With our first week of digging drawing to an end, we are starting to make some exciting new discoveries at Oakham Castle. Work so far has focused primarily in Trench 1 to the north-east of the Hall. First, turf and topsoil were removed with a mechanical digger. This revealed that various earth mounds within the…
Tag: University of Leicester
Oakham Castle Community Dig: An Introduction
Welcome to the Oakham Castle Community Archaeology Dig. This is our first post of several about the upcoming excavation, so come back to discover more about what we find as the excavation progresses. What are we doing? Well, over two weeks at the end of April 2018, University of Leicester Archaeological Services in partnership with…
Community Archaeology opportunities in 2018
Fancy trying your hand at archaeology? Want to learn more about the history of your local community? In 2018, University of Leicester Archaeological Services (ULAS), working in partnership with Rutland County Council and the Market Bosworth Society, have two exciting opportunities for volunteers to take part in community archaeology projects. Oakham Castle Community Dig (18th…
New film reveals challenges behind lifting and conserving a Roman mosaic
A new film produced by the University of Leicester showcases how archaeologists successfully lifted and conserved a Roman mosaic found in Leicester. During the winter of 2016/17, archaeologists from University of Leicester Archaeological Services (ULAS) excavated a large site in Leicester, on the corner of Highcross Street and Vaughan Way next to the John Lewis car…
Prehistoric elephants, Roman belts and medieval villages: 2017 in review
Urban Adventures As the year draws to an end, we have time to reflect on a very busy 2017, and some of the discoveries made across the Midlands by the archaeologists at ULAS. Work in the first half of the year was dominated by large urban excavations in Leicester – at Highcross Street and over…
Living with cauldrons – Iron Age feasting at Glenfield Park
A unique collection of Iron Age metal artefacts which sheds new light on feasting rituals among prehistoric communities has been discovered by archaeologists from the University of Leicester during an excavation at Glenfield Park, Leicestershire. The team, from the University of Leicester Archaeological Services (ULAS), has located a trove of ancient treasures at the site,…
Bosworth Links Test-Pit Results Announced
New evidence of Bronze Age and Anglo-Saxon activity found in community archaeological dig at Market Bosworth. Following up on the very successful community archaeological dig at Market Bosworth in July 2017, University of Leicester Archaeological Services (ULAS) are pleased to reveal the full results of Bosworth Links Dig 1. Over one weekend in July, over…
Bringing Our Past to Life with the Festival of Archaeology 2017
Take part in the UK’s largest archaeology festival and help bring our past to life. The programme for this year’s Festival of Leicestershire and Rutland Archaeology has been announced. Come and take part in the UK’s largest archaeology festival and help bring our past to life. Between Saturday 15th and Sunday 30th July over 80…
Lifting Begins on the fine Roman mosaic
The first piece of the fine Roman mosaic has been lifted at our large city-centre excavation at the site of the former Stibbe factory, between Great Central Street and Highcross Street in Leicester. The mosaic is one of the largest and highest-status Roman mosaic floors ever found in the city, it formed part of a…
New community archaeology project in town associated with King Richard III receives funding
A new community archaeology project that provides residents the opportunity to carry out excavations in order to learn more about their town’s history has received funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF). The Market Bosworth Society in partnership with the University of Leicester has been awarded a grant of £29,000 for their ‘Bosworth Links’ community…
Largest archaeological excavation in Leicester in over a decade to open to public
University of Leicester Archaeological Services are currently excavating the site of the former Stibbe factory, between Great Central Street and Highcross Street in central Leicester. The land is owned by Charles Street Buildings group, which has made the site available and financially supported the archaeological excavation ahead of a major planned development of the site….
New Roman mosaic uncovered in Leicester
Dig reveals exciting new evidence for Leicester’s Roman past. Archaeologists from ULAS are currently excavating a large site on the corner of Highcross Street and Vaughan Way, next to the John Lewis car park. The project, which has been running since November, is uncovering exciting new evidence for Leicester’s Roman past, including evidence for a…
