Archaeology

Introduction - What is it?

Welcome to the Archaeology Section of the Richard III Society website. The Section has been established to collate and disseminate a growing body of information on 15th-century archaeology, and raise awareness of the contribution this makes to the field of Ricardian studies.

Archaeology Section:

As the Section builds, it will:

•  Act as a ‘one-stop shop’ information resource for all aspects of Ricardian archaeology

• Provide a point of contact and forum for debate for Ricardian archaeologists

• Focus and support new archaeological initiatives (research/fieldwork)

It will contain:

• Detailed archaeological bibliography arranged under following headings: General Archaeology, Archaeological Artefacts and their Care, Castles/Royal Residences, Battlefield Sites, Individuals

• List of museums and other organisations where relevant archaeological archives (artefacts, site reports/photographs etc) are held (see Gazetteer, Archaeological Information Resources)

• ‘Debating Chamber’ chatroom

• Newsroom with updates of current events, excavations, lectures etc.

• Information on grants and sources of support for archaeological research, fieldwork, publication and interpretation (see Archaeological Information Resources)

Other themes to be added as the Section develops include:

• Links to related sites of archaeological interest

• Contacts for archaeological specialists

• Advice on care of archaeological/metal-detected collections

What is Archaeology?

Digging up mouldy old bones? Studying other peoples’ rotten rubbish? No, archaeology’s about a lot more than that – it’s a wide-ranging academic discipline you could define as ‘the discovery, recording, preservation and interpretation of all traces of human beings and the world in which they lived before the present day’.

Archaeologists do many things to develop as complete a picture as possible of our ancestors’ lives, including:

• Locating and identifying new sites by aerial photography, map study and geophysical/field survey (this is often carried out at the behest of developers in advance of planned building works)

• Digging trial trenches and test pits to find out more about a suspected site prior to (or instead of) full excavation

• Excavating all underground features (buried landscapes, structures, graves, artefacts, plant/animal remains) from land or marine sites

• Recording, recovering and caring for archaeological objects and remains

• Protecting archaeological sites/objects in situ

• Analysing objects and plant, animal and human remains to discover as much as possible about them

• Using other types of evidence (oral tradition, historical record, place names) to support the physical archaeological evidence

• Publishing academic and popular reports on their findings

• Interpreting archaeology to the public through publications, lectures, media and museum exhibitions

Although archaeology is mainly concerned with buried remains, it may also involve the study of standing buildings, monuments and landscapes. In addition it embraces numerous related disciplines such as:

•  Chemistry – e.g. analysis of artefact composition, food residues in pots etc.

•  Physics – e.g. dating by thermoluminescence or C-14 (radiocarbon dating)

•  Zoology – identification and analysis of animal bones

•  Botany – identification of plant remains

•  Human biology/anatomy – analysis of human burials, diet, injuries etc.

•  Religion – identification and understanding of past spiritual beliefs

•  Art – art history, development of design typologies

•  Engineering – recovery of large objects, shoring etc. on excavations

•  History- relating excavated remains to historical accounts

•  Sociology – understanding the workings of past societies

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