Cover Story
From tents to towns: tracing Torksey after the Vikings In AD 872-873, a Viking army spent the winter at Torksey in Lincolnshire. Their camp is now well known, but the team that discovered it have since turned their attention to what happened after the Vikings left. Dawn Hadley, Julian… Features
Bretons and Britons: exploring prehistoric Britain’s French connection The fact that Britain and Brittany have similar names is more than coincidental. The two places have enmeshed histories, as Barry Cunliffe discusses in his latest book, Bretons and Britons.… 
Petuaria revisited: searching for Brough-on-Humber’s lost Roman theatre Eighty-five years ago, an inscription was discovered at Brough-on-Humber hinting that the town was once home to a Roman theatre. Peter Halkon and James Lyall report on more recent excavations… 
Beyond the Wall: exploring the prehistoric origins of Scotland Hadrian’s Wall is often blamed for splitting ancient Britain in two, but a new look at the archaeological evidence suggests that the peoples of what would become Scotland and England… News
Representing regions in dendrochronological data An international team of 58 archaeologists, historians, geographers, and environmental scientists has used felling-date data to conduct a larger-scale investigation into medieval and early modern building activity rates as indicators… 
Friary floor tiles revealed in Gloucester The latest discovery – an extensive floor surface made up of glazed green and white tiles – is thought to represent the northern part of the friary’s cloister. 
Roman furniture-making in rural Cambridgeshire MOLA Headland Infrastructure uncovered c.300 pieces of animal bone and deer antler while excavating a small Roman settlement between 2016 and 2018 as part of the National Highways A14 Cambridge… 
Building an Iron Age broch in Caithness The building will also incorporate triangular doorway lintels, staircases, and internal cells, as well as outbuildings, including wheelhouses, blockhouses, and ‘wags’. 
Highways to the past: excavating the A428 in Bedfordshire The earliest evidence of settlement at the site consisted of postholes marking out the footprints of two large roundhouses 
Excavation at Melksham reveals evidence of Iron Age, Roman, and medieval activity The team found Iron Age and Roman settlement phases with rubbish pits, postholes, and boundary ditches. 
Research underway to find best materials for conserving HMS Victory Specially designed tests will assess a range of paints, caulking, glues, and metal fastenings. 
Roman roadside life and death near Aylesbury Around ten percent of the excavated individuals were missing skulls, with many clearly decapitations, evidenced by visible cut marks and placement of the head between the legs. 
Elaborately carved Burton Agnes chalk drum goes on display The sculpture had been placed in a Neolithic grave containing the remains of three children. Views
Exhibitions, events, activities, and heritage from home in 2022 Museum, What's on There are many wonderful archaeological, historical, and heritage-related events on offer over the coming months, whether you’re looking for exhibitions and conferences or an opportunity to get your hands dirty… 
UK museum news Spring 2022 Museum, What's on The latest on acquisitions, exhibitions, and key decisions. 
Last Word: Neil Faulkner Comment, People Neil was an interesting person, as he lived two lives. One was as an archaeologist, as a tour guide, excavator, and valued contributor to our magazines. But he also had… 
Excavating Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire Comment Dramatic evidence was found here for Iron Age ritual practices: parts of at least five human bodies were discovered, arranged round the western edge of a shallow hollow filled full… 
The Long Distance Walkers Association Groups Active travel, as it is known, is set to become even more popular as people rediscover the riches of the UK’s natural and cultural heritage. 
Finds tray – Seal of Matilda de Cornhill Objects Seal matrices are inscribed, flat-bottomed metal items used to make impressions on wax to create ‘seals’ – marks of authentication commonly appended to medieval documents. They are made, typically, of… 
Nottingham Castle Museum, What's on Nottingham Castle reopened last year following a £33-million transformation of its grounds and galleries. Carly Hilts dropped by to see what has changed. 
Unearthing an ‘idol’ The Picture Desk Prehistoric anthropomorphic items made of wood represent rare finds in British archaeology. Reviews
The Romans in the Nene Valley Review by CH. This engaging overview of archaeological evidence in the Nene Valley spans the Iron Age to the arrival of the Anglo-Saxons. Although relatively slim at 72 pages, it… Exhibitions, events, activities, and heritage from home in 2022 There are many wonderful archaeological, historical, and heritage-related events on offer over the coming months, whether you’re looking for exhibitions and conferences or an opportunity to get your hands dirty… 
Adrift: the curious tale of the Lego lost at sea I’d wager that every one of us has beachcombed at some point in our lives. Collecting intriguing, eye-catching, and occasionally useful objects from the foreshore of beaches, lakes, and rivers… 
Middle Bronze Age and Roman Settlement at Manor Pit, Baston, Lincolnshire Review by Andrew Tibbs. Over a decade of excavation has taken place at the Manor Pit quarry site in Baston, Lincolnshire, and this volume details the archaeological work undertaken at… 
A History of Norfolk in 100 Places Review by HB. From traces of Palaeolithic life along the coast to deserted medieval villages and a Cold War airfield, A History of Norfolk in 100 Places is a whistle-stop… 
Peasant Perceptions of Landscape: Ewelme hundred, south Oxfordshire, 500-1650 Review by Susan Oosthuizen. This study of 14 south Oxfordshire parishes covers the lowland valleys of both the Thame and Thames, typified by nucleated settlements and open fields, and the… 
Iron Age Chariot Burials in Britain and the Near Continent Review by Peter Halkon. Chariot burials are icons of Iron Age Britain. Apart from those found near Edinburgh and in Pembroke, they are clustered in eastern Yorkshire, with an outlier… Nottingham Castle Nottingham Castle reopened last year following a £33-million transformation of its grounds and galleries. Carly Hilts dropped by to see what has changed. 
From the editor
What have the Vikings ever done for us? We often imagine the Viking Age in the light of smash-and-grab attacks on isolated monasteries – but what was the longer legacy of contact with medieval Scandinavia? Torksey, the focus of our cover feature, famously hosted a winter camp of the Viking Great Army in AD 872. When the Vikings moved on the following year, they had sown the seeds of a flourishing town with an innovative approach to pottery production. What have recent excavations revealed about this site, and what are its implications for understanding early medieval England?
Cultural contacts also hold the key to our next article, which traces prehistoric links between Britain and Brittany through an exploration of burial monuments, place-names, and evidence for cross-Channel trade.
From the south coast we then head north to Hadrian’s Wall and far beyond, exploring the intriguing array of architectural forms that are found in Iron Age Scotland but not in northern England. Recent archaeological research suggests that the Roman frontier was not a cause, but a reflection, of this cultural divergence.
We remain with the Romans to visit Brough-on-Humber in the East Riding of Yorkshire. There, 85 years ago, an inscription was discovered hinting at the presence of a now-lost 2nd-century theatre. A local community excavation is hunting for more clues.
Finally, many of you may have known our friend and long-time contributor to CA, Neil Faulkner, who sadly passed away in February. Our Editor-in-Chief, Andrew Selkirk, has reprised his ‘Last Word’ column to pay tribute to an innovative archaeologist and fondly remembered colleague.
