28 March 2023 The Future is the Product of the Past

Archaeologists have found an intriguing Iron Age “shrine” in the Yorkshire Wolds

Archaeologists have discovered an interesting ancient Iron Age “shrine” in the Yorkshire Wolds, which was marked out by meticulously placed animal skulls and bones.

A team led by Dr. Peter Halkon and James Lyall excavated a fortified settlement with a substantially circular structure in the middle a few hundred yards from the “shrine” over the last four years.

Both the shrine and the older Bronze Age “ring fort” initially appeared in aerial images plotted by Cathy Stoertz over 20 years ago as crop marks on the top of a hill in the Wolds.

The shrine consisted of a square enclosure surrounded by a deep ditch, with a central area hidden from view by a palisade. In the center were the remains of a child, however, the bones are in such poor condition, and have been damaged by plowing. It is not known in what period the child was buried there.

The animal remains left on the ground after the palisade was taken out were quite remarkable.

Drone picture of the shrine by Tony Hunt
Drone picture of the shrine by Tony Hunt

Up to 40 cow skulls, some arranged in pairs, along with cow bones and deer antlers, were placed around the square enclosure, sometime after it was taken down.

Dr. Halkon said the butchered remains of cattle, as well as sheep and pork, were found at the nearby fort which could once have been home for a powerful man and his extensive family.

Dr Peter Halkon, Senior Lecturer in Archaeology at the University of Hull, at the "shrine" site - those in the background are working on an entranceway to the fort
Dr. Peter Halkon, Senior Lecturer in Archaeology at the University of Hull, at the “shrine” site – those in the background are working on an entranceway to the fort

However, only cow skulls and bones, as well as deer antlers, a wild, hunted animal, were placed in the shrine on purpose. Archaeologists discovered forelegs, three cow skulls, another skull, and a deer antler in one corner. Skulls were arranged in pairs in other locations.

Dr. Halkon said the bones were too carefully deposited to be “just rubbish disposal”.

He said: “At some point, they demolished the monument, pulled out the palisade and reopened the slot where the palisade had been and inserted all the animal bones.

Dr. Halkon said human heads were venerated and it is possible cattle heads had some kind of symbolism. He said: “Cattle were very important to them, and they probably measured wealth in the numbers of cattle.”

The excavation was sponsored by the Yorkshire Archaeological and Historical Society.

Yorkshire Post

Banner
Related Post

New discoveries announced at Sanxingdui Ruins

20 March 2021

20 March 2021

Chinese archaeologists announced on Saturday that some new major discoveries have been made at the legendary Sanxingdui site in southwestern...

460-Year-Old Wooden Hunting Bow Found in Alaska’s Lake Clark

11 March 2022

11 March 2022

In late September 2021, National Park Service employees made an unlikely discovery in Lake Clark National Park and Preserve in...

1,500-year-old baptistery found in Kadı Castle-Anaia Mound in western Turkey

3 December 2021

3 December 2021

A baptistery, estimated to have been built in the 5th century AD, was unearthed in the Kadı Castle-Anaia Mound in...

The Mountain of Shemharus, King of the Ginn: Toubkal

14 August 2022

14 August 2022

Towering over the Atlas Mountains, Mount Toubkal is the highest peak in Morocco. Toubkal, the highest mountain in all of...

Researchers find 3,000-year-old shark attack victim in Japan

24 June 2021

24 June 2021

In a paper published today, Oxford-led researchers reveal their discovery of a 3,000-year-old victim—attacked by a shark in the Seto...

3500-year-old menhir discovered in Mahbubabad, India

15 March 2022

15 March 2022

Six feet in height stone, also called a menhir, was found on the roadside of Ellarigudem, a hamlet of Beechrajupally...

The earliest known depiction of biblical heroines Jael and Deborah was discovered at a Jewish synagogue in Israel

8 August 2022

8 August 2022

The earliest known depiction of biblical heroines Jael and Deborah was discovered at a Jewish synagogue at Huqoq in Israel,...

In Switzerland, a Roman amphitheater was discovered during the construction of boathouse

21 January 2022

21 January 2022

Archaeologists from Aargau Cantonal Archaeology have announced the discovery of a Roman amphitheater in Kaiseraugst, located in the canton of...

A new study shows that the cave paintings at Cueva Ardales are the work of Neanderthals

21 August 2021

21 August 2021

A study of pigments used in murals in the Cueva Ardales caves in southern Spain has revealed that Neanderthals, long...

Mummy of Egyptian pharaoh Amenhotep ‘unwrapped’ for the first time in 3,500 years!

30 December 2021

30 December 2021

Egyptian scientists have digitally unwrapped the 3,500-year-old mummy of pharaoh Amenhotep I. For the first time, a team in Egypt...

Researchers measure the impact of Population Pressure on Prehistoric Violence in Japan’s Yayoi Period

23 August 2021

23 August 2021

Are wars part of human nature? Do people tend to fight instinctively or do they war as a result of...

A spectacular rare ancient Roman bronze coin depicting the moon goddess was discovered off the coast of Israel

25 July 2022

25 July 2022

A rare 1850-year-old exceptionally well-preserved bronze coin depicting the Roman moon goddess Luna has been found off the coast of...

1,600-year-old steelyard weight found in Turkey’s ancient city of Hadrianopolis

1 December 2021

1 December 2021

Archeologists have discovered a 1,600-year-old steelyard weight during excavations in the ancient city of Hadrianopolis, located in the Eskipazar district...

A 1600-year-old writing set was unearthed in the city of Bathonea, which has the oldest ancient port in Istanbul

21 August 2022

21 August 2022

During the Istanbul Bathonea excavations, a 1600-year-old writing set containing a miniature vessel, a bone writing pen, and an inkwell,...

Bone tools for bleeding cows discovered in a 7,000-year-old cemetery in Sudan

24 March 2023

24 March 2023

During excavations in the Letti basin in northern Sudan, archaeologists have unearthed 7,000-year-old bone tools used to bleed cows. Explorers...

Comments
Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *