ULAS News

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…

FIND SPOTLIGHT: The art of medieval ice skating

With the recent cold spell in mind, let us first look at winter pastimes in medieval Leicester. These are perhaps best illustrated by the discovery of a late 13th century bone ice-skate in the town’s north-eastern quarter, near the site of St Michael’s church (today located beneath the John Lewis multi-story car park on Vaughan…

Introducing FIND SPOTLIGHT

Welcome to our new feature, FIND SPOTLIGHT. Over the years, ULAS archaeologists have uncovered a fascinating array of artefacts from a wide range of time periods and walks of life. Every discovery has a unique story, providing important insights into the past lifestyles, beliefs and skills of the people who crafted and used them. Over the…

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…