Cover Story
Fields and farmsteads: Organising the early Roman frontier region in South Yorkshire Excavations at Holme Hall Quarry, between Doncaster and Rotherham, have revealed how the landscape was transformed into extensive, carefully planned field systems and farmsteads during the early Roman period. Was this development the work of local Iron Age communities, or… Features
Subterranean Skye: Exploring the enduring significance of High Pasture Cave Discovered in 1972 and excavated between 2004 and 2010, High Pasture Cave on the island of Skye has proven to have been an enduring hub of ritual activity for 900… 
Words on the wave: Tracing Continental connections in early medieval Ireland A major new exhibition at the National Museum of Ireland explores how people travelled between early medieval Ireland and continental Europe 1,000 years ago, seeking learning, refuge from Viking raids,… 
Taking stock of the the pot: Creating and recreating the Glenfield Iron Age cauldrons Recent research has shed new light on a rare group of Iron Age cauldrons, culminating in the construction of a full-sized replica. What did this process reveal about how such… 
A tale of two hillforts: Illuminating the inhabitants of Iron Age Leicestershire An exhibition currently running at the University of Nottingham Museum showcases finds from Breedon Hill and Burrough Hill, hillforts that are both located in the East Midlands where such monuments… News
Science Notes: Mind your own beeswax – Insights into the composition of the Nimrud writing tablets In ‘Science Notes’, we often talk about how new technologies are revolutionising our approach to archaeology. And while this is most certainly still the case, the reliability of previous methods… 
Rare paintings discovered at Tudor lodge in Castle Sowerby Restoration work at a former Tudor hunting lodge – the Ashes in Cumbria – has revealed beautiful paintings lurking beneath the failing plasterwork. The paintings were discovered in the primary… 
World News Roman battlefield burial uncovered A mass grave was discovered in autumn last year during construction work being carried out in Simmering, a district of Vienna, Austria. The subsequent excavation of… 
Roman lime kiln found in Gloucester A Roman lime kiln – possibly one of the first to be excavated in Gloucestershire – was discovered during excavations at Horsbere Brook at the Centre Severn development in Barnwood,… 
Iron Age settlement and dog found at Fonmon Castle As excavations continue on the Fonmon Castle estate, north-west of Cardiff Airport, more intriguing details have been revealed, including the remains of an Iron Age settlement. Over the past couple… 
New thoughts on the Thetford Hoard Found in 1979 on Gallows Hill in Thetford, Norfolk, the Thetford Hoard was originally believed to have been buried in the second half of the 4th century AD. Now Ellen… 
Titans of tin? The south-west as a powerhouse of tin-production in the Bronze Age Recent research carried out by Project Ancient Tin, an initiative led by Benjamin Roberts and R Alan Williams from the University of Durham (published in Antiquity: https://doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2025.41), has found that… 
Surviving Palaeolithic Skye Two locations on the Isle of Skye have recently revealed evidence for occupation during the Late Upper Palaeolithic (LUP). Now new research (published in the Journal of Quaternary Science: https://doi.org/10.1002/jqs.3718)… Views
Current Archaeology’s June Listings: exhibitions, events, and heritage from home What's on There are lots of great ways to get stuck into history and heritage this summer, from new exhibitions and activity days to lectures and conferences. Or, if you’re looking for… 
Go digging! Digging, What's on Following on from our special sections in CA 422 and 423, this selection of summer digging opportunities includes projects in Derbyshire, Northumberland, North Yorkshire, and Stirling. 
CA Letters 424 – June Letters Correction: A 64m-Long Roman Building in Sussex? Well, not quite! I’m afraid the structure mentioned on p.22 of CA 423 in ‘A Roman landscape revealed’ suffered from the curse of… 
Retro Zoomers Comment Looking for signs of hope that heritage and culture will be safe in the hands of future generations, Sherds spotted a number of media reports recently that claimed to know… 
Roman towns and cities: Colchester – Excavating the CA archive Comment Last month’s visit to Chester/Deva got me thinking about the other great urban sites of Roman Britain. I have previously visited Silchester/Calleva (CA 337, April 2018), Wroxeter/Viroconium (CA 338, May… 
Taking up the tesserae: The Liberty mosaics, Southwark The Picture Desk In 2022, MOLA archaeologists working on the Liberty development site in Southwark on behalf of Landsec, Transport for London (TfL), and Southwark Council, uncovered a pair of striking Roman mosaics.… 
Ancient India: living traditions Museum, What's on An elegantly designed new exhibition at the British Museum traces the artistic traditions of Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism. Carly Hilts visited to learn more. 
Finds Tray – Disc brooch Objects This is a cloissonné disc brooch dating from the late Anglo-Saxon period (c.AD 970-1100) and was recently found by a metal-detectorist on farmland near Winscombe and Sandford in North Somerset.… 
Ruperra Castle Preservation Trust Groups Ruperra Castle (Castell Rhiw’r Perrai; ‘pear-tree hill’) is garlanded with heritage designations, being a Grade II*-listed building and a Scheduled Monument, set within a Grade II Registered Park. Sadly, it… Reviews
Current Archaeology’s June Listings: exhibitions, events, and heritage from home There are lots of great ways to get stuck into history and heritage this summer, from new exhibitions and activity days to lectures and conferences. Or, if you’re looking for… Go digging! Following on from our special sections in CA 422 and 423, this selection of summer digging opportunities includes projects in Derbyshire, Northumberland, North Yorkshire, and Stirling. Ancient India: living traditions An elegantly designed new exhibition at the British Museum traces the artistic traditions of Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism. Carly Hilts visited to learn more. 
The Swash Channel Wreck: An Archaeological Investigation of a 17th-Century Armed Dutch Merchantman REVIEW BY MARK BEATTIE-EDWARDS It was with some delight that I received an email to write this review, as I had literally only one hour before I purchased my own… 
Archaeological Stones and their Macroscopical Identification REVIEW BY ROB IXER ‘No provenance is better than wrong provenance’ should be tattooed on the forehead of anyone embarking on a career in lithic studies. Forgoing that, buying this… 
Rural Baths in Roman Britain: A colonisation of the senses REVIEW BY JO DAY Imagining Roman baths conjures up scenes of mosaics and frescoes, perfumes, hot rooms and cold pools, and steamy air thick with watery sounds and chattering. These… 
Boathouses of Britain REVIEW BY KK Opening with a brutal account of fratricide between the sons of the pioneering physician who first described Down’s syndrome, this book about boathouses is unexpectedly gripping. The… 
On the Edge, Above the Vale REVIEW BY RP Cotswold Archaeology’s latest monograph (free to download at http://www.cotswoldarchaeology.co.uk/publication) covers excavations that took place ahead of the construction of the Collection Management Facility, Science, and Innovation Park… 
Life and Death in Roman Carlisle REVIEW BY RP This volume compiles the findings of excavations carried out by Wardell Armstrong at Botchergate, a main street to the south-east of Carlisle’s city centre. There, works undertaken… 
From the editor
This month’s cover feature takes us to Holme Hall Quarry in South Yorkshire, where archaeologists have uncovered dramatic evidence of how this frontier region was transformed during the early Roman period. Extensive, systematically planned field systems sprang up across the landscape at this time – but do these changes represent an innovation of local Iron Age peoples, or a land-grab by an occupying army?
Invention and invasion feature in our next article, too, which traces the flow of people, objects, and ideas between medieval Ireland and Continental Europe. Some of these ‘exiles for Christ’ travelled for scholarly or religious fulfilment, while others sought refuge from Viking raids devastating their monastic homes.
We next revisit a discovery made in 2013 outside the Leicestershire village of Glenfield. Excavation of an Iron Age settlement revealed a collection of 11 cauldrons that had been placed in ditches across the site. What has subsequent conservation, research, and the construction of a full sized replica revealed?
From buried cauldrons to subterranean ceremonies, we then travel to High Pasture Cave on the Isle of Skye, which has yielded evidence of intriguing Bronze Age and Iron Age ritual activities spanning 900 years.
Our last feature examines two Leicestershire hillforts: Burrough Hill and Breedon Hill. What can excavated evidence tell us about the experiences, activities, and interests of their Iron Age inhabitants?
Finally, I would like to offer a warm ‘welcome back’ to CA’s Deputy Editor, Kathryn Krakowka, who has returned from maternity leave, and a massive ‘thank you’ to Rebecca Preedy, who has done such a brilliant job at covering her role.
CARLY
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