Cover Story
A multi-sided story: Examining the Norton Disney dodecahedron in its wider context Around 130 dodecahedra have been found across the northern Roman Empire, but the purpose of these ornate objects is unknown, and few have been recovered from datable contexts in modern excavations. An important exception forms the focus of an exhibition… Features
100 years of Woodhenge: Tracing an archaeological icon, from discovery to new dating evidence December 2025 marks the 100th anniversary of the identification of a remarkable prehistoric timber monument just two miles from Stonehenge in Wiltshire. Amanda Chadburn is our guide around Woodhenge and… 
A store of secrets: Excavating Roman military kit and personal possessions at Caerleon Between 2008 and 2010, the first modern excavation of a legionary storehouse anywhere in the Roman Empire was carried out at Caerleon. With the full findings now published, Carly Hilts… 
Stories from the soil: Exploring Treasure finds in north-west England and Wales The first archaeologically focused exhibition to be staged at the Museum of Liverpool explores what Treasure finds from north-west England and Wales can tell us about past and present connections… 
Making accommodations: How 19th-century housing helped launch women’s independence Following on from CA’s review of the golden age of the chain store (CA 426), Chris Catling looks this month at the accommodation built in the Victorian and Edwardian eras… News
Devotion and diplomacy: Examining a treasure from the heart of the Tudor court The British Museum has launched a £3.5 million fundraising campaign to acquire a unique pendant associated with Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon, and with the wider political ambitions of… 
Science Notes: Searching for signs of pregnancy in the skeletal record When excavating human remains, archaeologists are sometimes able to identify a pregnant woman if the bones of her unborn child are still present in her pelvic area. There are many… 
Conservation reveals new details in the Peebles Hoard Ongoing conservation efforts on the Peebles Hoard – a collection of rare Bronze Age artefacts dating to c.1000-800 BC (see CA 417 and CA 418) – have revealed new details… 
Uncovering Scotland’s earliest railway Excavations along the disused Tranent–Cockenzie Waggonway have revealed a section of the historic rail route and uncovered new details about its use and construction that could potentially alter our understanding… 
Evidence of Glasgow’s medieval expansion uncovered at Gallowgate Recent excavations at Spoutmouth in the Gallowgate area of Glasgow have revealed evidence of the city’s medieval expansion. The site was a car park for years, and will be redeveloped… 
Search ongoing in Essex for missing Second World War pilot Cotswold Archaeology is working in conjunction with Operation Nightingale and the US Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) to search for the remains of a missing US Army Air Forces pilot,… 
World news Stone tools on Sulawesi Excavations at a site called Calio, on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, have found new evidence of the island’s occupation by early hominin species. Carried out… 
Areas of early Roman Wroxeter revealed on Attingham Estate Excavations on the National Trust’s Attingham Estate in Shropshire have uncovered the remains of a Roman industrial complex and shrine, adding to our knowledge of the early northern fringes of… 
Leicester Market’s secrets uncovered Ongoing excavations at Leicester’s market are uncovering new details about the city, stretching from its role as an important Roman settlement through to the post-medieval period. Redevelopment of the marketplace… Views
Current Archaeology’s November 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… 
Marie Antoinette Style at the V&A, London Museum, What's on Marie Antoinette is one of the most famous and most misunderstood figures of 18th-century France. Carly Hilts visited a new exhibition exploring her life and legacy. 
Strollology, Hedonia and Eudaimonia Comment Can you guess which of the following is a genuine university discipline: Strollology, Hedonia and Eudaimonia, or Happiness Studies? The answer is all of them. 
Made in Ancient Egypt at the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge Museum, What's on A new exhibition explores ancient Egypt from the perspective of its craftspeople, showcasing their creations and illuminating their experiences. Carly Hilts visited to learn more. 
The Friends of Cressing Temple Groups To enter Cressing Temple is to step back from the hurly-burly of modern Essex into a remarkable haven of timeless tranquillity in the form of a former manor that was… 
CA 429 Letters – November Letters Castles, conservation, and conquest With a week in Norfolk booked and a visit to Norwich in mind, not least to collect a fridge magnet from the Castle for a grandson,… 
Great prehistoric sites: Kent and Sussex – Excavating the CA archive Comment In last month’s column, I explored Palaeolithic Norfolk and Suffolk, visiting some of the most important prehistoric sites not just in Britain but in the whole of western Europe. Here… 
Finds Tray: Copper-alloy belt hook Objects This copper-alloy belt hook (LIN-EE3DF6), cast in the form of a finely dressed male figure, was discovered near Digby in Lincolnshire. Dating to the late 15th to early 16th century… 
Celebrating Railway 200: Sheringham Station, Norfolk The Picture Desk To mark 200 years since the Stockton and Darlington Railway – the world’s first modern railway – opened on 27 September 1825, Historic England have announced seven new listings relating… Reviews
Current Archaeology’s November 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… Marie Antoinette Style at the V&A, London Marie Antoinette is one of the most famous and most misunderstood figures of 18th-century France. Carly Hilts visited a new exhibition exploring her life and legacy. Made in Ancient Egypt at the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge A new exhibition explores ancient Egypt from the perspective of its craftspeople, showcasing their creations and illuminating their experiences. Carly Hilts visited to learn more. 
The Stones of Britain: a history of Britain through its geology REVIEW BY ROB IXER This is a peculiar hybrid of a book. It is a pretty good generalised account of British ‘historical geology’, namely a description of the occurrence of… 
Neolithic Tombs of Wales REVIEW BY KEITH RAY Neolithic Tombs of Wales is a revised edition of a book with similar scope that was published 20 years ago by the same publisher. It is… 
A Medieval Cabinet of Curiosities REVIEW BY KK The title of this book explains it all. Reading it is like stepping into a dimly lit, 19th-century hall of curiosities, with various unusual artefacts covering every… 
Magic in Roman Britain REVIEW BY MIRANDA ALDHOUSE-GREEN This monograph examines the important, yet underestimated subject of the magical objects that form part of the archaeological footprint left by Roman Britons. It focuses on… 
Excavations in the Roman Legionary Fortress at Caerleon: the Priory Field store building REVIEW BY TOBY DRIVER From the outset, the authors of this impressive research report remind us of the importance both of Caerleon Roman fortress and of the excavations and evaluations… 
The House of Wolf Review KK This debut novel by Tony Robinson, of Time Team and Blackadder fame, takes us on a tour of 9th-century Europe: from the Holy Roman Emperor’s royal residence at… 
From the editor
This month’s articles are bookended by unusual artefacts with intriguing tales to tell. The first is an elaborate pendant bearing emblems associated with Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon. Analysis of its imagery has revealed a much wider story than was previously imagined, illuminating not only a royal marriage and the world of the Tudor court, but political ambitions and hopes for a lasting peace in 16th-century Europe. The other is a mysterious Roman dodecahedron. Theories abound for how these objects may have been used – but crucially, unlike many previous such discoveries, this example from Norton Disney in Lincolnshire was found during a modern excavation, within a securely datable context.
Dates also form a key part of our feature about Woodhenge. It is a century since the Neolithic monument was first spotted on Salisbury Plain and, to mark the milestone, we explore the story of its discovery, and discuss recent dating evidence that sheds new light on its place within the Stonehenge landscape.
It was a military veteran who first identified the remains of Woodhenge, and our next article has a martial flavour, too. In 2008-2010, the first modern excavation of a legionary storehouse anywhere in the Roman Empire was carried out at Caerleon in south Wales. What has subsequent analysis of the project’s findings revealed about life in the fortress, and the site’s ‘post-Roman’ afterlife?
We remain in the west as we visit a new exhibition at the Museum of Liverpool, examining Treasure finds from north-west England and Wales and drawing out the stories that they can tell us about past events and individuals.
Finally, we leap forward to the 19th century to examine how accommodation built specifically for single female workers transformed women’s fortunes in the Victorian and Edwardian periods.
CARLY
