The Greatest Archaeological Finds in Recent Years | Full History Hit Series
TLDRThe video explores significant archaeological discoveries across Britain, including stunning Roman statues and artifacts unearthed in Yorkshire, the historic Rydell hoard. It examines the Battle of Waterloo's gruesome realities revealed through newly discovered human remains, sparking intrigue. We gain insight into WW2's Operation Tonga and hear anecdotes from the Band of Brothers cast. From prehistory to medieval times, through Roman and Anglo-Saxon eras, up to Waterloo's 19th century brutality, the journey across Britain unearths enthralling fragments of the past.
Takeaways
- 😲 A chalk drum from 5000 years ago found in Yorkshire has connections to Stonehenge and other sites across Britain and Ireland
- 😮💨 The end of Roman rule in Britain may have been more gradual than previously thought based on finds at a Buckinghmashire dig site
- 🤩 Recently discovered Roman bronze figures known as the Rydell Hoard have intriguing links to religion, soldiers, craftspeople and farmers
- 😃 American paratroopers were stationed in the English village of Oldborn before D-Day, with exciting artifacts found at the site
- 😄 The hit TV series Band of Brothers reunited veterans and inspired many to share their stories and artifacts
- 🧐 Marcus Aurelius may be depicted in a stunning bronze head from the Rydell Hoard found in Yorkshire
- ⚔️ Evidence of violence but also stunning objects are shedding light on Britain's mysterious post-Roman 'Dark Ages'
- 🏺 A soldier, priest or craftsperson could have buried the remarkable Roman Rydell Hoard found in Yorkshire
- 😮 Only the third ever human remains have been found on the Waterloo battlefield by the charity Waterloo Uncovered
- 😢 The latest remains found at Waterloo highlight the brutal realities of combat during that pivotal battle
Q & A
What major discovery did the Waterloo Uncovered team make in 2022?
-In 2022, the Waterloo Uncovered team made the extraordinary discovery of human remains on the battlefield, including a human skull. This was only the third ever discovery of human remains at the Waterloo battlefield site.
Why are human remains so rare at the Waterloo battlefield site?
-Human remains are extremely rare at Waterloo because most of the dead from the battle were quickly buried in mass graves or burned on site. It's estimated up to 15,000 soldiers died at Waterloo but very few remains have ever been found.
What was found at the farm of Mont-Saint-Jean?
-At the farm of Mont-Saint-Jean, which served as a field hospital during the battle, the Waterloo Uncovered team found amputated human legs, musket balls lodged in bones, and piles of discarded amputated limbs from the hundreds of amputations performed there.
What was significant about the discovery of the Rydell Hoard?
-The Rydell Hoard was a collection of rare Roman bronze artifacts from the 2nd century AD, containing a statue of Emperor Marcus Aurelius. It was an extremely significant find of Roman objects in Yorkshire from that era.
What were some of the theories about who buried the Rydell Hoard?
-Some theories were that it was buried by a priest of the Imperial cult, a Roman soldier, a metal worker who intended to melt the items down, or a farmer seeking to bless his land.
What happened after the Romans left Britain in 410 AD?
-After the Romans left Britain, there was likely a mixture of interacting cultures and shifting control, with uncertainty in the post-Roman period. People from Europe, like the Anglo-Saxons, arrived and changed the course of British history.
What was found at the Anglo-Saxon burial site in Buckinghamshire?
-The Anglo-Saxon burial site revealed many graves containing valuable artifacts like swords, shields, and jewelry from the 5th-6th centuries AD. This provided evidence of the wealth and culture of the Anglo-Saxons in Britain after Roman rule.
How does the discovery of the chalk drum relate to Stonehenge?
-The decorated chalk drum was buried with children around the same time Stonehenge was built in 3000 BC. It shows the artistic connections between different parts of Britain at the time, relating to the early phase of Stonehenge.
What do we know about York's history from the Rydell Hoard?
-The hoard dates to York's 'golden age' in the 2nd century AD, when it was a thriving Roman city interconnected with an empire-wide trade network. This was still early in York's history, about a century after it was founded.
Why are discoveries like the Waterloo Uncovered team's important?
-Archaeological discoveries like the Waterloo team's help uncover new details about major historical events and rewrite history. Physical evidence provides insights that written records may lack.
Outlines
😲 Discovery of Prehistoric Chalk Drum Links to Stonehenge
A recently discovered 5,000 year old decorated chalk drum is revealed at the British Museum's new Stonehenge exhibition. Found buried with three children skeletons in Yorkshire, the intricately carved object provides clues into the artistry and connected world of Neolithic Britain.
😯 Mystery of the Rydell Horde of Roman Yorkshire
A hoard of rare Roman bronze artefacts unearthed in North Yorkshire sparks intrigue over who buried them and why. Dating from 2nd century CE Roman Yorkshire, the objects point to religious and magical practices and have links to activity at sites like Stonehenge.
🌄 From Stonehenge to Orkney - Britain's Interconnected Neolithic World
The decorated chalk drum's motifs have parallels to artwork found as far away as Orkney, evidencing the shared language of symbols across Neolithic Britain. The level of craftsmanship also suggests master artisans were conversing and idea sharing.
🎭 The Story Continues - Drum Goes on Display at British Museum
Alice Beasley, the archaeologist who found the drum, expresses disbelief over the object being labelled the most significant prehistoric art find in 100 years. She awaits its debut at the British Museum's Stonehenge exhibition.
😮 Rare Evidence of Violence in Post-Roman Britain?
HS2 excavations unearth lavish 5th-6th century Anglo-Saxon graves with weapons, suggesting upheaval when Roman rule ended. One skeleton has weapon trauma, providing clues into shifting cultures and arrival of Europeans in this overlooked period.
🗡 Piecing Together Britain's Mysterious 'Dark Ages'
Expert analysis of swords, shields and jewellery from the Anglo-Saxon burials provides insights into post-Roman Britain. The artefacts help interpret the cloudy written records about supposed legendary figures like Arthur and Vortigern.
👂 Clickers and Dog Tags - Finds Link to D-Day and Band of Brothers
Metal detector discovers American D-Day cricket clicker signalling device on site, along with a soldier's dog tag. Locals also bring Band of Brothers TV show artifacts, showing personal experiences of D-Day.
⬅️ Back to the Future with Operation Nightingale
More discoveries emerge at the Operation Nightingale dig, ranging from a GI's harmonica to buttons and bullets. Most excitingly, two Paratrooper dog tags are unearthed, connecting artifacts to veterans of D-Day and Operation Market Garden.
💀 Extremely Rare Battle of Waterloo Skeleton Found!
Annual excavation at Waterloo yields scarcely-found human remains - one of only three ever on battlefield. Possibly an injured soldier or operation victim, it personalizes the 1815 battle's horrific brutality and makes history.
🐎 Investigating the Grim Waterloo Horse Grave
In the same Waterloo trenches, a pit with multiple horse skeletons is analyzed. Shot execution-style, it likely shows destruction of wounded cavalry horses unable to be saved post-battle - a necessity but grim affair.
🛡 New Interpretations from Surveying Hallowed Ground
Waterloo Uncovered surveys Wellington's reverse slope under special permission. Hundreds of battle musket balls emerge, plotting soldier movements and showing intense fighting that likely also claimed life of individual in pit.
👑 The Story of Roman Imperial York
In 306 AD, Constantine was proclaimed Roman Emperor in York. Already a regional capital for over 200 years, 2nd century York was a golden era - thriving civilian town, peak in local artistry, and hub connecting across Roman empire trade network.
🔎 New Analysis Changes View of Roman Yorkshire Finds
Study of the Rydell Horde changes view of previously found Folkestone drums - proving they are 500 years older than thought at 5,000 years old. Better dating provides clues into the Late Neolithic period the hoard was buried.
🤯 Four Theories on Who Buried the Mysterious Horde
The Yorkshire Museum offers four theories on who buried the hoard - a priest making religious offering, a soldier seeking protective blessing, a metal worker collecting scrap, or a farmer attempting to improve crops through ritual magic.
😊 The Horde's Journey from Field to Museum Display
Metal detectorists who found the horde reflect on the process and surprise. They wanted the objects to end up in York, living on for study. The hoard now stars in the Yorkshire Museum, beginning a new chapter in research into 2nd century Roman Yorkshire.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡archeology
💡Waterloo
💡battlefield
💡excavation
💡artifacts
💡human remains
💡musket balls
💡Napoleonic Wars
💡veterans
💡history
Highlights
The speaker introduces the motivation behind the research on virtual humans, explaining how they can be used for education, health care, and social connection.
Details are provided on the technical architecture used to build the virtual human, including computer vision, speech recognition, natural language processing, and a graph-based dialog system.
An example conversation demonstrates how the virtual human can hold a natural dialog, understand context and meaning, and provide empathetic responses.
The speaker explains how the virtual human was evaluated, including objective tests of its conversational abilities and subjective feedback from real users.
Results show the virtual human scored high on measures of dialog coherence, empathy, and user satisfaction compared to other systems.
Discussion of future work includes enhancing the virtual human's common sense reasoning, expanding its knowledge base, and improving emotional expressiveness.
The virtual human demonstrates the ability to provide health counseling, follow-up on tasks, and motivate behavioral change over repeated interactions.
For educational applications, the virtual human can explain concepts, answer questions, provide feedback, and adapt based on student needs.
The speaker emphasizes the importance of developing transparent and ethical virtual humans that act responsibly.
There is discussion of research challenges like avoiding bias, ensuring privacy, and setting appropriate expectations for virtual human capabilities.
The conclusion summarizes how virtual humans can augment human abilities and enrich lives, but require thoughtful design aligned with human values.
The speaker motivates the value of developing virtual humans for scales like education, health care, and social connection.
Architecture details highlight innovations in AI like computer vision, NLP, dialog systems enabling natural conversations.
Results found the virtual human outperformed others at coherence, empathy and user satisfaction.
Future directions identified include expanding knowledge and emotional capabilities.
Transcripts
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