Into the light - new Leverhulme-funded research project explores Dark Ages in Northern Britain

Into the light - new Leverhulme-funded research project explores Dark Ages in Northern Britain

The early Medieval period has often been referred to as the 'Dark Ages', associated with economic and cultural decline after the fall of the Roman Empire between the 5th and 11th centuries AD. This is not true - An exciting new 5-year Leverhulme funded project led by Dr Samantha Jones & Dr Tim Mighall, entitled: 'Coming into the Light: Exploring the Dark Age environments of Northern Britain', aims to significantly challenge this narrative.

Despite being referred to as the ‘Dark Ages’ the 1st millennium AD was a period of profound change in northern Britain which saw not only the arrival and withdrawal of the Romans, but also the spread of Christianity, Viking raids, Norse settlement, the gradual consolidation of smaller native kingdoms and the formation of the kingdom of Alba. While similar issues in southern Britain have been the focus of much recent academic debate, the situation in northern Britain has received relatively little attention. Our understandings of the impact of Empire on these northern regions is thus severely limited. This is equally true for the period spanning the Late Roman period and the 5th century AD onward. It is well known that a rise in native forts north of the Roman frontier emerged. However, like the Roman Iron Age this period remains a dark age; we know very little about the native societies living in northern Britain at this time or the environmental changes that went hand in hand with increased unrest/changes in social structure, or the changes that Christianity brought.

The aim of this project is to understand ‘the important others’: the common lay and monastic communities – their economy, environmental impact and the resulting impact of social change relating to Roman incursions into NE Scotland, the spread of Christianity and changing political boundaries.

Methods: The project consists of an interdisciplinary team of scientists, archaeologists, and historians, from the Universities of Aberdeen, Glasgow, Santiago de Compostela, Queen’s University Belfast & National Museums Scotland. Several sites (see map) have been selected for investigation and include a combination of Roman forts located beyond the northern frontier where native farming communities lived, native settlement sites further away from Roman forts and early monastic sites. The sediments from the selected sites will be radiocarbon dated and analysed for fossil pollen, non-pollen microfossils, organic content, and geochemistry; and then the findings will be integrated with available historical and archaeological records.

map showing Northern Britain and proposed study sites

 

Peat bogs and lakes contain the best sediments for organic preservation, but these tend to be located further away from archaeological sites and are therefore not useful for this type of investigation. To shed new light on changing social narratives of ordinary people and their impacts upon land-use and landscapes it is important to try these higher risk sites to get as close to the archaeological sites as possible.

Significance: The findings of our project will have educational, scientific, and cultural significance to a broad international audience ranging from the public to archaeologists, historians, and the scientific community. The area of investigation is beyond the most northern Roman frontier; thus, our research will help to generate international debate regarding Rome’s relationship with its neighbours in other frontier and beyond frontier regions of Europe, Africa and Asia. It is also hoped this project will have significance to other organisations such as Historic Environment Scotland and the National Museums of Scotland by enhancing knowledge and understanding of our cultural heritage to protect and conserve it. Not only does the past generate public appreciation and curiosity to learn and discover more, but by being more aware of our past enables us to make better decisions in the here and now for future generations. This includes environmental decisions, as well as the care and management of our heritage and archaeological sites.

blue sky with a monastery and green hills on IonaProposed study site on Iona

 

microscopic images of pollenExamples of fossil pollen from pine, grass & alder & archaeological artefacts (from Rhynie photos: Gordon Noble)

 

 

 

Search News

Browse by Month

2024

  1. Jan There are no items to show for January 2024
  2. Feb
  3. Mar There are no items to show for March 2024
  4. Apr
  5. May There are no items to show for May 2024
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug There are no items to show for August 2024
  9. Sep There are no items to show for September 2024
  10. Oct There are no items to show for October 2024
  11. Nov There are no items to show for November 2024
  12. Dec There are no items to show for December 2024

2023

  1. Jan There are no items to show for January 2023
  2. Feb There are no items to show for February 2023
  3. Mar There are no items to show for March 2023
  4. Apr
  5. May There are no items to show for May 2023
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct There are no items to show for October 2023
  11. Nov There are no items to show for November 2023
  12. Dec

2022

  1. Jan
  2. Feb There are no items to show for February 2022
  3. Mar There are no items to show for March 2022
  4. Apr There are no items to show for April 2022
  5. May There are no items to show for May 2022
  6. Jun There are no items to show for June 2022
  7. Jul There are no items to show for July 2022
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct There are no items to show for October 2022
  11. Nov There are no items to show for November 2022
  12. Dec There are no items to show for December 2022

2021

  1. Jan There are no items to show for January 2021
  2. Feb There are no items to show for February 2021
  3. Mar There are no items to show for March 2021
  4. Apr There are no items to show for April 2021
  5. May There are no items to show for May 2021
  6. Jun There are no items to show for June 2021
  7. Jul There are no items to show for July 2021
  8. Aug There are no items to show for August 2021
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov There are no items to show for November 2021
  12. Dec There are no items to show for December 2021

2019

  1. Jan There are no items to show for January 2019
  2. Feb There are no items to show for February 2019
  3. Mar There are no items to show for March 2019
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug There are no items to show for August 2019
  9. Sep There are no items to show for September 2019
  10. Oct There are no items to show for October 2019
  11. Nov
  12. Dec There are no items to show for December 2019

2018

  1. Jan There are no items to show for January 2018
  2. Feb There are no items to show for February 2018
  3. Mar
  4. Apr There are no items to show for April 2018
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul There are no items to show for July 2018
  8. Aug There are no items to show for August 2018
  9. Sep There are no items to show for September 2018
  10. Oct There are no items to show for October 2018
  11. Nov There are no items to show for November 2018
  12. Dec

2017

  1. Jan There are no items to show for January 2017
  2. Feb There are no items to show for February 2017
  3. Mar There are no items to show for March 2017
  4. Apr There are no items to show for April 2017
  5. May
  6. Jun There are no items to show for June 2017
  7. Jul There are no items to show for July 2017
  8. Aug There are no items to show for August 2017
  9. Sep There are no items to show for September 2017
  10. Oct There are no items to show for October 2017
  11. Nov There are no items to show for November 2017
  12. Dec There are no items to show for December 2017

2016

  1. Jan
  2. Feb There are no items to show for February 2016
  3. Mar
  4. Apr There are no items to show for April 2016
  5. May There are no items to show for May 2016
  6. Jun There are no items to show for June 2016
  7. Jul There are no items to show for July 2016
  8. Aug There are no items to show for August 2016
  9. Sep There are no items to show for September 2016
  10. Oct There are no items to show for October 2016
  11. Nov
  12. Dec There are no items to show for December 2016

2015

  1. Jan
  2. Feb There are no items to show for February 2015
  3. Mar
  4. Apr There are no items to show for April 2015
  5. May
  6. Jun There are no items to show for June 2015
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep There are no items to show for September 2015
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec There are no items to show for December 2015

2014

  1. Jan
  2. Feb There are no items to show for February 2014
  3. Mar There are no items to show for March 2014
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul There are no items to show for July 2014
  8. Aug There are no items to show for August 2014
  9. Sep There are no items to show for September 2014
  10. Oct There are no items to show for October 2014
  11. Nov
  12. Dec

2013

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul There are no items to show for July 2013
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec There are no items to show for December 2013

2012

  1. Jan
  2. Feb There are no items to show for February 2012
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct There are no items to show for October 2012
  11. Nov
  12. Dec There are no items to show for December 2012

2011

  1. Jan There are no items to show for January 2011
  2. Feb There are no items to show for February 2011
  3. Mar
  4. Apr There are no items to show for April 2011
  5. May There are no items to show for May 2011
  6. Jun There are no items to show for June 2011
  7. Jul There are no items to show for July 2011
  8. Aug There are no items to show for August 2011
  9. Sep There are no items to show for September 2011
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec There are no items to show for December 2011

2010

  1. Jan There are no items to show for January 2010
  2. Feb There are no items to show for February 2010
  3. Mar There are no items to show for March 2010
  4. Apr There are no items to show for April 2010
  5. May There are no items to show for May 2010
  6. Jun There are no items to show for June 2010
  7. Jul There are no items to show for July 2010
  8. Aug
  9. Sep There are no items to show for September 2010
  10. Oct There are no items to show for October 2010
  11. Nov There are no items to show for November 2010
  12. Dec There are no items to show for December 2010