Description
In this issue:
– VERULAMIUM REVEALED – The third biggest city in Roman Britain, Verulamium (modern St Albans) is being brought to light once more by an innovative community geophysics project.
– BRYN CELLI DDU – Exploring a hidden ritual landscape
– WALLINGFORD CASTLE – The rise and fall of a royal stronghold
– EXCAVATING SPITALFIELDS MARKET – The final chapter uncovered
Plus: News, Reviews, Comment, Sherds, Odd Socs, and more!
From the Editor:
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
Cover Date: Jan-2016, Volume 26 Issue 10