Objects in Articles – September Edition

Welcome to Objects in Articles September edition. There have been several great articles popping up in the news and on social media this month! I’ve included articles about ancient shipwrecks, Viking and Roman objects, and a personal relic of Queen Victoria.

Thanks to those who read an article from last month’s Objects in Articles edition and to those commented on the article they read! I challenge you again to read an article from this month’s list and comment below. Enjoy!

• Ghostly Graveyard of 60 Perfectly Preserved Ancient Shipwrecks Found
  • Wood is the most integral ship building material from the ancient, to medieval, and into the more recent past. But wood soon rots away, leaving historians with only literary descriptions or depictions in frescoes and mosaics. But in the Black Sea off the coast of Bulgaria, 60 wooden ships have been discovered! One of these ships is as old as the 4th century BC, another is medieval, and yet another is of Ottoman.
• Unearthed Near Hadrian’s Wall
  • New archaeological surveys at Vindolanda, a Roman fort on Hadrian’s Wall, has uncovered a cavalry barracks. As well as wooden writing tablets, many other artefacts have been discovered including swords, shoes and brooches. These artefacts give us new insight into and connection with the lives of individual soldiers who lived in the barracks in the 2nd century AD.

• Skeleton Ignites Debate over whether Women were Viking Warriors
  • I have seen lots of articles recently about a female viking based on new investigations of a skeleton excavated in Birke in the late 19th century. The skeleton had been buried alongside weapons and the remains of horses, so archaeologists believed that this individual was a male warrior. But recent DNA analysis indicates the opposite! So was this female a warrior? This article presents a balanced assessment of the findings. What will you decide?
• A Viking Sword found at High Altitudes
  • On the 1st September 2017 in Oppland Norway, a hiker pulled a sword from the stones…. anyone else getting Arthurian vibes here?! Archaeologists could find no other objects in the vicinity and are currently stumped. Why did a someone leave their valuable weapon lying amongst the stones?
• Queen Victoria’s Petticoat
  • For those who have recently seen Victoria and Abdul, or are looking forward to Victoria Season 2, this article contains another layer to the infamous personality that was Queen Victoria – one of her petticoats. The Queen gave this item to an English family which passed it carefully from generation to generation. Historic Royal Palaces has recently acquired the petticoat.

Make yourself a cup of tea, read an article and include the title in a comment below!