In my travels around the country on behalf of Current Archaeology, I have never written a column with so many twists and turns as that which follows, on County Durham and Tyne & Wear. This is a part of the country with a rich, distinctive, and, at times, brutal past linked to battles fought over and industries built upon its lands – and its archaeology reflects that complex history.
People of the Frontier
I will begin with my first twist in the tale: of unexpected finds in unexpected locations. The bulk of this month’s column focuses on the Roman archaeology of this area; but what of its earlier inhabitants? CA 88 (August 1983) visited the excavation of an Iron Age farming community at Thorpe Thewles (just north of Stockton-on-Tees); 40 years later, CA 282 (September 2013) visited another Iron Age community, this time a coastal, industrial one at Greatham Creek (a suburb of Hartlepool), presenting the first known evidence of prehistoric occupation on the north bank of the Tees. A useful follow-up to both these stories came in CA 389 (August 2022), exploring the indigenous communities of the wider Roman frontier – and you can find further insights on this subject on p.42 of this issue.
Moving into the Roman era proper, there are some seriously stunning sites and finds in this region associated with Hadrian’s Wall (see also my column in CA 326, May 2017). An exceptional starting point is CA 239 (February 2010), which explored the widespread impact and legacy of the Roman occupation of modern-day County Durham. From there, it is best to head on to specific sites and finds – and wow, does the magazine’s archive deliver. Starting inland and moving anti-clockwise up to the coast and back west along the Tyne, I will commence in Binchester (Roman Vinovia/Vinovium), just north of Bishop Auckland. CA 263, 291, and 295 (February 2012, June 2014, and October 2014) all visited the fort there, revealing what life was like at such a location right at the end of the period of formal Roman control, including a find, made in 2014, of a rare early-Christian ring.
Excavating Wiltshire