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Current Archaeology 429
Highlights:
- A multi-sided story: Examining the Norton Disney dodecahedron in its wider context
- 100 years of Woodhenge: Tracing an archaeological icon, from discovery to new dating evidence
- A store of secrets: Excavating Roman military kit and personal possessions at Caerleon
- Stories from the soil: Exploring Treasure finds in north-west England and Wales
- Making accommodations: How 19th-century housing helped launch women’s independence
From the Editor:
This month’s articles are bookended by unusual artefacts with intriguing tales to tell. The first is an elaborate pendant bearing emblems associated with Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon. Analysis of its imagery has revealed a much wider story than was previously imagined, illuminating not only a royal marriage and the world of the Tudor court, but political ambitions and hopes for a lasting peace in 16th-century Europe. The other is a mysterious Roman dodecahedron. Theories abound for how these objects may have been used – but crucially, unlike many previous such discoveries, this example from Norton Disney in Lincolnshire was found during a modern excavation, within a securely datable context.
Dates also form a key part of our feature about Woodhenge. It is a century since the Neolithic monument was first spotted on Salisbury Plain and, to mark the milestone, we explore the story of its discovery, and discuss recent dating evidence that sheds new light on its place within the Stonehenge landscape.
It was a military veteran who first identified the remains of Woodhenge, and our next article has a martial flavour, too. In 2008-2010, the first modern excavation of a legionary storehouse anywhere in the Roman Empire was carried out at Caerleon in south Wales. What has subsequent analysis of the project’s findings revealed about life in the fortress, and the site’s ‘post-Roman’ afterlife?
We remain in the west as we visit a new exhibition at the Museum of Liverpool, examining Treasure finds from north-west England and Wales and drawing out the stories that they can tell us about past events and individuals.
Finally, we leap forward to the 19th century to examine how accommodation built specifically for single female workers transformed women’s fortunes in the Victorian and Edwardian periods.
CARLY
Cover Story
A multi-sided story: Examining the Norton Disney dodecahedron in its wider contextAround 130 dodecahedra have been found across the northern Roman Empire, but the purpose of these ornate objects is unknown, and few have been recovered…Features
100 years of Woodhenge: Tracing an archaeological icon, from discovery to new dating evidenceDecember 2025 marks the 100th anniversary of the identification of a remarkable prehistoric timber monument just two miles from Stonehenge in Wiltshire. Amanda Chadburn is…
A store of secrets: Excavating Roman military kit and personal possessions at CaerleonBetween 2008 and 2010, the first modern excavation of a legionary storehouse anywhere in the Roman Empire was carried out at Caerleon. With the full…
Stories from the soil: Exploring Treasure finds in north-west England and WalesThe first archaeologically focused exhibition to be staged at the Museum of Liverpool explores what Treasure finds from north-west England and Wales can tell us…
Making accommodations: How 19th-century housing helped launch women’s independenceFollowing on from CA’s review of the golden age of the chain store (CA 426), Chris Catling looks this month at the accommodation built in…Comment
Strollology, Hedonia and EudaimoniaCan you guess which of the following is a genuine university discipline: Strollology, Hedonia and Eudaimonia, or Happiness Studies? The answer is all of them.
Great prehistoric sites: Kent and Sussex – Excavating the CA archiveIn last month’s column, I explored Palaeolithic Norfolk and Suffolk, visiting some of the most important prehistoric sites not just in Britain but in the…News
Views
Current Archaeology’s November Listings: exhibitions, events, and heritage from homeThere are lots of great ways to get involved with history and archaeology over the next few months, including exhibitions, lectures, and conferences exploring a…
Marie Antoinette Style at the V&A, LondonMarie Antoinette is one of the most famous and most misunderstood figures of 18th-century France. Carly Hilts visited a new exhibition exploring her life and…
Made in Ancient Egypt at the Fitzwilliam Museum, CambridgeA new exhibition explores ancient Egypt from the perspective of its craftspeople, showcasing their creations and illuminating their experiences. Carly Hilts visited to learn more.Reviews
The Stones of Britain: a history of Britain through its geologyREVIEW BY ROB IXER This is a peculiar hybrid of a book. It is a pretty good generalised account of British ‘historical geology’, namely a…
Neolithic Tombs of WalesREVIEW BY KEITH RAY Neolithic Tombs of Wales is a revised edition of a book with similar scope that was published 20 years ago by…
A Medieval Cabinet of CuriositiesREVIEW BY KK The title of this book explains it all. Reading it is like stepping into a dimly lit, 19th-century hall of curiosities, with…
Magic in Roman BritainREVIEW BY MIRANDA ALDHOUSE-GREEN This monograph examines the important, yet underestimated subject of the magical objects that form part of the archaeological footprint left by…
Excavations in the Roman Legionary Fortress at Caerleon: the Priory Field store buildingREVIEW BY TOBY DRIVER From the outset, the authors of this impressive research report remind us of the importance both of Caerleon Roman fortress and…
The House of WolfReview KK This debut novel by Tony Robinson, of Time Team and Blackadder fame, takes us on a tour of 9th-century Europe: from the Holy…









