Tiny traces of medieval wall-paintings have been discovered at Goodrich Castle in Herefordshire, transforming our understanding of how its chapel was decorated. Carly Hilts spoke to Sophie Stewart to learn more.
Scottish Archaeology Month, Archaeology Scotland’s flagship festival, returns this September to showcase the best of the country’s archaeology, history, and heritage in a month-long programme of events for all ages. Tessa Till shares some highlights; full listings are at www.archaeologyscotland.org.uk/events.
On 9 February 1538, Abbot Thomas Rowland signed a Deed of Surrender, formally handing over his monastery to Henry VIII, and the 1,000-year history of Abingdon Abbey came to an end. As a reward for giving up their property voluntarily,…
CA recently visited exhibitions at three sites in the care of North East Museums, with displays exploring Roman military life and ideas of ‘treasure’.
Recently published research suggests that the bones found around Brading Roman Villa could reflect violent events linked to 4th-century political upheaval. Kathryn Krakowka reports.
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.
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’ (CA 435). Chris Catling suggested that we should now turn…
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 either alternative uses should be found for the rest or they should be demolished. Fortunately, 31 remain, with half a dozen continuing to be used as churches and 18 in the care of the Norwich Historic Churches Trust. A newly published and sumptuously illustrated interdisciplinary study shows us what these churches can tell us about the city’s past and its people, as Chris Catling reports.
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 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.
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 bringing you ‘current’ archaeology, we included a brief summary of the key findings in last month’s issue – here is a fuller account of the research that was described by Phil Harding, Matt Leivers, and Fabio Silva.
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.
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 archaeological investigations for over a century, their full use and…
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 sparked by a re-examination of aerial photographs taken in the…
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 common in Roman Egypt, but is extremely rare outside this…
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 may be a previously unknown, near-circular prehistoric monument, adding to…
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 Chelmsford, have shed vivid light on the area’s Iron Age importance, and how local communities responded to the turbulent period around the Roman conquest. Carly Hilts spoke to Angus Forshaw and visited a new exhibition of some of the finds.
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, the task required some 20 tonnes (3,150 stone) of fresh…
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 conditions. While it has been hypothesised since the 19th century…
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 of the waterlogged conditions in which it was found. The…
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.