Current Archaeology

Current Archaeology

DUACE24 Haselrig Trench (c) Megan Olshefski Durham University

Current Archaeology’s November Listings: exhibitions, events, and heritage from home

There are lots of great ways to get involved in history and archaeology over the next few months, including exhibitions, lectures, and conferences exploring a wide range of subjects. If you would prefer to get your heritage fix from the comfort of your sofa, though, there is a variety of resources on offer online, too, from virtual site tours and digital offerings by museums to podcasts, TV shows, and more. Kathryn Krakowka has put together a selection of some of the options available.

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Aphrodite: the making of a goddess

A sweeping new exhibition at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford explores how an all-powerful but anonymous goddess from Bronze Age Cyprus evolved into the Classical deity that we are familiar with today, and how she continues to influence modern popular culture. Carly Hilts reports.

Korea

A new exhibition at the British Museum traces 2,000 years of innovation, influence, and endurance on the Korean peninsula. Carly Hilts visited to learn more.

The Celtic World

The Celtic World: a history

John Waddell’s new book, a beautifully illustrated historiography of Celtic Iron Age studies, is a very valuable addition to the literature. To begin, Waddell discusses Celtic identity as debated territory, stating that, for him, a Celt is someone who speaks…

Pagans

With Bayeux Tapestry fever still seizing London, James Alistair Henry’s debut novel offers a thought-provoking opportunity to imagine how Britain might look if the Norman Conquest had never taken place. The story is set in 21st-century London, but this is…

Breeze

CA 441 Letters – November

Grave matters I enjoyed Chris Catling’s report on the work of Brent Elliott and Roger Bowdler on the British cemetery (CA 439). There is a further dimension to cemeteries not considered in that article, though: their value to the student of…

The 50m concrete ring on Orford Ness. Credit National Trust Images

Rings a bell: Orford Ness, Suffolk

An enigmatic concrete ring 50m (160ft) in diameter, located at the National Trust site of Orford Ness in Suffolk, has been the subject of much debate for decades. This area was once home to a top-secret military testing site, and…

Nautical Archaeology Society

Sea levels have risen by around 120m (400ft) since the last Ice Age, only stabilising at their current position around 3,000 years ago. Given how much human activity has taken place around the coast in that time, a huge amount…

Anglo-Saxon hall uncovered near Gloucester

Cotswold Archaeology’s excavations on the outskirts of Gloucester continue to reveal illuminating evidence: having previously uncovered a large Bronze Age waterhole (see CA 435), the team have now discovered traces of what is believed to be one of the few…

Assembly Rooms renovation expands Roman Bath

Continuing renovation works at the Assembly Rooms in Bath are revealing not only the history of this almost 300-year-old building, but also the history of this area of the city over the last 2,000 years – including previously unknown areas…

Woodstown Viking settlement reveals more secrets

A collaborative team of Irish and Norwegian archaeologists working at the Viking settlement of Woodstown, located on the banks of the River Suir, west of Waterford City, have uncovered the largest building yet found at the site, reinforcing previous suggestions…

Early medieval jewellery workshop at Govan Old

An excavation at the 1,500-year-old churchyard of Govan Old in Glasgow has revealed evidence of early medival craftworking, including two incomplete finger-rings, which were discarded before completion. While the church that currently occupies the site was built in the Victorian…