WEST SUSSEX, ENGLAND—According to an Ars Technica report, a team of researchers from Newcastle University and the University of Exeter said that they have found the site of the home of Harold Godwinson, the last Anglo-Saxon king of England, who was killed in the Battle of Hastings in 1066. His power center, located in the village of Bosham on England’s southern coast, is shown in the Bayeux Tapestry, an artwork depicting the defeat of Harold II by William, Duke of Normandy. It has been suggested that Harold’s royal residence once stood on the site of a private home in the village. The researchers investigated the property with a geophysical survey, an assessment of the current structure, photogrammetric modeling, a study of historic maps and records, and a review of evidence collected during an excavation of the area in 2006. They determined that a medieval building had been incorporated into the modern house, and that remnants of a medieval structure remained in the garden. Postholes from a bridge or a causeway connecting the residence to the medieval Holy Trinity Church to the south were also identified. The study also concluded that a latrine within a larger timber building uncovered during the excavation was likely part of the royal residence—an innovation adopted in high-status homes beginning in the tenth century. Read the original scholarly article about this research in The Antiquaries Journal. To read about the tumultuous period following Harold's defeat, go to "Norman Conquest Coin Hoard," one of ARCHAEOLOGY's Top 10 Discoveries of 2019.
