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Construction workers digging a foundation for a supermarket in Camelon, Scotland, ran into what is now an archaeological site. Around 60 pairs of discarded footwear that once belonged to Roman soldiers was found.
The 2,000-year-old leather footwear was discovered along with Roman jewelry, coins, pottery, and animal bones at the site, which is located at the northern frontier of the Roman Empire.
The cache of Roman shoes and sandals—one of the largest ever found in Scotland—was uncovered recently in a ditch at the gateway to a second century A.D. fort built along the Antonine Wall. The wall is a massive defensive barrier that the Romans built across central Scotland during their brief occupation of the region.
In what will most likely prove to be a garbage dump, archaeologists are finding clues to life in one of the “most important Scottish excavations in the last decade.” Link
(Image credit: Martin Cook)
Forts and the Inbetween is a club founded by adults around the building of forts and the psychological and social effects such activities have.
For us, to build a fort is to create a safe space where we can freely use our imaginations and be ourselves; a space where we can relate to each other and ask questions. By acting on those questions, a fort becomes the starting place for an experience that will empower and grow both us and our communities into something exceptional. These forts inspire us to live brilliantly, profoundly, and generously.
The club is taking their philosophy on the road. You’re invited to build your own fort and submit to their site. Link -via Videogum
A military fort, out in the ocean, with a moat! Fort Jefferson is a part of Dry Tortugas National Park in the waters off of Key West, Florida. Construction on the “fort in the middle of nowhere” was started in 1846. It was originally meant for the defense of the US, but during the 30 years of construction, some design features became obsolete for that purpose.
During and after the Civil War the fort began to be used as a prison for deserters and other criminals. In 1874 the army completely abandoned the fort after several hurricanes and a yellow fever epidemic, and it wasn’t until 1898 that the military returned in the form of the navy, which used the facilities during the Spanish-American War. The fort was also used from 1888 through 1900 as a quarantine station, and was garrisoned again briefly during World War I.
(Image credit: National Park Service)
BUILD takes a serious look at dozen of structures built from couch cushions in a two-part post. Each are carefully graded. For the above fort:
The crisp, clean, white planes, drawing clear influences from Richard Meier, are balanced with a splash of color offered by the roof membrane. The disciplined interiors offer relief to the eyes with a subtle yet intentional blue tone. Grade B+
Link -via Laughing Squid
You’re looking at the the star fort of Bourtange in the Netherlands. It sure looks fantastic, but there’s a wily logic behind building a fort in such a shape. Turns out, a circular fortification of the medieval era was vulnerable to cannon fire. All the crazy angles and moats surrounding the star-shaped fort was made it easier to defend.
There’s no danger of an invading horde today, but these star-shaped formations are so darned picturesque that I wish they’d build more of these instead of ho-hum suburbs and strip malls.
If you like the Bourtange fort above, check out this article written by one of our favorite bloggers, Shaun Usher (better known as deputy dog). He has compiled 6 communities with intriguing bird’s eye shapes as can be seen on Google Maps. He even turned the caps on for us: Link – Thanks Dave!
