Amateur Archaeologists Studying Aerial Maps of the U.K. Spot Dozens of Hidden Historical Structures

by Alex Fox/Smithsonianmag.com

With archaeology digs on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, cooped-up history buffs are making their mark. As Steven Morris reports for the Guardian, volunteers tasked with scouring aerial surveys of England for signs of human habitation have discovered dozens of previously unknown structures after studying just a tenth of the data available. Dating from the prehistoric period to the medieval era, the sites are scattered between Cornwall and Devon in southwest England.

Per a statement from the University of Exeter—which organized search efforts through its Understanding Landscapes initiative—the finds include remnants of more than 20 miles of Roman road, 30 prehistoric or Roman settlements, and 20 prehistoric burial mounds, as well as hundreds of medieval farms, field systems and quarries.

If some of the southwesternmost sites are definitively identified as Roman, they will lend additional support to the notion that the empire’s influence stretched beyond the city of Exeter—long considered the endpoint of Roman territory in the British Isles, according to the Ipplepen Archaeological Project. Previously unearthed evidence for this theory includes traces of a Roman butcher business and a crafts center discovered in Ipplepen, Devon, last fall, reported Morris for the Guardian at the time.

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Biography

Carol Duff, MSN, BA, RN

Carol graduated from Riverside White Cross School of Nursing in Columbus, Ohio and received her diploma as a registered nurse. She attended Bowling Green State University where she received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History and Literature. She attended the University of Toledo, College of Nursing, and received a Master’s of Nursing Science Degree as an Educator.

She has traveled extensively, is a photographer, and writes on medical issues. Carol has three children RJ, Katherine, and Stephen – one daughter-in-law; Katie – two granddaughters; Isabella Marianna and Zoe Olivia – and one grandson, Alexander Paul. She also shares her life with husband Gordon Duff, many cats, and two rescue pups.

Carol’s Archives 2009-2013

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