Two decades of excavations in East Sussex farmland have uncovered the remains of an unusual enclosed settlement linking the Roman road network with the River Ouse. Rob Wallace and David Millum explain more.
There are lots of great archaeological and historical events and activities coming up over the next few months, including exhibitions, festivals, and conferences. Or, if you would prefer to get your heritage fix at home, there is plenty on offer as well, from virtual site tours and new digital resources to TV shows, podcasts, apps, and more. Amy Brunskill has put together a selection of some of the options available.
The system whereby coal was heated and the resulting gases purified, stored, and distributed to factories, street lamps, public buildings, and, in due course, to every home was developed in the UK in the first decade of the 19th century and exported around the world. Today the 600 remaining gasholders, once familiar industrial structures in every city and town, are being recorded by Historic England prior to being dismantled or converted to other uses, as Chris Catling reports.
Following on from CA 422, this selection of summer digging opportunities includes projects in Aberdeenshire, Essex, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, and Nottinghamshire.
Recent archaeological research in the grounds of a Shropshire stately home has added a surprising new chapter to the estate’s story. Viviana Caroli and Nigel Baker explain more.
One of the largest Iron Age hoards ever found in the UK was recently unveiled. Comprising hundreds of metal items, its contents are shedding brilliant light on this period of Yorkshire’s past, revealing how wealthy and well-connected some of its ancient inhabitants were. Carly Hilts spoke to Tom Moore, Emily Williams, Sophia Adams, and Keith Emerick.
A recently opened experience in London is using virtual-reality technology to explore the life and times of one of ancient Egypt’s most famous pharaohs, as Carly Hilts reports.
World’s oldest waterworks? Chris Catling, in his excellent piece on those temples of engineering, the waterworks (CA 421), refers to a Boulton and Watt beam engine at Kew dated 1820 as being the oldest working beam engine in the world.…
A new exhibition showcasing hundreds of artefacts recovered from the banks of the River Thames sheds illuminating light on London’s long history. Carly Hilts visited the displays at London Museum Docklands.
The latest on acquisitions, exhibitions, and key decisions.
The Westminster Government has published its revised National Planning Policy Framework amid a flurry of boosterish phrases about ‘backing builders not blockers’, ‘unleashing billions in economic growth’, and introducing ‘seismic reforms to help builders get shovels in the ground quicker’.
Roman Chester – Deva Victrix – is one of the unquestioned ‘great sites’ of Roman Britain. This was a major military centre from its late 1st-century AD origins through to its abandonment in the late 4th/early 5th centuries AD, and significant parts of the town survive beneath the medieval and modern city.
The newest archaeological reconstruction to be unveiled at Butser Ancient Farm is a late Neolithic house, based on a structure whose 5,000-year-old footprint was excavated in Dorset. CA visited the launch event to learn more.
Formed in 1975 (and thus celebrating its first half-century this year), the Fortress Study Group (FSG) is devoted to the study and preservation of artillery fortifications. While early examples of these structures are found in Norwich and Southampton, it was…
Rare Roman coin on display at Trimontium Museum An aureus – a Roman gold coin – has recently been put on display in the Trimontium Museum. Discovered at Newstead, in the Scottish Borders, the coin is on loan from National…
Excavations in Derbyshire have revealed that an apparently solitary standing stone in Farley Wood is in fact part of a larger ceremonial complex dating to the early Bronze Age. Standing 2m (6.6ft) tall, the upright was long believed to be…
Recent research on a portrait believed to depict Lady Jane Grey has revealed that the painting may be the only surviving image of the ‘Nine Day Queen’ that dates to her lifetime. A devout Protestant, Lady Jane Grey was named…
A recently published study has shed new light on the ways in which kinship was tied to monuments from Ireland in the Neolithic period, suggesting that biological relationships and social status were not strong factors in deciding who was buried…
New light on Danish sun stones Hundreds of stone plaquettes from two Neolithic enclosure sites on the Danish island of Bornholm have been linked to the eruption of a volcano almost 5,000 years ago. The plaquettes, which are commonly engraved…
A coin hoard spanning more than 200 years of Roman history has been found near the village of Barton Bendish in Norfolk. Discovered by metal-detectorists, the 16 coins are all silver denarii minted in Rome, and are thought to have…
The face and head of an Iron Age woman whose remains were discovered in Dorset’s Kimmeridge Bay 25 years ago have been reconstructed by an MSc Bioarchaeology student at Bournemouth University. The woman’s skeleton was discovered in 2000, when cliff…
As we move into warmer months, the words ‘I’m going to go out for some Vitamin D’ are beginning to make their appearance in conversation. Vitamin D is essential for bone growth, and plays an important role in immunity and…
The discovery of a rare enamelled brooch at an Iron Age settlement site in Curragh, South Ayrshire, has revealed interesting insights into how the Britons of south-west Scotland and the Roman army interacted in the late 2nd century AD. The…
This coin, found by a metal-detectorist near Basingstoke in Hampshire, was minted in North Africa during Julius Caesar’s Civil War (49-45 BC), and is a fascinating example of Roman Republican propaganda. At the time the coin was issued, Caesar’s army…
You would be forgiven for thinking that the beautiful architecture represented here had been carved from stone centuries ago. Instead, this is a mural, recently unveiled at St Drostan’s church in Markinch, Fife, that has been created as a faithful…
REVIEW BY RACHEL BALLANTYNE Fabulously comprehensive and systematic, this is primarily a resource assessment of later prehistoric structural footprints for homes – places of social reproduction, craft activities, food storage and consumption. Of note are the many composite illustrations that…
REVIEW BY REBECCA JONES This is not a traditional archaeology or history book. It defies conventional modern categorisation, taking its inspiration from the writings of antiquarian travellers, such as Jessie Mothersole. Indeed, the author is an expert in antiquarians, and…
REVIEW BY STEPHEN R COSH David Neal’s autobiography is a candid – sometimes perhaps too candid – account of his personal life and almost 70 years involvement in archaeology, lavishly illustrated. From humble beginnings, David’s interest in archaeology and talent…
REVIEW BY EDWARD STEWART This volume brings together an exciting range of contributions to provide new insights into the cultural landscapes of the north-east of Scotland, a region that has seen many exciting archaeological investigations in recent decades. The book…
REVIEW BY KEVIN MOON This monograph details the archaeological works undertaken by ARCUS (2004) and ARS (2015 and 2019-2022) at Holme Hall Quarry, near Doncaster, South Yorkshire. It is largely focused on the Roman field system dating from the mid-late…
REVIEW BY ANDY KING This is a book arising from the author’s excavation of the small castle at Edlingham in Northumberland, and it concerns the life and career of Sir William de Felton, the man who – probably – built…