Cover Story
Sizewell C, the story so far: Who did what, where, when – and why? Oxford Cotswold Archaeology’s ongoing excavations on the site of the planned Sizewell C power station in Suffolk have uncovered a vast array of features and finds spanning 6,000 years of history. Project Manager Richard Mortimer guides us through some of… Features
Buried on the boundary: Interpreting Venta Icenorum’s enigmatic ditch deposits The latest excavation by the long-running Caistor Roman Project has uncovered a series of unusual deposits within the monumental triple ditches that encircled Venta Icenorum, capital of the Iceni. At… 
A tempered history: Touring the material legacy of teetotalism Temperance halls, hotels, coffee houses, memorials, and drinking fountains blossomed in the 19th century under the influence of the burgeoning teetotal movement. Most have now been converted to other uses,… 
A cut above: Examining the use of woodworking tools in Late Bronze Age Britain Archaeological wood specialist and traditional woodworker Hamish Darrah describes his ongoing research combining wear analysis and experimental archaeology to illuminate the diverse uses of woodworking tools in Late Bronze Age… 
Pointing to the past: Arrowheads, experimental archaeology, and the CA Awards James Dilley, who crafted the upsized arrowheads that adorn this year’s CA Awards, describes the process of replicating prehistoric projectiles – and their archaeological inspiration. News
Science Notes: Identifying ancient games using artificial intelligence In the last couple of years, the rise of artificial intelligence has permeated almost every aspect of society, but (outside exhibitions and other ways of presenting the past) archaeology has… 
Renovation reveals hidden secrets of Durham Castle Recent renovations at Durham Castle have revealed new details of how the fortification was redecorated and altered over its almost 1,000-year history. With the renovation of the castle presenting a… 
World news Africa’s oldest cremation? Archaeological investigations in the shadow of Mount Hora, in northern Malawi, have revealed the oldest evidence for human cremation yet found in Africa. The burial, which dates… 
19th-century industrial heritage uncovered near Swansea Excavations at the former Hafod–Morfa Copperworks have revealed rare evidence of copper-processing techniques used in the Lower Swansea Valley during the 19th century which, at its peak, accounted for an… 
17th-century shipwreck found on Dorset beach Ancient footprints are not the only archaeological discoveries that have been brought to light by recent winter storms. At the end of January, gale-force winds and massive waves revealed a… 
2,000-year-old footprints revealed on Angus beach A series of 2,000-year-old footprints have been unexpectedly revealed on an Angus beach following a barrage of winter storms. They add to only a handful of ancient human tracks that… 
Viking Age mass grave found outside Cambridge Excavations at Wandlebury Country Park, just south of Cambridge, have uncovered a large burial pit containing the remains of at least ten individuals who died violently in the 8th- to… 
Assessing the impact of Roman occupation on health New research examining the transition between the Iron Age and Romano-British period has shed new light on the detrimental impact of Roman occupation and urbanisation on population health. Previous studies… 
Chasing the Ouseley Collection In 1920, a collection of antiquities and antiques was thrown away, and most of its contents remain lost more than a century later. Martin A Timoney describes recent efforts to… 
The ‘Ossick Lass’: Identifying the earliest human remains discovered in northern Britain Newly published analysis of 11,000-year-old fragments of human bone and teeth from Heaning Wood Bone Cave in Cumbria has revealed that they belonged to an early Mesolithic child. Carly Hilts… Views
Current Archaeology’s April 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… 
Who cares for places of worship? Comment Under the rather ponderous headline ‘Revealing Misunderstandings about Stewardship of Our Ancient Churches’, Historic England has just published the results of its survey into public awareness of the crisis facing… 
Finds Tray: Medieval seal matrix Objects This is a medieval seal matrix, made of copper alloy, that was recently found by a metal-detectorist near the village of Patrick Brompton in North Yorkshire. The matrix’s handle extends… 
Go digging! What's on With the summer digging season rapidly approaching, we will be running a series of pages highlighting excavation opportunities across Britain and Ireland. This month features projects ranging across East Anglia,… 
South-east England’s Saxon Shore forts: Excavating the CA archives Comment Following on from last month’s column, here I continue my survey of the Saxon Shore forts of south-east England: a series of fortifications on both sides of the English Channel thatwere… 
Vikings: the immersive experience and Pilgrimage of Love: Eleanor of Castile Museum, What's on Newly opened exhibitions at Dock X, London, and Leeds Castle, Kent, include AI technology that brings the past to life in a startlingly personal way, offering interactive audiences with medieval… 
Current Archaeology Live! 2026 What's on At the end of February, our annual conference returned to UCL’s Institute of Education in London, with hundreds of people coming together to share the latest news about the past.… 
Roman Roads Research Association Groups By AD 150, the Roman road system extended for some 300,000km (more than 186,000 miles – 7.5 times the circumference of the earth). This comprehensive transport infrastructure underpinned the mobility… 
Saving shipwrecks: HMS Invincible, East Solent The Picture Desk There are currently 57 nationally important shipwrecks in English waters, spanning the Bronze Age to the 20th century, designated under the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973 – including the remains… 
Reviews
Current Archaeology’s April 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… Go digging! With the summer digging season rapidly approaching, we will be running a series of pages highlighting excavation opportunities across Britain and Ireland. This month features projects ranging across East Anglia,… Vikings: the immersive experience and Pilgrimage of Love: Eleanor of Castile Newly opened exhibitions at Dock X, London, and Leeds Castle, Kent, include AI technology that brings the past to life in a startlingly personal way, offering interactive audiences with medieval… Current Archaeology Live! 2026 At the end of February, our annual conference returned to UCL’s Institute of Education in London, with hundreds of people coming together to share the latest news about the past.… 
Upon a White Horse: journeys in ancient Britain and Ireland Peter Ross has made quite a name for himself in recent years. His previous books, A Tomb with a View: the stories and glories of graveyards (2021) and Steeple Chasing:… 
Pets & their People Today, 17 million UK households have at least one pet. Carly Hilts visited a new exhibition in Oxford exploring humans’ long and varied relationships with animals. 
Pets & their People Why do so many of us choose to share our lives – and our homes – with at least one animal? Pets & their People (published to accompany an exhibition… 
The Chalcolithic and Bronze Age in Jersey This book is part of Jersey’s Archaeological Research Framework, which also oversaw the publication of The Neolithic in Jersey by Alison Sheridan, Emmanuel Ghesquière, and Cyril Marcigny (reviewed in CA… 
Fractured Britannia: the twilight of Roman Britain The end of Roman rule in Britain is not a niche topic: it is one that has been intensely studied for decades. And yet we still have so much to… 
From the editor
This month’s ‘cover star’ is a medieval cameo that may have been lost by a pilgrim visiting Leiston Abbey in Suffolk. It is just one of a dazzlingly diverse range of finds and features that have been uncovered so far during extensive excavations ahead of the construction of the Sizewell C power plant. This is archaeology on a landscape scale, illuminating thousands of years of human activity – and the landscape itself plays a role in our understanding, too. Our first feature examines what people were doing in this area and how we now this, while also considering a geological ‘why’.
Our next article tells the story of the Temperance movement, exploring its lasting architectural legacy and the other material traces that we can still encounter in our day-to-day lives, from monuments to water fountains.
We then turn to Caistor St Edmund, near Norwich, where long running investigations have been shedding new light on the regional capital of Venta Icenorum, including intriguing activity outside its walls. CA visited the Caistor Roman Project’s most recent dig last summer; here we share some of the latest findings, including a series of enigmatic burials discovered within the monumental triple ditches that encircled the settlement.
Our last two articles focus on experimental archaeology, highlighting what hands-on research can tell us about prehistoric practices. The first offers insights into the diverse uses of Late Bronze Age woodworking tools, while the second turns the spotlight on ancient arrowheads.
CARLY
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