Cover Story
Fields of gold: Understanding the Snettisham Hoards Over the course of eight decades, at least 14 separate hoards of Iron Age metalwork have been recovered from a single field at Snettisham in Norfolk. Now, following the publication of a new book describing the excavation, conservation, and scientific… Features
Iceni updates: Expanding our understanding of Venta Icenorum The Caistor Roman Project has returned for another summer excavation outside the walls of Venta Icenorum – once the most important town in Roman East Anglia. Carly Hilts visited the… 
Under the infirmary: Revealing the secrets of medieval Berwick Archaeological work ahead of the construction of a new hospital in Berwick-upon-Tweed has revealed significant new evidence of the border town’s medieval defences. David Fell reports. 
Hopping through the history of oast houses: From 19th-century brewing sites to luxurious living spaces The websites of upmarket estate agents will typically feature a dozen or more properties for sale in Sussex or Kent converted from 19th-century oast houses. These desirable residences once served… 
Vanished voices? Tracing female experiences and aspirations in medieval England and Wales Medieval histories are often dominated by the deeds of ‘great men’, but a rich record of female stories can still be found in the archival and archaeological record, as a… 
Searching for Severus: Did a Roman emperor visit Carlisle? Last month, CA 418 reported on excavations uncovering a sumptuous 3rd-century building at Carlisle Cricket Club. Its date coincides with the period when Septimius Severus and his family are known… News
Chalke Valley’s first-known Roman villa revealed Excavations in Wiltshire’s Chalke Valley have uncovered the remains of a large Roman villa – the first complex of its kind to be found in this part of the county.… 
Science Notes: Black Death bacterium in Scotland In 1350, the Black Death had begun to ravage Scotland after spreading north from London. Over the next three centuries, the plague would return to Scotland multiple times, with the… 
Tracing the international food trade of Iron Age Ireland Excavations at an Iron Age fort in County Dublin have uncovered evidence of the exotic tastes of its inhabitants, including the earliest archaeological remains of a fig discovered in Ireland.… 
Roman fort revealed in Pembrokeshire? Geophysical survey in Pembrokeshire has revealed potentially promising evidence of a previously unknown Roman fort. Dr Mark Merrony, a Fellow and Roman specialist at Wolfson College, Oxford, was examining satellite… 
Section of Watling Street uncovered in London A section of Watling Street – one of the most important roads in Roman Britain, running from Dover (Dubris) to Wroxeter (Viroconium Cornoviorum) via London and St Albans – has… 
World news New Neolithic society discovered in Morocco Investigations at Oued Beht, northern Morocco, have uncovered evidence of the oldest and largest Neolithic society yet found in Africa outside the Nile Valley.… 
Medieval mass burial found outside Leicester Cathedral A medieval mass burial containing the remains of more than 100 men, women, and children has been revealed during excavations connected with a new heritage centre in the gardens of… 
Traces of Glencoe Massacre revealed at Achnacon Excavations at Achnacon, an abandoned township in the Scottish Highlands, have uncovered evidence relating to the Glencoe Massacre of 1692. This infamous episode targeted the MacDonald clan on the grounds… Views
Current Archaeology Live! 2025 What's on In partnership with: Current Archaeology Live! 2025 will be here before we know it, and tickets are selling fast. The conference, held in partnership with University College London’s Institute of… 
Current Archaeology’s January Listings: exhibitions, events, and heritage from home What's on There are lots of great historical and archaeological events coming up over the next couple of months, from exhibitions and lectures to archaeology days and conferences. Or, if you would… 
CA Letters 419 – January Letters Language and linen I have just finished reading the latest ‘Sherds’ column in CA 417. His pieces are always thought-provoking, and I thoroughly enjoyed the section on the Norse/Anglo-Saxon influence… 
Fishbourne Roman Palace: Excavating the CA archive Comment My ‘great site’ this month is one close to many people’s hearts. When I think of the locations that embody the best of Current Archaeology as a magazine and British… 
Voices on the Path Comment Sherds does not share the passion for cycling that seems to have gripped so many people over the last two decades. In the words of the self-styled ‘Super-Tramp’, W H… 
Digital data: Fishbourne Roman Palace The Picture Desk When it was excavated in the 1960s, Fishbourne Roman Palace generated an archive that, for the time, was incredibly structured and detailed. However, by today’s standards, little attention was given… 
Finds Tray – Ear scoop Objects This medieval ear scoop was found by a metal-detectorist near King’s Lynn in Norfolk, and has recently been submitted under consideration for Treasure status according to the 1996 Treasure Act.… 
The Chance Heritage Trust Groups Glassmaking was introduced to Smethwick by Thomas Shutt, who started making crown window-glass on a site alongside the Birmingham Canal in 1814. When he died in 1822, his company was… 
Reviews
Current Archaeology Live! 2025 In partnership with: Current Archaeology Live! 2025 will be here before we know it, and tickets are selling fast. The conference, held in partnership with University College London’s Institute of… Current Archaeology’s January Listings: exhibitions, events, and heritage from home There are lots of great historical and archaeological events coming up over the next couple of months, from exhibitions and lectures to archaeology days and conferences. Or, if you would… 
British Pottery: The first 3,000 years – Ceramic Art in the Neolithic and Early Bronze Age REVIEW BY ALISTAIR BARCLAY This is the latest in a series of accessible and well-illustrated books by the author on the development of British Neolithic and Bronze Age pottery. In… 
Church Going: A Stonemason’s Guide to the Churches of the British Isles REVIEW BY MATTHEW CHAMPION The history of the English parish church has long been of fascination to historians, buildings archaeologists, and the general public. As a result, the number of… 
A Date with the Two Cerne Giants: Reinvestigating an Iconic British Hill Figure REVIEW BY HELEN GITTOS This well-illustrated and beautifully produced book is a somewhat unconventional report on the work to date on the Cerne Giant, led by Martin Papworth for the… 
An Irish Civil War Dugout: Tormore Cave, County Sligo – Archaeology, History, Memory REVIEW BY DAMIAN SHIELS This book takes as its focus the archaeological excavation of a remote mountain cave used as an IRA hideout in 1922, a location described by the… 
The Rother Valley REVIEW BY JAMES SAINSBURY The Rother Valley comprises a series of papers, compiled and edited by John Boardman and Ian Foster. The book covers the prehistoric archaeology and palaeoecology of… 
Building on the Past: Archaeological investigations on the N2/M2 Finglas to Ashbourne road project REVIEW BY CH Engagingly written and well-illustrated, Building on the Past discusses the results of 20 archaeological excavations undertaken on a 17km stretch of the N2/M2 road corridor between Finglas,… 
From the editor
Happy New Year! Our cover story takes us to Snettisham in Norfolk, where a single field has yielded at least 14 Iron Age metalwork hoards. This unique collection has the potential to transform our understanding of ancient artistry and ceremonial practices – and, with analysis of the hoards now published in exciting detail, we explore what has been revealed.
From long-buried metalwork to long-buried stories, we next examine what archives and archaeology can tell us about female experiences and aspirations in medieval England and Wales, drawing on a new exhibition that defies stereotypes of women leading marginal lives during this period.
Remaining in the Middle Ages, we then learn what Berwick-upon-Tweed’s largest modern excavation has revealed about this influential border town and how it was defended during episodes of bloody Anglo Scottish conflict.
Pausing for refreshment, our next feature traces the evolution of oast houses, their role in the history of brewing, and their residential afterlife.
Our penultimate piece draws on a site visit to Caistor St Edmund, where long-running investigations continue to reveal evidence of the Iceni people who once inhabited this landscape, and the cultural impact of contact with Rome.
We close with a short follow up to last month’s feature about the excavation of a monumental Roman building at Carlisle. In CA 418, we explored ideas of its construction being inspired by an imperial visit by Septimius Severus. Now, we discuss what historical evidence says about the emperor’s itinerary.
Finally, I would like to flag that this issue contains Joe Flatman’s 100th ‘Excavating the CA archive’ column. A marvellous milestone – thank you, Joe!
CARLY
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