Cover Story
Prehistoric pioneers: how female migrants changed the face of Bronze Age Orkney Analysis of human remains from the Links of Noltland, Westray, has revealed the first concrete evidence of a major influx of non-local people into Orkney during the Bronze Age – and, uniquely for the period, it appears that this movement… Features
A festival of finds: celebrating Chichester’s Roman past The people of Chichester – or Noviomagus Reginorum, as the settlement was known in the 1st century AD – have much to celebrate when it comes to their Roman heritage.… 
For peat’s sake: peatlands, climate change, and the future of archaeology How can understanding the archaeology of peatlands help to ameliorate the current climate crisis? Rosie Everett and Gillian Taylor share the latest research. 
Reinventing Ratae: exploring Roman and medieval Leicester Nearly 50 years of excavations have explored much of Leicester’s north-eastern quarter – and now a newly published thematic volume, Life in Roman and medieval Leicester, draws together the results… 
Waterloo Uncovered: Hougoumont Farm exposed Phil Harding and Emily Glass describe recent excavations by the charity Waterloo Uncovered, which has made exciting new discoveries on the eponymous Belgian battlefield. News
New images of Rutland’s Roman villa Earlier this year, CA reported the discovery in Rutland of a stunning Roman mosaic featuring scenes from the Trojan War. It was inside the opulent dining room of ‘a sprawling… 
Traces of medieval and modern life unearthed in Haverfordwest The excavations have revealed the iron foundry’s casting pits and a deep stone-lined cistern filled with roofing slates. 
Butser Ancient Farm launches latest reconstruction The structure is based on archaeological remains discovered close by at Church Down, Chalton. 
Evidence of Roman beer production in Bedfordshire Earlier this year, CA reported on excavations at a 2.3ha site called ‘Field 44’ near Tempsford in Central Bedfordshire, where archaeologists from Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA) and the Cambridge… 
English Civil War defences unearthed in King’s Lynn The excavations featured in a recent episode of The Great British Dig. 
Unraveling medieval lives with isotopic analysis The researchers examined the isotopic properties of their samples and were surprised to find strontium and oxygen ratios in the tooth enamel which indicated that some of the Cramond individuals… 
New details of Stoke Mandeville’s Roman busts The sculptures could be representations of a family group from inside a Roman mausoleum. Views
Persepolis, 1935 The Picture Desk Persepolis paintings perfectly glorious’ was the verdict Prentice Duell cabled from Egypt to James Henry Breasted, founder of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago (OI). He had just… 
Jeanne Dieulafoy (1851-1916) People “The Dieulafoys were unconventional to the point of scorn: Jeanne routinely wore male clothes…” 
On show in 2022: exhibitions from around the world Museum, What's on The dates listed below may have changed since we went to print. Check the websites of the museums for the most up-to-date information and bookings. Reviews
UK events, exhibitions, and heritage from home 2022-2023 As we head into spring, there are many fantastic opportunities to get out and about and enjoy the UK’s history, archaeology, and cultural heritage, whether you’re looking for historical re-enactments,… 
Museum news: the return of JORVIK Viking Festival, and Darwin’s missing notebooks The latest on acquisitions, exhibitions, and key decisions. 
Crucible of Nations: Scotland from Viking Age to medieval kingdom Review by Russell Ó Ríagáin. This book is the third in a series associated with the Glenmorangie Company Research Project at National Museums Scotland, treating various aspects of Iron Age… 
Street Furniture Review by AB. The term ‘street furniture’ encompasses a wide range of everyday objects that are found along roads and in towns and cities around the world, from manhole covers… 
Mosaics in Roman Britain Review by Stephen R Cosh. Anthony Beeson has been among those at the forefront of mosaic research in Britain for many years, particularly on mythological subjects. This little book is… 
London in the Roman World Review by Owen Humphreys. You wait decades for a new book about Roman London, then two come along at once. Dominic Perring’s previous work Roman London (Routledge, 1991) was the… 
Brick Wonders Carly Hilts travels around the world in 31 LEGO models at The Novium Museum, Chichester. 
Ruins, Remains and Relics: Sussex Review by Robin Hughes. Ruins, Remains and Relics: Sussex is a miscellany, organised into the three titular groups, of various historical curiosities from across the historic county of Sussex. Horlock… 
Land of the Ilich: journeys into Islay’s past Review by HB. In this deep-dive into the archaeology of the Ilich – the people of Islay – Steven Mithen toys with the concept of insularity, presenting an account of… 
From the editor
Neolithic Orkney was a prehistoric powerhouse whose cultural influence spread across Britain and Ireland. What happened after these glory days, though? The archipelago has long been portrayed as a Bronze Age backwater, isolated from the dramatic changes that were taking place elsewhere in Britain – but now genetic analysis has revealed this was far from the case, as our cover story reports.
Iron Age Leicester also enjoyed far-reaching connections, importing goods from Gaul, Italy, and Iberia. A new monograph brings together half a century of excavations to trace cycles of growth and decline as the area moved into the Roman and medieval periods.
Roman Leicester has yielded no definitive evidence for a fort or prolonged military presence, but our third feature has a distinctly martial flavour. Waterloo Uncovered’s excavations at Hougoumont Farm have shed new light on a place that played a key role on the Belgian battlefield in 1815. This article represents a rare trip overseas for CA (since the launch of our international sister-magazine, Current World Archaeology, in 2003); if you would like to read more about archaeology abroad, do pick up a copy of CWA.
We return to the Roman period to examine the remains of Noviomagus Reginorum – today, Chichester. From Fishbourne Roman Palace to the recent discovery of high-status townhouses in a public park, the city has produced plenty of clues to this period of its past: a rich legacy that also inspired an annual festival.
Finally, we venture into the peatlands that cover parts of Britain and Ireland. Why are these landscapes so vital to archaeological understanding, how are they threatened by the current climate crisis – and what can be done to help?
