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Posts tagged gravestones
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Teen Boy Discovers Long-Lost Medieval Gravestones in Scottish Churchyard

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A trio of lost Medieval gravestones have been rediscovered in an Scottish churchyard.

The stones, carved with elaborate, interlacing patterns, were found by a 14-year-old boy during an archaeological survey of the Old Parish Church in Govan, a town established in the Middle Ages that is now part of the city of Glasgow.

“I was just prodding the ground to see if there was anything there, and suddenly it made a noise and I realized I had hit something,” the discoverer, Mark McGettigan, said in a statement.

McGettigan had hit a trace of the Govan of 1,000 years ago. Today’s Govan Old Parish Church stands on the site of an older site of worship, the Church of St. Constantine. Archaeologists have found Christian artifacts at the site that date back to at least the year 500, but Govan is most famous for its carved stones that date to between the years 800 and 1000. Read more.

archaeology  gravestones  archeology  scotland  govan 


Ancient tomb uncovered by villagers in southwest China

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Villagers in Lu County were surprised when they saw numerous carved gravestones while digging their backyard. More than two hundred counts of carved gravestones were uncovered in the ancient grave site, of which the heaviest piece weighed over eight hundred pounds. The site might have been robbed to some extent, but archaeologists were able to identify its era as dated back to the Song Dynasty based on contents carved on gravestones.

“The grave is well-kept and has a Song wooden architecture style. The grave gate, warriors and floral decorations are real reflections of Song people’s life style. The two sides of the grave are identical, showing that tomb might have been built for a couple.” The identification of grave occupants is difficult given to the fact that the site has been robbed. 

Over 200 pieces of gravestones were sent to Lu County Museum. (source)

archaeology  china  archeology  gravestones 


Historic gravestones found under Lake Van

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Underwater photographer Tahsin Ceylan, who previously discovered coral which was thousands of years old during his research in Turkey’s eastern Lake Van, recently found a pier built with Seljuk-era gravestones.
During a dive around the pier in Van’s Gevaş district, Ceylan, along with Van Yüzüncü Yıl University Faculty of Aquaculture member Prof. Mustafa Sarı and diving instructor Murat Kulakaç, found the pier underwater.

Examinations have revealed that the pier was made of gravestones removed from a Seljuk-era graveyard south of the Van-Bitlis highway.

Ceylan said he had been diving in the lake for years to examine its original ecosystem, document the life of its indigenous pearl mullets, record the world’s biggest macrobiotics and learn about its underwater structures.

He said he came to the eastern city of Van in 1994 in order to research Lake Van monster claims, adding he had found historical remnants during his research. Read more.

archaeology  lake van  turkey  archeology  gravestones 


Bone found in Norwich church cellar linked to cemetery move in 1846

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Norwich - A research project to study dozens of Colonial and early 19th century gravestones in the cellar of Christ Episcopal Church halted abruptly earlier this month when historian David Oat spotted what he thought could be a human finger bone in the dirt near a pile of gravestones.

Church history says the gravestones were removed from the old cemetery, and the bodies of church founders and their descendents placed in a mass grave at the side of what was to be the new church built in 1846 on lower Washington Street.

The gravestones were placed in the foundation basement of the new church and remained there, in stacks and piles, partially covered by loose dirt, some broken, others in beautiful condition for the past 1½ centuries. Oat started his research project in June to document the stones and match them with church written records.

Oat immediately stopped work when he saw the small bone and called state Archaeologist Nicholas Bellantoni to determine if he was indeed working atop a portion of the former churchyard cemetery. Read more.

norwich church  cemetery  archaeology  colonial  gravestones  christ episcopal church 


Gravestones of black residents in Ont. town to be restored

The gravestones and markers of some of Chatham’s early black residents will be restored over the next two months. Among the tombstones is one marking the final resting place of Henry and Annie Weaver.

The Weavers were both slaves who escaped to Canada and settled in Chatham. They became one of Chatham’s most affluent families, with Henry becoming a grand master in the Masonic Lodge and the first black municipal councillor in the City of Chatham in the 1890s.
The effort is being spearheaded by the Promised Land Monument Restoration Project, which partners high school students with historians and restoration professionals to preserve and uncover neglected headstones. Read more.

gravestones  archaeology  history  news  chatham  canada