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Current Archaeology 395
Highlights:
- Harpole’s hidden gem: excavating early medieval Britain’s most significant female burial
- Pondering Penywyrlod: in search of the early origins of the Cotswold-Severn long cairn and barrow group
- Return to Priors Hall: exploring a Roman villa estate near Corby
- The Ness of Brodgar: marking 20 years of Neolithic discoveries
- Excavating Weeley Barracks: echoes of the Napoleonic Wars in Essex
From the Editor:
Happy New Year! This month’s cover story features an extraordinary Anglo-Saxon find from Northamptonshire: the Harpole Treasure. This necklace, the richest of its kind yet discovered, had been chosen to accompany an evidently high-status woman to the grave in the mid-7th century. Ongoing analysis of her burial and the artistry of its artefacts will surely help to illuminate the period in which she lived and died. Finds like these also highlight why it is so important for developer-funded excavations to remain an integral part of the planning process: had the site not been investigated ahead of new housing, the isolated grave might never have been identified.
Next is a rather more recent site, again uncovered ahead of development: Weeley Barracks in Essex, which was built amid fears of French invasion during the Napoleonic Wars. What can we learn about its buildings, and the people who lived there?
The feature that follows is the second part of a planned Orkney trilogy drawing on my visit to the islands last summer; here we bring you the latest news from the Ness of Brodgar and its amazing Neolithic buildings, as the site marks 20 years since its discovery.
We then explore a third development-led dig, this time at Priors Hall near Corby. There, a second series of excavations have shed further light on the remains of a Roman villa estate that we first covered in CA 370. How has the story developed since our initial article? Read on to find out more.
Finally, we learn about the evolution of an enigmatic and intriguing form of monument, Neolithic long cairns, and ask whether an example in south-east Wales was the archetype for this innovative tomb-building tradition?
Cover Story
Harpole’s hidden gem: excavating early medieval Britain’s most significant female burialArchaeological work just outside Northampton has uncovered an internationally significant burial, furnished with a remarkable 7th-century necklace, as well as a number of other high-status…Features
Pondering Penywyrlod: in search of the early origins of the Cotswold-Severn long cairn and barrow groupThe title of The First Stones, a newly published book edited by William Britnell and Alasdair Whittle, proclaims a bold new thesis: that the Neolithic…
Return to Priors Hall: exploring a Roman villa estate near CorbyIn 2020, we reported on intriguing discoveries emerging from a Roman villa site near Corby, Northamptonshire. Now further excavations have been carried out at Priors…
The Ness of Brodgar: marking 20 years of Neolithic discoveriesSince the first hints of Neolithic masonry emerged at the Ness of Brodgar in 2003, two decades of excavations have uncovered an extraordinary complex of…
Excavating Weeley Barracks: echoes of the Napoleonic Wars in EssexIn the early years of the 19th century, military camps sprang up along the south coast of England to guard against French invasion. Once the…Comment
Excavating the HighlandsTo many, this part of the country is the ‘definitive’ Scottish landscape of their dreams, the stuff of countless movies and TV shows. To less…
Saving landmarks and ancient traditionsWhy not mark the start of the other calendric festivals and their associated deities with holidays?... Time to bring back bonfires, dancing at dawn, May…News
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BOOK TICKETS NOW FOR CURRENT ARCHAEOLOGY LIVE! 2023Current Archaeology Live! 2023 is coming up quickly, and tickets are selling fast. This year the conference, in partnership with University College London’s Institute of…
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Museum news: Nottingham Castle closes and the British Museum brings ancient Egypt to MiddlesbroughThe latest on acquisitions, exhibitions, and key decisionsReviews
Gates of the City of LondonReview by AB The City of London’s seven historic gates – Ludgate, Newgate, Aldersgate, Cripplegate, Moorgate, Bishopsgate, and Aldgate – were first constructed in the…
Picts: scourge of Rome, rulers of the northReview by Kelly Kilpatrick The Picts first appear in written sources as a cultural entity to the north of the Roman frontier, and disappear from…
Behind Closed Doors: the secret life of London private members’ clubsReview by CH This entertaining and adeptly written account traces the story of London’s private members’ clubs from the 18th century to the present day.…
The Circular Archetype in Microcosm: the carved stone balls of late Neolithic ScotlandReview by Hugo Anderson-Whymark Carved stone balls are one of Scotland’s most intriguing Neolithic artefacts. Some 500 of these palm-sized stone spheres are known, with…
Water in the Roman World: engineering, trade, religion, and daily lifeReview by Andrew Tibbs In Roman times, water was an important resource, but also had symbolic importance. Waterways acted as arterial routes of the Empire,…
Funerary and Related Cups of the British Bronze AgeReview by Edward Caswell This book provides a new and welcome synthesis of a particularly enigmatic group of Bronze Age ceramics, which have been variously…