaw analyzed 17 fabric samples recovered from the site of Old Dongola, the capital of the Nubian Kingdom of Makuria (ca. A.D. 400–1400), which is located in what is now Sudan. The fabrics were recovered from residential areas and garbage dumps of the city and dated to the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Most of the samples were wool, but because the sheep were likely raised for milk and meat, the wool was not of high quality. Such wool fabrics were usually worn by women, Woźniak said. Cotton fabrics, usually worn by men, likely came from plants grown in the Nile Valley. Very little linen was recovered, while the one silk sample is thought to have come from the home of a local ruler. Woźniak explained that the fabrics recovered from Old Dongola were very worn, and were probably first used as clothing; then for patches, rags, or blankets; and eventually may have been used to plug structural cracks. Most of the scraps that have survived, she added, came from the edges of fabric, since they were thicker and reinforced with an extra strip of fabric decorated in patterns of yellow, blue, and red that made the edges more durable. To read about medieval wall paintings found in a room beneath a sixteenth-century house at Old Dongola, go to "A Painted Prayer," one of ARCHAEOLOGY's Top 10 Discoveries of 2023.

Ancient Fortified Oasis Discovered in Saudi Arabia

KHAYBAR OASIS, SAUDI ARABIA—A fortification that surrounded the Khaybar Oasis some 4,000 years ago has been found in the North Arabian Desert by researchers from the French National Center for Scientific Research and Saudi Arabia’s Royal Commission for Al-‘Ula, according to a Cosmos Magazine report. The nine miles of walls, which were between five and eight feet thick, enclosed more than 2,700 acres. Remains of more than 70 bastions set into the walls for the defense of the oasis settlement have been identified. This fortress was one of a network of walled oases in the region. Read the original scholarly article about this research in Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports. To read about 7,000-year-old rectangular complexes found in the northwest deserts of Saudi Arabia, go to "Around the World: Saudi Arabia."

Lost Records of Nubia’s Ancient Cemeteries Found

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND—According to a Newsweek report, a set of excavation records thought to have been lost during World War II has been found in an archive at the University of Cambridge by biomedical Egyptologist Jenny Metcalfe of the University of Manchester. The excavations, conducted in lower Nubia between 1907 and 1911, unearthed more than 7,000 sets of human remains from more than 150 Nubian cemeteries. The 495 recovered record cards are mostly from the second excavation season, although there are a few from the first season. These cards include information on each individual’s historical age, age at the time of death, sex, long bone and skull measurements, teeth present, evidence of illness or trauma, and evidence of healing from serious illness and injury. “The oldest cemeteries excavated in this survey belong to the ‘A-group’ Nubian population, which began around 3800 B.C., although there is evidence of human occupation in the region before this,” Metcalfe said. “The recording cards cover individuals from the A-group period through to the Christian-period cemeteries dating to around A.D. 500 to 1100,” she added. The information will make a significant contribution to understanding the lives of ancient Nubians, she concluded. To read about excavations of an ancient Nubian capital city on the Nile, go to "A Nubian Kingdom Rises."

Hidden Tudor Paintings Revealed at Cambridge College

CAMBRIDGE, ENGLAND—BBC News reports that wall paintings dated to the early sixteenth century were discovered during restoration work in a roof space at Christ’s College, Cambridge. The images cover a 20-foot-wide space, and are thought to have decorated the school’s original library. The paintings include a red Lancastrian rose, a portcullis, and a possible fleur-de-lis. In 1505, Lady Margaret Beaufort, a member of the House of Lancaster, became the college’s patron. Her son, Henry VII, became the first Tudor king of England in 1485 after his victory over Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field and the end of the Wars of the Roses. The portcullis is the badge of the Beaufort family. “A powerful and pious woman, with a keen interest in scholarship, Lady Margaret left her indelible mark on the college,” commented art historian Christina Faraday of Cambridge University. “The motifs continue to be tied up with the college’s identity to this day,” she added. The paintings will receive some basic restoration work before they are recovered. For more on the Battle of Bosworth Field and Henry's accession to the throne, go to "The Rehabilitation of Richard III."

Rock-Cut Tombs Discovered in Upper Egypt

AL BAHNASA, EGYPT—A series of rock-cut tombs has been discovered in Upper Egypt by a team of researchers from the University of Barcelona and the Institute of the Ancient Near East, according to an Ahram Online report. Mostafa Waziri of the Supreme Council of Antiquities said that the tombs have been dated to the Ptolemaic (304–30 B.C.) and Roman and Byzantine (30 B.C.–A.D. 641) periods. Terracotta statues depicting the goddess Isis-Aphrodite wearing a foliage crown were found in the tombs. Some of the Roman-era mummies were equipped with gilded and colored funeral masks, while golden tongues had been placed in the mouths of two of them. “The team discovered parts of a ruined structure adorned with captivating drawings depicting intricate details of plants, grapevines, and various animals, providing valuable insights into the daily life and cultural significance of Al Bahnasa during ancient times,” added Adel Okasah of the Central Administration Department for Middle Egypt Antiquities. To read about a Ptolemaic temple of Isis on the island of Philae, go to "When Isis Was Queen."

2,500-Year-Old Burials Unearthed in Northern Mexico

NUEVO LEÓN, MEXICO—Live Science reports that the 2,500-year-old burials of two adolescents and a baby have been found in a cave chamber in northeastern Mexico. Traces of basketry, textiles, and possible cotton fibers were found in the burials, suggesting that the remains, which were found in pieces, may have been interred in bundles. Moisés Valadez Moreno of Mexico’s National Institute of History and Anthropology (INAH) said that beads made from freshwater shells, spear points, and plant remains were also recovered from the burials. The shells likely came from the area of the Gulf of Mexico, some 180 miles away, he explained. Additional study of the bones may reveal the children’s cause of death, if they died at the same time, if the bodies had been ritually dismembered, and if the three individuals were related to each other. To read about a rare kind of mass grave unearthed in southern Mexico City, go to "Circle of Life."

Study Analyzes Unusual Burials at Tintern Abbey

MONMOUTHSHIRE, WALES—According to a report in The Guardian, a recent excavation suggests that local people were buried on the grounds of Tintern Abbey after the dissolution of the monasteries by King Henry VIII. The excavation was conducted by Cadw, the historic environment service of the Welsh government, at the beginning of a conservation project to protect the ruined church’s eroding stone walls. In all, 18 of the many graves found at the site were unearthed, and two of them, containing the remains of a woman and two children, were analyzed. These graves were found just outside the main body of the church. The woman, who died in her 30s or 40s, appears to have been disabled. She was buried in a shallow grave, perhaps in secret. The two children, aged about one and five, were buried together. Their remains showed signs of stress that may have been caused by poor nutrition or disease. “Tintern was the resting place of the great and the good in the medieval period—the benefactors, the patrons, the marcher lords,” explained Gwilym Hughes of Cadw. “This appears to have changed dramatically in the middle of the sixteenth century with the dissolution. It was still used as a sacred place for burial, but this time not by the elite, but by people who appear to have been marginalized by society,” she concluded. Medieval window glass, floor tiles, pottery, and coins were also recovered. To read about the portrait of a medieval Welsh abbot that was carved on his grave slab, go to "He's No Stone Face."

4th-Century Temple Reflects Gradual Conversion to Christianity

SPELLO, ITALY—Cosmos Magazine reports that a monumental Roman temple dated to the fourth century A.D. has been discovered less than 100 miles north of Rome in the town of Spello. “It will significantly aid in the understanding of the ancient town, the ancient townscape, and city society in the later Roman Empire because it shows the continuities between the classical pagan world and early Christian Roman world that often get blurred out or written out of the sweeping historical narratives,” said Douglas Boin of Saint Louis University. He explained that the emperor Constantine (reigned A.D. 306–337), who converted to Christianity circa A.D. 312, instructed the people of the town of Spello to build a temple in honor of his ancestors, and to worship them there. “Things didn’t change overnight,” Boin explained, resulting in an imperial cult dedicated to the family of a Christian ruler. “It’s so weird and I love that we can bring it to light,” he concluded. Christianity eventually became the official religion of the Roman Empire in A.D. 380, decades after the death of Constantine the Great. To read about the Arch of Constantine, go to "A Monumental Imperial Biography."