Aarle now lies within Best, a mostly modern village of approximately 29,800 inhabitants which developed as an agglomeration of formerly separate hamlets sited along a main road connecting a marshland area in the north to extensive heathlands in the south. Administratively, these settlements used to be part of Oirschot, but in 1821, Aarle, Naastenbest, Verrenbest… Read more Aarle test pit excavation in 2019 – background
In the Netherlands the CARE project focusses on Het Groene Woud, a region in the southern part of the country situated between the towns of ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Eindhoven and Tilburg. This area is characterised by a varied landscape with small villages and the occasional market town amidst old open fields interspersed with woodland, marshes and heathland… Read more CARE in the Netherlands – the Het Groene Woud area
Seventeen test pits were excavated in Myslinka by c. 20 local people in autumn 2019 – early 2020 to an average depth of 1m, three within house plots and 14 on the village green. A total of 1,071 finds were recovered, with all dateable artefacts derived from the late seventeenth – twentieth century. Of the… Read more Myslinka – test pit excavation in 2019 and 2020 – results
Myslinka is a small village c. 5 km west of Pilsen on a gentle north-facing slope above the Myslinka stream at an altitude of 360-380 m. The village was first documented in 1239, when it became part of the large estate of the local Benedictine monastery in Kladruby. When the monastery was burnt down during… Read more Myslinka – test pit excavation in 2019 and 2020 – Background
Test pit excavations in Chycina in western Poland in 2019 focused on a central square within the village which is now a playing ground and volleyball pitch for local children. This was because this was the only location whose owner was prepared to give permission for archaeological test pit excavations. A total of 12 test… Read more Chycina test pit excavations 2019 – archaeological results
Chycina is a small village in western Poland, today inhabited by approximately 100-120 people. The village is first recorded in written sources dated to the early fourteenth century, but previous archaeological finds indicate that the local area has been inhabited since prehistory. However, historic maps show that the area where the 2019 test pits were… Read more Chycina test pit excavations in 2019 – background
Nine test pits were excavated in Old Dalby in October 2019 (Parker 2020) by around 50 local residents supported by the Old Dalby History Group (and the local pub!). One test pit (number 9) was sited in Queensway and produced only modern material, the other eight were located in Old Dalby itself. No material preceding… Read more Old Dalby test pit excavations 2019 – results
Old Dalby is located 15km northeast of Loughborough and 9.5km northwest of Melton Mowbray in the county of Leicestershire. Old Dalby lies west of Dalby Brook on land that slopes from approximately 80m OD in the east to 105m OD at the western edge of the village, with with Queensway a small twentieth century estate… Read more Old Dalby – Background to the test pit excavations