Archaeologists working at Prague Castle have unearthed portions of a rampart which dates to the 10th or 11th century and part of a moat that may date as far back as the 9th century. Jana Marikova-Kubkova of the Archaeological Institute of the Academy of Science informed journalists that an unusual illustration of the castle's buildings had also been discovered, calling it "the first find of this type in Prague." Find out more in the

During the restoration of the Kyloe Tower in Northumberland, the faded image of a woman's face was revealed on a stone that juts out near the top of the tower. The stone is believed to have been one of several corbels that would have been used to support a gallery from which visitors could look at the splendid view. Find out more in the article at the Journal, which includes a nice picture.

I...

Archaeologists have discovered an exceptionally large, octagon-shaped wine press about 25 miles south of Jerusalem. Measuring about 21 by 54 feet, the press was very likely part of a commercial operation, the fruits of which may have been shipped to Egypt or Europe, or both. The complexity of the device was quite advanced for 1,400 years ago, during which time the region was under the control of the Byzantine Empire. Find out more in...

The Madaba Map is a mosaic depiction of the Holy Land -- including portions of Egypt, Lebanon, Sinai, Israel, Palestine, and Jordan -- that was created in the 6th or 7th century C.E. It was discovered more than 100 years ago in a Jordanian church, and since then several archaeological finds have supported the idea that the map is geographically correct. Now archaeologists have uncovered a road running through the center of Jerusalem's Old City...

This week there have been several news items related to treasure -- of one kind or another -- from the Middle Ages.

• Viking treasure found in Shenston
  An ingot dating to the 9th or 10th century was found less than five miles from the Staffordshire Hoard. See the article at This Is Lichfield.
  
  
• More treasure found near Tamworth
  A 15th-century silver link is of a design typical of the Lancastrian dynasty. Check...

Ave, everybody. Not much new here in a very, very long time. I did just finish placing all the articles into a menu up top, but I'm afraid I have no new posts to add. Back in 2000 I started RedRampant.com as a way to teach myself HTML. I figured there was no better way to learn, than doing. I had a fanatical interest in the Roman army at the time, so that was the...

This appears in Ancient Warfare Magazine vol III, issue 6. This magazine is now available in US bookstores, so have a look next time your browsing.

I just sent the final illustration to the editor. Here are two in-progress photos. You can see I moved away from Bédeoyère's Scarborough sketch. The article author didn't want crenelations on the tower walls (these weren't meant to withstand a siege). I initially wanted an isometric view from above, but in the end opted for a ground level view with...

This week I am starting work on an illustration of a Roman signal tower. It will be part of Murray Dahm's article, "An Ancient Enigma—Solving the Secrets of Ancient Military Signaling" in Ancient Warfare Magazine Vol III, issue 6. For a reference I am using the above illustration from Guy de la Bédeoyère's The Buildings...