ULAS 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…

FIND SPOTLIGHT: The Grey Friars tile

This late 13th century floor tile is one of many found during the excavation of Grey Friars in Leicester in 2012. The tile is of a ‘Stabbed Wessex’ style, commonly found across the English midlands, and it would have originally been laid in the chancel of the friary church, most likely in the choir area….

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….

FIND SPOTLIGHT: Leicester’s link with Roman Egypt

This small, rectangular ivory panel (just 57mm long) was found during the excavation of a large Roman townhouse in Leicester’s north-east quarter (today situated beneath the John Lewis car park on Vaughan Way). It is from a box and it is an extraordinary find. Relief-carved ivory boxes are extremely rare discoveries and this fragment is exceptional…

FIND SPOTLIGHT: The Papal Bulla of Pope Innocent VI

This papal bulla was found during the excavation of St Peter’s church (the site today lies beneath the John Lewis store in Leicester’s Highcross shopping centre). It would originally have been attached by a cord to the bottom of a letter or charter issued by Pope Innocent VI (1352-1362) to authenticate it. In this case,…

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…

FIND SPOTLIGHT: Britain’s oldest coin?

This Roman Republican silver denarii was found in the Hallaton treasure hoard. It was struck in Rome before the Roman general Scipio defeated Hannibal and could have been made as far back as 211 BC, which would make it one of the oldest coins found in Britain. The coin depicts the goddess Roma on one…