Description
In this issue:
– Bedlam: excavating the cemetery
– Festival of British Archaeology
– Newton Hall: Medieval Manchester
– Richborough: gateway to Roman Britain
– Shaw Cairn: prehistoric Peak District
Plus: News, Reviews, Comment, Sherds, Odd Socs, and more!
From the Editor:
Bedlam. It is a word that evokes the casual brutality of early healthcare. It was also a real institution, tending real patients. Now the hospital’s former cemetery is being excavated, and the bodies within have been excitedly labelled as former patients by the press. Yet the truth is far more complex, and reveals a world where medical treatment could double as popular entertainment.
Richborough is a key site for Roman Britain. While debate still rages about whether Claudius’ invading army first made landfall here, there is little doubt that the site’s great triumphal arch celebrated Rome’s dominance over Britannia. Yet such symbolism turned sour when the monument was levelled to help shore up Rome’s wavering control of the waterways.
In the 1970s a group of enthusiasts discovered a prehistoric cairn. But their energetic digging was not followed by publication, and the archive was left to gather dust. Saved from a garage in 2000, expert finds analysis and modern excavation have finally laid bare the lives and luxuries of those interred on Mellor Moor.
Finally we examine the remains of a Medieval hall discovered during demolition in the 1960s. Study and restoration of the structure helped usher in new approaches to preservation. Such foresight paid off, and Newton Hall is still surrendering insights into a building tradition that some believe stretches back to the dying days of Rome.
Cover Date: Aug-2011, Volume 22 Issue 5