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…
Tag: Archaeology
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: 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…
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…
Rediscovering Coleorton Pottery
Monitoring of the clearance of the former Coleorton Pottery site at Lount in north-west Leicestershire in 2012 has given ULAS archaeologists a rare opportunity to excavate a series of 19th and early 20th century kilns in the county, which has far fewer recorded potteries than Staffordshire or Derbyshire. The Coleorton Pottery was established in 1836…
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