Archaeologists may have uncovered medieval palace

A prehistoric fortress is home to a much later structure: what may be one of the biggest medieval palaces ever discovered, one whose remnants remain buried beneath the ground, the Independent reports.

The site in southern England is surrounded by huge earthworks that date to the Iron Age. Researchers used ground-penetrating radar and other technology to investigate what's under the grass within the inner and outer baileys of the former fort, the BBC reports.

Without doing any digging, they found a large complex that leading medieval-building expert Dr. Edward Impey believes is an early 12th-century castle. It measures about 560 feet by 210 feet and features 10-foot-thick walls and what appears to be a 200-foot-long great hall, the Independent notes.

"The prime candidate for constructing it is perhaps Henry I," says Impey. "Archaeologists and historians have known for centuries that there was a medieval city at Old Sarum," notes survey leader Kristian Strutt, "but until now there has been no proper plan of the site." The archaeologists' survey uncovered residential areas, evidence of kilns or furnaces, and an open area—"perhaps for mustering resources or people"—near some large structures, per a press release.

"From this we can piece together a detailed picture of the urban plan," says Strutt. The Iron Age fort at the site was likely built around 400 BC and taken over by Romans in 43 AD, the BBC notes.

But by the onset of the 13th century, the city built in the same place became too tight and weather-beaten for habitation and was abandoned in favor of today's Salisbury, which is located roughly 2 miles away.

(Another 'lost city' was recently investigated using similar techniques in Cambodia.)

Exclusive interview with Jourdan Dunn: Mother, one of the world's best-paid models and ambassador for sickle-cell disease

“Before modelling, I always wanted to be an actress,” she says. “It’s great the position I’m in that the opportunity is there, I’ve been sent on auditions and I’m getting the feel of it. But I don’t want to get a role just because of who I am. Eventually, I want to take my acting seriously: get a coach, go to drama school. I’d want a role that would push me, to surprise people and make them take me seriously.”

The emotional effects of a month of early call times and late nights should be good practice for any future roles, she thinks: “Every season, without fail, I’ve cried. Happy tears and sad tears, over-it tears – everything. It’s a very emotional time. You go into castings and hear the reason you’re not going to be booked for those shows, and you just think ‘wow’.”

Since the early days of her career, Dunn has been outspoken about the lack of diversity in the industry. Tellingly, last month she was the first British black woman to be included in Forbes list of the highest-paid models, published annually since 2006. The business magazine estimated her income as £2.4m for the year up to June 2014, a large part of which came from Dunn’s contract with Maybelline, which she signed in April. Although not her first big campaign – she’s previously been the face of Burberry and Topshop – it’s one that Dunn has always hankered after. “It sounds so cheesy, but it literally has been a dream come true. I remember being asked what I’d like to do in the next five years, and I said, ‘walk for Victoria’s Secret, have a Vogue cover and I’d love a Maybelline contract.’ It’s always been Maybelline.”

“I never really had make-up growing up so I used to raid my mum’s make-up bag. I remember being drawn to the green-and-pink packaging of Maybelline’s Great Lash mascara and my mum said. ‘OK, that’s the only make-up you’re allowed to use.’ Maybelline was my first introduction to make-up. Now, I love the nude lip glosses – they always have such a great selection for different skin tones.”i-D winter 2011

Dunn’s mother still plays a significant part in her life, not least looking after Riley so that the model is able to travel – one of the most rewarding, yet difficult, aspects of her job. “It’s really hard to be away from him, but he’s beginning to understand. He’s my priority, so if he has a parents evening or it’s his birthday I’m going to pick that over a job. First and foremost, I’m a mum before I’m a model, so I’ll always put him before anything. There are opportunities that I’ve missed out on, but there’s always another one around the corner.”

When Dunn misses her son, she turns to her model family to get her through, especially one person in particular. “Whatever Cara’s doing, I’ll support her, and vice versa. It’s a real, true friendship – she’s like my little sister,” she says of her partner in crime, and in matching tattoos. Indeed, when Delevingne was on the front row at Burberry last week, rather than in the show, she proudly filmed Dunn walking down the catwalk. Meeting new people has been one of the unexpected pleasures of her job, says Dunn: “I love Christopher Bailey, he’s such a nice guy, and Alexander Wang knows how to have fun but is so sweet and humble, which is rare in this industry. When I get to meet real people, it’s comforting – I think OK, I’m not the only one that’s normal here.”

Jourdan Dunn is the new face of Maybelline New York