The apogee of Monte Cassino
In the second of a two-part feature examining Monte Cassino, Richard Hodges examines how the monastery developed from the late 9th century onwards.
Medieval
History of the Caucasus Volume 2: In the Shadow of Great Powers
REVIEW BY NICK EVANS Abdudzhalil Abdudzhalilov called himself the ‘last of the Mohicans’. Until his death in 2015, he was the last inhabitant of the village of Gamsutl in Dagestan, in the south of the Russian Federation. A spectacular image…
The Lionheart in winter: Richard I’s last campaign, 1194-1199
He was the ‘Crusader King’, whose exploits made him a national hero. But does Richard I deserve his reputation as a martial genius? Stephen Roberts studies his final campaign in search of clues.
In View
MHM’s round-up of the latest military history titles.
Piety and plague: Exploring evidence for life and death in Cambridge’s Augustinian friary
Excavations in central Cambridge have uncovered traces of one of the medieval town’s many religious communities, including remains of the friary itself, and of the people who were buried in its bounds. Craig Cessford reports.
UK news in brief
A round-up of some of the latest archaeology news from around the UK.
Medieval boat graffiti – Isle of Luing
On the outer walls of an old parish church, on the small island of Luing in the Inner Hebrides, are carvings of longships that are thought to date from the 13th century, when Norwegian and Scottish kings were fighting for…
Eilean Donan Castle: Exploring a Highland icon, archaeological research excavations 2009-2017
REVIEW BY DEREK ALEXANDER Eilean Donan Castle is indeed a Scottish icon, featuring on many calendars and in movies – Highlander for one. You can’t fail to notice it if you are driving to the Isle of Skye, as it…
St Aidan’s settlement: Finding evidence of medieval Ferns
In the year AD 580, St Aidan crossed the Irish Sea from St Davids in Pembrokeshire (where he had been studying as St David’s favourite pupil) to Rosslare in County Wexford. Eighteen years later, he established a new monastery at Ferns, in the same county. This grew to become one of south-east Ireland’s most important settlements, a seat of royal power and the site of an Augustinian abbey. Little was known about the early history, however, until the Irish Archaeology Field School launched a major research project in June 2021. With commendable speed, the first fruits of that research have just been published, as Chris Catling reports.
Finding the lost monastery of Deer
After almost 15 years of searching, the lost monastery of Deer may have finally been found, only 80m from the ruins of Deer Abbey in Aberdeenshire. The search began in 2009 with a series of evaluations and small-scale excavations in…
Medieval moated farm discovered in Tewkesbury
Work by Cotswold Archaeology has revealed the evolution of a farmstead known as Cowfield Farm, from its medieval origins to its redevelopment in the 18th century. When the centuries-old brick farmhouse at Cowfield Farm burnt down during a fire in…
Science Notes: Investigating race and mortality during the Black Death
Past studies of medieval populations have often glossed over any heterogeneity that probably existed in that period, often depicting a majority ‘white’ society. While this may be true of more rural settings, urban ones, particularly in places like London which…
Road to the Manor: Excavations at Graven Hill, Oxfordshire, 2015-2016
REVIEW BY JACQUELINE PITT This monograph successfully compiles the results of a series of excavations into a comprehensive chronology of a former MOD site south of Bicester. Evidence for prehistoric to modern activity was identified, along with a significant medieval…
Forum: Comments and conundrums
Your observations, your objections, and your opinions on CWA.
Excavations at Monte Cassino
In the first of a two-part feature, Richard Hodges untangles the early evolution of the famed Benedictine monastery of Monte Cassino.
1385 and all that: The failed French conquest of England
The Norman Conquest of 1066 remains one of the best-known events in English history – but French attempts to invade three centuries later have now largely been forgotten, as Duncan Cameron explains.
Finds tray – Medieval ampulla
This is a medieval ampulla, probably dating to c.1350-1500, that was recently found near Titchmarch in Northamptonshire. It is made of lead and has a bulbous body that tapers into an inverted trapezoidal upper portion with an integrated handle on…
Science Note: Developing a collective osteobiographical approach to cemetery analysis
In the past, most analyses of human remains have examined specific, discrete aspects of osteological data such as health, trauma, and migration. In an attempt to provide a more holistic approach to the analysis of cemeteries, researchers at the University…
If walls could talk: Tracing the lost defences of Beaumaris
Excavations in Beaumaris, Anglesey, have uncovered elements of the town’s medieval defences that were thought to have been demolished half a century ago, as well as providing vivid insight into the lives of the people who lived beside them for hundreds of years. Matthew Jones and Catherine Rees report.
UK news in brief
A round-up of some of the latest archaeology news from around the UK.
Discovering Medieval Ferns, Co. Wexford
REVIEW BY MARIE THERESE FLANAGAN Discovering Medieval Ferns, Co. Wexford, focuses on the town as a regional religious and royal centre in the Kingdom of Leinster during the medieval period. It provides reports on surveys and excavations at three sites.…
Sherds CA 407
Christopher Catling, Contributing Editor for CA, delves into the eccentricities of the heritage world.
Monastic memories: Continuing the hunt for Hyde Abbey
Community excavations in Winchester are helping to piece together the layout of a long-demolished Benedictine monastery. Carly Hilts visited this summer’s investigations to find out more.
Searching for the Knights Hospitaller at St John’s Jerusalem
The first major archaeological investigations of the moated house of St John’s Jerusalem in Sutton-at Hone, Kent – once home to a Knights Hospitaller Commandery – have revealed some of the site’s medieval origins, as well as its evolution during…
Castles of Kent through Time
REVIEW BY AB It is easy to think of castles as a static part of the historical landscape, towering relics of a bygone era, but these buildings have rich stories, many of which are still being written. In Castles of…
The Year 1000
It is often thought that AD 900-1100 was a time when nothing much happened in the area that is today the Netherlands; many overviews of Dutch history have a tendency to skip straight from the Romans to the later Middle…
Christian tattoo in medieval Sudan
Archaeologists have uncovered a rare example of a religious tattoo in a burial near the medieval monastic site of Ghazali, in northern Sudan. The tattooed individual, whose skin was unusually well preserved, was discovered in 2016 during excavations of the…
The Mongol storm: making and breaking empires in the medieval near east
REVIEW BY KAVEH FARROKH With this book, Nicholas Morton has filled a gap in the field in the study of the Mongol military genius and the immense impact of their conquests in the 13th century. This impact was truly international…
Uncovering a lost landscape: The archaeology of Llanddwyn Island
Located off the south coast of Ynys Môn (Anglesey), Llanddwyn Island was home to a small monastic community for more than 1,000 years. Now a decade of archaeological investigations have shed vivid light on this remote religious community, documenting the remains of a 12th-century church and its surrounding landscape. George Nash, Philip Dell, Leslie Dodd, Thomas Wellicome, and Carol James explain further the history and archaeology of one of Wales’ hidden island gems.
Sherds CA 405
Christopher Catling, Contributing Editor for CA, delves into the eccentricities of the heritage world.
Excavating Ankerwycke: From priory to pleasure ground
For the last two years, archaeologists have been exploring the remains of a medieval nunnery that once occupied the bank of the Thames opposite to where Magna Carta was signed. Carly Hilts met James Brown on site to learn more.
National Churches Trust
Many societies are concerned with a specific aspect of church heritage (monuments, sculptures, or wall paintings, for example) but the National Churches Trust (NCT) is arguably the most holistic, raising money for places of worship of all denominations and in…
A Woman’s Will: The changing lives of British women, told through the things they have left behind
REVIEW BY AB A hive of bees, ‘nine pair of bedde stockes’ (bed socks), ‘my worst petticoat’, and the famous Sutton Hoo treasure: these are just some of the objects left to friends, relatives, and institutions by Britain’s women over…
Scottish Archaeology Month 2023
Archaeology Scotland’s flagship festival, Scottish Archaeology Month (SAM), is taking place throughout September. More details can be found at www.archaeologyscotland.org.uk/scottish-archaeology-month, but here are some highlights of what’s on offer.
Green-fingered finds: Piecing together the history of Scotney’s Old Castle
Plans for a new, more sustainable garden within the ruins of Scotney Castle in Kent have given archaeologists the rare opportunity to explore the medieval mansion’s buried remains. Carly Hilts visited Nat Cohen on site to find out more.
Finds tray – Medieval seal matrix
This is a medieval seal matrix found by a metal-detectorist in the parish of Lockerley, Hampshire. It is made of cast copper-alloy and most likely dates to between 1470 and 1520. Measuring a diminutive 6cm by 4cm, it is a…