News - Medieval Kitchen Unearthed in Oxford - Archaeology Magazine

OXFORD, ENGLAND -- According to a BBC News report, archaeologists have uncovered the medieval kitchens of Oxford University's Oriel College, which was founded in 1326. The excavation coincides with renovation work for the college's kitchen and bar. The team unearthed a medieval roasting hearth and oven base, as well as remnants of a stone wall that may have been a boundary of the land once owned by the college. "This is an archaeologically rich area of Oxford, having once been located in the late-Saxon town's south-eastern corner, before the city expanded to the east," says Ben Ford of Oxford Archaeology. Earlier this fall, archaeologists excavated an Anglo-Saxon defensive perimeter wall. The discoveries are helping researchers piece together a more complete picture of Oriel's medieval layout, which was previously known only through historic maps. To read more about archaeology at Oxford, including a grave uncovered at St. John's College, go to "Vengeance on the Vikings."