Archaeologists in Wiltshire have produced a detailed plan of a medieval city without disturbing the earth.
Researchers from the University of Southampton used the latest scanning techniques, including magnetometry, earth resistance, ground penetrating radar and electric resistivity tomography, to produce a detailed map of 11th century city of Old Sarum, the original site of Salisbury.
The plans show a complex network of buildings, large structures that the archaeologists believe may be the city’s defences, and open areas of ground where the people of the town were likely to have congregated.
Old Sarum was originally established as an iron age fort around 400 BC, and was late occupied by the Romans at the turn of the millennium when they invaded Britain, with the Normans and Saxons both leaving their mark on the town, according to English Heritage.
Heather Sebire, Property Curator at English Heritage, commented:
“Having the team of archaeologists on site over the summer gave our visitors a chance to find out more about how important historic landscapes are surveyed. The use of modern, non-invasive surveying is a great start to further research at Old Sarum.
“From this work we can surmise much about the site’s past and, whilst we can’t conclusively date the findings, it adds a new layer to Old Sarum’s story. We welcome the chance to find out more about our sites, and look forward to exploring ideas for further research in the future.”
