Cover Story
Echoes from the arena: exploring evidence for gladiators in York and Cirencester Last month’s CA reviewed an exhibition in Cirencester that features six ‘gladiator’ skeletons excavated in York. Struck by the fact that Cirencester has an impressive amphitheatre, but no direct evidence for the individuals who may have fought there, while York… Features
Stand ‘Easy’: searching for the ‘Band of Brothers’ at Aldbourne Before the celebrated US paratroopers known as ‘Easy’ Company were deployed on D-Day, they were based at Aldbourne in Wiltshire. What have recent excavations revealed about their camp? Richard Osgood… 
Cosmati at Canterbury Cathedral? Piecing together the history of a medieval mosaic Detailed analysis of an elaborate 13th-century mosaic at Canterbury Cathedral has revealed a medieval masterpiece that may be unparalleled in either Roman or medieval Britain. Warwick Rodwell explains further. 
Druce Farm Roman villa: celebrating a community dig in the heart of Dorset Roman villas are rarely excavated these days, because we already ‘know about them’. Yet when a villa is excavated – in part or as a whole – what we find… 
Secrets of a secluded life: updating the story of the All Saints ‘anchoress’ When an unusual female burial was discovered in the apse of All Saints Church, York, it was interpreted as possibly representing the remains of a religious recluse. Since then, archaeological… News
Cave in Cumbria used for centuries of burials The cave was first excavated in 1958, when a Bronze Age urn and some human skeletons were discovered, but more recent work has shed vivid light on its contents. 
Evidence of resilience in the face of Viking raids at Lyminge This evidence adds to recent research focused on Iona suggesting that multiple monasteries across Britain may have been able to continue or re-establish themselves after initial Viking raids at the… 
Current Archaeology Award Winners for 2023 announced We are pleased to share the winners of year’s CA Awards, announced on 25 February at Current Archaeology Live! 2023. 
The ‘peaceful Neolithic’ is dead: the dawn of agriculture coincided with rising violence In this month’s ‘Science Notes’, we will explore the evidence for this hypothesis, and examine how violence-related injuries are distinguished in archaeological human remains. 
Scars of early Civil War battle found at Coleshill Manor Archaeologists from Wessex Archaeology, working in advance of HS2 construction, have been excavating the site for the past three years. 
Iron Age axle revealed in Suffolk The axle has been radiocarbon dated to the middle Iron Age, c.400-100 BC. 
First evidence that Vikings travelled with animals across the North Sea Previously it had been thought that Vikings probably pillaged such animals from British populations on their arrival. 
Mesolithic site found in the Vale of Pickering In total, the trench yielded over 1,000 stone tools and more than 200 animal bones. 
Tudor treasure: exploring an artefact rich in royal imagery A pendant adorned with symbolic motifs linked to Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon was recently unveiled at the British Museum. Carly Hilts spoke to Dr Rachel King and Teresa… Views
Detectorists and levelling up the heritage sector Comment the programme dramatised one of the essential differences between detectorists and archaeologists: the first are interested in objects (preferably ones that are worth a bob or two), the latter in… 
Labyrinth: Knossos, Myth and Reality Museum, What's on Ancient myths meet archaeological treasures in this new blockbuster at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford. Carly Hilts went along to learn more about the great palace at Knossos, legendary location… 
Royal Photographic Society Groups Every month, when we open the pages of Current Archaeology or any of its sister publications, we are presented with wonderful photographs as well as compelling stories about our heritage.… 
Conserving the keep The Picture Desk Orford Castle in Suffolk has reopened to visitors after detailed conservation work – a project 13 years in the making – was completed in January. The castle was originally built… 
Museum news: exhibitions on Rendlesham and Lindisfarne open Museum, What's on Royal sites revealed Lying more than 275 miles apart, Rendlesham and Yeavering belong to a handful of sites named as a vicus regius or ‘royal settlement’ by the Anglo-Saxon cleric… 
Excavating the Hebrides Comment, Places the star of the show is undoubtedly Cladh Hallan in the south of the island, famous for its Bronze Age ‘mummies’, the earliest evidence of deliberate mummification found in Britain. 
Exhibitions, events, and heritage from home – Current Archaeology’s February Listings Museum, What's on Over the next few months a wide variety of fantastic opportunities are on offer to get involved in history, heritage, and archaeology, with exciting conferences, new exhibitions, events, and more.… 
Finds tray – Romano-British putto Objects Image: The Portable Antiquities Scheme This is a Romano-British figurine of a chubby, naked boy, known as a putto. Although discovered in 2019 in Cox Green in Windsor and Maidenhead,… Reviews
Ireland and the Crusades Review by Michael Potterton Thirty years ago, when I was a history and archaeology undergraduate at University College Dublin, the phrase ‘Ireland and the Crusades’ seemed almost as absurd as… 
Facing the Enemy? A GIS study of 1st century Roman fortifications in the Scottish landscape Review by Kathryn Murphy In Facing the Enemy, Andrew Tibbs presents analysis of Roman fortifications and the Scottish landscape, focusing on the positioning, intervisibility, orientation, and interconnectivity of Flavian sites.… Labyrinth: Knossos, Myth and Reality Ancient myths meet archaeological treasures in this new blockbuster at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford. Carly Hilts went along to learn more about the great palace at Knossos, legendary location… 
Becoming an Archaeologist: a guide to professional pathways (2nd edition) Review by Edward Biddulph Ask most people what comes to mind when they hear the word ‘archaeologist’ and, if not immediately going to Indiana Jones, they will most likely imagine… 
Dictionary of Fortifications: an illustrated glossary Review by David Flintham From Iron Age hillforts to Second World War pillboxes, fortifications are all around us. Yet there are probably more terms relating to fortifications than anything else… Museum news: exhibitions on Rendlesham and Lindisfarne open Royal sites revealed Lying more than 275 miles apart, Rendlesham and Yeavering belong to a handful of sites named as a vicus regius or ‘royal settlement’ by the Anglo-Saxon cleric… 
Down the Bright Stream: the prehistory of Woodcock Corner and the Tregurra Valley, Cornwall Review by Jacqueline A Nowakowski A late Neolithic decorated slate disc adorns the front cover of this substantial and well-illustrated publication. Down the Bright Stream presents full technical reports on… Exhibitions, events, and heritage from home – Current Archaeology’s February Listings Over the next few months a wide variety of fantastic opportunities are on offer to get involved in history, heritage, and archaeology, with exciting conferences, new exhibitions, events, and more.… 
The Rise and Decline of Druce Farm Roman Villa (60-650 CE): excavations 2012-2018 Review by Simon Esmonde Cleary The excavations at Druce Farm in Dorset were carried out by local volunteers between 2012 and 2018, along with geophysical, drone, and laser surveys of… 
From the editor
From Spartacus to Maximus Decimus Meridius, images of gladiators and their life-or-death struggles in the Roman arena maintain a powerful hold today over the popular imagination. These fighters were clearly no less fascinating to their contemporary spectators, as imagery found across the empire attests – but physical remains of the individuals themselves are much more elusive. Our cover story draws together intriguing evidence from York and Cirencester.
Remaining in the Roman period, we visit the villa at Druce Farm, near Dorchester. Community excavations have revealed a compelling story of how the site evolved, the experiences of its inhabitants, and what happened as the official Roman occupation of Britain drew to a close.
We then leap forward to the dawn of D-Day and the activities of ‘Easy’ Company, American paratroopers better known as the ‘Band of Brothers’. Before they made their daring jump over Normandy, these men were based in the Wiltshire village of Aldbourne – where recent archaeological work involving military veterans has uncovered traces of their camp, and of some of the site’s inhabitants.
Turning from ephemeral traces of long-demolished Nissen huts to the soaring stonework of Canterbury Cathedral, our next feature puts the spotlight on a virtuosic mosaic adorning Trinity Chapel, exploring possible inspirations behind its imagery.
Finally, we continue on this ecclesiastical theme to bring you an update from medieval York. In CA 245, we covered the ‘lost’ church of All Saints, and the discovery of an unusual female burial interpreted as that of a religious recluse. Since then, analysis of the woman’s remains has revealed new perspectives on her life.
