-
- A large castle-like wooden fortress estimated
to be 3,000 years old has been unearthed in Taplow, England, near Windsor
Castle, suggesting the area is one of the oldest continuously inhabited
regions of the country.
-
- At present, a Buddhist monastery stands
on the site overlooking the river Thames. Because of its proximity to Windsor
and to a Saxon royal graveyard, the area is known to be of historical importance,
so the Buddhists were required to excavate before adding a chanting house
to the grounds.
-
- Tim Allen, senior archaeologist at Oxford
Archaeological Unit, which was hired to oversee the dig, says he was extremely
surprised to discover evidence of the ancient fortress. The find was made
public last week.
-
- Allen and his team found a 10-foot-deep
and 30-foot-wide trench surrounding what appears to have been a wooden
castle rampart, with several towers and an entrance gate. Skeletal remains
of a single body were found buried beneath the entrance area.
-
- "An enemy was probably sacrificed,"
explains Allen. "This was common in ancient times to bring protection
and good luck to residents."
-
- But the gruesome good luck charm didn't
work, and charred timbers discovered in the trench suggest the fort was
burned to the ground by invaders sometime before the Saxon period, 700-800
A.D.
-
- Behind the rampart, the team detected
post holes, indicating that several housing units were built within the
defensive structure. Allen estimates that over 200 people lived at the
fortress during its heyday.
-
- "We don,t know exactly who lived
there or who built it," says Allen, "but whoever controlled the
fort must have been an individual of great power and prestige, as he would
have commanded the bronze trade. Bronze weapons, tools and artifacts from
all over Europe used to come through the Thames."
-
- Sandy Kidd, senior archaeological officer
of the Buckinghamshire County Council, agrees that the master of the fortress
must have enjoyed enormous wealth and status.
-
- "The residence probably operated
as a village chiefdom," says Kidd, "but we cannot directly link
it to Windsor Castle and the present royal family."
-
- Kidd, however, doesn't rule out a royal
connection.
-
- He says, "We simply do not have
the documentation to prove any ties, as the ancient fortress predates all
known historical records."
|
