Archaeology Magazine - September/October 2021 - 14

DIGS DISCOVERIES
MAN OF THE MOMENT
A
t first glance, the 180-foot Cerne Abbas Giant might
appear to be the most profane of Britain's iconic chalk
figures. But a new interpretation suggests that one
of Dorset's most famous residents may actually have been
associated with a ninth-century a.d. cleric. By using optically
stimulated luminescence to analyze samples of deeply buried soil
Cerne Abbas Giant, Dorset, England
from when the giant was first cut into the hillside, researchers
have now established that the figure dates to the early medieval
period, between a.d. 700 and 1100-not the Bronze Age, the
Iron Age, or the early modern period, as has previously been
suggested by various observers throughout the centuries.
Some have speculated that the giant depicts a pagan god,
but National Trust archaeologist Martin Papworth
says that most inhabitants of Dorset had converted
to Christianity by the eighth century a.d., the earliest
years of the giant's newly established age range.
Instead, Papworth suggests, it's more likely that the
giant was associated with Cerne Abbey, a Benedictine
monastery dating to a.d. 987 located barely 200
yards from the chalk geoglyph. " A ninth-century
prince called Eadwold became known for healing
people and lived as a hermit in the area, " says Papworth.
" When the abbey was founded, Saint Eadwold
became its patron, and it's possible that the giant was
originally created as a depiction of the saint pointing
pilgrims toward the abbey in which his shrine is
located. " Papworth explains that lidar imaging of the
giant shows the figure has been altered significantly
over the centuries. In fact, he once had a belt, and
possibly also trousers, and his most obvious attribute
was a later addition, meaning he may once have been
more suitable for polite monastic company.
-Marley broWn
KIWI COLONISTS
I
n the mid-nineteenth century, thousands of settlers from
diverse European and Asian backgrounds began to arrive
in Britain's young colony of New Zealand. Many were
drawn to the South Island region of Otago by dreams of a
pastoral lifestyle, or by the discovery of gold in the 1860s. A
picture of the multicultural society these colonists formed
is beginning to emerge through analysis of human remains
recovered from unmarked graves at three cemetery sites.
Researchers conducted isotope and DNA analysis, hoping
to determine where the people came from. Isotope analysis,
explains University of Otago archaeologist Charlotte King, can
help indicate where someone grew up, while DNA provides
information about genetic heritage, narrowing down where
someone's ancestors are from. " The combination of isotope and
mitochondrial DNA analysis can tell us quite complex stories
about a person, " says King. " For instance, we identified one
person in the study who has European DNA, but an isotopic
14
Excavations, Otago, New Zealand
signature and material culture in their burial that match
Chinese individuals in our sample. "
-Marley broWn
ARCHAEOLOGY * September/October 2021
Archaeology Magazine - September/October 2021

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