Archaeologists Uncover A Medieval Mass Grave | Digging For Britain | Unearthed History

Archaeologists provide insights into Roman sieges, medieval hospitals and Stone Age discoveries. At Burns Hill in Duma, evidence suggests a Roman siege occurred, challenging previous beliefs about Roman invasion tactics in Britain. Furthermore, we also talk about the exploration of a medieval hospital site in Lincolnshire, which offers new perspectives on healthcare in the 12th century.
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[@margievm2101]

When I was younger, I wanted to be an archeologist which unfortunately never happened, so I find these videos so interesting. Thank you from Canada!

[@gloriaturner3892]

Me too!! 😊

[@girlnorthof60]

Same here... from the Yukon 🍁

[@lilmike2710]

I wanted to be a paleontologist or a Geologist. I'm a truck driver today so obviously it didn't happen. But it's not from not trying.

[@girlnorthof60]

@@lilmike2710 Hey, nothing wrong with being a truck driver... you probably make better money & don't have a massive student loan looming over your head. Thank you for getting stuff where it needs to be.

[@BlaBla-pf8mf]

You can still be an archeologist, a volunteer archeologist that works without pay during summer holidays.

[@evenitao2430]

You can be an archeologist at any age. I went to school in my 60s. You got my degree. You can do it at any time if history truly fascinates you

[@annsmarpat9500]

Wow what an incredible inspiration you are. Congrats on your amazing achievement 🙌🏻 I'm 58, you're my hero!💫✨

[@peterkruse788]

Prof Alice/gang , this is the greatest show ! I’m hooked

[@annazaman9657]

Loved the whistling bullets!

[@graceygrumble]

I remember being in the USA and was asked what my three wishes would be, in a ’let’s get to know everyone scenario’. I was called upon first. I opted for: The ability to time-travel in absolute safety, personally and without messing with established timelines. The ability to speak and write in any language that had ever, or ever would be, spoken and written. The ability to become invisible when I wanted. Other people opted for world peace, an end to hunger and a cure for all illnesses, which made me feel like a bit of a selfish shit. Sadly, I realise that I am indeed ’a bit of a selfish shit’. My three wishes remain the same. I mean, just imagine!

[@___FS___]

They were totally lying though

[@MaryAnnNytowl]

Well, aside from the invisibility, that all sounds like you need a TARDIS and the Doctor! ❤❤

[@joannemarie-mc4si]

I’d like to combine Wish #1 and Wish #3, so I could wander around in the past without bothering about fitting in.

[@watchmehope6560]

You gave an honest answer. They gave the socially "correct" answer, that wouldn't get them cast out from the group or noticed in a negative way.

[@graceygrumble]

@@watchmehope6560 Yep, at the end of the day, we all have a propensity to be self-serving! Still, it is a shame that we are all tw4ts! There is only the slightest veneer of civilisation stopping the world going to Hell in a handcart! I hope we outlive the mayhem.

[@davewilson9738]

When you consider that so many warring tribes and nations came here, it is no wonder we set out to colonise. Not saying we were right, but its in the DNA through most of Europe. Its just amazing.

[@polyoptika4382]

I agree. I’ve been curious for years what shifted us from cooperative to competitive, when we’ve always been under pressure. idk that it was the yamnaya, but I feel like they factor into the hard shift to war states somehow.

[@mmhthree]

All humans are/were warring tribes.

[@hyperboreanforeskin]

Europeans colonized because we had the right combination of high IQ and ingenuity.

[@helenhunter4540]

Dave Wilson. DNA is being used as an excuse for committing crimes against humanity. DNA doesn't make us do anything, neither crimes nor generosity. Those are people's choices.

[@hyperboreanforeskin]

@@helenhunter4540 That's not true at all. intellect and behavior are genetic.

[@glendamears3618]

Professor Alice has an easy listening voice that makes the amazing programs easy to watch. Thankyou 😊❤❤❤

[@Maisiewuppp]

She gets on my nerves. She is always on tv. It’s not as if she is the only one who can present. There are far more creditable archaeologists around.

[@glendamears3618]

I'm Australia and don't see her too much

[@joannemarie-mc4si]

As a North American, some British accents are hard to understand. Professor Alice’s accent is clear, and her voice is nice.

[@gregedmand9939]

Wow! We tend to dismiss a sling as a child's toy or a weapon used as last resort by primitive people. But in the right hands, these slung lead bullets were bone breakers. Against an enemy not wearing any significant armour, they would be devastating. Perhaps they haven't been found in great numbers before, is because lead is so useful, easy to pickup and recycle.

[@bethbartlett5692]

Well done

[@rachelkoiks]

That’s true huh? “Oooh! Lead!” -Anyone from the past 1500+ years 😂

[@gregedmand9939]

@@rachelkoiks Yes "Lead!". Do a little reading and discover how valuable this very useful, versatile metal is and to what lengths people have gone to get their hands on it. Just because it's viewed as an inexpensive commodity now, doesn't mean it always was. Aluminum is another. 150 years ago, it was considered a precious metal more valuable than silver and gold.

[@CynthiaDavidsen]

⁠@@rachelkoiksooo p

[@gerbrand8132]

Those whistling lead bullets remind me of Junkers Ju87 from WW2. These planes dived towards their target and made a terrifying sound.

[@deckiedeckie]

One must thank all the persons who worked in these sites, thanks to them our knowledge advanced a great deal....I'm an old spaniard living in the US and love all ur videos.....

[@dereks1264]

"Pots In Lochs." This is my new band name.

[@girlnorthof60]

🤣 love it!

[@girlnorthof60]

I'm a member of Dig Ventures 😍 I haven't been on a dig... yet. (but I got the cool T-shirts) Cheers to all you venturers out there. 👋Yukon, Canada

[@polyoptika4382]

those stone balls are all carved as if they’re meant to be used as weights for fishing nets.

[@monicacallesarenales5865]

I watched these program first time in England this year and now I will watch the rest of this serie cause I love it ❤️

[@Watcher1852]

Thank you from Canada, SHARE,SHARE

[@DianeBuchta]

I believe Time Team did a show about this island years ago. They were the first to tell us this little isle was man made.

[@SilverDawnArrow]

With the deviant burial in Lincolnshire, it reminds me a lot of re-interred remains of people believed to be revenants. Tightly bound and face down to prevent them from rising again, and the decomposition evident in the legs could indicate re-burial.

[@kathymaclaren2711]

That could also be that they're burying people alive. And they are tied up so they cannot get out. And if they did happen to get out they would have to be reburied alive. That's just as logical. We have vivid imaginations we human beings!

[@nightlite9009]

I don't think we understand how devastating the dissolution of the monasteries must've been to the sick and the poor. When you see how important one monestary was to healthcare in that area, I think it must have been very difficult.

[@jjaus]

As long as you realise, "healthcare" was not as it is now. They had nothing to cure people. Maybe take care of the sick somewhat before they died. Religion didn't cure anything. The church, the Royals and nobles were the only ones with money.

[@MrTorleon]

Another well produced episode including some of the many digs in progress, as of 2017 - if I heard that correctly !!! Only one or two observations I would make. With Scottish lochs - I was slightly astonished that no thought was given ( apparently ) to the water level being substantially lower than today, which would make the building of the central mound a radically different proposition. I was also somewhat dissapointed to hear the words ' Anglo Saxon Invasion ' - an event which has been roundly discredited these days, through archeology and dna analysis, in favour of a more gradual movement of peoples from the continent. Other than that pretty good - and Prof. Alice holds it all together with consummate ease :)

[@paulspice4717]

Specially trained men to fire slings, called, yes wait for it, slingers. Amazing

[@moonschildren]

Fascinating. The only thing missing is Phil!

[@welshpete12]

I remember seeing a documentary on British television . In the 1970's where these balls with a hole in them . Were found on a hill fort in the south of England somewhere . I'm sorry I can't remember where . And a description of how they made a whistling noise when used with a catapult .

[@carlacowling1789]

I think the whistling rocks are frickin TRACER BULLETS!!! If you've ever seen actual warfare with modern high powered ammunition, the enemy is targeted with tracer ammo. Today it's visible and lights up, but at that period it had to be based on sound!

[@Yourmomma92]

Good theory

[@cindytucker3065]

At 10:00 learning that Romans used the rocks making sound reminds me of the Aztec death whistle. Absolutely FASCINATING!!!!

[@texastrina25]

As a child, we read the story of David and Goliath, and the sones and slingshot sounded like like cute and fun. But to see it as a legitimate weapon is fantastic!

[@nickharmer3049]

I'm so looking forward to this. Thank you very much 💯👏👏👏

[@wandapease-gi8yo]

The first underwater pictures of the crannog had me remarking “Look! They had credit cards”. Maybe a dig marker but . . .

[@rachelmurray1228]

So interesting these new finds of the Anglo Saxon more South in England. One learn such a lot from the explanations being given. Great, keep up the good work and thank you for an excellent film.

[@emilioalcazar-su9vi]

Incredibly awesome archeology.. thanks for your fascinating work

[@ArtbyKatina]

Looks like you’ve got a slingshot ball hoard there. 8:20

[@sev-nutz8524]

If wearing earbuds, take them out before the ad it's 5x louder may cause hearing damage

[@hughbean6785]

Thanks Alice enjoyed this

[@YvonneWatson-ff5ex]

I can’t remember who did the same thing with the bullets or maybe arrows that whistled but I’ve heard about it before. I’m thinking it was one of the native American tribes, but I could be mistaken. This video makes me remember what I loved so much about my Art History classes from so long ago.

[@jerrylong381]

I wonder why the assemblage of whale, deer and human jaw bone are thought to be associated with the decommissioning of the blocks, instead of the commisioning of them. The thought occured that remains of the revered ancestor may be found at the other sites in the area. Maybe they were the one that built the original Block, so were revered as a sort of visionary or saviour of the tribe. So much so that their bones became relics that brought strength to the structure and the people associated with it. Just a thought.

[@iainfoxell8543]

I'm hooked on your show.Always loved history. You make it fascinating

[@FlamingBasketballClub]

Professor Alice Roberts is doing a great job with the digging for Britain series. Intellectually gorgeous blonde as well. 👌🏿👌🏿👌🏿👌🏿👌🏿

[@ajknaup3530]

I disagree with the hard & fast conclusion that the presence of lead sling ammo in & of itself means there was a siege. If the North & South camps were training camps, would there not also be such ammo about? Surely the slingers also needed to train?

[@jimellis2118]

To me, the inscribed round stone looks like it was once a perfect circle with an arbor hole, for sharpening or shaping ,on a spindle. Maybe the name is his brand

[@budbundy364]

😂 Yes ... count me in too . I'm hooked & that's not easily done 😂 thanks for sharing

[@antoniomoreira5921]

There are beautiful videos about Medieval welfare in Schwerpunkt's Christian and social history playlists that I strongly recommend

[@pollyb.4648]

As an anthropologist i love accents and am very curious about Dr Roberts'. Different than any other I've heard! Eg:"treeth" = truth. "hi" = how "a-ver" = over Fascinating but from where?

[@rachelkoiks]

30:37 When I saw these, I instantly thought weapons since they remind me of similar styled rock weapons that was used in Hawai’i. The recesses is where the rope was tied to the wooden “handle.” It’s not super well known unlike a poi pounder. We can look at a poi pounder and instantly recognize what it’s purpose was but that rock weapon was something I learned about recently with a lot of research since I realized my home is built on what must be an archeologist’s dream. It’s how I discovered this show! 😂

[@margomoore4527]

R U sure those small shaped stones aren’t weights for fishing nets?

[@lianefehrle9921]

31:38 those round objects to look like what they would put in a fire to heat up for boiling water or for heating up the inside of a bedding cover.

[@girlnorthof60]

😂 hence the ancient saying "move over, your laying on my hot balls"

[@alanatolstad4824]

Wow, just Wow!

[@crazyemraled8494]

Incredibly interesting

[@margaretjohnson4413]

Very Interesting video with a mixture of different things. It seemed obvious to me that the islands were man made and it also seems obvious why , for the same reason that Ducks build nests out on the water, predators were abundant water was a good barrier.

[@havingalook2]

So interesting

[@cordellseitz7741]

It’s an interesting place where perhaps many people once lived there

[@markpreston4754]

God Bless US All

[@CaptchaNeon]

I really regret having kids so young and getting married when I could have lived my dream being an archaeologist. Kids are grown now and it's too late but I'd still love to be one or at least experience it for a day.

[@si4632]

wow that brooch a huge hunk of metal

[@rachelkoiks]

Oooh that whistle. I swear wasn’t that same sound effect in Gladiator? But for the arrows or something. This is pretty sick.

[@johnkidd797]

Archeological studies have found that people in the past were skeletons that live underground.😊

[@maggielarkin9314]

Were you saving that one up?...

[@debbralehrman5957]

Thanks 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[@dianeatkinson2444]

Amazing

[@thedourkin]

Lincolnshire... the north of Britain? The BBC/Digging for Britain producers really need to (even now, in the 2020s) work on both geography and their own cultural bias.

[@si4632]

Definitely northern

[@wayneclayton5426]

Anything north of Peterborough is North to me. When leaving London Kings Cross.

[@si4632]

Peterborough is definitely east midlands and to be fair so are some parts of Lincolnshire but the part of Lincolnshire they were referring to here was some place in northern Lincolnshire which looked further north than Sheffield 🤣 and anywhere north of Nottingham is northern they sound northern 🤣

[@thedourkin]

Thanks to everyone for confirming the stereotype of Home Counties dwellers.

[@wayneclayton5426]

@@si4632 Fun fact Scunthorpe in North Lincolnshire is on the same latitude as Moscow. And the Greenwich meridian runs through just south of Cleethorpes.

[@mrkitty1367]

wonderful show !

[@Chosies1]

🤓 Is it just me or are the pink dots purple? 🤔

[@carolarmer1204]

Could the lake have been frozen over when the crannog was built ?

[@peterwolf4157]

The only thing that I do not like about this is the HH add at twice the volume.

[@pcka12]

We know that the monasteries provided care for the poor, so why does the narration say that it is changing our view of monasteries in which the inhabitants were sworn to a life of poverty & service?

[@benjamindejonge3624]

Yep the Ibiza slingers where famous

[@frankanddanasnyder3272]

The carved stone balls have groves..attachment points for ropes to be used as a swing weapon like a mace...ll

[@jerrylong381]

I thought this too, but someone else suggested weights for fishing nets, which is also plausible. The time spent carving them leads me to lean towards the weapon theory though.

[@geodezix]

love to see burnswark, but there's no place to park

[@peterkruse788]

Parking is hard ! Walk it

[@geodezix]

@@peterkruse788 i live in the u.s.....that would be a long walk!

[@carolineleonard8214]

If I knew you, I would say celebrate the differences because they culturally enrich your life and those around you. It's fun, fun, fun. No harm done to anyone therefore enjoy it all. My American friend who's been in Wales over 35+ years, and has never had any desire to go back, has gradually and naturally lost all her Americanisms. She now says that she is Welsh but has a very slight American accent (Ohio). No gives it a second thought and just accepts her as she is, a wonderful lovingly friendly person. BTW, She shouts louder than I do and is more passionate in support of the Welsh Rugby team.

[@davidevans3227]

greetings from south wales 🙂

[@martinrooms3084]

More information would be good, as for the broach,it's weight where worn etc

[@stephenkunst7550]

Great show, though I am still a bigger fan of the time team format, where all the program is not predigested. In the states, we have little/no support for archeology. Developers want to plow plow plow with no barriers.

[@rabcspaniel5679]

Steven Mithen in the singing Neanderthals does talk about early people keeping their ancestors with them - even taking them when they moved location. Could the jawbone just be part of an ancestor kept in the sideboard?

[@carl5652]

I was just about to go to bed

[@WeldingQueen]

I'll put something like this on to go to bed to but I end up staying up watching it bc I get so interested in it 😅

[@peterkruse788]

It’s fun ! Don’t sleep yet

[@dontworrybehappy4210]

keeladi in TAMILNADU in south india has a museum which has many treasure age back more than 5000 years old try to visit don't miss it

[@rabcspaniel5679]

Not only did Scotland invent the Modern world but also the Stone age . See also Skara Brae and Brodgar- one theory says the old orcadians moved south when the climate changed they taught the southerners how to build Stonehenge etc. Visitors were arriving from the med back then too. See Nora Chadwicks books on the spread of the Celts. Oh and one Alice Roberts celts book too!

[@gittarollke3102]

Why is there always a time limit for digging for artifacts in these videos, why can they not just take their time until all is revealed?

[@clare2401]

Because someone owns the land. In the UK if the land is being dug for a different purpose ie, agricultural, commercial/residential building, etc, by law, you have to let in people for historical digs. That's normally 2-3 days max

[@giuseppe4909]

@@clare2401Not to mention that digs require funding…..

[@crazyemraled8494]

Wow genius 😮

[@mustangkarrie]

I also wanted to be an archeologist growing up! But my parents said trhere is no way to support yourself lol

[@mauricejohnston8454]

I love this series BUT,,why have did the constantly talk about locks and not lochs. A lock is what you put a key in or a boat in a canal

[@paulannable3734]

I wondered how long it would take to find this comment and here you are It’s because words in English English don’t include making horrible noises like the sound of clearing phlegm from the back of the mouth and throat.

[@martynnotman3467]

In my northern english accent they are pronounced exactly the same.

[@elainebeard2922]

Susan gorgeous card 🌺

[@stutzbearcat5624]

Alright i found another vid with Dr Alice! I'm her #1 yank fanboy!!!

[@hotelsierra7441]

9:38 Hmmmm - I don't know who calculated it, but it doesn't seem right - the weight of the Roman projectile is about 30g (0.030kg), speed 45m/s => energy is 30J, momentum 1.5 kg.m.s-1; .44 magnum bullet weight approx.15.5g (0.0155kg, 240grs), speed 450m/s => energy is 1557J, momentum 6.975 kg.m.s-1. It follows from the above that the momentum of the .44 magnum is therefore 4.65 times higher and the energy 51.9 times higher than the projectiles used by the Romans - it's not even close.

[@maeve4686]

Per the Loch stone islands, land based round houses were used melinnial , lasted 200-300 years...why not stone island's having a ling history & handed down thousands of years as they are still there !

[@margomoore4527]

Interesting to see those gorgeous healthy teeth in an ordinary person. The one, at least, must have been well fed, apparently, and had access to few sweets, or have been a person denying themself earthly pleasures (the plague pit).

[@maeve4686]

I wonder if the stone balls might have been a game of sort. They're all the same size, except that elongated pinecone looking one. The grooves could be part of the skill needed. Remember those pronged balls they found at Ancient Roman dig sites? Early purcursor to a bocci style game? Hmmm...just an alternate view.. Since no one really knows.

[@michaelawinter4793]

What's the name of the man (Martin) from the Ken's Broch digging?

[@1101millie97]

What seasons does this cover?

[@lorih2853]

This show needs to acknowledge those who went before. Time Team did an episode on cranogs (sp?) two decades ago.

[@maggielarkin9314]

The Time Team were pure showbiz... Tony Robinson running around with a stop watch, nattering on endlessly...This is about history only... much better

[@dcollins4679]

Almost unwatchable with the number of adverts.

[@lemming9984]

When an ad appears, click the 'back' button on the browser, then 'forward'. This usually by-passes them. Make a note of the time, as occasionally it will start from the beginning!

[@25172605]

Dose anyone know the name of the music that starts at 05:43

[@fionabryant7923]

Water levels could easily have risen over time also..leaving more

[@damojfowler]

I've spent more time pressing the poxy skip ads button during this...

[@wandapease-gi8yo]

I don’t think that the Roman equivalent of a Sergeant did a good job of making the slingers pack out the ammunition they packed in. That lead was valuable. The question is why was there were so many unused bullets in that one place. Did someone bring a bag of them that was left there?

[@Yourmomma92]

I’d assume caches or negligence. People forget shit all the time, even in recent history

[@sunflowers6612]

you need a time machine and a time traveler

[@NayFunPUMA]

Yes ok ya my master

[@andrewwing7806]

Only Roman seige? What about Maiden Castle

[@ikopi56]

Okay, I would expect to find ammunition in ANY military camp. That tells nothing. However, if you find say Roman ammunition in a non-Roman camp, that would tell you something. It tells you that the Romans were shooting at something, not storing ammunition.

[@kathymaclaren2711]

It doesn't seem realistic to me that they would keep someone's body for years and years just so that they could use it in a ritual. The implications of that are that they would have to store the body somewhere. It just doesn't seem logical.

[@paralogregt]

Its' Loch not Lock.

[@Patriot1789]

Burial of a person thought of as a witch?

[@shostakovich99]

It still amazes me that archaeologists don't use gloves when handling skeletal remains. I guess DNA is extracted from the inside of teeth or inner ear bones, so the risk of contamination doesn't matter.

[@terrysmiles8599]

I think them people didnt build them locks to live on maybe more like for hunting!!

[@satsumaking4635]

I think jumping from finding cache of lead slingshot in forts to suggesting full scale siege warfare is quite a logical leap. Maybe it happened, and since shown more evidence has been found but what was shown in this was hardly proof of anything. The romans obviously had time to set up two camps to the south and north, how long did this fort hold out, years? Where are the bodies from fighting? They also wouldn't attack with just slingshot stones, where are all the other weapons. Did they only ever siege this one fort, why no other evidence of large sieges found? Any historical records ever referring to a siege occurring? Lead is really soft, if the shot had been used in actual siege their would be obvious ballistic affects. All the shots shown look in fresh pristine condition.

[@lenabreijer1311]

Did you miss the spread in side the hill Fort with a concentration at the exit?

[@hetrodoxlysonov-wh9oo]

There's Roman camps all over Scotland, the Romans talk of burning the winter grain stores to force them out of hiding.