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…
‘Even during Plague outbreaks, individual people were being buried with considerable care and attention.'…
'It takes us back to the tumultuous time of Julius Caesar’s conquest of Gaul.'…
This identification of Cornish gold in Central Europe indicates that there was probably contact between these two regions during the Bronze Age, and perhaps even a well-established trade route.…
Kent is a county with a rich and unique archaeological record. Situated as it is, surrounded by sea to the north and east, cut off from London and Essex by rivers to the north-west, and divided from Surrey and Sussex by the hilly terrain of the Downland and High Weald…
• Dover Castle
• Britain’s first medieval chess workshop
• Reconstructing the Sutton Hoo ship
• Experiments in construction at Butser Ancient Farm
• Kent Archaeological Rescue Unit…
Your views on the latest from Current Archaeology.…
Isabella (c.1427-1494) was the second daughter of James I of Scotland, and was given the manuscript by her husband, Duke Francis I of Brittany, on their marriage.…
Broken Seas, Broken Ships is Ian Friel’s latest book on the history of ships and shipwrecks in Britain, and is the ‘sequel’ to Britain and the Open Road (2020), which covered British maritime history starting in the medieval period and ending in the 1820s – and formed the basis of…
In this new interactive work of art, titled Walking through the town I followed a pattern on the pavement that became the magnified silhouette of a woman’s profile...…
In this month’s ‘Science Notes’, we are looking at a recent study from a team of researchers led by Aleksandar Kostic from Harvard Medical School, which analysed examples of palaeofaeces, or coprolites, from the Americas.…
Butser Ancient Farm is an experimental archaeology centre nestled in the Hampshire South Downs. Its staff specialise in exploring the past by engaging with ancient tools and building techniques, and we reported on the unveiling of their latest creation, a reconstructed Neolithic house, in CA 375. Now Butser archaeologist…
Of the 52 human remains recovered from the three cemeteries, 17 of the bodies had been decapitated and 13 were prone, with six burials involving both practices.…
At over 500 pages, David Mason’s volume on Roman activity in County Durham is the first comprehensive analysis of Roman military and civilian activity for this part of north-east England; many of the sites have not previously been examined in any depth, making the book a welcome addition to our…
Many museums and heritage sites in the UK and Ireland have already reopened to visitors, with more to follow in the coming weeks, but if you still fancy getting your heritage fix at home there are plenty of great options, from virtual tours and online exhibits to podcasts and TV…
A project working to reconstruct the famous Anglo-Saxon ship excavated at Sutton Hoo in 1939 continues apace. Philip Leech brings us up to date on the latest progress.…
The skeleton of a Roman man with iron shackles locked around his ankles has been described as ‘perhaps the most convincing candidate for the remains of a Roman slave yet to be found in Britain’. Current Archaeology's Carly Hilts reports on recently published analysis illuminating this unique burial.…
This July, the Festival of Archaeology returns with an exciting mixture of digital and on-the-ground events, as well resources and activities, all centred around ‘Exploring Local Places’. Here is a taste of just some of the options.…
In 1938, the large triple-banked early medieval ringfort of Lisnacaragh at Garranes was excavated by Professor Brendan O’Riordain of University College Cork. He uncovered debris from fine metalworking and imported pottery on a scale that has yet to be repeated at any ringfort excavated in Ireland. At the time, the…
A round-up of some of the latest stories in Archaeology around the world, including a previously unknown city uncovered in Luxor, a tree from the Battle of Waterloo, and research into how Neanderthals spoke and heard.…
Placename experts say that Saline (pronounced to rhyme with the Estonian capital Tallinn) means ‘little barn’ – probably a place of collection and storage for tribute due to the Scottish king.…