When it was completed in 1209, medieval London Bridge was the only fixed crossing of the Thames downstream of Kingston-upon-Thames (until Fulham Bridge was built in 1729). Remarkably, it was also home to some 500 people – equivalent to the population of a small medieval town. In London Bridge and…
• Dark satanic mills: tracing the lives of 19th-century pauper apprentices
• Ballynahatty: reconstructing a rare Neolithic timber monument
• The South Downs from above: human history from the Neolithic to the Cold War
• Exploring local life before and after Hadrian’s Wall
• The Connington teenager: being ‘different’ in Anglo-Saxon England…
Your thoughts on issues raised by CA.…
The latest on exhibitions, acquisitions, and key decisions.…
A recent survey project has analysed almost 10,000 aerial photographs as well as LiDAR imagery to explore archaeological features preserved within a large swathe of the South Downs National Park. From monuments to military remains, both well-known sites and new discoveries have been brought to light, as Carly Hilts reports.…
Ballynahatty, in County Down, Northern Ireland, is an astonishing site that deserves to be far better known for what it tells us about Neolithic timber monuments. At the core of the site is a series of deep post pits that once held 471 tree-sized wooden posts. The newly published excavation…
How did the construction of Hadrian’s Wall affect the communities living in its shadow? In CA 277, we reported on the apparent depopulation of Iron Age settlements in lowland Northumberland and Tyne & Wear after the Roman frontier was fortified c.AD 122. Now, Philippa Hunter, Rupert Lotherington, Clive Waddington,…
A collaborative project has brought to light the lives of a 19th-century community living and working in Fewston, North Yorkshire. Among their number were many children who were indentured to work in the nearby mills, and whose lives may have ultimately been cut short by this labour. Kathryn Krakowka talked…
A new exhibition running at the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology in Cambridge explores the wealth of human stories that have been brought to light in the surrounding region, through excavations old and new. Carly Hilts visited the displays with curator Dr Jody Joy to learn more.…
Based on three years of excavations at Dinas Dinlle – carried out by archaeologists from Gwynedd Archaeological Trust, CHERISH, the National Trust, and Cadw (see CA 356 and 394) – new reconstruction drawings by Wessex Archaeology are bringing the site to life once more. They show what the hillfort and…
Joe Flatman explores over half a century of reports from the past.…
If you are looking for new ways to get stuck into history and heritage over the coming months, there are plenty of opportunities. From conferences and lectures to exhibitions and activities, there’s something for everyone. Or, if you would prefer to get involved from the comfort of your own home,…
England’s largest annual community heritage festival returns this month with a programme of activities themed around creativity, ranging from fashion and the arts to archaeological excavations and museum open days. Ceri Pennington has picked out a selection from this year’s events.…
Archaeology Scotland’s flagship festival, Scottish Archaeology Month (SAM), is taking place throughout September. More details can be found at www.archaeologyscotland.org.uk/scottish-archaeology-month, but here are some highlights of what’s on offer.…
Excavations at Conington, Cambridgeshire, uncovered the remains of a young woman who, unusually, had been laid face-down in her early medieval grave. What can this burial tell us about her life and death, and how she may have been perceived by her community? Carly Hilts reports.…
Plans for a new, more sustainable garden within the ruins of Scotney Castle in Kent have given archaeologists the rare opportunity to explore the medieval mansion’s buried remains. Carly Hilts visited Nat Cohen on site to find out more.…
Paranormal phenomena (meaning those that can’t be explained by science) tend to be associated with old buildings. What self-respecting historical house lacks a story of somebody whose death in sudden and often tragic circumstances has left a restless spirit wandering its rooms and hallways? People who are fascinated by such…
Wood, for obvious reasons, is a rare discovery in the world of archaeology, with any and all recovered artefacts made from such a material heavily prized for research opportunities. Because of its relative scarcity, though, the best methodologies for analysing ancient wood are often undertested. In this month’s Science Notes,…
Aseries of 25 Mesolithic pits have been discovered in Linmere, near Houghton Regis in Bedfordshire. This is the highest number of pits from this period ever found at a single site in England, making this one of the largest Mesolithic sites in the country and significant for our understanding of…
This is a medieval seal matrix found by a metal-detectorist in the parish of Lockerley, Hampshire. It is made of cast copper-alloy and most likely dates to between 1470 and 1520. Measuring a diminutive 6cm by 4cm, it is a pointed oval (or vesica) shape carved with the image of…
Palaeolithic portable art Several small limestone slabs, found at an open-air site at Bellegarde in south-eastern France in 2015 by Inrap archaeologists, have recently been identified as containing rare carvings made during the Upper Palaeolithic. Portable art from this period in southern France is rare and almost completely unknown from…