As part of a larger community-based project Dr Samantha Tipper was asked to analyse and investigate the remains by the Newark Civil War Museum and the current Newark Castle Project. Dr Tipper was carrying out a morphological analysis on the remains, but after discussions with the museum and project supervisors it was agreed that a full analysis, including Isotopes analysis, was needed in order to determine if the individuals were local. Therefore it was decided it would suit myself and as a PhD project.
There are between 80-90 skeletal remains for analysis, however, many of them are not full skeletons. These have been excavated at different times from the mid 1900´s and early 2000, which could result in different information being kept from the excavation itself and different ways of excavating skeletal remains as practices have changed over the course of a hundred years.
The 80-90 Anglo-Saxon human skeletal remains curated at Newark and Sherwood county archive in Newark have been stored away in boxes since the early to mid 1990’s. These remains are now getting analysed both macro and microscopically. This is to determine diet and migrational patterns. However, this project also aims to create a new way of digitally exhibiting these remains to you, the public.
Richard Nevell, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Research objectives are
To complete a full morphological analysis of the human skeletal remains.
To determine if the skeletal remains are local to the Newark area. To develop our knowledge about past lives and diet in Anglo-Saxon Newark.
To understand the past populations in context with the current population.
Provide interactive digital information about the skeletal human remains for the local population and visitors to the Newark castle heritage resource centre.
This project will use the pre excavated assemblage, currently curated at the Newark and Sherwood County archive in Newark for research. From a research objective it would be very interesting to look at a collection that has not been assessed before. The demographic data was started before the start of this project by Dr S Tipper and will be finished by me, the author.
The main questions are
Were the individuals buried in the cemetery at Newark Castle local ?
If not, did they migrate to the area either from somewhere else in England or overseas?Does the evidence suggest a marine or land-based diet and did this change over time?
Can bioarchaeological remains be digitally presented to the public in ways that foster interaction with heritage and a deep understanding of the complex history of this area?
This is a project for all of Newark and the local areas. Therefore, I want to make sure that throughout the process we are open and transparent about what is happening with the research. On this website I will update you all with everything I am doing. There is also a possibility to ask questions by using the contact form and send me a message.
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Got any questions or thoughts about the project?
I want to hear from you! Please don’t hesitate to contact me.