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.
Early evidence of clothing manufacture discovered in a Moroccan cave
Excavations in Contrebandiers Cave from 2007 to 2010 found 62 bone tools used for leather and fur manufacture in Middle Stone Age layers.
The patron saint of spinners and spinsters
In 1473, Robert Wodelarke marked the feast of St Catharine by founding a college of priests in Cambridge, commanding them to pray for their founder daily while completing their theological studies
London Clay: journeys in the deep city
London Clay is an impressionistic survey of London and its history, filtered through the prism of the underlying geological strata. It is at once personal and overarching, meandering from pre-Roman to Victorian,
Ice Age mammoth bones and Neanderthal tools found in Swindon
The find has been dubbed the ‘biggest mammoth discovery for a generation’
Early Medieval Britain c.500-1000
Is there room for another general history of early medieval Britain? The answer is ‘yes, of course’ when it is as fresh and interesting as this one. Its USP is that it
Current Archaeology LIVE! 2022
Current Archaeology Live! 2022 is coming up quickly, with the event scheduled to run over the weekend of 25-27 February. Like last year, it will be held online, with all the talks
From West Africa to Wisbech: analysing 18th-century textiles in Thomas Clarkson’s campaign chest
Cutting-edge analysis of 18th-century West African textiles collected by the abolitionist campaigner Thomas Clarkson has shed vivid light on their manufacture, make-up, and where they may have been made. Sarah Coleman, Margarita Gleba, and Malika Kraamer explain what has been revealed so far.
Cornwall’s Military Heritage
Cornwall is a county with a long military history, and reminders of its past can be found scattered across the landscape, ranging from Iron Age hillforts to Cold War control centres. Surrounded
Excavating Leicestershire and Rutland
The discovery, excavation, and analysis of the Richard III’s remains in Leicester between 2012 and 2015 was one of the most famous archaeological projects of recent times, drawing global attention to the city.
Lost and found: wall paintings and rood-screens in Welsh churches
In response to the Black Lives Matter protests of June 2020, influential voices within the Anglican church called for the removal of every monument and stained-glass window commemorating people connected with slavery and empire. Ideologically motivated change on such a scale might seem unprecedented, but it has happened time and again throughout history, not least in the 16th and 17th centuries when wall paintings were obliterated and rood-lofts demolished. New discoveries remind us what we have lost, as Chris Catling reports.
Greek myth in Roman Rutland: unearthing scenes from the Trojan War
An intricate Roman mosaic depicting the triumph of the Greek warrior Achilles over Hector of Troy, recently unearthed in Rutland, has been hailed as the region’s most stunning archaeological discovery to-date. Hazel Blair spoke to John Thomas, Anthony Beeson, David Neal, and Peter Kruschwitz to find out more about the meaning behind its motifs.
Manuscripts in the Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms: cultures and connections
Associated with the 2019 British Library exhibition Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms: art, word, war, these 14 short essays demonstrate the specialised scholarship that lies behind the choice and description of items in such an
Events, exhibitions, and heritage from home in Spring 2022
At the time of writing, many new archaeology- and history-related events are being scheduled around the UK. We have put together another selection of some of the upcoming ‘in-person’ activities and resources you can take advantage of, but there are also still lots of ways to get your archaeology fix from home, ranging from new online museums to TV shows that go behind the scenes at heritage sites. Amy Brunskill has gathered some of the highlights.
The world of Stonehenge
In February, the UK’s first major exhibition focusing on the story of Stonehenge will open at the British Museum. Carly Hilts went to a preview of the upcoming blockbuster to find out more.
Culduthel: an Iron Age craftworking centre in north-east Scotland
The rapid suburban expansion of Inverness in recent decades has led to a patchwork of prehistoric sites being discovered through developer-funded excavations. In 2005, however, Headland Archaeology hit the motherlode at Culduthel.
The Wall ‘warrior’ in context: exploring African identities in Roman Britain
Recent analysis of a 1st-century lead figurine at Wall Roman site in Staffordshire, depicting a man from sub-Saharan Africa, has shed new light on perceptions of identity in Roman Britain. Carly Hilts spoke to Cameron Moffett to find out more.
A trick of the light: the Great North Museum
Glowing in vivid technicolour against a pitch-black backdrop, the stone blocks pictured here are part of a group of seven Roman altars that have been reimagined in colour using only projected light
Church Crawlers Anonymous
This ‘society’ consists of an informal Facebook group with some 1,600 members. Anyone who shares the group’s passion for exploring places of worship and contributing photographs that inspire others to enjoy visiting
The Middle Ages: a graphic history
Spanning roughly 1,100 years, this lively book is billed as ‘a romp across continents and kingdoms’, and it does not disappoint. Historian Eleanor Janega unpicks complex topics with verve, irreverent humour, and