Cover Story
Scotland’s first warriors: Interpreting evidence of conflict from the Neolithic to the coming of the Romans Interpersonal violence has been a fact of human existence for much of our long history – but how far is this reflected in the archaeological record? With a major new exhibition now open at the National Museum of Scotland, Matthew… Features
Observing the Ouse: Excavating the deep history of the Cambridgeshire Fens The Cambridge Archaeological Unit (CAU) has been excavating sites along the banks of the River Great Ouse since 1994, keeping one step ahead of sand- and gravel-quarrying that is steadily… 
Community and congregations: Exploring wall paintings in Cornish churches Many of Cornwall’s churches preserve centuries-old murals of saints and religious scenes. Laura Miucci shares some of the stories behind these colourful creations, and explores how organised Community Archaeology visits… News
‘Prototype’ for Stonehenge’s solar alignment found Excavations at Bulford have revealed the remains of a 5,000-year-old structure suggesting that the solstice was celebrated on Salisbury Plain centuries earlier than thought. CA reports. 
Science Notes: Unlocking Iron Age funerary traditions in Scotland Iron Age burial practices in Britain are among the most enigmatic, as few ‘formal’ cemeteries are known from this period (with some exceptions, such as among the Durotriges in Dorset;… 
Iron Age votive site uncovered near Cirencester Archaeological investigations near Cirencester in Gloucestershire have revealed the remains of what may have been a major religious, or ‘votive’, centre dating to the late Iron Age (c.100 BC-AD 43).… 
Archaeological landscape revealed near Newark-on-Trent Archaeological investigations in advance of the A46 Newark Bypass scheme in Nottinghamshire have revealed a landscape scattered with features spanning six millennia. Archaeological Management Solutions (AMS) was contracted on behalf… 
Illicit distilling equipment found in Ben Lawers bothy The recent excavation of a clandestine stone bothy at Ben Lawers National Nature Reserve (NNR) has uncovered a rare piece of a copper still, providing concrete proof that the site… 
Scotland’s earliest dentistry identified in Aberdeen Recent analysis of a mandible (lower jawbone) from an individual buried inside the East Kirk of St Nicholas in Aberdeen has identified a rare example of late medieval/early post-medieval dentistry:… 
Britain’s oldest rock art rediscovered on the Gower? A series of ten red horizontal lines, recently rediscovered in Bacon Hole on the southern coast of the Gower Peninsula in Wales, has been interpreted as rock art possibly dating… 
Rare Roman lead coffin displayed at Colchester Excavations in Colchester have unearthed a rare and exceptionally well preserved lead coffin, housing the remains of a woman who lived and died during the later Roman period. Recent analysis… 
World news Unusual religious monument uncovered in Egypt Excavations at the ancient Egyptian port city of Pelusium (modern-day Tell el-Farama) have uncovered the remains of a unique 2,000-year-old temple that is believed… Views
Excavating the CA archive: Great religious buildings Comment After last month’s column on Westminster Abbey, St Paul’s Cathedral, and Canterbury Cathedral, I will continue my ecclesiastical theme this month by exploring three of the great religious buildings in… 
Go digging! What's on This month’s selection of summer digging opportunities includes projects from Staffordshire, Stirling, Edinburgh, and Nottinghamshire. 
Festival of Archaeology What's on This month sees a return of the Council for British Archaeology’s annual Festival of Archaeology, with a wealth of in-person and online events taking place across the UK in July… 
CA 437 Letters – July Letters Preserving trig points There are various ways of protecting trig points (‘Sherds’, CA 436). This example (below) sits within the Iron Age hillfort known as Castle Hill, close to the… 
Grand designs: Exploring the largest ever prehistoric reconstruction at Stonehenge What's on A huge replica of a Neolithic hall, based on archaeological evidence excavated at Durrington Walls, has opened at Stonehenge. Carly Hilts reports. 
Current Archaeology’s July Listings: exhibitions, events, and heritage from home What's on There are lots of great ways to get involved with history and archaeology over the next few months, including exhibitions, lectures, and conferences exploring a wide range of subjects. If… 
Balti curry Comment Does ‘balti’, the Birmingham-created curry named after the steel bowl in which the dish is cooked and served, count as part of the UK’s intangible heritage? 
All’s well that ends well: Sheffield Castle The Picture Desk A team from Wessex Archaeology – working with FlyThru, a commercial drone company – have recently conducted a survey of a medieval well, once a vital source of water for… 
Finds Tray: Coin hoard Objects This early medieval coin hoard was discovered near Maldon in Essex, in January 2025, by a metal-detecting group. Found dispersed across a field, its contents comprise 14 silver pennies, all… Reviews
Urban exploration: Revealing Roman and medieval York through ground-penetrating radar Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) has been used to great effect to map underlying archaeology on open-area sites, but how well does it perform in urban environments? John Creighton, Thomas Matthews Boehmer,… Go digging! This month’s selection of summer digging opportunities includes projects from Staffordshire, Stirling, Edinburgh, and Nottinghamshire. Festival of Archaeology This month sees a return of the Council for British Archaeology’s annual Festival of Archaeology, with a wealth of in-person and online events taking place across the UK in July… Grand designs: Exploring the largest ever prehistoric reconstruction at Stonehenge A huge replica of a Neolithic hall, based on archaeological evidence excavated at Durrington Walls, has opened at Stonehenge. Carly Hilts reports. Current Archaeology’s July Listings: exhibitions, events, and heritage from home There are lots of great ways to get involved with history and archaeology over the next few months, including exhibitions, lectures, and conferences exploring a wide range of subjects. If… 
Myths on the Edge of Empire: how Classical mythology spread throughout Roman Britain This book explores an important, new aspect of archaeological interpret-ation that deals with the description and transmission of mythical romanitas. One of the most prominent and novel features of Dr… 
Mosaics in Britannia Stephen Cosh, together with his colleague Dr David Neal, are the authors of a truly monumental and authoritative five-volume survey of all the Roman mosaics of Britain, the only province… 
Seeking the Saxon Shore: a guide to the coastal forts of Roman Britain This new book from Pen & Sword is a most welcome one: many people are familiar with the Saxon Shore forts of east and south-east England, but there has not… 
Excavations at Highdown, West Sussex Highdown Hill is an extraordinary place. It stands detached from the great chalk spine of the South Downs, dominating the coastal plain across to the English Channel. The Bronze Age… 
From the editor
War: what is it good for? This question resonates along the length of the human story, with archaeological evidence of weapons and traumatic injuries stretching back far into prehistory. While the traditional answer is ‘absolutely nothing’, historical conflicts have undeniably shaped interactions between communities, transformed the ways in which land is used and resources controlled, and driven – and been driven by – technological innovations. Our cover feature turns the spotlight specifically on to Scotland, and a major new exhibition in Edinburgh which tells a complex story spanning 4,000 years from the Neolithic period to the coming of the Romans.
We then turn to the rather more tranquil setting of the Cambridgeshire Fens, where years of fieldwork beside the River Great Ouse have illuminated the evolution of a prehistoric landscape, from field systems and settlements to an enigmatic ‘shaman’ pit and rare traces of Bronze Age funerary textiles.
Our third feature has a more urban focus, examining the potential and limitations of ground penetrating radar surveys in built-up environments. What have recent investigations in York revealed about the city’s Roman and medieval past, and particularly the history of its world famous Minster?
Finally, we explore a selection of Cornwall’s beautiful historic churches, many of which preserve colourful medieval wall paintings. What can be learned from the stories that these images tell, the sociopolitical context that they represent, and their histories of Victorian ‘restorations’ and more recent conservation? Here, too, we highlight the power of Community Archaeology for boosting the well-being of remote and rural populations, and the importance of promoting and protecting local heritage sites.
CARLY
