Cover Story
Warhorse: Discovering the archaeology of a medieval revolution Mighty warhorses, as richly adorned and armoured as their knightly riders, are an immediately recognisable icon of the medieval period. Until recently, they were understood mainly through analysis of written sources – but what can archaeology add to this picture?… Features
Quakers and their meeting houses: Building a picture of a religious group through its architecture Of the many new religious groups that emerged from the ferment of ideas that characterised the Civil War and Commonwealth era (1630s to 1666), the Quakers proved to be one… 
Can archaeology save the world? Small wins and wicked problems Modern society faces significant global challenges, including climate change, environmental pollution, crime and conflict, social injustice, poor health, and concerns about wellbeing. In his recently published book exploring some of… 
The basilica in the the basement: Rediscovering the heart of Roman London Traces of London’s earliest Roman basilica, where officials presided over the settlement’s legal, commercial, and administrative affairs c.2,000 years ago, have been revealed beneath a City office block. Sophie Jackson… News
Milestone discoveries: Revealing highlights from record years for Portable Antiquities Scheme and Treasure finds Following the release of the latest PAS and Treasure reports, Carly Hilts explores some key statistics and star objects. 
St Magnus’ reliquary is contemporary with Orkney earl A nalysis of a reliquary box long believed to house the remains of Magnus Erlendsson, Earl of Orkney in 1106-1117, has confirmed that the container is contemporary with the saint.… 
First World War training camp excavated in Bexhill Archaeologists are well-used to working in trenches – and now excavations by Archaeology South-East (part of UCL Institute of Archaeology) have uncovered traces of an East Sussex site used to… 
Fifteenth-century coin hoard discovered in the Scottish Borders A hoard of mid- 15th-century Scottish and English coins has been discovered in the Cappercleuch area, in the Scottish Borders. The 30 gold and silver coins were discovered by a… 
Co. Londonderry bog body reidentified as an Iron Age woman Human remains that were discovered in peatland at Ballymacombs More in Northern Ireland have been reidentified as belonging to an Iron Age woman who was possibly the victim of a… 
Rare Civil War defences uncovered at Sheffield Castle During the English Civil War, Sheffield Castle – a Royalist stronghold – was besieged for ten days by Parliamentary forces who ultimately seized control of the fortifications. Traces of this… 
Science Notes: Concocting a solution – New method to identify preservation fluids in natural history collections When you imagine the specimen stores of natural history collections, you might picture rows of jars containing mysterious samples suspended in an even more mysterious liquids. We might assume that… 
World news ‘Sacrificial’ burial uncovered in Ecuador The remains of a woman who suffered a violent death between AD 771 and AD 953 have been excavated in Buen Suceso, a site in… 
‘Britain’s largest Viking Age hall’ discovered in Cumbria Structural remains believed to represent the largest Viking Age hall yet found in Britain have been uncovered at High Tarns farm in Silloth, Cumbria. The site lies close to Holme… 
UK news in brief New project to investigate Roman gypsum burials A three-year, £1 million project, supported by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, is set to explore the Roman practice of coating bodies… Views
Current Archaeology Live! 2025 What's on This year’s CA Live! was our biggest conference yet, with around 600 people coming together at UCL’s Institute of Education in London to share the latest news about the past.… 
Go digging! Digging, What's on With the summer digging season rapidly approaching, we will be running a series of spreads highlighting digging opportunities across Britain and Ireland. This month features projects ranging across the South-East,… 
Current Archaeology’s April Listings: exhibitions, events, and heritage from home What's on There are many exciting archaeological events coming up over the next few months, including new exhibitions, lectures, and conferences. Or, if you would prefer to delve into history and heritage… 
Digitising Doggerland The Picture Desk Until around 8,000 years ago, Britain and the European mainland were connected by a land bridge that today is known as Doggerland. Although now submerged beneath the North Sea, this… 
My Jewellery, My Story at Charnwood Museum What's on An unusual Bronze Age necklace has inspired a colourful exhibition exploring the personal stories behind ancient and modern items of jewellery. Carly Hilts visited to learn more. 
Newhaven Fort What's on An East Sussex landmark has reopened following a £7.5 million transformation. Carly Hilts reports on a recent site visit. 
Seventy years of tiddlywinks Comment Sherds adopts a very broad definition of ‘heritage’, so no apologies for beginning this month’s column by drawing attention to the 70th anniversary of the establishment of tiddlywinks as a… 
Offa’s Dyke: Excavating the CA archive Comment My column this month is on one of the least-known ‘great sites’ of all: Offa’s Dyke, the linear earthwork that stretches along the Welsh/English border. Most people know Hadrian’s Wall,… 
Finds Tray – Early medieval zoomorphic mount Objects This recent addition to the Portable Antiquities Scheme’s database, originally found by metal-detectorists in Winchester in the mid-1990s and since donated to the Hampshire Cultural Trust, is a particularly eye-catching… Reviews
Current Archaeology Live! 2025 This year’s CA Live! was our biggest conference yet, with around 600 people coming together at UCL’s Institute of Education in London to share the latest news about the past.… Go digging! With the summer digging season rapidly approaching, we will be running a series of spreads highlighting digging opportunities across Britain and Ireland. This month features projects ranging across the South-East,… Current Archaeology’s April Listings: exhibitions, events, and heritage from home There are many exciting archaeological events coming up over the next few months, including new exhibitions, lectures, and conferences. Or, if you would prefer to delve into history and heritage… My Jewellery, My Story at Charnwood Museum An unusual Bronze Age necklace has inspired a colourful exhibition exploring the personal stories behind ancient and modern items of jewellery. Carly Hilts visited to learn more. Newhaven Fort An East Sussex landmark has reopened following a £7.5 million transformation. Carly Hilts reports on a recent site visit. 
Sound Tracks REVIEW BY RUPERT TILL I first came across Graeme Lawson’s work about 16 years ago. He is a pioneer in exploring musical instruments in the archaeological record. His work is… 
The Uí Chellaig lords of Uí Maine and Tír Maine: An archaeological and landscape exploration of a later medieval inland Gaelic lordship REVIEW BY TADGH O'KEEFFE Back in the 1980s, when the study of settlement and landscape in high and later medieval Ireland began to take off in earnest, little attention was… 
A Hillfort through Time: Excavations at Rathgall, Co. Wicklow REVIEW BY JAMES O'DRISCOLL It is safe to say that I, and many others interested in the later prehistory of Ireland, have been waiting for this book for decades. This… 
Wortes and all: Medieval cooking REVIEW BY RP Have you ever wondered about the ancestor of the quiche? How about the origins of French toast? Who do we need to thank for the improvement of… 
From the editor
This month’s cover shows Aberlemno II, a 2.28m-tall Pictish cross slab in Angus. Thought to date to the 8th century, its front depicts a large, elaborately decorated ring-headed cross, while the reverse features the vivid imagery shown on our cover. Some have suggested that it represents the AD 685 Battle of Nechtansmere between the Picts and the Angles, and while other interpretations have been offered, the stone’s detailed depiction of mounted warriors certainly makes a striking scene. Horses revolutionised medieval warfare, but until recently the uses, appearance, and experiences of these animals were mainly understood from historical documents. What can archaeology add to this picture?
We then take a trip to Roman London, focusing on the basilica that once dominated the settlement’s first forum. Built c.AD 75 80, this imposing edifice represented the legal, commercial, and social heart of Londinium – and, almost 2,000 years later, its remains have been rediscovered beneath a City office block.
Our next article traces the story of a rather different kind of assembly place: the meeting houses that were built by Quakers from the 17th century onwards. How is this non-conformist history reflected in the distinctive architecture of such structures?
While archaeology is an undeniably invaluable tool for illuminating the past, can it also help to address contemporary issues? In our final feature, we explore the modern relevance and resonance of the profession, and consider how archaeological insights and techniques might help us to tackle some of the challenges facing our modern world, from environmental pollution to social inequality and risks to public health.
CARLY
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