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.
Over 90 burials discovered in Deal
Most of the later burials were found outside the ring ditch, but inside the prehistoric enclosure the archaeologists found the c.AD 550 grave of a warrior.
St Gregory’s Minster, Kirkdale, North Yorkshire: archaeological investigations and historical context
his Archaeopress volume represents the long-awaited full publication of Philip Rahtz’s 1994-2004 investigations at Kirkdale parish church, where the famed sundial records Orm Gamalson’s c.1060 rebuilding of a ‘broken and fallen’ minster.
Excavating the East Midlands
While investigating a site near Clifton in the south-western suburbs of Nottingham, Wessex Archaeology found evidence of a late Iron Age/early Romano-British farmstead, as well as the remains of two of its residents.
The Wrecks of HM Frigates Assurance (1753) & Pomone (1811)
In April 1753, a British frigate called the Assurance sank on the Needles, off the coast of the Isle of Wight. Its remains were rediscovered in 1969, complete with cannon, silver coins,
Exhibitions, Events, and Visits
With even more heritage sites and museums around the UK opening up and in-person events being held again, we have put together a list of some of the exhibitions, lectures, and events coming up soon. However, there are also still plenty of ways to get involved in archaeology, history, and heritage from home, and Amy Brunskill has gathered a selection of the online resources, virtual tours, and other activities available now.
Friends of Canterbury Cathedral
The Friends have raised some £15 million towards projects as diverse as the purchase of a minibus for the choristers, the conservation of rare books in the library, the restoration of the splendid Tudor gatehouse, and the creation of a new garden in the cathedral precinct.
Little Hadham’s road to the past
The team uncovered evidence of farming activity within the enclosure, alongside the foundation walls of a late Roman ‘tuning fork’ corn-dryer.
CITiZAN’S Climate Emergency: protecting the future by understanding the past
Can studying past coastal change help us to ameliorate the climate crisis facing us today? A project focused on Mersea Island in Essex has illuminated invaluable information, report Oliver Hutchinson, Danielle Newman, and Lawrence Northall.
London’s Roman Tools: craft, agriculture and experience in an ancient city
This new study of tools from Roman London is a hefty volume, but it more than justifies the bookshelf space. Thorough coverage of dozens of crafts and tool types will ensure that
Iron Age shrine unearthed in the Yorkshire Wolds
Excavations on a hill in the Yorkshire Wolds have uncovered the remains of a 24m2 Iron Age shrine packed with cow skulls, deer antler, and other animal bones. The site appeared as
Cruck Building: a survey
Crucks, curving roof timbers that in their purest form go from the ground to the apex of the roof, have long been a puzzle. They superficially appear to be a primitive form
Biocodicology and the proteomics of parchment
By analysing the proteins found in early modern legal records, a team of researchers have been able to prove that people in early modern Britain preferred to write their documents on sheepskin
Picturing the past in Wales: the evolution of archaeological illustration
No more waiting for photographs to be processed only to discover that half of them are under- or over-exposed or out of focus: we live in the age of selfies, and social media based on images taken with mobile phones that are many times more sophisticated than the cameras of the past, giving instant results. It is therefore easy to forget what a lengthy and difficult process it was to illustrate archaeological journals in the past. Chris Catling has been learning all about the ways in which archaeological illustration has evolved from an illuminating book produced to celebrate the 175th anniversary of the Cambrian Archaeological Association.
Stranger in the Mask of a Deer
‘Dreamer, can you cast your mind back to before you were islanded?’ This thoughtful and thought-provoking book-length poem is described by its author, Richard Skelton, as a ‘call-and-response from the present to
Northampton Museum & Art Gallery
Following a £6.7 million transformation, Northampton Museum & Art Gallery has reopened to the public, with new galleries showcasing the town’s history – particularly its proud shoemaking heritage. Carly Hilts visited to find out more.
Excavating Scotland’s earliest railway
A community project excavating Scotland’s first railway has uncovered three 18th-century phases of timber construction layered on top of each other. The unprecedented discovery was made in East Lothian by the 1722
Early medieval disc brooch
Crafted from copper-alloy, this early medieval disc brooch features a bird holding a branch (outlined above by Peter Reavill, Finds Liaison Officer for Shropshire and Hereford). The item is thought to date
A Mighty Capital Under Threat: the environmental history of London, 1800-2000
The London we know today traces its roots directly back to the modest settlement developed on the banks of the Thames in the late 9th century, in the time of the Saxon
Sutton Hoo: capturing a ghost ship
It is one of hundreds of images of the investigation that are now available to browse online thanks to the conservation and digitisation efforts of the National Trust.
