Cover Story
Cracking the genetic code: Illuminating the past and informing the present with ancient DNA Pioneering research in the Francis Crick Institute’s Ancient Genomics Lab is boosting our understanding of past populations, people, and pathogens. Carly Hilts spoke to Tom Booth and Kat Nilsson and explored a new exhibition sharing some of these findings. Features
Full of faith: New insights into the medieval parish churches of Norwich Norwich today has more medieval churches than any other city north of the Alps. The Brooke Commission concluded in 1970 that only six were required for parish worship and that… 
I’ll follow the sun: Examining a prehistoric ‘prototype’ for Stonehenge’s solstice alignment In mid-May, the day before CA 437’s print deadline, we joined a press conference to hear about an exciting discovery associated with Stonehenge. Keen to keep to our commitment to… 
Traces of the Trinovantes? Exploring recent insights from Iron Age Essex Two recent discoveries – Britain’s largest hoard of Iron Age gold coins and a series of unusual elite burials – unearthed about 8km (5 miles) apart on opposite sides of… 
The Lexden Lady: Examining a rare lead coffin burial from Roman Colchester A recently discovered high-status burial offers rare insights into ancient funerary practices and Colchester’s late Roman past. Carly Hilts spoke to Laura Pooley at a new exhibition about the finds. News
World news New insights into the Plain of Jars in Laos Xieng Khouang Plateau in northern Laos is dotted with hundreds of ancient stone jars. While they have been the subject of… 
Prehistoric timber circle uncovered near Belfast Another prehistoric circle was recently uncovered during a community archaeology project, this time near the Giant’s Ring, just outside Belfast. The investigation, led by archaeologists from Queen’s University Belfast, was… 
An Egyptian presence in Roman York? A small glass bottle excavated at Tanner Row in York 40 years ago has been identified as a kohl bottle – a type of eye make-up container that was very… 
Prehistoric ‘circle’ identified on Machrie Moor A geophysical survey on Machrie Moor, on the western side of the Isle of Arran (a small island off the west coast of Scotland), has revealed the outline of what… 
Science Notes: New research provides insights into bone preservation The mechanisms by which bone degrades in the burial environment are poorly understood, with large amounts of variation seen even within the same cemetery containing the same environmental and soil… 
Rare Genius at Vindolanda A Roman relief of a Genius – a protective guardian spirit – has recently been found at the Roman fort of Vindolanda, hidden underneath the floor of a barracks. While… 
Made in England? New insights into the origins of the Sutton Hoo helmet The discovery of a 1,400-year-old die-stamp in Kent, bearing imagery strikingly similar to one of the motifs on the Sutton Hoo helmet, raises intriguing questions about whether elite armour like… 
Signs of Bronze Age settlement at Haughey’s Fort Recent archaeological investigations at the Bronze Age site of Haughey’s Fort – next to the famous Navan Fort, an Iron Age monument in County Armagh, Northern Ireland (see CA 406)… 
Further finds from Halberton Roman villa A Roman mosaic thought to be the most westerly example of the polychrome style yet found in Britain is among the discoveries emerging from a large Roman villa complex near… Views
Excavating the CA archive: Great sites associated with the early church Comment In my previous two columns I explored some of the great religious buildings of Britain; these are primarily known for their medieval and later histories, and for their towering urban… 
Major Oak has died Comment My recent ‘Odd Socs’ column on the Ancient Tree Forum (CA 436) proved to be unexpectedly topical when, on 18 June, it was announced that Sherwood Forest’s 1,200-year-old Major Oak… 
CA 438 Letters – August Letters Archaeology has been ‘solved’! (or, how we shed some light on dark earth…) It was great to see Cotswold Archaeology’s research into the function of burnt mounds included in ‘Sherds’… 
Current Archaeology’s August 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… 
Genghis Khan: How the Mongols Changed the World What's on A new exhibition at the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds explores the history and legacy of the Mongol Empire. Carly Hilts visited to learn more. 
Chalk it up to experience: Cerne Abbas, Dorchester The Picture Desk The Cerne Abbas Giant has just undergone its once-in-a-decade rechalking, restoring the famous foothill figure to its striking white appearance. With the Giant standing at an impressive 55m (180ft) tall,… 
Finds Tray: Iron fetter Objects This is an iron fetter, probably from a set of shackles, dating to the Romano-British period. Found near Horncastle, Lincolnshire, following river-dredging, it is in exceptionally good condition, perhaps because… 
Binchester Roman Fort What's on The excavated remains of Vinovia, a major cavalry fort and civilian settlement near Bishop Auckland, have reopened to the public under the management of The Auckland Project. CA reports. 
Kynren – the storied lands What's on A cultural regeneration charity focused on Bishop Auckland in County Durham has opened an immersive attraction featuring historically inspired live-action shows. Carly Hilts visited to learn more. 
Cambridge Past, Present & Future Groups Starting with the opening of the UK’s first science park in 1970, Cambridge has grown from the sleepy market town of 60 years ago into an internationally renowned centre of… Reviews
Current Archaeology’s August 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… Genghis Khan: How the Mongols Changed the World A new exhibition at the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds explores the history and legacy of the Mongol Empire. Carly Hilts visited to learn more. Binchester Roman Fort The excavated remains of Vinovia, a major cavalry fort and civilian settlement near Bishop Auckland, have reopened to the public under the management of The Auckland Project. CA reports. Kynren – the storied lands A cultural regeneration charity focused on Bishop Auckland in County Durham has opened an immersive attraction featuring historically inspired live-action shows. Carly Hilts visited to learn more. 
Burials and the Black Death: the New Library excavation, Hereford Cathedral Excavation reports often have a long gestation, and the publication of the City of Hereford Archaeology Unit’s 1993 excavations on the site of Hereford Cathedral’s new Mappa Mundi museum has… 
Rhynie – a Powerful Place of Pictland: the development of a landscape of Pictish royal power from the Roman to the early medieval period Aberdeenshire is known for its Pictish symbol stones, but until recently evidence for Pictish settlements in the region was sparse and our understanding of Pictish sites even more tenuous. This… 
From Morocco to the Coast of England: the story of the Dom van Keulen and its remarkable cargo First discovered nearly 30 years ago, the wreck of a ship that sank in Salcombe Bay, Devon, in 1633 has now been comprehensively re-examined in this new British Museum volume.… 
Shropshire: art, architecture, and archaeology from Roman Wroxeter to the sixteenth century The latest in the British Archaeological Association’s regional conference volumes covers Shropshire. The 16 contributions might seem at first sight to concentrate on the county’s best-known Roman and medieval sites… 
The Archaeology of Industrial Cheshire in 20 Digs The Archaeology of Industrial Cheshire in 20 Digs is a well-illustrated introduction to Cheshire’s industrial past. Each concise chapter combines documentary evidence with excavation results to trace the development of… 
Roman Britain in Twenty Towns: a visitor’s guide The idea of a guidebook is an ancient one – Pausanias’ Guide to Greece is perhaps the first – but these days the idea of wandering around sites clutching a… 
From the editor
Sometimes an artefact can create a powerful flash of recognition, linking your own experiences with those of someone who lived centuries earlier. I felt this kind of connection when visiting a new exhibition for this month’s ‘In Focus’. The displays, which tell the story of a woman who was buried in late Roman Colchester, include a hairpin whose shaft is covered with dents interpreted as possible teethmarks, evoking its owner holding the object in her mouth while fixing her hair. Almost 2,000 years later, I do the same thing every morning – though my hairgrips are cheap plastic rather than finely crafted Whitby jet!
Thanks to the continuing advance of archaeological science, we can also glean amazingly precise and personal information about people from the past by analysing their DNA. Pioneering work by the Francis Crick Institute in London is bringing a wealth of illuminating stories to light once more, as our cover feature reports.
Our next article takes us to Iron Age Essex to examine two recent discoveries – the largest hoard of Iron Age gold coins yet found in Britain, and a series of elite burials – that shed intriguing light on how local people may have responded to early contact with the Roman world and the upheaval of invasion.
We then travel to Salisbury Plain to bring you a fuller account of an exciting discovery that we touched on briefly in last month’s CA: evidence that Late Neolithic communities may have gathered to hold solstice celebrations near Stonehenge 500 years before its famous sarsens were erected.
Complementing this discussion of ceremonial gatherings during the Neolithic period, we are also exploring another kind of place that has brought people together over the centuries: parish churches, specifically those of medieval Norwich.
CARLY
