Current Archaeology 435
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An enduring landscape: Uncovering 8,000 years of life and death on the Cotswold Edge
Recent excavations at Milestone Ground on the eastern edge of Broadway have revealed one of the most intriguing archaeological landscapes yet found in Worcestershire. Beneath quiet pasture lay evidence of human activity stretching back 8,000 years, including Mesolithic flint tools, Bronze Age burials, hundreds of Iron Age storage pits, a Roman farmstead, and the largest late Roman cemetery known in the county. Constance Mitchell reports.
Llanbedrgoch: Exploring a unique early medieval trading centre on Anglesey
Ninth-century Carolingian coins from the reigns of Louis the Pious and Charles the Bald are not the sort of objects you would expect to find on a remote farm on the Isle of Anglesey, so, when metal-detectorists began reporting these and other exceptional artefacts from the early medieval period, the National Museum of Wales (now Amgueddfa Cymru) sent Mark Redknap, then Curator of Medieval and Later Archaeology, to investigate. Between 1994 and 2012, Mark led ten seasons of fieldwork on the site, revealing the remains of a trading settlement with a form unparalleled in Wales. With the full report recently published, Chris Catling describes its key findings.
Excavating Cambridgeshire
Meanwhile, at Yaxley, Current Archaeology reported on work examining the archaeology of the ‘second’ English Civil War, during which the village church of St Peter’s was the scene of an extraordinary bombardment.
Prehistoric Rock Art in Scotland: archaeology, meaning and engagement
Over the past 50 years or so, the later prehistoric open-air rock art of Scotland has received much useful attention with the sterling work of researchers Ronald Morris and Stan Beckensall. It
Events, exhibitions, and heritage from home – Spring 2022
There is a great variety of archaeological and historical exhibitions, events, and activities scheduled for the coming year, and we have gathered a selection of the opportunities on offer below, ranging from excavations you can get involved in to lectures and conferences to attend. At the same time, there are also many ways to get stuck into history and heritage at home, with virtual museum tours, new podcasts, and the return of some of your favourite archaeology TV shows. Amy Brunskill has put together a summary of some of the best.
World news: Pompeii, Peru, and Morocco
A round-up of some of the latest archaeological stories from across the globe, including the discovery of a slaves’ room in Pompeii, a 1,000-year-old mass grave in Peru, and evidence of ancient clothing manufacture in Morocco.
Victorian architecture
There is a growing realisation that the solution to the climate emergency is to retrofit existing buildings, with all their embodied carbon and energy, rather than to build new ‘environmentally sustainable’ structures in place of old.
Explorations in Archaeology and Philosophy
Showcasing 12 articles in four parts, Explorations in Archaeology and Philosophy emerged from a 2017 interdisciplinary conference, and the editors aimed to represent the diversity of topics that arise when archaeology and
Quarrying clues: exploring the symbolism of Neolithic stone extraction
The bluestone circles at Stonehenge represent one of the best-known examples of Neolithic skill in the extraction and long-distance transport of stone, but archaeologists have recorded thousands of equally awe-inspiring feats of lithic working from this period and earlier in Britain and Europe. Chris Catling reports on the Prehistoric Society’s newly published research paper Neolithic Stone Extraction, in which Peter Topping turns to ethnographic evidence to argue that stone objects did not only acquire symbolic status once they had been extracted and worked, but that quarry sites and the extraction practices themselves had important symbolic dimensions.
New excavations at Yeavering
Durham University investigations have revealed previously unknown aspects of the 7th-century settlement.
Galloway Hoard jar belonged to medieval bishop
Discovered by a metal-detectorist in 2014, the hoard comprises more than 100 objects of gold, silver, copper-alloy, glass, earth, crystal, and other minerals…
The Metal in Britain’s Coins: where did it come from and how did it get here?
At a time when even the highest-value coin in regular circulation (£2) will sometimes hardly cover the cost of a cup of coffee, it is refreshing to be transported back to an
Rare 4,000-year-old board game found in Oman
The game’s discovery proves that such entertainment was available for lower social classes as well as rulers.
Roman amphitheatre discovered in Switzerland
The remains were revealed during excavations of an abandoned Roman quarry where the construction of a new boathouse for the Basel Rowing Club is scheduled
Ancient Greeks: Science and Wisdom
For Ancient Greeks, the natural world was a source of wonder and inspiration. Philosophers pondered sundry subjects, seeking the secrets of the night sky or what makes for a satisfying tune. Such questing curiosity inspired technological advances that we are only fully appreciating today, as Jane Desborough and Matthew Howles told Matthew Symonds.
A Maya Universe in Stone
A Maya Universe in Stone delves deeply into the imagery, inscriptions, and political and social contexts of several ancient Maya carved limestone lintels made in the late 8th century AD, likely in
Forging Identities in the Prehistory of Old Europe: dividuals, individuals and communities, 7000-3000 BC
This solid 459-page work by John Chapman summarises his life-long work in the Balkans and, as he states in the preface, was first conceived as a synthesis of Balkan prehistory but subsequently
Visual Culture, Heritage and Identity: using rock art to reconnect past and present
Many researchers dealing with prehistoric and historic rock art tend to remain firmly entrenched within their respective comfort zones. Throughout much of the contemporary world, the application and use of rock art
Return to the Interactive Past: the interplay of video games and histories
Return to the Interactive Past offers a fascinating introduction to some of the key topics surrounding the intersection of video games / interactive media and heritage. This book, a follow-on to the
Reconnecting relationships: uncovering genealogy in archaeology
Examining ancient DNA is revolutionising our knowledge of the past. Being able to detect family relationships is revealing ever more about connections between people buried in cemeteries and even individual coffins. Caroline Arcini introduces three cases where DNA evidence has opened new windows into past lives.
Digging Deep: a journey into Southeast Asia’s past
Professor Charles Higham will be a familiar figure to CWA readers. Not only does he write a regular column for the magazine, but he is also a world authority on the archaeology
Prehistoric people present
New research is shedding light on the presence of early people around the world.