South East

Above The Long Man of Wilmington hill figure in East Sussex. Today, the giant is outlined using white painted concrete blocks, and it is known to have been picked out in bricks during the late 19th century, but do its origins lie in the Tudor period?

The Long Man of Wilmington

The origins of the imposing East Sussex hill figure known as the Long Man of Wilmington have long posed a mystery for archaeologists. Rodney Castleden discusses recent research suggesting a Tudor date for the monument – and a possible political message.

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Excavating Kent

Large infrastructure projects have led to some remarkable discoveries down the years – think of Heathrow Terminal 5, as well as the more recent work along the route of HS2

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The last laugh

Furnished graves smacked of paganism, along with the idea that worldly goods should be laid in the grave for the use of the deceased in the afterlife.

Capitoline museum

Heritage from home: August 2021

Many heritage sites and museums in the UK, Ireland, and other countries around the world have now reopened their doors to visitors, but there are still plenty of ways to get involved in history and heritage from home this summer as well. Current World Archaeology's Amy Brunskill has put together a variety of options below, from video tours of recent exhibitions to online webinars, social media trends, and craft activities, as well as a round-up of some of the places that are open again.

Dover

Current Archaeology 377

• Dover Castle
• Britain’s first medieval chess workshop
• Reconstructing the Sutton Hoo ship
• Experiments in construction at Butser Ancient Farm
• Kent Archaeological Rescue Unit

Battle cape st vincent

This week: Nelson

Who is Britain's greatest military hero? In a poll of the general public, Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, came in third place on 11%. In second, on 19%, was Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery. But the clear leader – with 27% of the vote – was Horatio Nelson, the inspirational admiral whose victory at Trafalgar is often regarded as Britain's greatest naval triumph.

Nelson Quiz

In 1793, Nelson was appointed to command HMS Agamemnon, reputedly his favourite ship. By what nickname was the vessel known to its crew?

Reimagining the past: experiments in construction at Butser Ancient Farm

Butser Ancient Farm is an experimental archaeology centre nestled in the Hampshire South Downs. Its staff specialise in exploring the past by engaging with ancient tools and building techniques, and we reported on the unveiling of their latest creation, a reconstructed Neolithic house, in CA 375. Now Butser archaeologist Claire Walton takes us behind the scenes to describe the research that went into its design – and the ups and downs of the construction process.

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A golden anniversary: marking 50 years of the Kent Archaeological Rescue Unit

Before development-led archaeology was enshrined in law, many archaeological features were destroyed by construction projects without being documented – so, in the 1970s, a number of ‘rescue’ groups were set up to help record these remains before they were lost forever. The Kent Archaeological Rescue Unit marks its 50th anniversary this year, and Brian Philp guides us through some of its trials and triumphs to-date.

1200px Dover Castle the keep

This week: Castles

The most expensive secular building of its day, Dover Castle was described by the 13th-century chronicler Matthew Paris as 'the key of England'. But though its imposing fortifications tower over the shortest sea crossing between Britain and the European mainland, it wasn't built in response to any threat of imminent foreign invasion. Instead, its construction in the years after the murder of Thomas Beckett in 1170 owed more to the growing numbers of foreign dignitaries who began to make the pilgrimage across the Channel to Canterbury to pay their respects to the slain archbishop.

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Interpreting Dover Castle’s great tower: Angevin innovation, or a medieval white elephant?

Dover’s massive castle, rising in tiers above the harbour to the crest of the hill above the town, looks like the very model of a medieval fortification – but, as a new book reveals, it has some very odd features indeed. Current Archaeology's Chris Catling reports on the efforts of English Heritage and Historic England, as well as castle specialists and medieval historians, to explain this extraordinary monument.

Castles Quiz

Medieval castles are often described as being of 'motte and bailey’ construction. But what is a motte?

Right Head from a bronze statue of the emperor Nero, found in the River Alde in England, AD 54 61. Size: 31.5 x 24.5cm

This week: Nero

He was enthroned as Roman emperor at just 16. But history has not been kind to Nero's reputation. According to the surviving sources, he was a matricide and a multiple wife-murderer, and he also stands accused of various other horrific crimes and misdemeanours. So does Nero's name really deserve to have become a byword for depravity?