Online journal

of volunteer
archaeology
and training
August
2009

Past Horizons

Adventures in Archaeology
Zulu Bulgarian B r i s l ington Time Team Looting
Legends Frescoes Project America Bulgaria
Issue 9
August 2009

Editors:
Felicity Donohoe
Maggie Struckmeier

Layout:
Maggie Struckmeier

Graphics
David Connolly

Past Horizons
Traprain House
Luggate Burn
Haddington
East Lothian
EH41 4QA

Tel: +44 (0)1620 861643

Email: editor@pasthorizons.com
Web: www.pasthorizons.com 

Contributors:
Elize Bekker
14 Fresco Hunting in Western Bulgaria
Since 2008 Balkan Heritage has been cataloguing beautiful Orthodox frescoes found in
Ivan Vasilev
Ken Taylor the crumbling remains of mediaeval churches and monasteries in western Bulgaria. With
Krassimira Luka the help of volunteers they aim to bring these frescoes to the attention of the world.
Time Team America
Annie Evans

Front cover: The altar space in

the church at the 11th century
Archangel Michael monastery in
Tran.
Photo: Balkan Heritage

Note
Past Horizons can give no endorsement
of any listed project or guarantee the
accuracy of the information supplied.
The editors accept no responsibility
for any loss, injury, or inconvenience
sustained by anyone using the resources
contained within this magazine and/or
the websites mentioned herein. When
considering a project, be sure to contact
the director with any questions you might
have about conditions, travel, health
issues, etc. Check for references from
previous participants, seek advice where
possible and select a project that will be
of the greatest benefit to you, the project
and the team.

All content is copyright and no 8 Zulu

reproduction of text or images is The eMakhosini valley in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa, is known as the Valley of the
allowed without prior permission
from the author.
Zulu Kings. Here, two local legends are being explored concerning the Ngobese Zulu
and the Siblikeni Homestead of King Senzangakhona.
Past Horizons 2009

past horizons 2
 Contents
32 Time Team America
A look at the five-part series of the brand new Time Team America.

26 The Looting of Ratiaria 20 Starting Out

The tragedy of the wholesale looting of A group of like-minded Brislington
an ancient Roman city in north western residents get together to form their
Bulgaria. own archaeology project.

Re g u l a r s
4 Editorial 42 Dig Cook
Rocky adventures in Croatia and Culinary escapades from Annie Evans.
Scotland.
45 Viewpoint
6 News David Connolly discusses the benefits of
News stories from around the world. viewing the familiar with a fresh pair of
eyes.
40 Dig In
A selection of archaeological volunteer digs 46 Back Pages
and field schools for 2009/2010. Indiana Jones and the world of advertising.

V i e w all the places in the articles by clicking the Google Earth

i m a g e to the left (you require google earth installed)

3 past horizons
past horizons 4
Ro c k y Ad v e n t u r es...

editorial
I t’s been an exciting few months for us, with an ongoing
archaeology project in Croatia to take forward and a
Scottish hill fort to excavate.

For the uninitiated, Croatia is a beautiful country with

over a thousand islands dotted throughout the deep, blue
Adriatic Sea. I t is on the largest of these islands that our
archaeology project is beginning to take shape, focusing
o n Tr a m o n t a n a at the northern end of the island of Cres, an enigmatic place
w i t h d e s e r t e d villages surrounded by meadows, hidden away amongst great
o a k f o r e s t s . G r iffon vultures soar high in the sky and brightly-coloured lizards
d a r t o u t o f t h e rocks or just laze in the sun with only the occasional walker or
i n q u i s i t i v e a r c haeologist to disturb their peace.

R o c k i s a v a i l a ble in abundance which has led to the erection of many walls

i n t he a r e a : w a lls to keep sheep in or out, walls to walk on and walls to slide
s l e d g e s d o w n . In fact, there are walls for most purposes and the people here
w e r e m o r e t h a n up to the task of building them. However, when these walls
w e r e f i r s t b u i l t is unknown and it this question that we would eventually hope
t o a n s w e r.

L e a v i n g t h e w alls of Cres behind until October, it was back to the Scottish

B o r d e r s t o e x c avate the small hill fort of Blackpotts near St. Abbs. In equally
p e a c e f u l a n d d ramatic surroundings, perched on a rocky outcrop overlooking
t h e N o r t h S e a , we began a week-long evaluation accompanied by National Trust
f o r S c o t l a n d v o lunteers, observed on ly by a flock of wary but curious sheep.

O n c e a g a i n , t h e hard stuff was to haunt us as hidden just underneath the turf and
a t h i n l a y e r o f soil was - you guessed it - bed rock! Not surprisingly, trowelling
o n b e d r o c k w as not such an enjoyable experience, made worse by brushing
a w a y l o o s e s o i l which constantly blew onto our faces.We were quite a sight
a t t h e e n d o f e ach day not to mention the telltale smell from kneeling in fresh
d u n g l e f t i n t h e trenches by our woolly neighbours. Still, what’s a bit of dirt
b e t we e n f r i e n d s? Everyone had a great experience and although we only found
a f e w p o t b o i l e rs and one post hole we all went away with good memories.

T h i s h a s s e t u s thinking, though. Something which Scotland has in abundance

i s h i l l f o r t s a n d as we found out at St. Abbs, they don’t give up their secrets
e a s i l y. S o w a t c h this space, and if ou r plans come to fruition over the next few
m o n t h s y o u m i ght find yourselves up in the Lammermuir hills of East Lothian
w i t h o n l y u s and a flock of sheep for company. Oh, and if you are really
u n l u c k y y o u m i ght get to trowel som e bed rock!

Maggie Struckmeier
editor@pasthorizons.com 

5 past horizons
 Vo l u nte e r s U n e a r t h U n i q u e S h r i n e at Vi n d olanda
A unique religious shrine and associated altar pieces have been u n c o v e r e d b y
news two volunteers on their very first dig at Roman Vindolanda ne a r H a d r i a n ’s
Wa l l in the north of England. One of the exceptionally well-preserved a l t a r p i e c e s ,
w e i ghing around 1.5 tonnes, is dedicated to an eastern god, Jupiter o f D o l i c h e .
The Vindolanda altar has a fine relief on one
side, typically showing the god standing on a
bull, the other side having the traditional jug
and patera. Its Latin inscription reads ‘To
Jupiter Best and Greatest of Doliche, Sulpicius
Pudens, prefect of the Fourth Cohort of Gauls,
fulfilled his vow gladly and deservedly’.
Although most altars and shrines were placed
outside, this altar, standing at around 110 cm
high, was found inside the fort in what may be a
smal l shrine built close to the wall.
Dr. Andrew Birley, excavation director, said,
“We have some 560 volunteers who take part in
the excavations at Vindolanda every year, from
Apri l to the middle of September. The Temple/
shrine to Jupiter Dolichenus and the associated
altar s were discovered by a couple that were
on week one of their very first excavation.
They had an incredible exper ience uncovering
the altars, assisted by the Vindolanda Trust’s
archaeological staff.
T h e L a t i n i n s c r i p t i o n d e d i ca te d to Jupiter of D oliche.
Photo gra p h s : Ad a m S t a n fo rd ht t p : / / w w w. a e r i a l - cam.co.uk 
past horizons 6
“When they arrived they were complete novices.
By the end of the week they ha d made a direct
contribution to British archaeo logy which has
added a new and exciting dimension to our
understanding of religious space inside the
walls of Roman auxiliary forts.”
With no literary references to Dolichenus,
knowledge of the religion is based on around
300 surviving inscriptions and sculptures from
different parts of the Roman E mpire of which
20 are known in Britain. Several dedications in
the inscriptions state that the worshipper had set
them up ‘by the command of the god’, commands
most likely passed on by priests in the service
of Dolichenus to the cult’s converts.
The god, called Juppiter Dolichenus by the
Romans, was originally known as Hadad, an
ancient weather god of the Semitic peoples of
the Middle East, and as Teshad to the Hittites.
He was regarded as all-powerful and identified
with the traditional chief Roman god, Juppiter
Optimus Maximus. He is generally portrayed
standing on a bull holding an axe in one hand
and a thunderbolt in the other.
The original cult centre at Doliche was on a
hilltop close to the small town of Doliche west
of the River Euphrates and was ruled by many
different powers over the centuries. Later, in
162 BC, the land became independent as the
kingdom of Commagene.
Commagene was finally annexed by the Romans
in AD 72 but the god of Doliche seems not to
have attracted Roman worshippers until the
early second century AD. Fro m then on the
cult took off and spread all over the empire to
frontier provinces.
In the 250s AD the cult centre at Doliche
was captured by the Persians and a period of
disillusionment is thought to have followed,
resulting in a loss of faith in the god and bringing
the cult to an end.
Dr Birley added, “This discovery helps to
highlight the vital contribution that volunteers
can make to further our understanding of a World
Heritage site such as Hadrian’s Wall.”
D olich e nu s s t a n d i n g o n a b u l l, h o l d i n g a n a xe i n one hand and a thunderbolt in the other.

For more news stories that are updated constantly, try:

Past Horizons News Blog: http://pasthorizons.wordpress.com/category/news-and-articles 
Stonepages Weekly News and Podcast: http://www.stonepages.com/news 
CBA Archaeology News Feed: http://www.britarch.ac.uk/newsfeed 
Archaeologica: http://www.archaeologica.org/NewsPage.htm 

7 past horizons
 Kw a Zulu N a tal

South Africa

Above : U n cove r i n g a ce n t ra l h e a r t h a t t h e S i k l i beni homestead of K ing S enzangak hona

R igh t : E x p l o r i n g o n e o f t h e f i ve ca ve s f o u n d by the Ngobese in the Thaba N tuzuma mountains

past horizons 8
 Zulu
Exploring Legends

B y Elize B ecker

T h e S o uth African province of

K w a Z ulu Natal lies on the sub
t r o p i c a l s h ores of the Indian Ocean and
s h a r e s i t s borders with Mozambique,
S w a z i l a n d and Lesotho. Deep in its
r u r a l h e a r tlands there once lived the
l e g e n d a r y Shaka, King of the Zulu.

T h e r e h a v e been various written accounts

b y f o r e i g n missionaries and traders,
d o c u m e n t e d f r om oral histories, of the rise
o f S h a k a , h i s r eign and his role amongst the
g r e a t Z u l u k i n gs. However, many of these
i m p r e s s i o n s r ely heavily on the writer ’s
i n t e r p r e t a t i o n o f events and cannot accurately
p o r t r a y t h e m an behind the legend and the
c u l t u r e h e r e p r esented.
A rich oral tradition still ex i s t s a m o n g
the Zulu today describing suc h h i s t o r i c a l
events, but rarely are these st o r i e s t e s t e d
archaeologically. Recently, ho w e v e r, t w o
opportunities have arisen to do j u s t t h a t ; o n e
involving a Ngobese Zulu legend a n d t h e o t h e r
concerning Siklibeni, a traditiona l h o m e s t e a d
whose story is linked with King S h a k a a n d t h e
rise of the Zulu Nation.
continued 

9 past horizons
 View f ro m t h e fa r m h o u s e a cco m m o d a t i o n f o r volunteers over the eMak hosini valley

T h e N g o b e s e l egend dates back around 200 for which they earned a regio n a l h e r i t a g e
y e a r s a g o w h e n their forefathers, reluctant to award, has now resulted in fundra i s i n g e ff o r t s
b e i n v o l v e d i n conflict, dwelt in caves high to ensure the group of caves is m a d e m o r e
u p i n t h e r e m o te and rugged Thaba Ntuzuma accessible as both a pilgrimage s i t e a n d a s
m o u n t a i n s . T he location afforded security, part of a tourism trail.
s t r a t e g i c a d v a ntage and somewhere to herd
t h e i r c a t t l e a n d grow crops in peace. King In advance of this proposal t h e r e g i o n a l
S e n z a n g a k h o n a , a nearby Zulu chief, was heritage agency has commissione d a d e t a i l e d
d e t e r m i n e d t o lure these people out. He sent archaeological examination of the c a v e s . T h e
h i s w a r r i o r s t o roast an ox close to the caves first stage, now completed, con s i s t e d o f a
a n d u n a b l e t o resist the smell, the Ngobese reconnaissance survey by archa e o l o g i s t s t o
e m e rg e d t o j o i n the feast and were promptly determine the extent of surface le v e l m a t e r i a l
c a p t u r e d . B y t h e King’s orders they were told that included pottery, bone and me t a l , w i t h t e s t
t o s t a y o u t o f t he caves from that day onwards trenching revealing a metal axe o f p o s s i b l e
a n d a s r e n o w n e d brewers encouraged to share 19th century origin. This materi a l w i l l f o r m
t h e i r s e c r e t s w ith the rest of the Zulu people. part of a comparative study wit h f i n d s f r o m
Siklibeni Homestead of King Sen z a n g a k h o n a
I n 1 9 9 9 a g r o u p of Ngobese decided to mount an in the nearby eMakhosini valley t o c o n f i r m
e x p ed i t i o n t o t he Thaba Ntuzuma mountains. if the artefacts are contemporar y w i t h e a c h
D u r i n g t h e s e a r ch they discovered some well- other.
h i d d e n c a v e s p erched on either side of a steep
g o rg e . E x p l o r i n g the interiors they came across The eMakhosini valley, now a h e r i t a g e p a r k ,
a n u m b e r o f s u rface artefacts such as grinding contains some of the most importa n t h i s t o r i c a l
s t o n e s a n d w o oden spoons. Their discovery, sites of the region including m a n y o f t h e

past horizons 10
 Projec t team archaeol ogis t test pitti ng and sur veying

g r a v e s a n d h o m esteads of the early Zulu kings. engineered his half brother ’s (th e n o m i n a t e d
S i k l i b e n i , l i k e most of these royal homesteads, heir) assassination and took the Z u l u t h r o n e
w o u l d h a v e f o llowed a traditional blueprint by force, thus casting aside th e t r a d i t i o n
o f ‘ b e e h i v e ’ s haped huts of patriar c h a l rule
a r r a n g e d i n a c r escent on a and replacin g i t w i t h
s l o p i n g p i e c e o f land with autocracy. F r o m 1 8 1 8
t h e c a t t l e , r e presenting onwards Sh a k a b e g a n
f a m i l y w e a l t h , housed in a relentlessly expanding
r i t u al l y i m p o r t ant central his power by t h e p r o c e s s
area or Kraal. of conquest, b l o o d s h e d
and tribute o v e r t h e
S i k l i b e n i i s s ynonymous smaller, wea k e r r e g i o n a l
w i t h t h e s t o r y o f the illicit tribes, many o f w h o m
relationship between were assimila t e d i n t o t h e
K i n g S e n z a n g a khona and burgeoning Z u l u N a t i o n .
S h a k a ’s m o t h er. Nandi.
Shaka, the King’s first son, His father, t h o u g h , d i d
w a s a p p a r e n t l y born out not have a g r e a t a m o u n t
o f we d l o c k a n d although Ph o to g ra p h of Zulu homestead taken in 1903. of followers d u r i n g h i s
m o t h e r a n d s o n lived at (Co u r te s y o f O k inawa S oba) reign which l a s t e d f r o m
S i k l i b e n i f o r a time they 1781 - 1816. T h e Z u l u , o n e
w e r e e v e n t u a l l y forced to make their home branch of a larger clan, were rela t i v e l y f e w i n
e l s e w h e r e . O n the death of Senzan gakhona numbers at this time and in that re s p e c t i t m a y
i n 1 8 1 6 , h o w e v er, Shaka returned in strength, be easy to dismiss Siklibeni as u n i m p o r t a n t .
continued 

11 past horizons
H o w e v e r, i t s cultural significance as the
‘ s e e d - b e d ’ o f t he future Zulu Nation and the Get Involved
s h a p i n g o f m o dern South Africa raises its
s t a t us d r a m a t i c ally.
A l a rg e p a r t o f t h e p ro j e c t i s d e vo te d to
te s t p i t e xc avat i o n s, re s c u e p ro ce d u re s,
S i n c e S i k l i b e ni also represents the old re h a b i l i t at i o n o f t h e te s t p i t a re a s, a n d t h e
t r a d i t i o n o f k i n gship which existed before the co l l e c t i n g a n d c a p t u r i n g o f d at a . Vo l u nte e r s
s u d d e n c h a n g e to autocratic rule, the chance w i l l b e l e d by o n e o r t wo p ro fe s s i o n a l
t o s t u d y a s i t e like this is extremely exciting. a rc h a e o l o gi s t s.
I n i t i a l t e s t p itting has already revealed
s e c t i o n s o f h u t floors, hearths and grinding D ate s : b e t we e n J u n e a n d S e p te m b e r 2 0 1 0
s t o n e s a n d , a l o ng with the Ngobese cave site,
t h e n e x t p h a s e of the project will move onto Co s t : £ 9 9 5 fo r t wo we e k s u p to £ 2 , 6 7 5
full excavation. fo r 1 2 we e k s ( at 2 0 0 9 p r i ce s. 2 0 1 0 p r i ce s
to b e co n f i r m e d ) . Th e co s t i n c l u d e s
a cco m m o d at i o n a n d fo o d b u t n o t f l i g ht s o r
T h e a r c h a e o l o g ical potential of Siklibeni, and
i n s u ra n ce.
i n d e e d t h e w h o le eMakhosini valley, is huge
a n d th i s p r o j e c t provides a real oppor tunity to Fo r f u r t h e r d e t a i l s g o to :
b e p a r t o f i t . T h ere is always plenty of work to ht t p : / / w w w. t rave l l e r s wo r l d w i d e. co m / 0 8 a - s o u t h -
d o , w h i c h v a r i e s according to the pha se of the afr ica/08-sa-we -archaeology.htm 
p r o j e c t . I t i s a i med at those who want hands-
o n e x p e r i e n c e before moving onto university
b u t a l s o w e l c o mes anyone who has an interest
i n t h e a r c h a e o l ogical research activities.

Vo l u n t e e r s c a n explore the region, meet the

l o c a l s o r g o o n safari. Indeed it is not unusual
f o r rh i n o s a n d other wildlife to wander past
y o u r k i t c h e n window in the early morning
o n t h e i r w a y t o the waterhole. Now, nothing
r e a l l y b e a t s t h a t as an incentive to get digging,
does it?

E l i ze Becker graduated in anthropol o g y a n d

a rc h aeology from the Universit y of Pretori a i n 2 0 0 4
b e f o re becoming senior heritage officer wi t h A m a fa Above: Three logos that represent th e par tn er
K Z N Heritage. She is currently employed by K n i g h t organisations for this projec t: Travelle rs Worldwide,
Pi e s old consulting as the projec t archaeo l o g i s t . A ma fa and KwaZulu Natal Heritage Foundat ion.

A rcha e o l o g i s t s a n d vo l u n te e r s te s t p i t t i n g a n d sieving

past horizons 12
 Advertising Feature

U B
Birmingham provides the ideal footing for
anyone wanting to begin a career in
archaeology or the heritage environment.
Along with diverse skills and opportunities
provided, I also got to experience city life
in Britain’s second city. Thanks to the
course, I have been employed in
archaeology since I graduated in 2007.

Emma Sautejeau, MA Practical Archaeology

The Institute of Archaeology and Antiquity offer a range of postgraduate and

professional training courses aimed to provide you with the skills you need to
work in the heritage environment today. From project management techniques
in archaeology to the visualisation of past environments, we aim to give you
practical experience in the diverse range of techniques and approaches
available to heritage practitioners.

All of the courses we offer can be tailored to your individual

interests and needs, and can be delivered full-time or part-time
degrees.

Campus-based programmes
MA/PG Diploma in Practical Archaeology
MA/PG Diploma in Landscape Archaeology, GIS & Virtual
Environments
MSc in Environmental Archaeology & Palaeoenvironments
MA in Conflict Archaeology
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Distance Education programmes

MA/PG Diploma in Practical Archaeology (DE)
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GIS & Virtual Environments (DE)

To find out more, go to

http://www.iaa.bham.ac.uk/Postgraduate/
or email us at archpgrad@lists.bham.ac.uk Emma holding a medieval leather
shoe recovered from excavations in
Birmingham

13 past horizons
 Above : T h e a l t a r s p a ce i n t h e c hu rc h a t t h e 1 1 t h centur y A rchangel M ichael monaster y in Tran.
R igh t : D o c u m e n t i n g f re s co e s i n S t . Pe t ka c hu rc h, Balsha.

past horizons 14
Fresco Hunting an expedition to the

M ediaeval Churc h e s o f We s te r n B u l g a r i a

B y I van Vasilev

T
h e p a s t o ral landscapes and small villages
o f t h e h i ghlands of Western Bulgaria are
j u s t a n h our ’s drive away from the capital
S o f i a . H o w e v e r, the differences between the
b u s t l i n g m o d e r n city and the peaceful countryside
a r e s o p r o n o u n c ed that you might be forgiven for
t h i n k i n g y o u h ave travelled back in time. The
c r a c k s o n t h e a s phalt roads are filled with grass,
l a v i s h v e g e t a t i on inhabits the now empty yards
a n d t h e f e w l o cals you might happen to come
a c r o s s w i l l i n v i te you into their house in the old
f a s h i o n e d w a y f or a drink or a snack.
continued 

15 past horizons
 A D eë s i s f re s co f ro m t h e 1 3 - 1 4 t h ce n t u r y c hu rc h o f St. Peter near Berende. A D eësis fresco is a traditional iconic representation
of Ch r i s t e n t h ro n e d, ca r r y i n g a b o o k a n d f l a n ke d by the Virgin Mar y and St.John the Baptist whose hands are raised towards
Christ i n s u p p l i ca t i o n . T h i s f re s co h a s s u s t a i n e d deliberate damage during the O ttoman rule, with the eyes and mouths of
the th re e f i g u re s s c ra tc h e d o u t .

T h i s r e g i o n , l o c ated in the heart of the Balkans, officially by all socialist coun t r i e s a s n o t

c o v er s t h e N i s hava and Upper Struma basins properly socialist) and access to t h a t 2 0 k m
a n d b o r d e r s S e rbia and Macedonia, two of the broad strip along the frontier fo r t h e r e s t o f
s i x r e p u b l i c s t hat formed Yugoslavi a before Bulgaria was strictly limited.
i t s dr a m a t i c s plit in the 1990s. It is one of
t h e r e m o t e s t areas of Bulgaria despite its This 50-year long stagnation had a d r a m a t i c
p r o x i m i t y t o t he capital, largely due to the effect on the economic and d e m o g r a p h i c
c o n s e q u e n c e s of the two world wars and 50 profile of the region making i t a m o n g t h e
y e a r s s p e n t i n isolation from the rest of the poorest and least inhabited regio n s . T h e o n l y
c o u nt r y d u r i n g the communist era. advantage of this isolation was t h a t i t s a v e d
the cultural and natural heritage f r o m l o o t e r s
B e s i d e s t h e B e r lin Wall there were many more and poachers more than in any o t h e r p a r t o f
f r o n t i e r s i n E astern Europe that prevented Bulgaria.
c o n t a c t b e t w e e n the capitalist and the socialist
w o r l d s b e f o r e 1989. One of them, the Cordon In the Middle Ages this region w a s s e t d e e p
S a n i t a i r e , f o r m ed to stop the exit of millions in the territory of the Bulgarian ( 8 1 0 - 1 0 1 4
f r o m t h e s o c i a l ist paradise, was a border zone and 1180’s – 1330’s) and Byzan t i n e e m p i r e s
s t r i p w h i c h c u t through the European socialist (before 810 and 1014-1180’s) bu t i n t h e 1 4 t h
c o u nt r i e s . I t s tretched as far north as the century it became the border a r e a b e t w e e n
A r c t i c a c r o s s t he heart of Europe and ended Bulgaria and the Serbian kingdom . A t t h e e n d
a t t h e B l a c k s e a along the borders with the so- of the 14th century Ottoman Turk s c o n q u e r e d
c a l l e d e n e m i e s . Western Bulgaria was part of the area and it remained under t h e S u l t a n ’s
t h a t b o r d e r z o n e with Yugoslavia (considered government until 1878.

past horizons 16
 1 3 - 1 4 t h
c e n t u r y
Church of
the Blessed
V i r g i n
s i t u a t e d
high on a
cliff near
Razboishte.

I t h a d l o n g b e en a melting pot of cultural

i n f l u e n c e s w h e re masters from all the major
B a l k a n O r t h o dox painting schools were
i n v i te d t o p a i n t the interiors of the churches
a n d c h a p e l s w i th significant scenes from the
b i b l e . T h e y w e re employed by local notables
b e f o r e t h e O t t oman conquest and then by the
l o c a l B u l g a r i a n Christian communities during
t h e t i m e o f O t toman rule. This are a is one
o f o n l y a f e w i n south eastern Europe where
t h e t r a d i t i o n s of all major Balkan mediaeval
schools of art, including Constantinople, Veliko
Ta r n o v o , O h r i d, Serbia and Thessalonica,
c o n ve rg e d .

W h a t c a n s t i l l be seen today are the remnants

o f t h i s f l o u r i s hing mediaeval Orthodox art.
T h e s m a l l c h a p els and churches, mostly poorly
b u i l t w i t h l i t t le attention to architectural
d e t a i l , a r e t h e survivors of the Ottoman
i n v a s i o n i n t h e 14-15th centuries. Although
m a n y o f t h e s e m onuments have long been left to
d e c a y, b e h i n d t heir dilapidated and somewhat
u n a pp e a l i n g e xteriors lie exquisite frescoes
w h i ch h a v e s u ffered much damage over the
c e n t u r i e s , s o m e of it deliberate and some
d u e t o n e g l e c t and exposure to the elements.
N e v e r t h e l e s s , t hey still represent a body of
w o r k t h a t h a s never been properly studied in
a n y g r e a t d e t a i l and can tell us much about
16th centur y St. Nicholas church in Malo Malovo. The church
h o w t h e v a r i o u s mediaeval artistic styles of is the only sur vivor of a late mediaeval monaster y complex.
t h e r e g i o n o r i g inated and spread.
continued 

17 past horizons
 However, the professionalism and d e v o t i o n o f
the project’s participants, and th e e x c i t e m e n t
of the local people who belie v e t h a t t h e
expedition is God’s message for t h e r e v i v a l o f
their region, have motivated Bal k a n H e r i t a g e
to upgrade the project’s framewo r k . T h e y a r e
now working towards concrete p r o p o s a l s f o r
conservation and restoration of s o m e o f t h e
monuments and are applying for f u n d i n g .

Over the next few years the p r o j e c t w i l l

have three major components i n o r d e r t o
meet these objectives. These w i l l c o n s i s t
of fieldwork, with training bei n g g i v e n i n
database recording, sketching, m e a s u r i n g a n d
the creation of photographic re c o r d s o f t h e
frescoes and edifices, including s i g n i f i c a n t
Tracin g m e d i a e va l g ra f f i t i .
mediaeval artefacts such as g r a v e s t o n e s ,
I n 2 0 0 5 , B a l k a n Heritage decided to initiate a icons, iconostases and chandelier s . T h e r e w i l l
f i e l d s c h o o l p r ogramme designed to document also be educational lectures and w o r k s h o p s
t h e s e m o n u m e nts as a first step towards in south east European mediaeva l h i s t o r y a n d
t h e i r p r o t e c t i o n. The expedition focused on Orthodox iconography along wi t h c l a s s e s i n
c o l l e c t i n g d a t a for the publication of a ‘corpus fresco restoration.
o f m e d i a e v a l f r escoes from western Bulgaria’
w i t h t h e i n t e n t ion of bringing the frescoes to Co-ordinated by the National Aca d e m y o f A r t s
t h e a t t e n t i o n of interested scholars around in Sofia and led by the Balkan H e r i t a g e t e a m ,
t h e w o r l d a s w e ll as to raise public awareness students now come from all over t h e w o r l d t o
i n s i d e B u l g a r i a and the European Un ion. study, photograph and document t h e c h u r c h e s

Documenting
frescoes in St.
Petka church,
Balsha.

past horizons 18
 Presentation
on O r t h o d ox
iconography
at the 10th
centu r y Rila
mona s te r y.

a n d m o n a s t e r i e s. The successful field schools

o f 2 0 0 8 - 2 0 0 9 h ave already begun to reveal the
h i d d e n s e c r e t s of the 14th century c hurch of
S t . N i c h o l a s o f Kalotina, the 13-14th century
c h u r c h o f S t . Peter in Berende and the 16th
c e n t u r y S t . P e t ka in Balsha, the 16th century
m o n a s t e r y o f St. Nicholas in Malo Malovo
a n d t h e 11 t h c entury monastery of Archangel
M i c h a e l i n Tr a n.
E a c h d a y t h e project has brought new and
e x c i t i n g d i s c o v eries as a result of the students’
a t t e n t i o n t o d e tail and careful observations.
B y s e p a r a t i n g out distinct fresco layers
a n d d i s c o v e r i n g more about constructional
t e c h n i q u e s t h e y have been able to begin to
a s s i g n d a t e p eriods to both frescoes and
buildings.
Get Involved
The projec t is open to students and volunteers
over 21 years of age.
G ood sketching/drawing sk ills and/or basic
k nowledge of documental photography along with
a strong personal motivation are requirements.
Dates: Two weeks in M ay 2010. D etails not available
yet, but keep check ing the website.
Cost: €1299. Fee includes all educational and
fieldwor k ac tivities, travel to and from the fieldwor k
sites, accommodation and meals, excursions,
sightseeing tours and entrance fees, transfer from
and to S ofia air por t and administrative costs.
Website: http://w w w.bhfieldschool.org 

Wi t h t h e s u p p ort of local stake-holders and

i n t e r n a t i o n a l v olunteers, the Balkan Heritage
t e a m h o p e s t o p r eserve these unique monuments
b e f o r e t h e y b e come too badly decayed and
b e y on d h e l p . T hey form a valuable part of the
h e r i t a g e o f t h e Balkans and the wide r history
o f E u r o p e , a n d its artistic and religious
c o n ne c t i o n s a l l the way to Constantinople.
I n d e e d , a n y o n e who decides to get involved
w i t h t h i s p r o j e ct will be richly rewarded not
o n l y b y t h e b e auty of the frescoes but by the
w a r m t h o f t h e local people who are eager to The local people of Balsha generously prepared food
s h a r e t h e s e l i t tle known treasures with the for the team each day.
r e s t o f t h e w o r l d.

19 past horizons
 S tarting Ou t
B y Ken Taylor

A l l b e g i n n i n g s h a v e o r i g i n s . To a n
ar c h a e o l o g i s t , t h i s i s a d e l i g h t a s i t i s p a r t o f
th e q u e s t f o r k n o w l e d g e , b u t t o a w r i t e r i t i s
di ff i c u l t d e c i d i n g w h e r e t o b e g i n t e l l i n g t h e
s t o r y. A l l o w m e t o s e t t h e s c e n e.

past horizons 20
O u r a r c h a e o l o g y project is located in Brislington, once a small village in Somers e t ,
s o u t h w e s t E n g land, but now swallowed up by the city of Bristol. It has its poin t s
o f i n t e r e s t , a p artially documented history and archaeological remains that sugge s t
c o n t i n u o u s o c c upation for millennia. As such there is nothing intrinsically remarkab l e
a b o ut t h e p l a c e. It could be almost any parish in England, but an enthusiast fin d s
i n s pi r a t i o n e v e rywhere making the most of what there is.

B e fo re t h e b e ginning

B r i e f l y, t h ere were several Few of these strands were prope r l y

a r c h a e o l o g i c a l l y-related threads present
i n t h e B r i s l i n g ton community, of which
f o u r s p r i n g t o mind.
P e o p l e e n t h u s i astic about archaeology
b u t n o t k n o w i ng what to do about it;
o rg a n i s a t i o n s such as the Portable
A n t i q u i t i e s S cheme who need input
f r o m, b u t s e e m unable to reach, the lay
p e r s o n ; l o c a l s unaware of the benefits
a r c h a e o l o g y c a n bring to the community
a n d o f c o u r s e t he archaeological remains
t h e ms e l v e s .
connected, and how they began to gro u p
together is something of a mystery ; a
chance word here, a casual meeting the r e .
Sometimes a cluster of these eve n t s
would waken a sense of synchronici t y,
or at least inspire conviction that o n e
wasn’t utterly alone in having an inter e s t
in local archaeology. Situations like t h i s
can last a lifetime, with no-one maki n g
the first move.
continued 

Vic tor i a n te r ra ce d h o u s i n g s we p t ove r t h e g re e n f ields of Brislington village as it was subsumed by the cit y of Bristol.
Photo: Ke n Ta y l o r

21 past horizons
 The R i ve r Avo n s n a ke s a ro u n d t h e n o r t h e r n b o u n dar y of Brislington, and also formed the boundar y bet ween the ancient counties of

H e re g o e s n o t h ing Spreading the word

I n J u n e 2 0 0 7 I attended a show-and-tell I was expecting to be deluged a n d I w a i t e d

m e e t i n g o f B rislington Conservation and
H i s t o r y S o c i e ty (BCHS). Everyone else
t h e r e h a d l o v e ly antiques, fascinating early
p h o t o g r a p h s a nd amusing anecdotes. I had
b r o u g h t a b a g of tatty pot sherds from my
2 0 0 3 Ti m e Te a m Big Dig back garden test pit.
I f e l t a b i t e m b arrassed.
To m y s u r p r i se, though, people became
g e n u i n e l y i n t e r ested as I passed around the
i t e m s w h i c h d a ted from the Roman period to
t h e 2 0 t h c e n t u ry. The idea that the ground
o u r m o d e r n h o uses occupy can retain relics
o f d i s t a n t c e n t uries seemed to strike a chord.
with baited breath. No response . I w r o t e a
similar paragraph for another loca l c o m m u n i t y
group. Still nothing. So, we me n t i o n e d t h e
project on Perry’s show. Zilch. A l t h o u g h , a s
every archaeologist knows, a null r e s u l t i s a s
significant as a tray full of finds.
So were we discouraged? You bet .
The idea of orchestrating a full s c a l e m e d i a
blitz, pulling out all the stops and a d v e r t i s i n g
a public meeting was discussed bu t d i s m i s s e d .
We didn’t have the spare time to s e t u p t h e
entire infrastructure ourselves.

T h e y a l s o a p p r eciated the fact that the least We knew we’d need a legal c o n s t i t u t i o n ,
a t t r a c t i v e l o o k ing sherds are often t he most auditable accounts, excavation i n s u r a n c e ,
a n c i e n t a n d i n t eresting. Data Protection Act registration, a D i s a b i l i t y
Discrimination Act-compliant we b s i t e a n d s o
E n c o u r a g e d b y volunteer field archa eologist on.
a n d ra d i o p r e s e nter Perry Guidrey, I accepted
t h e k i n d i n v i t ation from Jonathan Rowe, We were in a classic catch-2 2 s i t u a t i o n .
B C H S c h a i r m a n, to write a paragraph for Before we could set up a group to a t t r a c t a n y
t h e i r n e w s l e t t e r to announce the setting up members, we needed enough mem b e r s t o f o r m
o f a p i l o t C o mmunity Archaeology Project a team that could set up the group !
( C A P ) c a l l i n g f or people to contact us to have
t h e i r o w n g a r d e n finds identified.

past horizons 22
Gl o ucestershire a n d S o m e r s e t . I m a g e : R o s i e To m l i n s o n Brislington Brook from Pack horse Bridge. Image: Ken Taylor

D o i n g w h at co mes naturally M eeting of minds

R a t h e r t h a n t r y ing to catalyse change, Perry January began with four people i n a p u b , o n e

a n d I d e c i d e d t o become passive nuclei around
s o m e t h i n g w h i ch might or might not grow.
We c a r r i e d o n with our own research interests
m e n ti o n i n g t h e pilot phase of CAP only in
passing.
of whom, Rosie Tomlinson, was c h a i r w o m a n
of the local Reflex Camera Clu b . Wo u l d I
guide them through a walk poin t i n g o u t a l l
the archaeology? I was happy to a g r e e a s a t
least it would create a photograph i c r e c o r d .

I n N o v e m b e r I responded to a public plea Of course, it takes time for wo r d - o f - m o u t h

f r o m a r c h a e o l ogist, Angela Piccini, asking to spread. In late December my w i f e p a s s e d
l o c a l p e o p l e t o field walk. The venture was on a message from one of her col l e a g u e s w h o
i n s up p o r t o f a community initiative to assess had emailed on behalf of a friend : d i d I k n o w
a r c h a e o l o g i c a l evidence of land use with something about local archaeolog y?
a v i e w t o i n f o rming debate and inf luencing
d e c i s i o n s a b o u t future use of the site by the In the meantime, one of the four p e o p l e f r o m
local council. the pub, Trudy Parker, made some p h o n e c a l l s
to find out how to set up a grou p . E a c h c a l l
N o b o d y e l s e s h owed up so Angela and I (each produced some good advice and m o r e n a m e s
w i t h s o n s e n j oying the romp) had a good to contact. Soon she was phonin g p e o p l e a l l
o l ’ ch i n - w a g a bout apathy and opportunities over the country.
w h i l e w e s u r v e yed the site.
P a c k h o r s e
Despite February snow, the photo g r a p h i c w a l k
B r i d ge, rebuilt attracted over a dozen people fro m a l l w a l k s
a f te r flooding in of life. Most of them turned up a f o r t n i g h t
t h e 1960s. The
re m ains of an
later to meet the city archaeo l o g i s t , B o b
a n c i ent ford can Jones, who came to the pub to tal k a b o u t h o w
b e s een through we could help each other.
t h e water.
I m a g e: Theresa continued 
D r i s coll

23 past horizons
En d o f t h e b e ginning
A t t h e n e x t meeting in the pub, someone
h e l d u p a c o n stitution downloaded from the
i n t e r n e t . I ’ d a l ways assumed the Brislington
C o m m u n i t y A rchaeology Project (BCAP)
w o u l d b e s e t u p as a branch of BCHS. Suddenly
m y v i s i o n w a s being outvoted eight to one.
Wi t h f i v e o ff i c ers elected in as many minutes,
B C A P w a s b o r n on March 3, 2009, one year
a n d a d a y a f t e r the pilot project was formally
a n n ou n c e d .
First m e n t i o n e d i n 1 3 0 8 , t h e c hu rc h o f S t . Lu ke i s mainly of
15th ce n t u r y wo r k m a n s h i p, a l t h o ug h t h e p re a c hing cross
is 13th ce n t u r y. I m a g e : R oy B ra n n
past horizons
The rest is histor y
By April BCAP had joined the Av o n L o c a l
History and Archaeology group an d t h e C o u n c i l
for British Archaeology. We also o p e n e d o u r
first test pit (having first check e d w i t h t h e
City Archaeologist), using the m e t h o d o l o g y
advocated by the Time Team Big D i g .
In the same month Kate Iles, assi s t a n t c u r a t o r
of Archaeology at Bristol Muse u m , s h o w e d
us the archives from an excav a t i o n o f t h e
‘dissolved’ mediaeval chapel of S t A n n e , a n
ongoing focus of BCAP’s interes t .
In May 2009 our website was cre a t e d a n d w e
also attended our first stakeho l d e r m e e t i n g
regarding a local planning appl i c a t i o n , a n d
we set out our stall at the 25th a n n i v e r s a r y
exhibition of BCHS, with whom w e s t i l l e n j o y
very close links.
This was our public launch a n d w e w e r e
kept busy all day, signed up s e v e r a l n e w
members and identified a surpri s i n g n u m b e r
of artefacts.
Join Up
B r i s l i n g to n Co m m u n i t y A rc h a e ol o g y Pro j e c t
( B C A P ) a i m s to p rov i d e a f ra m e wo r k w i t h i n
w h i c h to p ra c t i ce a rc h a e o l o g y. Wi t h a w i d e
va r i e t y o f o n g o i n g p ro j e c t s, lo c a l p e o p l e
c a n b e s u re to s e e t h e i r n e i g h b o u r h o o d i n a
d i f fe re nt l i g ht .
A g o o d ra n g e o f l o c a l k n ow l e d g e, a b ro a d
n e t wo r k o f co nt a c t s a n d grow i n g e x p e r i e n ce
i n a l l a s p e c t s o f a rc h a e o l o g y, B C A P c a n o f fe r
a d v i ce a n d p ra c t i c a l s u p p o r t to a nyo n e w h o
i s i nte re s te d i n e x p l o r i n g t h e i r l o c a l h e r i t a g e.
B C A P a l s o we l co m e s m e m b e r s w h o w i s h to
t a k e a l e s s a c t i ve ro l e o r s i m p l y k e e p i n to u c h
w i t h w h at ’s g o i n g o n .
For more infor mation and an application for m:
ht t p : / / w w w. b r i s l i n g to n a rc h a e o l o g y. o rg. u k / a d min/index.html 
24
Lo o k i n g to t h e future

E v e n w i t h a f airly large local population

t o c a l l u p o n i t took us a year to get off the First dig
g r o u n d p r o v i n g that perseverance is at least
a s i m p o r t a n t a s enthusiasm, and that luck also
h a s it s o w n r o l e to play. Realistically, we can
e x p ec t f l u c t u a t ions in our membership and
a c t i v i t y, a s c o mpeting hobbies and work wax
a n d w a n e i n t h e community.

We a r e t a c k l i n g projects impossible for any

i n d i v i d u a l t o u ndertake alone. However, as a
g r o u p w e c a n e ngage in an ever-wider range
o f a c t i v i t i e s a n d enjoy closer links with other Pic tured from lef t
to right: D an and
o rg a n i s a t i o n s , enabling us to make a positive Colette Linehan
a n d l o n g - l a s t i ng contribution, both to our along with Rosie
l o c a l c o m m u n i ty and to the archaeological Tomlinson open
BCAP ’s first test
c o m m u n i t y a s a whole. pit.

25 past horizons
 The Looting of

Ratiaria
B y K rassimira Luk a

S
i t u a ted on the banks of the Danube in north
w e s tern Bulgaria sits the ancient city of Colonia
U l p ia Traiana Ratiaria, once considered one of
t h e m o s t i mportant Roman and Early Byzantine centres
i n t h e r e g ion.

I t s d o w n f all came in the 440s when it was sacked by the

H u n s , r e c overing briefly only to be devastated in 586 by
t h e Av a r s . Now, some 1500 years later, the destruction
o f t h e c i t y is nearly complete but this time Rataria is at
t h e m e r c y of organised crime.
continued 

The D a n u b e, w h e re i t f l ow s p a s t t h e t ow n o f V i d i n . Photo: K learchos K apoutsis

Above: B ro n ze h e a d t h o u g h t t o b e o f E m p e ro r Tra j a n found at R ataria and later stolen from the Regional Heritage Museum
of Vidin .

past horizons 26
 Romania
Vidin
Ratiaria

Serbia

Sophia Bulgaria
Black
Sea

FYROM
50 km

Greece Turkey 30 mi
© Daniel Dalet

Bulgaria

27 past horizons
Evidence of the scale of l o o t i n g a t Ra t i a r i a . T h e re d a r row i n t h e s e co n d i m a g e p o i n t s to a s k u l l t h a t h a s b e e n d i s ca rd e d by a tomb robber.

R a t i a ria lies cl ose t o t he vi ll age of A r ch ar Th er e h as b een n o cl ear an swe r. Th e d ut y

i n t he Vidin regi on of B ulgar ia and wa s f ir st
ex c a vated from 1958 - 1962 t he n f rom 1 9 7 6 –
1 99 1. However, si nce t hen no ar chaeo l og ic al
w o rk h as tak en pl ace a t t he sit e. This i s at a
t i me when all o ther s ignif i cant anc ien t cit ies
i n Bulgaria are being st udi ed, conserv ed an d
o pe ned to the publ ic as par t of a commi tme nt
t o t he n ation’s c ult ural he ri ta ge w hic h th en
b eg s the q u estion: w hy is Rat iar i bei ng le ft to
t he mercy of the l ooter s?
l ies p ri mar ily wi th t h e R eg io n al H e ri t ag e
M u seu m o f Vid in wh i ch is r esp o n s i b l e fo r
a ll hi sto ri c si tes i n th e ar ea b ut s eem s t o d o
n o th in g . H ig h li gh ti ng t hi s, t h e m os t rece nt
d at a av ail ab le f ro m t he Bu l ga ri a n A cad em y
o f Sci en ce s stu d y of a rc ha eo lo g ic al f i n d s an d
e xc av at io ns i n 20 0 7 is ex tr eme l y rev ea l i n g .
O f th e 2 9 5 site s in v esti g ate d i n B ul g ari a
t ha t y ear on ly fo u r t oo k p la ce w i t hi n Vi di n
a nd n on e w er e car r ied o ut b y t h e R eg i on al
M u seu m. G ov er n men ta l leg isl ati o n s t at e s t h at

A rch i te c t u ra l fra gm e n ts wi th i n s cr ipt ion s fo un d du ring exca vt io ns f ro m 1976 - 1991.

past horizons 28
t h e r e m i t o f i t s r egional museums are to ‘search
f o r, s t u d y, c o l l ect, acquire, store, document
a n d p o p u l a r i s e cultural monuments’ , and in
a c c o r d a n c e w i t h the current Culture Heritage
A c t ‘ t h e m a i n activity of the museum is to
p r o t e c t a n d e x hibit movable and immovable
c u l t u r a l a r t e f a c ts’.
T h e R e g i o n a l Museum, therefore, has a duty
o f c a r e t o t h e monuments under its control.
L o o k i n g a t R a t iaria the evidence of looting is
t h e r e f o r a l l t o see but in actual fact there is
n o n e e d t o e v e n visit the site. Recent aerial
p h o t o g r a p h s a vailable on the internet show
a l m os t t h e w h o le area scarred with bulldozer
t r a c k s . R a t i a r ia is being systematically
d e s t r o y e d u s i ng everything from shovels
t o h e a v y - d u t y machinery with standing
m o n u m e n t s r e d uced to rubble, tombs broken
i n t o a n d h u m a n remains and pottery scattered
a l l a r o u n d . I t i s in a precarious state yet no-
o n e w i l l t a k e r esponsibility for it.
The problem is not new, however. I t h a s b e e n
ongoing for at least 10 years and o c c a s i o n a l l y
the Bulgarian government is f o r c e d i n t o
taking action. In 2001, in respon s e t o p u b l i c
pressure, the government set o u t a s e r i e s
of recommendations requirin g Dimovo
Municipality and the Region a l H e r i t a g e
Museum of Vidin to take actio n r e g a r d i n g
Ratiaria.
Of course,they are only recomme n d a t i o n s a n d
the various bodies involved are n o t o b l i g e d
to act upon them. Indeed, promis e s t o b u i l d a
police station on the site never m a t e r i a l i s e d
and funding for a monument war d e n w a s c u t .
Of those actually caught in the a c t o f i l l e g a l
excavation and tried before the re g i o n a l c o u r t
in 2000 and 2001 each person’s c h a rg e s w e r e
dropped. Eight years later, despit e e x t e n s i v e
coverage by the Bulgarian new s p a p e r s t o
highlight the problem, not one o f t h e 2 0 0 1
directives has been implemented . T h e o n l y
continued 

G overnment recommendations fo r D i m ovo M u n i c i p a l i t y a n d t h e R e g i o n a l H e r i t a g e

Museum of Vidin

• Cons truc tion of a police st at i o n o n t h e s i te

• The implementation of all l o c a l l a n d u s e l aws
• The creation of a database o f l o c a l l a n d ow n e r s
• Monument boundar y to be d e f i n e d
• Repair of fences and signa g e
• Archaeologic al salvage wo r k to b e u n d e r t a ke n
• Backfilling of looter trench e s
• Obtain protec ted status fo r R at i a r i a
• Carr y out regular archaeol o g i c a l exc avat i o n s

29 past horizons
p e o p l e w h o b e nefit from the inactivity of
t h e l o c a l a u t h o rity and the Regional Historic
M u s e u m o f Vi d in are those who plunder and
t r a d e i n a n c i e n t artefacts.
D e s p i t e n e w government laws explicitly
l a y i ng o u t h o w sites should be protected the
t e m p t a t i o n t o earn substantial amounts of
h a r d c u r r e n c y i s simply too great. Organised
c r i m i n a l s t r a n s port artefacts through Germany
a n d t h e n o n t o the world collectors’ market
w h e r e B u l g a r i an antiquities are in high
d e m an d . R a t i a r ia, it seems, is the tip of the
i c e b e rg . S a d l y, Bulgaria is being drained of
i t s h e r i t a g e a t s uch a rate that the antiquities
m a r k e t i s n o w flooded. Volodia Velkov, head
o f t h e B u l g a r i an police unit charged with
c o m b a t i n g o rg a nised crime, said in 2 007 that
t h e l o o t i n g o f h istoric monuments in Bulgaria
g e n e r a t e s b i l l i ons of dollars per year. The
p o t e n t i a l t o e a r n such vast sums of money leads
t o t h e c o n c l u s i on that unless there is proper
p r o t e c t i o n , v u l nerable sites like Ratiaria will
n o t s u r v i v e t h e onslaught.
Those who want to see this situa t i o n c h a n g e
must act immediately, directly an d p o s i t i v e l y.
The Bulgarian Archaeological A s s o c i a t i o n
along with other interested grou p s h a v e s e t
themselves the goal of attracting t h e a t t e n t i o n
of the international community a n d t o r a i s e
funds to protect Ratiaria in the s h o r t t e r m .
In the longer term it is hoped t o i m p l e m e n t
a programme of research, interp r e t a t i o n a n d
consolidation.
The potential to save this site l i e s w i t h a l l
of us but unfortunately it is nea r l y t o o l a t e .
Bulgaria still has many wonderf u l t r e a s u r e s
to be proud of but these resour c e s a r e b o t h
fragile and finite. It is important t o s u p p o r t t h e
fight to protect Colonia Ulpia Trai a n a R a t i a r i a
and ensure this significant archae o l o g i c a l s i t e
survives this terrible destruction.
K ra s s i m i ra Lu ka i s t h e d i re c to r o f t h e B u l g a r i a n
A rchaeologocal Association (BAA)which was formed
i n 2 0 0 0 w i t h t h e a i m o f s t i mu l a t i n g a rc h a e o l o g i ca l
re s e a rc h i n B u l g a r i a a n d t h e B a l ka n s.

Ever y year the B AA organises an international field school based around the subjec t of Roman archaeology
Find B AA at: http://w w w.archaeology.archb g.net 

I f you are viewing this magazine on SCRIBD, then you will not be
able to see the video.

You can view it on either the full flip page version of the
magazine:

w w w.pasthor izons.com/magazine

or
http://w w w.youtube.com/watch?v=8jD j4j2XecA

Watc h the video - Al Jazeera investigates antiquit y looting in Bulga r i a

past horizons 30
 YO U C A N H E L P S AV E R AT I A R I A
The BAA is ask ing for a €1 donation per person to help save R atiar ia.

To donate please go to:

http://w w w.archae o l o g y. a rc h b g. n e t / fs _ e xc avat i o n s _ rat i a r i a . ht ml 

and sign the petition:

http://w w w.ipetitio n s. co m / p e t i t i o n / rat i a r i a / i n d e x . ht ml 

3rd centur y Roman v i l l a m o s a i c f ro m Ra t i a r i a 2 n d ce n tu r y R o m a n co in o f 2 n d ce n tu r y m a rb l e s ta t ue of Heracles

Pe r t in a x f o u n d a t A rch a r. f o u n d a t Ra t ia r ia a n d s tolen from the
R e gi o n a l H er it a ge M u s eum of Vidin.

( c ) 2 0 0 9 G o o g l e - I m a g e r y ( c ) D i g i t a l G l o b e, Cn e s / S p o t I m a g e, G e o Eye, M a p D ata (c)2009 Tele Atlas

A rea of Ra t i a r i a h e a v i l y- s ca r re d w i t h b u l l d oze r a c tivit y.

31 past horizons
 Chelsea Rose is the excava t i o n
team leader. Her research fo c u s e s
on the Frontier Gold Rushes o f t h e
nineteenth centur y.

T i m e Te a m
America
past horizons 32
 O riginally hired
as the Time
Team Amer ica
sketch ar tist and
its only non-
archaeologist
member, Colin
Campbell was
later chosen to
host the series.

P
art extreme adventure, part hard
science and part reality show,
Time Team America takes viewers
deep into the trenches of America’s
most intriguing archaeological sites.

In each of the five episodes, the team

has just three days to uncover the buried
secrets of their assigned dig. Every
hour counts as they piece together the
past using the latest technolo gy, decades
of combined experience and their own
sharp wits.

Far from the comfort of a s cience lab,

Time Team America faces searing heat,
driving rain, alligator-infested swamps,
frayed nerves and the inevitable
technical setbacks.

Through it all, the audience peers

over the shoulders of digge rs at work,
eavesdrops on intense conversations
and shares the rush of discovery as
artefacts emerge from the ground.

Past Horizons offers a brief introduction

to the five sites that make up the first
exciting series of Time Team America.
continued 

33 past horizons
F O R T R A L E I G H , NOR TH C AROLINA
T h e f i r s t - e v e r Time Team America attempts
t o u n t a n g l e t h e mystery of the first English
s e t t l e m e n t i n America where 116 settlers
v a n i s h e d f r o m Fort Raleigh, Roanoke Island,
o v e r 4 0 0 y e a r s ago.
D r. Me g Wa t te r s, Ti m e Te a m A m e r i ca’s g e o p hy s icist, uses
ground - p e n e t ra t i n g ra d a r o n t h e s i te.
past horizons
In 1586 the first group of hard y, h o p e f u l
colonists settled in the New Worl d b u t w h e n
English ships returned with sup p l i e s t h r e e
years later they found the settlem e n t e m p t y.
The colonists had left behind onl y o n e c l u e :
the word Croatoan carved in the g a t e p o s t o f
their fort. It took 20 years for t h e s t u n n e d
English to establish another set t l e m e n t i n
America and the fate of the Roanok e c o l o n i s t s
remains unsolved to this day.
Excavations at Fort Raleigh in 199 1 u n e a r t h e d
the remains of a science cen t r e w h e r e
archaeologists believe the first col o n i s t s w e r e
testing various metal ores. Ho w e v e r, t h a t
dig didn’t turn up any domestic ar t e f a c t s t h a t
would indicate the location of the i r h o m e s .
Although the tale of the lost colo n i s t s i s a n
iconic story of the United State’s b e g i n n i n g s ,
surprisingly only about eight w e e k s o f
archaeological fieldwork have been c o n d u c t e d
at Fort Raleigh in the past decade .
Chelsea Rose and team
member Jeff Brown carefully
sif t through the soil as they
excavate at For t Raleigh
National Park on Roanoke
Island.
In addition to searching for
ar tefac ts, they were look ing
for subtle differences in
soil tex ture that would
indicate post holes of the
houses built by Roanoke’s
legendar y lost colonists.
34
 Experimental archaeologist
S cott Jones creates a replica
tool at the Topper site in S outh
Carolina.

TO P P E R , S O U T H C AROLINA

I n t h e n e x t e p i sode, the team wades into the The tool making technique used a t To p p e r a n d
s w a m p s o f S o u th Carolina to look at evidence other Clovis-period sites has b e e n l o o s e l y
o f N o r t h A m e r ica’s first human inh abitants. associated with the 17,000-year-o l d S o l u t r e a n
D e b a t e c o n t i n u es about when and wh y people culture in France. Although not c o n c l u s i v e ,
f i r s t c a m e t o t h e American continent: did they this may suggest that these early i n h a b i t a n t s
f o l l o w b i g g a m e 13,000 years ago or did they migrated from Europe on a tr a n s - A t l a n t i c
a r r i v e e v e n e a r lier than that? route rather than crossing the Be r i n g i a n l a n d
bridge that connected what is no w A l a s k a t o
I n t h e 1 9 3 0 s , distinctive stone spear points Siberia during the last Ice Age.
w e r e d i s c o v e r ed near Clovis, New Mexico.
S i n c e t h e n , t h e Clovis culture has represented Clovis tools vanished within 500 y e a r s . S o m e
t h e b e s t e v i d e nce for occupation of the New archaeologists believe their di s a p p e a r a n c e
Wo r l d a t a r o u n d 13,000 years B.P. from the record reflects the natura l p r o g r e s s i o n
of early culture on the America n c o n t i n e n t .
C l o v i s h u n t e r-gatherers lacked permanent Another hypothesis suggests a c o m e t m a y
s e t t l e m e n t s , b ut some archaeologists believe have exploded over North Americ a , t r i g g e r i n g
t h e C l o v i s p e o ple regularly travelled to the a mini-Ice Age and wiping out m o s t o f t h e
To p p e r s i t e i n South Carolina to make tools large animals the Clovis people h u n t e d .
o u t o f t h e s t o n e they found there.
continued 

35 past horizons

Geophy s i c i s t B r ya n H a l e y u s e s re m o te s e n s i n g te chnology to
look fo r t h e re m a i n s o f a 1 9 t h ce n t u r y s c h o o l h ouse in New
Philad e l p h i a . T h e tow n’s s c h o o l h o u s e e d u ca ted African-
A merica n c h i l d re n i n s p i te o f s t a te l a w s t h a t only funded
school s f o r w h i te s t u d e n t s.
Colin Ca m p b e l l a s s i s t s t h e e xca va t i o n te a m by s i f ting through soil at New Philadelphia.
past horizons
NE W PHILADELPHIA, ILLINOIS
In this programme the team atte m p t s t o f i n d
some of the remains of the fir s t A m e r i c a n
town founded by former slaves. Born into
slavery in South Carolina in 1 7 7 7 , F r a n k
McWorter moved to Kentucky wi t h h i s m a s t e r
in 1795. Allowed to hire out his o w n t i m e h e
eventually bought his wife Lucy’s f r e e d o m i n
1817 and his own in 1819.
Although now a free man, Fra n k r e m a i n e d
at risk from slave catchers wh o m a y h a v e
sold him back into bondage. Th e f r e e s t a t e
of Illinois offered a fresh start a n d a f t e r s i x
months he reached Central Illin o i s w h e r e h e
planted roots, started a town and s o l d e n o u g h
property to purchase the rest of h i s f a m i l y o u t
of slavery.
Now green fields cover this c o u r a g e o u s
testament to victory over e n s l a v e m e n t .
However, the local landowners, d e s c e n d a n t s
of the town’s residents, and th e M c Wo r t e r
family want to uncover what rem a i n s o f N e w
Philadelphia to commemorate i t s p l a c e i n
history. Time Team America joins i n t h e s e a r c h
for the pre-Civil War schoolhous e w h e r e N e w
Philadelphia’s African Americ a n c h i l d r e n
learned to read and write in freed o m .
36
Jeff Brow n d e s ce n d s i n to a
cliffside g ra n a r y l e f t i n t a c t
by the Fre m o n t I n d i a n s o n e
thousand ye a r s a g o.

Members o f t h e Fre m o n t
culture were ‘scatter hoarders’:
rather th a n ke e p a l l o f t h e i r
stored fo o d i n o n e p l a ce, t h e y
split the i r s u p p l i e s u p i n to
many loca t i o n s.

R A N G E C R E E K , UTAH

T h e t e a m h e a ds to the remote canyons of Fremont Indian village sites c o n s i s t o f

s o u t h e r n U t a h to examine what remains of
t h e F r e m o n t I ndians who lived there 1000
y e a r s a g o . T he Fremont stored their food
i n c l a y g r a n a r i es high on the cliffs, entered
t h e i r u n d e rg r o und homes through a hole in
t h e r o o f , a n d decorated the cliff faces with
petroglyphs.
R a n g e C r e e k was protected from intruders
b y Wa l d o Wi l c ox, a Utah rancher, who knew
h i s l a n d w a s special but did not publicise
t h e t r e a s u r e i t contained. In the interest of
p r e s e r v a t i o n , Wilcox sold the canyon to the
Tr u s t f o r P u b l ic Lands in 2001 which later
g r a n t e d R a n g e Creek to the state of Utah.
circular pit houses the remains o f w h i c h c a n
be identified by the rings of rock s t h a t o n c e
supported the wooden uprights.
Members of the Fremont culture w e r e ‘ s c a t t e r
hoarders’: rather than keep all of t h e i r s t o r e d
food in one place, they split their s u p p l i e s u p
into many locations.
In 2006, a fire at Range Cree k c l e a r e d a
large area of vegetation whi c h a l l o w e d
archaeologists to identify sever a l n e w d i g
sites.
continued 

37 past horizons
Sif ting t h ro ug h s o i l a t Fo r t J a m e s, S o u t h D a ko t a . The team searches for remains of the stone for t built by the United States
Cavalr y i n 1 8 6 5 . A H u t te r i te fa r m i n g co m mu n i t y now owns the site and children from the communit y come along to get a
first-ha n d l o o k a t t h e h i s to r y b u r i e d b e n e a t h t h e prairie.

F O RT J A M E S , SOUTH DAKOTA

D u r i n g t h e A merican Civil War, a unit of Most Frontier forts were large l y m a d e o f

c a v a l r y s o l d i e rs were sent west to defend
p i o n e e r s e t t l e r s against angry Sioux Indians
i n w h a t i s n o w South Dakota. Upon their
a r r i v a l i n 1 8 6 5 , the soldiers built one of the
f e w s t o n e f o r ts on the American frontier,
t h e r e m a i n s o f which peek out from under a
grassy field.
T h r ee y e a r s earlier, the United States
g o v er n m e n t h ad short-changed the Santee
S i o u x t r i b e o n guaranteed annuities which
i n c l u d e d f o o d payments. In the face of
s t a r v a t i o n C h i ef Little Crow went to war.
H e w a s d e f e a t ed, but even a mass execution
d i d n o t e n d the conflict and the Santee
j o i n e d f o r c e s with other Sioux in the Dakota
Te r r i t o r y. D e s p ite the resistance, the fort was
d e c om m i s s i o n e d after only 11 months as most
o f t h e S i o u x q u ickly moved further west.
wood and have long since rotte d a w a y b u t
Fort James was one of the few m i l i t a r y p o s t s
in the west made of stone.
The quartzite remains of Fort J a m e s a r e
located on private land owned by a H u t t e r i t e
Colony which operates a farm the r e a n d l i v e s
a communal way of life.
Time Team America discovered a r t e f a c t s t h a t
were probably related to Fort Ja m e s s u c h a s
sherds from a bottle of Golden B i t t e r s , a n
alcohol and herb drink billed as a m e d i c i n e .
This sort of product would have b e e n s o l d b y
a sutler; a person who followed t h e a r m i e s
providing goods and services t h e s o l d i e r s
wouldn’t have been able to acqu i r e t h r o u g h
the quartermaster, such as alcoho l a n d a c c e s s
to gambling and prostitution.

past horizons 38
Past Horizons
where quality matters
toolstore
www.pasthorizons.com/shop

whs 4” wood handled tr owel stanle y mea suring tapes

whs 4” soft handled tr owel
whs m ar gin tr owel
bat tiferr o sharpened tr owel
t yzack leaf & square
t yzack tr owel & square
stanle y br a ss plumb bob
stanle y aluminium line le vel
sm all tools set
stanle y powerwinder
tool r olls
dr afting film/perm atr ace
r otring mechanical pencils
helix scale ruler
japanese pot tery combs
finds bags
t y vek l abels
m a sking tape
sharpie indelible m arkers

SPEAR &
JACK- Tyzack
SON

39 past horizons
D i g In A selection of
archaeological
and conservation projects

A l b a n i a - K e e ping Tower Houses from Tumbling

Heritage Conservation Network (HCN) is developing a hands-on project to restore a kullë house
in collaboration with community groups and agencies. Young Albanian professionals and youths
from surrounding Balkan countries will work with HCN’s international volunteers to learn the
hands-on skills needed to save the structures. Work will include tasks such as re-setting stones,
applying interior and exterior plaster, and wood working such as hewing beams and relaying
wooden floors. Volunteers will also refurbish iron elements while learning about traditional
techniques for producing iron nails and hinges.

Dates: 5 - 18 Sept ember 2010

Cost: 1 week $1050, 2 weeks $1950 (does not include airfare).

Contact Jamie Donahue for more information: jmdonahoe@heritageconservation.net

Web: http://www.heritageconservation.net/ws-albania-2010.htm 

We s te r n S a h a ra - Wester n Sahara Projec t

Excavation - The work will consist of the excavation of a number of burial monuments. The main
objective is to acquire materials for dating and geochemical analysis in order to establish when
the monuments were built and to infer information about diet, mobility and origins of prehistoric
populations. This data will be related to environmental data in order to examine how prehistoric
people in this area responded to climatic and environmental change, specifically the drying of the
Sahara around 5000 years ago. All excavated monuments will be systematically recorded in order
to provide a record and gather information about funerary practices and prehis toric lifestyles.
The excavations will be directed by experienced field archaeologists with extensive experience in Western
Sahara and elsewhere.

Reconnaissance survey work - The reconnaissance team will focus on the identification of new archaeological
sites and locations for environmental sampling. Recording of new sites, principally funerary, will form a major
part of the reconnaissance work. The aims are to expand the inventory of archaeological sites in order to
examine the type and distribution, and to ide ntify and sample environmental materials for subsequent dating and
laboratory analysis. The reconnaissance team will be based at Tifariti but will spend several days at a time in
the field, camping in the open.

Although the excavation and reconnaissance teams will be in close contact while in the field, for logistical and
practical reasons it is not possible to swap from one team to the other.

Dates: October/November 2009

Costs: Excavation 4-week period £2595, Reconnaissance 3 week period £2395 (includes flights from London
and all accommodation, food and transport while in the field).
All costs go towards the running of the project, which does not make a profit.

Contact: For reconnaissance details contact Nick Brooks: nick.brooks@uea.ac.uk

and for excavation details contact Joanne Clarke: joanne.clarke@uea.ac.uk
Web: http://www.cru.uea.ac.uk/~e118/WS/WSahara.htm 

past horizons 40
 M o n g o l i a - A rchaeology in M ongolia

Through a settlement pattern study, the project aims to understand the nature of the social and
economic organisation of Late Bronze Age societies of central Mongolia, a region believed
to be occupied at the time by mobile pastoralists. Located in the grasslands of Central
Mongolia, the research area is dotted with impressive stone built burial and ritual sites dating
to the second and first millennia BCE, and continues to be inhabited by horse-riding nomadic
pastoralists who have maintained much of their traditional lifestyle.

Costs and dates for 2010 to be announced.

Contact Jean-Luc Houle to register your interest at: jeh48@pitt.edu

Web: http://www.pitt.edu/~jeh48 

J o rd a n - A b i l a Archaeological Projec t

Abila is best known as one of the cities of the Hellenistic league known as Decapolis, and then as
the home of five prominent churches during the Byzantine period. The site has yielded beautiful
mosaics including that of a grand path from the north-south Cardo Maximus leading up to the
entrance of the impressive tri-apsidal basalt church. This, with six other basilicas and three water
tunnels, shows that the population at Abila during the Late Roman and Early Byzantine periods
was quite considerable.

Dates: mid June - early August 2010

Cost: $1700 for 7-week period (does not include airfare). Application must be in by 31 January, 2010.

Contact Dr David Vila for more information: dvila@jbu.edu

Web: http://www.abila.org/html/history.html 

N i c a ra g u a - O metepe Petroglyph Projec t

The Ometepe Archaeological Project is a long-term volunteer archaeological field survey of

the Maderas half of the Nicaraguan island of Ometepe, the largest island on Lake Nicaragua.
In eight field seasons an area of approximately 15 square kilometres has been intensively
surveyed. Within that area (along the northern slopes of the Maderas volcano) the project has
recorded and mapped 89 archaeological sites. Over 1700 boulders with petroglyphs or other
cultural modifications have been photographed, drawn and described as part of the survey.

Dates: January 2010

Costs : To be announced but approximately $450 per week (does not include airfare).

Conta ct: Suzanne Baker to register your interest: suzannebaker@earthlink.net

Web: http://culturelink.info/petro/index.htm 

Th a i l a n d - O r i gins of Angkor

The rural village of Ban Non Wat in Northeast Thailand is one of the most important sites for
understanding indigenous societies of the Empire of Angkor. Very few sites have been examined
as extensively, nor yielded as many finds from the relevant archaeological ages. Help reveal
how Neolithic, Bronze and Iron Age peoples here were affected by their environment, changing
climates, development of agriculture, technological advances and by contact with those from
other lands.

Dates: December 2009, January and February 2010

Costs : 7 days $1850, 14 days $3050

Conta ct: info@earthwatch.org

Web: http://www.earthwatch.org/exped/chang.html 

To s ee more projec ts go to: http://w w w. p a s t h o r i zo n s. co m / Wo r l d Pro j e c t s

41 past horizons
 Recipes for Archaeologists
There are plenty o f p e o p l e w h o f e e l
that dessert is the m a i n c o u r s e i n a n y
meal and in my e x p e r i e n c e h u n g r y
archaeologists are n o d i ff e r e n t .
Annie Evans I make the good o l d c o m f o r t f o o d
The Dig Cook desserts such as b r e a d a n d b u t t e r
pudding, steamed s y r u p s p o n g e a n d
crumble that ma k e s t h e m o s t o f
seasonal fruit. For l u n c h t i m e s I u s u a l l y
serve lots of fresh f r u i t i f i t ’s a v a i l a b l e
and save the desse r t s f o r d i n n e r, s u c h
as chocolate puddin g a n d s t i c k y t o ff e e
pudding with caram e l s a u c e , w h i c h a r e
always big hits.
If bread is plentif u l , l e f t o v e r s l i c e s
or loaves can be m a d e i n t o b r e a d a n d
butter pudding, and i f y o u h a v e a c c e s s
to ripe stone fruit such as peaches, a
d e l i c i o u s d e s s e r t s u c h as t h i s c a n b e
prepared in a few minutes:
Cut peaches in half, discard stones,
a n d p l a c e h a l v e s o n a f l a t t r a y. P u t
spoonfuls of prepared marzipan paste
into the stone hollows, brush with
melted butter and grill till peaches
are warm and glistening and marzipan
has softened. Serve with cream or ice
cream.
Of course, many other seasonal fruits
can be used for dessert, and plums,
nectarines, apples, berries and cherries
all work well with the addition of a
luscious crumble on top.

FRUIT CRUMBLE
Serves 8

Take 1kg of chopp e d s t o n e f r u i t , p l a c e i t i n a g r e a s e d b u t t e r d i s h w i t h s u g a r

and moisten with h a l f a c u p o f b r a n d y o r w a t e r.

To make the crum b l e t o p p i n g p r o c e s s h a l f a c u p o f p l a i n f l o u r, h a l f a c u p o f

coconut, half a c u p o f s u g a r, o n e d e s s e r t s p o o n o f c i n n a m o n , h a l f a c u p o f
nuts (for example , a l m o n d s o r w a l n u t s ) , w i t h 1 2 5 g o f b u t t e r.

Sprinkle this mix o v e r t h e f r u i t a n d b a k e f o r 3 0 m i n u t e s i n a m o d e r a t e h e a t

in the oven. Serv e w i t h c u s t a r d , c r e a m o r i c e c r e a m .

DRIED FRUIT SALAD WITH YOGHUR T & PINE NUTS

500 grammes dried fruits (apples, pears, figs, peaches, grapes, prunes, dates)
1 cup water
½ cup sugar
300 grammes good yoghurt (Greek)
½ cup rose water (or brandy)
150 grammes pine nuts (toasted)

Place the dried fruit, water and sugar in a saucepan ove r a g e n t l e

heat. Stir until sugar is dissolved, then cover and cook v e r y g e n t l y
for 10 minutes. The fruit should be plump with some syrup l e f t i n t h e
pan. Add the rose water to the warm fruit. Serve the frui t c o l d w i t h
yoghurt and pine nuts.
The Dig Cook’s website
http://www.digcook.com 

past horizons 42
S E L F - S AU C I N G STICKY TOFFEE PUDDING
C H O CO L AT E PUDDING WITH C AR AMEL SAUCE
S e rves 8
Pudding
P u dding
250 grammes stoned dates
1 5 0 grammes d ark chocolate (chopped) 300 mls water
6 0 grammes bu tter 11 / 2 t e a s p o o n s b i c a r b o n a t e o f s o d a
11 / 2 cups milk 125 grammes butter
11 / 2 cups self-raising flour 200 grammes dark brown sugar
¼ cup cocoa powder 3 l a rg e e g g s
200 grammes self-raising flour
G r ease an 8-cup capacity ovenproof d i s h . 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
P l a ce chocolate, butter and milk in a sa u c e p a n
a n d melt carefully over medium hea t u n t i l Caramel Sauce
s m ooth.
200 grammes dark brown sugar
S i f t flour and cocoa into a large bowl a n d s t i r 200 mls cream
i n chocolate mix until well combined. P o u r 150 grammes butter
i n t o prepared pan and set aside. 1 teaspoon vanilla essence

C h ocolate Sauce Preheat oven to 190 degrees centigrade.

¾ cup brown sugar To m a k e t h e p u d d i n g , c o o k t h e d a t e s i n t h e

5 0 grammes dark chocolate (chopped) water until they reach a jammy consistency
¼ cup cocoa powder making sure there are no lumps.
11 / 4 cups water
2 tablespoons Kahlua Liqueur (or s i m i l a r. C r e a m t h e b u t t e r a n d s u g a r t i l l f l u ff y a n d
O p tional) sugar is dissolved. Add eggs one at a time and
beat after each addition. Fold in the remaining
P l a ce all of the sauce ingredients i n t o a ingredients and mix well.
s a ucepan over medium heat. Sti r u n t i l
m e lted and combined. Remove from he a t a n d B u t t e r a n d f l o u r a n o b l o n g b a k in g d i s h a n d
c a r efully pour over pudding batter. pour in mixture. Bake in the centre of the oven
until cooked.
B a ke in a moderately hot oven for 3 5 - 4 0
m i nutes. Pudding should still be soft i n t h e To m a k e t h e s a u c e , p l a c e a l l t h e i n g r e d i e n t s i n
m i ddle. a pan and stir until butter is melted and sauce
is well combined. Bring to a high simmer and
S e rve with berry fruits and cream. cook for five minutes. Cut the pudding into
wedges and serve with the sauce and thick
D e eelicious! cream or ice cream.

43 past horizons
 © Cousland Local History ProjectJohn I Brown

Throughout September, Archaeology Scotland will be laying on hundreds of free activities all over
the country in a public festival of Scottish archaeology.

You can be an archaeologist for the day, learn how to make fire like your ancestors did, or enjoy
one of the many lectures, exhibitions or guided walks designed to bring you closer to the sites and
monuments of Scotland’s past. There is now a separate programme of events just for schools as
well as information and resources for schools wanting to create their own celebration of Scottish
archaeology.

For more details: http://www.archaeologyscotland.org.uk/index.php?q=node/33 

past horizons 44
V i ewpoint
S eeing the f a m i l i a r i n a n e w l i g ht

I
take great delight in l i s t e n i n g t o s t o r i e s a b o u t l o c a l h i s t o r y. T h e r e i s m u c h t o l e a r n
from people who k n o w t h e i r a r e a e x t r e m e l y w e l l , b u t t h e r e a r e o f t e n q u e s t i o n s
that they would lik e a n s w e r e d a n d I a l w a y s t r y t o h e l p i f I c a n . I f f e a s i b l e , I
suggest that we work as a g r o u p d r a w i n g t o g e t h e r e v i d e n c e f r o m a v a r i e t y o f s o u r c e s
using a combination of o b s e r v a t i o n , h i s t o r i c a l r e s e a r c h a n d a r c h a e o l o g y.

My first experience u s i n g t h i s m e t h o d i n v o l v e d t h e r e s i d e n t s o f C o u s l a n d i n
Midlothian, Scotland. O u r s e a r c h f o r a n u n n e r y s o o n t u r n e d i n t o a c o m m u n i t y
e x c a vation around a small castle and man s i o n h o u s e i n t h e c e n t r e o f t h e v i l l a g e a n d a l o s t 1 8 t h c e n t u r y
p o t t e ry in a near by field. We haven’t ye t f o u n d t h e e l u s i v e n u n n e r y a n d w e h a v e s t i l l t o c o n f i r m t h e
p o t t e ry, but along the way we have made m a n y n e w f i n d s a n d h a v e s u c c e e d e d i n b u i l di n g u p a m o r e
d e t a i led history of the village.

G o i n g deeper into Midlothian to the villa g e o f G o r e b r i d g e , I w a s a s k e d b y a l o c a l g r o u p t o l o o k a t t h e

r e m a ins of the earliest industrial gunpow d e r m i l l s i n S c o t l a n d . E a c h b u i l d i n g h a d b e e n s e t i n t o s t e e p
c l i ff s as protection from catastrophic bl a s t s , w i t h a c o m p l i c a t e d s y s t e m o f w a t e r w h e e l s , m i l l l a d e s
a n d sluices powering the various powde r- m a k i n g p r o c e s s e s . To d a y, a l l t h a t r e m a i n s of t h e c o m p l e x
a r e a couple of stone ruins and traces o f w a l l s h i d d e n i n t h e u n d e rg r o w t h . F o r t h e c a s u a l o b s e r v e r
u n d e rstanding th e buildings and their fu n c t i o n w o u l d b e a l m o s t i m p o s s i b l e . G u i d e d b y m e m b e r s o f
t h e l ocal group, I walked the valley and t h e p r o c e s s o f d i s c o v e r y b e g a n a s w e a l l l o o k e d t o g e t h e r a t
t h e e vidence. Barely visible walls, a gre a t s c a r i n t h e c l i ff a n d a b l o c k e d t u n n e l w e r e a m o n g s t t h e
t h i n g s that they could show me and I wa s a b l e t o a d d t o t h e i r k n o w l e d g e b y o ff e r i n g m y o b s e r v a t i o n s
a n d interpretation of what I saw in the l a n d s c a p e . B y s h a r i n g a n d d i s c u s s i n g w e w e r e s o o n a b l e t o
v i s u alise the great water wheels turning, t h e l a d e s f l o w i n g w i t h w a t e r, s l u i c e s c r e a k i n g o p e n , a n d t h e
d e v a station of the inevitable explosions.

I n t h e lea of the Pentland Hills near Edi n b u rg h , O l d P e n t l a n d G r a v e y a r d s i t s l o n e l y b u t c e r t a i n l y n o t

u n l o ved. Dating to at least the 13th ce n t u r y, a n d m a d e f a m o u s b y a C o v e n a n t i n g p a s t i n t h e 1 7 t h
c e n t ury, no-one was really sure where th e a c t u a l c h u r c h s t o o d . F r o m m a p s t u d i e s i t c e r t a i n l y l o o k e d
l i k e a church existed there, but it remai n e d u n c e r t a i n a s t o i t s e x a c t l o c a t i o n . A l o n g w i t h t h e l o c a l s
w h o care for the graveyard and with pe r m i s s i o n f r o m t h e o w n e r s , w e d e c i d e d t o a s k t h e E d i n b u rg h
A r c h aeological Field Society (EAFS) to l o o k f o r t h e c l u e s a n d p r e t t y s o o n a g e o p h y s i c a l s u r v e y t r a c e d
o u t t he shape of a building. On the 12t h S e p t e m b e r d u r i n g S c o t t i s h A r c h a e o l o g y m o n t h w e w i l l a l l
r e t u r n to the site where locals and visito r s a l i k e w i l l b e a b l e t o w i t n e s s t h e e x c a v a t i o n o f a p o r t i o n o f
t h e north eastern corner hoping to confir m t h e g e o p h y s i c a l r e s u l t s .

L o c a l people with detailed knowledge of t h e i r o w n a r e a s h o u l d a l w a y s b e t h e f i r s t c o n t a c t . F i n d o u t w h a t

t h e y know about a location and share in t h e j o y o f r e c i p r o c a t i o n . T h e s k i l l o f t h e a r c h a e o l o g i s t i s v i t a l
i n u nderstanding and interpreting what w e s e e a r o u n d u s . E v e n t s s u c h a s S c o t t i s h A r c h a e o l o g y M o n t h
p r o v ide a wonderful opportunity for that s o r t o f i n t e r a c t i o n a n d I h o p e t h a t m y s m a l l c o n t r i b u t i o n c a n
l e a d to more discussion, discovery and t h e j o y o f l o o k i n g a t t h e f a m i l i a r i n n e w a n d d i ff e r e n t w a y s .

David Connolly is the direc tor of Br itish Archaeological Jobs and R esources (BA JR)
Web: http://w w w.bajr.org 

45 past horizons
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past horizons 46
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47 past horizons
 PAST HORIZONS
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