In 2014, ULAS archaeologists returned to Pineham in Northamptonshire to carry out a second season of excavation. Now, with two seasons of fieldwork completed, the large-scale excavation has investigated a total of 12 hectares of land in advance of major residential development for Taylor Wimpey (East Midlands). The excavations have focused on two fields, targeting…
Category: Latest News
Secrets beneath Jubilee Square revealed
First published 13/04/2015, Updated 14/02/2024 In 2013 and 2014 archaeologists from ULAS carried out archaeological monitoring during construction of Leicester’s new Jubilee Square. The site, at St Nicholas Place, was at the historic heart of the Roman city and later medieval borough. In the Roman period much of the site was occupied by the southern…
‘Grant me the carving of my name’
What a week! Leicester rose to the occasion and reburied King Richard III with style; a perfect blend of solemnity and pageantry, mixing the old and the new with dignity and honour. I’m not one for writing a sentimental eulogy for the project that has dominated the last two and a half years of my…
King Richard III’s mortal remains depart from University of Leicester
In a short and moving ceremony the University of Leicester and guests marked the departure of Richard III’s mortal remains after nearly three years of research and guardianship. Those present included many of the research team and their families – from the volunteers who helped during the excavation to the lab technicians who worked tirelessly…
The house that Herrick built
By now, the history of the Grey Friars and its role as the burial place of King Richard III is widely known, but what happened after the friary closed in 1538? Over the next 30 years the church was pulled down and the remaining buildings were left to gradually decay, providing a useful quarry of…
Timelapse offers unique insight into Richard III burial site dig
The University of Leicester has released a unique insight into the archaeological dig that has captured the imagination of the world, with new film footage of a second excavation at the site where the remains of King Richard III were discovered in 2012. The sequence – an 11 minute time-lapse video – documents the month-long…
Secrets of other Grey Friars skeletons revealed…
King Richard III was not the only person to be buried inside the Grey Friars church in Leicester. Over the course of the 2012 and 2013 excavations, archaeologists identified a further ten potential graves inside the chancel of the church including a mysterious stone sarcophagus found close to the site of Richard III’s hastily dug…
Grey Friars Phase II: The 2013 excavation
The discovery of the lost friary of Grey Friars and the remains of King Richard III in 2012 was by no means the end of the Grey Friars Project. In July 2013, archaeologists returned to the site to carry out a second, month-long excavation as part of the site’s ongoing interpretation as a heritage asset….
New film footage reveals discovery of ‘killer blow’ to King Richard III
Previously unseen film footage released by the University of Leicester reveals for the first time details of the potential killer blow that claimed the life of King Richard III. The sequence – showing the dramatic injury to the base of the skull as well as the inside of the top of the skull – was…
Free online course provides insights into Richard III reinterment
The third run of the free popular ‘England in the Time of King Richard III’ online course will be launching on Monday 16 February – and will offer a fascinating insight into life during 15th century England in the build up to the reinterment of Richard III on Thursday 26 March. The course, which is…
Archaeologists return to Roman mosaic site
In Autumn 2014, ULAS archaeologists returned to a site in Leicester, that they first investigated in 2012, to carry out a second phase of work. The site is on the corner of Highcross Street and Vaughan Way, between All Saints’ Church and the John Lewis multistory car-park. In 2012, archaeologists excavated seven trenches in order…
Flint knife found near Asfordby
Recent fieldwork near Asfordby in north-east Leicestershire has recovered a significant assemblage of seventy-four worked flints, including forty tools; comprising cores, scrapers and piercers. The remainder of the assemblage was made up of flakes, some of which had been retouched. One noteworthy find was an unusual scale-flaked knife (which coincidentally resembles a leaf-shaped arrowhead). The…
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