Last November we sadly reported the passing of Deborah Sawday, our medieval pottery specialist and part of the ULAS team since we began in 1995. Nicholas Cooper, ULAS post-excavation project manager remembers a friend and colleague who is greatly missed.
Tag: Archaeology
Leicester Cathedral Revealed – Anne Barratt (1786-1855)
Happy New Year everyone, and welcome back to our Leicester Cathedral Revealed updates. We have been back on site for a couple of weeks and we have now wrapped up Phase 1 of the excavation with a total of 124 burials excavated. Work has now moved back to construction and we will be back in…
Digging for Britain: Leicester archaeology projects to feature on BBC
Projects led by Leicester archaeologists are to be showcased on the new series of BBC Two’s primetime TV series Digging for Britain in the New Year. Three University of Leicester Archaeological Services (ULAS) projects from across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland are to feature on the latest series, presented by Professor Alice Roberts. The major discovery…
Leicester Cathedral Revealed – One person’s rubbish is an archaeologist’s treasure!
Work to excavate the higher burials at Leicester Cathedral has now paused for Christmas, with the count currently at 87. We had hoped to have completed the excavation this year but there are at least a dozen more burials to lift and we will be back for a short time in the New Year to…
Leicester Cathedral Revealed – John Wilson Ottey (1810-1851)
In our next update from our excavation at Leicester Cathedral, Mathew Morris tells us more about the first burial the archaeological team have identified by name. Putting names to the dead when they are skeletal remains is very difficult. The burials that we have excavated so far are all late 18th and early 19th century…
Encounters with Achilles: The Discovery of the Rutland Roman Villa
The Covid 19 Lockdown in 2020 forced many people to stay close to home for their recreational activities and also to find new interests to pursue. For Jim Irvine a walk with his family on his father’s farmland was the start of a journey that led to the astounding discovery of an extensive Roman villa…
Extraordinary Roman mosaic and villa discovered beneath Rutland farmer’s field
Archaeologists have unearthed the first Roman mosaic of its kind in the UK. Today (Thursday 25th November 2021), a rare Roman mosaic and surrounding villa complex have been protected as a Scheduled Monument by DCMS on the advice of Historic England. The decision follows archaeological work undertaken by a team from University of Leicester Archaeological…
Leicester Cathedral Revealed – the 19th-century burial ground
ULAS archaeologists have now been on site at Leicester Cathedral for a month and today is a good time to start revealing what has been found so far. Mathew Morris, the archaeology team leader for the Heritage Learning Centre excavation tells us more… For my first project update I want to focus on the 19th-century…
Archaeology students to explore historic monument linked with the Knights Hospitaller.
Throughout June, archaeology students from the University of Leicester will be excavating at Castle Hill Country Park in Beaumont Leys. The dig will continue the exploration of Castle Hill, a large, enigmatic monument believed to be the remains of a manorial site linked with the medieval Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John…
Modern Women in Archaeology: Views from 2021
International Women’s Day has been celebrated on the 8th of March each year, since the first gathering was held in 1911. The theme for 2021 is #ChooseToChallenge. The day is used to promote equality and illuminate women’s achievements in many different fields. Last year ULAS took a look at two pioneering female archaeologists who were…
Secrets from the Soil – new book launched!
Our new book celebrates our 25th Anniversary and presents the best archaeological discoveries in Leicestershire and Rutland from the last quarter century.
Roman and medieval discoveries: Waterside, Leicester
A major excavation in north-west Leicester features in the Leicester Mercury, with a video and interviews with some of the team working on the site. The Waterside Project has revealed fresh discoveries into the city’s Roman and medieval past on land to the west of the city centre bordering the River Soar.
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