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Current Archaeology’s June Listings: exhibitions, events, and heritage from home
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.
Understanding Scottish Graveyards
This is the fourth edition of a book that was first published by Betty Willsher (1915-2012) in 1985, with subsequent updates in 1995 and 2005. The original publication came about due to
Family ties: deciphering the DNA of the Amesbury Archer and the Companion
Twenty years ago, one of the richest Bell Beaker burials ever found in Europe was discovered close to Stonehenge. At that time, DNA analysis was not sufficiently advanced to learn more about the individual, dubbed ‘the Amesbury Archer’ – but the intervening decades have seen significant scientific advances that have shed illuminating light on this enigmatic figure, as well as his relationship to a younger man buried nearby. Andrew Fitzpatrick, Jacqueline McKinley, Alistair Barclay, Ian Armit, Iñigo Olalde, and David Reich report on what has been revealed.
Rare Roman carving found in Buckinghamshire
The anthropomorphic figure, which is 67cm tall and 18cm wide, was found in an excellent state of preservation due the ditch being water-logged
Explorations in Archaeology and Philosophy
Showcasing 12 articles in four parts, Explorations in Archaeology and Philosophy emerged from a 2017 interdisciplinary conference, and the editors aimed to represent the diversity of topics that arise when archaeology and
Quarrying clues: exploring the symbolism of Neolithic stone extraction
The bluestone circles at Stonehenge represent one of the best-known examples of Neolithic skill in the extraction and long-distance transport of stone, but archaeologists have recorded thousands of equally awe-inspiring feats of lithic working from this period and earlier in Britain and Europe. Chris Catling reports on the Prehistoric Society’s newly published research paper Neolithic Stone Extraction, in which Peter Topping turns to ethnographic evidence to argue that stone objects did not only acquire symbolic status once they had been extracted and worked, but that quarry sites and the extraction practices themselves had important symbolic dimensions.
New excavations at Yeavering
Durham University investigations have revealed previously unknown aspects of the 7th-century settlement.
Oldest ink pen found in Ireland
Its discovery is significant because while there is archaeological evidence for secular literacy in the Roman and early medieval periods in Britain, this is not really the case in Ireland
Galloway Hoard jar belonged to medieval bishop
Discovered by a metal-detectorist in 2014, the hoard comprises more than 100 objects of gold, silver, copper-alloy, glass, earth, crystal, and other minerals…
The Metal in Britain’s Coins: where did it come from and how did it get here?
At a time when even the highest-value coin in regular circulation (£2) will sometimes hardly cover the cost of a cup of coffee, it is refreshing to be transported back to an
Cultures of cloth in the medieval East Midlands
The Midlands was a key centre for wool-production and textile-making during the medieval period. Carly Hilts visited an exhibition at the University of Nottingham Museum and spoke to Chris King and Clare Pickersgill to find out more.
The Junkers 322 Mammut and the Messerschmitt 321/323 Gigant
All three of these aircraft originated with a 1940 requirement for a large assault glider in preparation for Operation Sealion, the projected invasion of Britain. Although Operation Sealion had effectively been cancelled
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London Clay: journeys in the deep city
London Clay is an impressionistic survey of London and its history, filtered through the prism of the underlying geological strata. It is at once personal and overarching, meandering from pre-Roman to Victorian,
UK news in brief: Roman crucifixion, Tudor paintings, and Skara Brae
A brief look at some of the latest stories within the realm of UK archaeology, including evidence of crucifixion from Roman Cambridgeshire, the discovery of Tudor wall paintings at Old Hall in Yorkshire, and the creation of a 3D model of Neolithic Orkney’s Skara Brae settlement.
Ice Age mammoth bones and Neanderthal tools found in Swindon
The find has been dubbed the ‘biggest mammoth discovery for a generation’
Early Medieval Britain c.500-1000
Is there room for another general history of early medieval Britain? The answer is ‘yes, of course’ when it is as fresh and interesting as this one. Its USP is that it
Current Archaeology LIVE! 2022
Current Archaeology Live! 2022 is coming up quickly, with the event scheduled to run over the weekend of 25-27 February. Like last year, it will be held online, with all the talks
From West Africa to Wisbech: analysing 18th-century textiles in Thomas Clarkson’s campaign chest
Cutting-edge analysis of 18th-century West African textiles collected by the abolitionist campaigner Thomas Clarkson has shed vivid light on their manufacture, make-up, and where they may have been made. Sarah Coleman, Margarita Gleba, and Malika Kraamer explain what has been revealed so far.
Cornwall’s Military Heritage
Cornwall is a county with a long military history, and reminders of its past can be found scattered across the landscape, ranging from Iron Age hillforts to Cold War control centres. Surrounded
Rebuilt Romano-Celtic temple unveiled in Kent
It is 70m from where archaeological remains thought to represent a 1st-century AD temple were discovered