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…
An Iron Age hoard consisting of 15 gold coins known as ‘staters’ was discovered in Llangoed Community, Anglesey, by three metal-detectorists between July 2021 and March 2022. This is the first hoard of gold staters to be found in all of Wales, whose Iron Age communities did not mint their…
Last month we reported on the launch of the first modern excavations at Magna Roman fort and the nearby Milecastle 46 on Hadrian’s Wall, and finds from this period have already started to appear. One of the most exciting artefacts recovered so far is a copper-alloy steelyard beam, which would…
REVIEW BY NATALIE BUTLER John Davies and David Waterhouse take the reader on an absorbing journey into Norfolk’s past. Exploring Norfolk’s Deep History Coast is carefully researched and beautifully presented. It offers a whole and knowledgeable guide to the rich early archaeological and geological past of Norfolk’s coastline. The authors…
REVIEW BY CERI PENNINGTON This engaging read explores the archaeology, geology, and history of millstones in North-West England and the Pennines. Initially focusing on the background of the study, the volume then moves into examining case studies of specific sites, individuals, and groups involved with all aspects of millstone production.…
REVIEW BY FRANCIS WENBAN-SMITH This volume presents an interim report on the current research into Middle Palaeolithic Neanderthal occupation on Jersey and in its vicinity, centred on re-investigation of La Cotte de St Brelade rock-shelter and its distinctive mammoth bone heaps (previously interpreted as representing a mammoth-drive kill-site). We are…
REVIEW BY ANDREW TIBBS The Road is a personal journey by the author to experience Roman roads and how they impacted the lives of those around them, and the surrounding landscape, not just 2,000 years ago, but in more recent times. Seeking the essence of Roman roads, how and why…
REVIEW BY HUGH CHEAPE James Crawford, broadcaster and writer, has won plaudits for the cultural biographies in his Fallen Glory: the lives and deaths of history’s greatest buildings, and its tales of ‘hubris, power, violence and decay’. Now, he has turned his attention to more modest structures. ‘Wild history’ may…
The recent re-analysis of an unusual Iron Age burial from the Isles of Scilly – which contained grave goods typical of both men and women from this period – has shown that its occupant was biologically female. Discovered on the island of Bryher in 1999, the remains were found in…
In the wake of the discovery of the Antonine Wall fortlet found at Carleith Farm in West Dunbartonshire (see CA 400), another one has been revealed, this time at Bonnyside, near Falkirk, on the more eastern side of the wall. This is now the 11th Antonine Wall fortlet to be…
A stone used by Neolithic people to sharpen stone axes, known as a ‘polissoir’, has been discovered in the Valley of Stones near Portesham in Dorset. Previously, most polissoirs in England had only been discovered buried in chambered tombs, placed there after they were no longer in use. This is…
Europe’s first commercial steamship scheduled The wreck of the Comet – a wooden paddle steamer, created by Henry Bell in the early 19th century – has recently been designated as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland. It was built by John Wood & Sons in the Port of Glasgow…
REVIEW BY RICHARD BRUNNING Footmarks is a long and pleasant walk through the mind palace of prehistorian Jim Leary. Along the way, Leary’s delight in the mysteries of past human behaviour gushes forth in an engaging torrent of information, loosely based around some connection with an aspect of human movement.…
• Beyond Birdoswald: exploring life and death outside a Hadrian’s Wall fort
• Magnifying Milecastle 46: new excavations at the Hadrian’s Wall site
• Gladiators: arena spectacles in Roman Britain
• Vernacular houses in Jersey: hints from Hamptonne
• Unearthing a medieval mystery: searching for Saline’s lost church
• Archaeology on prescription: using fieldwork to…
Historical records attest that the present parish church at Saline in West Fife had a medieval predecessor, but the exact location of this building has been lost over time. Linda Moyes and John Gooder report on recent efforts to find it once more.…
When, in 1988, the National Trust for Jersey purchased a semi-derelict farmstead called Hamptonne, a detailed archaeological investigation followed as part of a seven-year restoration programme. The multi-period site, with 15th-century origins, opened to the public as the Hamptonne Country Life Museum. Building on what was learned from this project,…
An award-winning social prescribing project has been excavating thousands of years of history within the Walmgate area of York. Meg Barclay reports on its recent finds and how the initiative has been supporting the mental health and wellbeing of local residents.…
For the last three years, excavations outside the walls of Birdoswald Roman fort have been helping to characterise the community who lived in its shadow. Carly Hilts visited the site and spoke to Ian Haynes to learn more.…
A new five-year project by the Vindolanda Trust is shedding unprecedented light on Magna Roman fort and nearby Milecastle 46, as well as providing invaluable data about how the local environment – and the underlying archaeology – is being affected by climate change. Carly Hilts visited Rachel Frame and Franki…
Colchester was the first capital of Roman Britain, and excavations within the town frequently uncover evidence of this chapter of its past. Colchester Castle, built over the ancient temple of Claudius, is currently home to an exhibition exploring one aspect of Roman life (and, for many unlucky participants, death): the…
For 40 years, since the establishment of the Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England in 1983, Historic England has been protecting the country’s parks and gardens – with the Register now comprising more than 1,700 sites. To celebrate this milestone, images of a number of…