Crusader Archaeology

"A unique Crusader-period hoard containing approximately 300 marble slabs and architectural fragments
was found in an excavation in Acre, Israel. The hoard dates to the thirteenth century CE and was apparently
buried beneath a basement floor due to the impending danger from the Mamluks. It was then further
buried beneath the debris of the upper stories of the building following the final conquest of the Crusader
city in 1291. The hoard seems to be spolia from Roman and Byzantine buildings and consists mostly of
slabs and tiles, as well as some columns (including sawed columns), lintels, inscribed tombstones, and
other unusual artifacts."

The purpose of this paper is to present the excavation data from the islet fort at the Lower Castle of Andros, focusing on the ceramic material studied so far.  The aim of the research was to record the existing buildings (curtain wall, Central Tower, Northeast Tower), to conduct a surface survey of the area and finally to excavate trenches at the most significant points (Northeast House).  The excavation (1991-1996) concluded that the Lower Castle was constructed in the beginning of the 13th century, when Andros became a domain of the pro-venetian Ducat of the Archipelago (1207) following the 4th crusade (1204) and the dismantlement of the Byzantine Empire.  In 1566 Andros was conquered by the Ottoman navy, and the Castle was afterwards only sporadically used.  The pottery collected, along with coins and other minor objects, offers valuable evidence concerning questions of date, provenance and interrelations, thus enlightening the state of the island during the medieval and early modern period.  The presence of ceramic wares, such as glazed sgraffito, slip painted, Italian maiolica, Spanish lustre, marbled, “Miletus”, Iznik and Çanakkale, also recorded in various centres of both eastern and western Mediterranean, proves beyond doubt the close commercial ties and contacts between the island and these centres, and the intense naval activity in the Aegean from the 13th century onwards.

""Ascalon is perhaps best known as one of the cities of the Philistines mentioned in the Bible, but in the Middle Ages it was a strongly fortified town, controlling the costal sea-and land- routes between Syria (Bilad al-Sham) and Egypt. Unlike neighbouring Gaza, the site has remained unoccupied since the mid thirteenth century, making it ideal for extensive excavations which have taken place since the late 1980s by the Leon-Levy expedition. In 2008 they were joined by Denys Pringle of Cardiff University in a collaborative project to study the Medieval walls themselves in more details.

These massive walls which enclose the site on the landward side run for almost 2km, and stand on the remains of previous fortification, as ancient as the Middle Bronze Age. They are often in a ruinous state, making them particuarly hard to study, except for the most determined and skillful of scholars.
The walls themselves are often accredited to the Crusaders, but a sample of burnt organic material retrieved from the structure appears to put the initial construction in the 5th or early 6th century AD, making them  contemporary with other  Byzantine era structures at the site.

In this lecture, using the results from his study, and setting them in the context of significant events of the period, Professor Pringle will unravel the complex history of the Medieval fortifications, from their original construction through the numerous phases of contruction, destruction, rebuilding  and modification which occurred throughout the Early Islamic and Crusader periods.""