ca396

What Neanderthals ate: the feasibility of using zinc isotopes as a proxy for diet

In this month’s ‘Science Notes’, we explore recent research that has tested whether zinc (Zn) isotopes could be used as a proxy for nitrogen in such cases.

Finds tray – a gold bulla

This pendant, known as a bulla, was found by a metal-detectorist in the Melton district of Leicestershire in November 2021. It is hemispherical in shape and formed of two plain gold sheets, one formed into a hollow dome and the…

Medieval market town revealed in County Kilkenny

A large mill complex was discovered in the south-east corner, on the banks of the River Nore.

Re-excavating Arminghall Henge: a burnt timber circle from prehistoric Norfolk

Last September, an excavation at Arminghall Henge in Norfolk reopened a trench first dug by Grahame Clark almost a century earlier – revealing a glimpse of a large timber monument that may have met a fiery end. Andy Hutcheson, Matt Brudenell, and Mark Knight report.

Excavating Orkney and Shetland

before I leave the Mainland, I must mention one other site of this era, the stunning Neolithic house at St Ola, just south of Kirkwall... Here was discovered the oldest art yet found on the islands.

CA 396 Letters – February

Your views on issues raised in CA.

Exhibitions, events, and heritage from home – February Listings

There are many fantastic archaeological events on offer over the coming months, including new exhibitions, lectures, and conferences. Or, if you would prefer to get your history and heritage fix at home, there is a wide variety of resources available, from virtual exhibitions and 360° tours of museums and heritage sites to radio shows, games, and documentaries. Amy Brunskill has put together a summary of some of the options available.

World news in brief: hominin footprints and hunter-gatherer cooking practices

A round-up of some of the latest archaeological news from across the globe, including: Etruscan bronze statues found in Italy; a hominin footprint found in Spain; and a study of hunter-gatherer cooking practices.

St Bartholomew the Great: tracing the history of London’s oldest surviving parish church

Making people laugh in the 12th century proved to be lucrative work for Rahere (d. 1143), who is variously described as a jester, minstrel, and courtier to Henry I (c.1068-1135; r. 1100-1135). But that was in his early life: Rahere later became a devout cleric who, falling ill on a pilgrimage to Rome, vowed to establish a hospital in London if he survived. The result was St Bartholomew, founded in 1123 as a joint foundation of hospital and priory. A commemorative volume has just been published to mark the 900th anniversary of the church, as Chris Catling reports.

Mysterious ‘Eadburg’ etched into early medieval manuscript

The name of an early medieval woman has been found among inscriptions recently identified on an 8th-century manuscript held by the Weston Library.

The Knowe of Swandro: excavating eroding archaeology on Rousay

In the concluding part of our Orkney trilogy (see also CA 394 and 395), Carly Hilts reports on her visit to the Knowe of Swandro on Rousay, where Julie Bond and Caz Mamwell took her through the latest findings from this long-lived but rapidly eroding site.

Museum news: new exhibitions set to open in Norwich and London

The latest on exhibitions, acquisitions, and key decisions.

Further evidence of Iron Age activity identified along the A428

One of the most noteworthy finds was a huge pit full of burnt animal bones, including those of cattle and sheep/goat, as well as pottery vessels and stones.

The Book of the Skelligs

Review by Finbar McCormick Skellig Michael, a rocky outcrop off the south-west coast of Ireland, boasts the best-surviving early medieval monastery in Ireland, if not western Europe. Ironically, despite the richness of Ireland’s early medieval documentary sources, mentions of the…

Roman women: tracing female archaeologists of the Roman frontiers

David Breeze, Tatiana Ivleva, and Rebecca Jones consider the contribution made to the study of Roman frontiers by Brenda Heywood, who died last December, and other contemporary female archaeologists.

Canterbury Cathedral, Trinity Chapel: the archaeology of the mosaic pavement and setting of the shrine of St Thomas Becket

Review by Nathalie Cohen This monograph, the result of a project started by David Neal and Warwick Rodwell in 2015 to examine the historic floors in the eastern arm of Canterbury Cathedral, is a stunning achievement. Over nearly 400 pages,…

Elizabethan-era ship discovered in Kent quarry

Since the excavation, the team from Wessex has laser-scanned and digitally recorded the entirety of the ship.

Medieval coin hoard found near Dumfries, and other archaeology stories from around the UK

A round-up of some of the latest news; includes the discovery of one of Scotland's largest medieval coin hoards.

Heritage Dynamics: understanding and adapting to change in diverse heritage contexts

Review by Joe Flatman I do not disagree with anything that Kalliopi Fouseki says in this book about the management of cultural heritage. As she summarises in its conclusion, ‘heritage as a thing and as a process is a dynamic,…

Excavations at Chester: Roman land division and a probable villa in the hinterland of Deva – excavation at Saighton Army Camp, Huntington, Chester

Review by Andrew Tibbs The importance of Chester in the Roman period cannot be overestimated. Not only was it an important military centre with the establishment of a legionary fortress (Deva) in the 1st century, but the subsequent development of…

The British Cartographic Society

The British Cartographic Society (BCS) was formed in 1963, and since then map-making has undergone a revolution, from land survey using theodolites to digital survey using satellites. But the infrastructure for the old ways still exists and the most recent…

Neolithic axe-grinding site discovered near Stirling

It appears that this site had been a significant place for local communities for millennia.

Waterlands: prehistoric life at Bar Pasture, Pode Hole Quarry, Peterborough

Review by Mark Knight There is something of a contradiction between the main title of this publication and the archaeology presented within its pages. The book details and interprets an impressively large-scale, decade-long excavation of a low-lying Bronze Age site…

From rat nests to ‘lost’ mines: exploring archaeological pathways in the National Trust

The National Trust cares for more than 250,000ha of land, encompassing historic sites and structures spanning prehistory to the present day – but what do the Trust’s archaeologists do? Joe Flatman highlights some of their diverse roles, recent research, and how routes into the profession are evolving.

Defending the dreaming spires: Civil War ramparts discovered in Oxford

Between 2015 and 2020, Oxford Archaeology and MOLA (Museum of London Archaeology) investigated, prior to development, parts of a Civil War rampart buried below an access yard to Savile House at New College School in Oxford. The city’s defences were…

Bronze Age gold-working toolkit revealed

The team found that the modified stone cobbles had been used with a percussive action – either as stationary anvils or hammers – and that some preserved traces of gold contemporary with their use.

Wroxeter: ashes under Uricon

Review by Neil Holbrook Many people have a favourite archaeological site, an evocative place that has a personal resonance with the past. The landscape setting is frequently inspirational, sometimes more so than the actual remains of the site itself. Roger…

Gladiators: a cemetery of secrets

Almost 20 years ago, York Archaeological Trust were excavating part of a Roman cemetery when they uncovered dozens of decapitated skeletons. Were these the remains of gladiators? An exhibition at Cirencester’s Corinium Museum sets out the evidence, as Carly Hilts reports.