STAFFORDSHIRE, ENGLAND—Archaeologists will uncover a model of a World War I battlefield that was constructed by German prisoners of war in central England. The model represents the Belgian village of Messines and the surrounding area, and was used as a training ground and a memorial to soldiers that died in the Battle of Messines Ridge in June 1917. The researchers will construct a 3-D map of the replica trenches, dugouts, railway lines, roads, and terrain with laser scanners before recovering them. “Due to the location, scale and fragile nature of the model it is impossible for it to be moved or left uncovered,” explained Philip Atkins, leader of the Staffordshire County Council.
Belgian Battlefield Model Will Be Uncovered in England
News September 5, 2013
Recommended Articles
Features November/December 2024
Let the Games Begin
How gladiators in ancient Anatolia lived to entertain the masses
Features November/December 2024
The Many Faces of the Kingdom of Shu
Thousands of fantastical bronzes are beginning to reveal the secrets of a legendary Chinese dynasty
Digs & Discoveries November/December 2024
Egyptian Crocodile Hunt
Digs & Discoveries November/December 2024
Monuments to Youth
-
Features July/August 2013
The First Vikings
Two remarkable ships may show that the Viking storm was brewing long before their assault on England and the continent
Courtesy Liina Maldre, University of Tallinn -
Features July/August 2013
Miniature Pyramids of Sudan
Archaeologists excavating on the banks of the Nile have uncovered a necropolis where hundreds of small pyramids once stood
(Courtesy Vincent Francigny/SEDAU) -
Letter from China July/August 2013
Tomb Raider Chronicles
Looting reaches across the centuries—and modern China’s economic strata
(Courtesy Lauren Hilgers, Photo: Anonymous) -
Artifacts July/August 2013
Ancient Egyptian Sundial
A 13th-century limestone sundial is one of the earliest timekeeping devices discovered in Egypt
(© The Trustees of the British Museum/Art Resource, NY)