Cover Story
A game of tombs? Rethinking what the dead can tell us about Neolithic society in Ireland Who was buried in the passage tombs of Neolithic Ireland? For centuries, many thought that these monuments were the final resting places of a ruling elite, and in 2020 this seemed to be confirmed by ancient DNA analysis which revealed… Features
‘Cathedrals of commerce’ : A guide through the Golden Age of the British High Street In her new book about High Street heritage, Kathryn Morrison takes us on a trip down memory lane and reminds us that design quality was once a proud part of… 
Viking North: Tracing Scandinavian influences in early medieval England A major new exhibition explores the impact of the Viking Age across northern England. Carly Hilts visited the displays and spoke to Adam Parker to learn more. 
Languages without words: Exploring art from the last Ice Age An exhibition at Cliffe Castle Museum showcases artworks dating back 24,000 years, bringing together Continental artefacts with two key British finds. Carly Hilts reports. News
From warship to whaler: Solving the mystery of a Sanday shipwreck Detailed archaeological analysis and archival research has revealed the identity of a mysterious ship whose timbers were recently exposed on an Orkney beach. Carly Hilts spoke to Ben Saunders to… 
Straight to the point: Investigating Roman swords and extensive settlements in the Cotswolds Excavations near Willersey in the north Cotswolds have uncovered evidence of extensive Iron Age settlement and a possible high-status Roman building – as well as intriguing clues to suggest why… 
Evidence of an early medieval execution? Re-examination of an early medieval burial found at Bull Wharf in the City of London suggests that the probably female individual may have been the victim of an execution, and… 
Big feet at Magna Roman Fort During the latest digging season at Magna Roman Fort, a number of unusually large shoes were discovered, larger even than any of the approximately 5,000 ancient shoes that have been… 
Surveying Skomer Island A new 3D digital survey of Skomer Island, located a mile off the coast of Pembrokeshire, has revealed new details of its archaeological sites, allowing the public to appreciate many… 
Fengate Ware found at Fordingbridge Excavations at Fordingbridge, Hampshire, just outside the New Forest National Park, have revealed an important rural settlement that was occupied from the Iron Age into the Roman period. Traces of… 
Science Notes: Unlocking the past using brain power We have covered the growing area of palaeoproteomics – the study of proteins in archaeological remains – a few times in ‘Science Notes’ (see, in particular, CA 338 and 353).… 
Barbican uncovered in Chichester The remains of a stone tower have been discovered during a recent archaeological dig in Chichester’s Priory Park. They are believed to be the remains of a barbican that would… 
Generations of first farmers congregated at Carnoustie We first brought you news of the discovery of two Neolithic halls at Carnoustie, Angus, back in 2019 when the first radiocarbon dates had come through, confirming their prehistoric date… 
World news ‘Dragon Man’ was Denisovan? New palaeoproteomic and DNA evidence suggests that ‘Dragon Man’ – a hominin cranium first discovered in the 1930s near Harbin in north-east China – is not… Views
The UK’s first purpose-built prisoner-of-war camp Comment Most of us associate prisoner-of-war camps with 20th-century conflicts, but an archaeological evaluation undertaken in July 2009 by Channel 4’s Time Team revealed that the first specially constructed camp dates… 
Current Archaeology’s August Listings: exhibitions, events, and heritage from home What's on There are lots of great ways to get involved with history and archaeology over the next few months, including exhibitions, lectures, and conferences exploring a wide range of subjects. If… 
Roman towns and cities: Lincoln – Excavating the CA archive Comment As part of my ongoing mini-series on the towns of Roman Britain, I will focus in this column on Roman Lincoln (Lindum), which was founded as a legionary fortress during the reign… 
CA Letters 426 – August Letters Counting Quaker Meeting Houses I enjoyed the article on the Quaker Meeting Houses in CA 422. I have searched for the Meeting Houses associated with 250 years of my Quaker… 
Researching Wrest Park: Silsoe, Bedfordshire The Picture Desk Over the past 15 years, a series of research projects at Wrest Park, a 19th-century country house in Silsoe, Bedfordshire, has revealed in detail how the grounds of this estate… 
Gladiators: Heroes of the Colosseum and Gladiators of Britain Museum, What's on Exhibitions currently running at the Royal Armouries in Leeds and at Northampton Museum & Art Gallery focus on ancient Rome’s famous arena fighters, separating fact from fiction and exploring the… 
The Great War Aviation Society Groups The decade between the first successful powered flight – made by the Wright Brothers on 17 December 1903 – and the outbreak of the First World War in August 1914… 
The World of King James VI & I at National Galleries of Scotland: Portrait Museum, What's on Gunpowder, treason, and plot; witch trials and sexual scandals; political, cultural, and religious innovations – James VI & I’s reign was undeniably eventful. Carly Hilts visited an exhibition investigating the… 
Finds Tray – Spherical knop Objects This artefact was discovered by a metal-detectorist near Corringham, Lincolnshire, earlier this year. It has been identified as one of the spherical knops from an Iron Age openwork toggle or… Reviews
Current Archaeology’s August Listings: exhibitions, events, and heritage from home There are lots of great ways to get involved with history and archaeology over the next few months, including exhibitions, lectures, and conferences exploring a wide range of subjects. If… Gladiators: Heroes of the Colosseum and Gladiators of Britain Exhibitions currently running at the Royal Armouries in Leeds and at Northampton Museum & Art Gallery focus on ancient Rome’s famous arena fighters, separating fact from fiction and exploring the… 
Repast: the story of food REVIEW BY CH Packed with more than 300 illustrations, this wide-ranging book is as much a feast for the eyes as it is a fascinating exploration of humanity’s relationship with… 
Forgotten Forests: Twelve thousand years of British and Irish woodlands REVIEW BY MATT RITCHIE This is a very fine biography of Britain and Ireland’s once extensive ancient forest and woodland. The book is nicely balanced – the first half spans… 
The Great Museum of the Sea: a human history of shipwrecks REVIEW BY ANDREA HAMEL This latest book by James P Delgado, eminent maritime archaeologist and historian, provides a superb overview of shipwrecks, covering hundreds of wrecks from around the world,… 
Producers, Traders, and Consumers in Urban Societies in Southern Britain and Europe: post-excavation and museum studies presented to Professor Mark Brisbane REVIEW BY ANNE THOM This book was written to honour Professor Mark Brisbane with up-to- date and historical analysis of archaeological records, sites, and museum studies that have interested him… 
Ice Age Art Now REVIEW BY HANNA MCNULTY What if Ice Age art was not confined to glass cases or academic articles, but displayed in galleries alongside contemporary artists? In Ice Age Art Now,… 
Stone Lands: a journey of darkness and light through Britain’s ancient places REVIEW BY JOE FLATMAN The Stone Lands book launch was held on a sun-kissed midsummer’s evening on a farm near Avebury, followed by a guided walk led by the author… The World of King James VI & I at National Galleries of Scotland: Portrait Gunpowder, treason, and plot; witch trials and sexual scandals; political, cultural, and religious innovations – James VI & I’s reign was undeniably eventful. Carly Hilts visited an exhibition investigating the… 
From the editor
This month’s cover features an image of Newgrange, one of Ireland’s most famous Neolithic passage tombs. Recent analysis has shed intriguing light on the people who were buried within these grand monuments – and on the structure of the societies that they belonged to.
Questions of identity also lie at the heart of our next article, which examines recent research into the impact of Viking attacks and Scandinavian settlement across the north of England.
From raiding to trading, we then trace the heritage of the British High Street, offering new insights into these familiar environments.
Finally, we leap back in time to explore the remarkable artistic outpouring that Britain and Continental Europe witnessed towards the end of the last Ice Age.
Adding to the above, extended news reports cover a pair of Roman cavalry swords from the Cotswolds; and recent work that has revealed the identity of a 250-year-old shipwreck discovered on an Orkney beach.
Finally, I would like to offer my warmest wishes to Amy Brunskill, who is leaving CA to work for our sister magazines Current World Archaeology and Military History Matters. Amy first joined our team for CA 356 (November 2019), and she has made an invaluable contribution over the last few years, including her ingenious invention of ‘Heritage from Home’ during the first COVID-19 lockdown. Thank you, Amy, and good luck with your future endeavours!
CARLY
