Archaeology is all about teasing out hidden details. At Verulamium, the site of the Roman city scrutinised during recent investigations is conspicuous enough, but its streets and city blocks have long since grassed over. Now geophysical survey has laid bare one of the great cities of Roman Britain.

On Anglesey, a project is seeking to reveal a lost prehistoric ritual landscape. Previously, this has been eclipsed by the spectacular passage tomb at its heart. A wealth of ancient art serves as a reminder of what can be overlooked when we are transfixed by impressive monuments, at the expense of more ephemeral activity in their hinterland.

Before Wallingford Castle was reduced to rubble by Oliver Cromwell’s soldiers, its grandeur rivalled the strongholds at Windsor and Oxford. Today, little more than earthworks studded with shattered masonry remain, but combining survey, surviving documents, and excavation allows us to glimpse the former glory of a royal castle.

At Spitalfields, the flourishing post-medieval suburbs were gradually engulfed by later urban development. The Spitalfields Market excavations opened up a huge swathe of lost London, exposing the hidden habits of its former inhabitants to modern scrutiny.

Matt Symonds