Post by dreamy on Jul 17, 2006 6:21:55 GMT 10
Excavation under Scottish church unearths sixth-century burial site
STUART PATTERSON
ARCHAEOLOGISTS believe that they have unearthed one of Scotland's oldest churches.
A dig underneath the historic Kirk of St Nicholas in Aberdeen has found graves which are thought to date back to the sixth century or possibly even earlier.
The hugely significant find has now opened a new window into the past and allowed experts to delve into what life was like fifteen hundred years ago.
Alison Cameron, who is leading the project, said: "It's very exciting.
"The skeletal remains are well preserved, which is extremely rare, so we can tell how the people buried here lived their lives.
"We can tell how healthy they were, what kind of diseases they suffered from and how they died."
The project at St Nicholas Kirk is the biggest archaeological dig carried out in Scotland.
A team of 12 experts from across the world have gathered to uncover the secrets underneath the current church, which dates back to the 19th century.
They had hoped to find evidence of previous church buildings from the 12th and 15th centuries.
But they were stunned when they found graves which date from around the sixth century or possibly earlier.
The team is now waiting for the results of carbon dating tests to get an exact date of origin for the human remains.
So far the painstaking project, made possible by a £5 million redevelopment of the current church, has discovered 300 graves - far more than expected.
The team has found skeletons buried in logs in stone graves and one with a rare pewter badge.
They have also found the remains of people who had suffered from illnesses such as osteoarthritis and syphilis.
Material which could be the oldest fabric found in Scotland has also been uncovered.
Ms Cameron added: "We had no idea there was so much buried underneath the church.
"It's been an amazing project for us, because church excavations are so rare," she said. "Everything we've found has been of huge importance."
The exhumed skeletons will be closely examined by the team in Aberdeen for the next few weeks. They will then be sent on to Glasgow for further tests.
But the Rev Stephen Taylor told how the skeletons unearthed by the project are still being treated like human remains, and not merely bones.
He said: "The archaeologists have been very good and treated the bodies with a great deal of respect.
"Once we get them back, they will be buried here at the church in a special ecumenical service for all faiths."
The east kirk at St Nicholas Church is being redeveloped into the Mither Kirk.
The new site is expected to offer community facilities, as well as educational material telling people all about the important finds during the dig.
It is hoped that the dig will finish in time to allow the new development to open in 2008.
Members of the public are now being given tours around the excavation site. A display window allows them to watch the archaeologists at work at ground level, while the site can also be viewed from above.
Some of the items which have been recovered in the dig have gone on display at venues in the local area.
heritage.scotsman.com/places.cfm?id=1023622006
STUART PATTERSON
ARCHAEOLOGISTS believe that they have unearthed one of Scotland's oldest churches.
A dig underneath the historic Kirk of St Nicholas in Aberdeen has found graves which are thought to date back to the sixth century or possibly even earlier.
The hugely significant find has now opened a new window into the past and allowed experts to delve into what life was like fifteen hundred years ago.
Alison Cameron, who is leading the project, said: "It's very exciting.
"The skeletal remains are well preserved, which is extremely rare, so we can tell how the people buried here lived their lives.
"We can tell how healthy they were, what kind of diseases they suffered from and how they died."
The project at St Nicholas Kirk is the biggest archaeological dig carried out in Scotland.
A team of 12 experts from across the world have gathered to uncover the secrets underneath the current church, which dates back to the 19th century.
They had hoped to find evidence of previous church buildings from the 12th and 15th centuries.
But they were stunned when they found graves which date from around the sixth century or possibly earlier.
The team is now waiting for the results of carbon dating tests to get an exact date of origin for the human remains.
So far the painstaking project, made possible by a £5 million redevelopment of the current church, has discovered 300 graves - far more than expected.
The team has found skeletons buried in logs in stone graves and one with a rare pewter badge.
They have also found the remains of people who had suffered from illnesses such as osteoarthritis and syphilis.
Material which could be the oldest fabric found in Scotland has also been uncovered.
Ms Cameron added: "We had no idea there was so much buried underneath the church.
"It's been an amazing project for us, because church excavations are so rare," she said. "Everything we've found has been of huge importance."
The exhumed skeletons will be closely examined by the team in Aberdeen for the next few weeks. They will then be sent on to Glasgow for further tests.
But the Rev Stephen Taylor told how the skeletons unearthed by the project are still being treated like human remains, and not merely bones.
He said: "The archaeologists have been very good and treated the bodies with a great deal of respect.
"Once we get them back, they will be buried here at the church in a special ecumenical service for all faiths."
The east kirk at St Nicholas Church is being redeveloped into the Mither Kirk.
The new site is expected to offer community facilities, as well as educational material telling people all about the important finds during the dig.
It is hoped that the dig will finish in time to allow the new development to open in 2008.
Members of the public are now being given tours around the excavation site. A display window allows them to watch the archaeologists at work at ground level, while the site can also be viewed from above.
Some of the items which have been recovered in the dig have gone on display at venues in the local area.
heritage.scotsman.com/places.cfm?id=1023622006