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Stone Projectiles that are Nearly 800 Years Old Found at Castle in Britain

English Heritage said the shots were fired in a siege of Kenilworth Castle in 1266 (English Heritage)
English Heritage said the shots were fired in a siege of Kenilworth Castle in 1266 (English Heritage)
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Stone Projectiles that are Nearly 800 Years Old Found at Castle in Britain

English Heritage said the shots were fired in a siege of Kenilworth Castle in 1266 (English Heritage)
English Heritage said the shots were fired in a siege of Kenilworth Castle in 1266 (English Heritage)

Eight 13th Century catapult shots have been discovered “perfectly preserved” outside the walls of a castle in Warwickshire, BBC reported on Tuesday.

English Heritage said the shots would have been fired during the siege of Kenilworth Castle in 1266, one of the longest sieges in English history when the country was in the grip of civil war.

The shots range between 1kg and 105kg in weight, with some being found just below the surface of the ground.

English Heritage said the discovery was made during a project to improve accessibility around Kenilworth Castle.

Will Wyeth, English Heritage’s properties historian, said: "We were able to immediately link these findings to the 1266 siege because of similar finds recovered in the 1960s.

“However, it’s not every day we get lucky enough to stumble across historical remains like this by chance.”

For a total of 172 days between June 25and December 13, 1266, Kenilworth Castle was under constant attack in one of the most significant military contests of Henry III’s reign.

The king’s conflict with his nobles had escalated into civil war some years prior.

“Imagine the surprise of the team when we unearthed these impressive stone projectiles that are nearly 800 years old,” Wyeth said.

“These would have caused some serious damage when fired from war machines,” he said. “In fact, records show that one of Henry III’s wooden siege towers, containing around 200 crossbowmen, was destroyed by just one well-aimed missile.”

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Danish Archaeologists Unearth 50 Viking Skeletons

Massacred 10th century Vikings found in a mass grave at St John’s College, Oxford. Photograph: Thames Valley Archaeological Services/PA
Massacred 10th century Vikings found in a mass grave at St John’s College, Oxford. Photograph: Thames Valley Archaeological Services/PA
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Danish Archaeologists Unearth 50 Viking Skeletons

Massacred 10th century Vikings found in a mass grave at St John’s College, Oxford. Photograph: Thames Valley Archaeological Services/PA
Massacred 10th century Vikings found in a mass grave at St John’s College, Oxford. Photograph: Thames Valley Archaeological Services/PA

The excavation of a large Viking-era burial site in Denmark has unearthed 50 unusually well-preserved skeletons that archaeologists expect will help shed light on the lives of the Nordic people best known for their seafaring exploits in the Middle Ages.

The skeletons, discovered near Denmark's third-largest city Odense, were kept intact by high water levels and favorable soil conditions that prevented them from decomposing, according to Michael Borre Lundoe, the excavation leader from Museum Odense, Reuters reported.

"Normally when we excavate Viking graves, we'd be lucky if there were two teeth left in the grave besides the grave goods. But here we have the skeletons fully preserved," said Lundoe.

"The skeletons are so amazing. They are so well preserved. There are five fingers, five toes. And that opens up a whole new set of possibilities for discoveries," he said.

Rare artifacts such as knives, glass pearls and brooches dated between year 850 to 970 were also found at the excavation, which began six months ago.

Lundoe said the grave gifts indicate most of the people were part of a small community of farmers, although a woman of higher status was buried with a silver-ornamented knife and a piece of glass which was rare in the Viking Age.

Archaeologists took soil samples to search for pollen to determine which season the person was buried in and what textiles they wore.

An x-ray of a soil block from the site revealed an oval brooch, an iconic Viking Age jewelry piece associated with women's garments, covered with wood and human remains.

On the back of another brooch with period-specific ornaments, mineralized woven textile fragments provided evidence of the type of dress worn in the Viking Age, the archaeologists said.

Most of the skeletons have been removed from the graves and packed in cardboard boxes at the museum to dry out before the examination and final cleaning.