Worthing Museum
Worthing Museum recently reopened following a year-long transformation. Carly Hilts visited its new-look archaeology galleries with their curator James Sainsbury.
hoards
Museum news
The latest on acquisitions, exhibitions, and key decisions.
Trysor
An absorbing new exhibition at Oriel Môn in Llangefni highlights Anglesey’s long and varied archaeological heritage. Carly Hilts visited the displays.
Silver beyond Empire: Offering a new perspective on the late Roman to early medieval transition
Over the last 15 years, international research focused on a series of silver hoards and other finds from the late Roman and early medieval periods has shed new light
on how this metal was used and viewed during a period of great cultural change.
Dr Alice Blackwell, Dr Fraser Hunter, Dr Andreas Rau, and Dr Martin Goldberg report.
Stories from the soil: Exploring Treasure finds in north-west England and Wales
The first archaeologically focused exhibition to be staged at the Museum of Liverpool explores what Treasure finds from north-west England and Wales can tell us about past and present connections across the region. Carly Hilts visited and spoke to Vanessa Oakden to learn more.
Conservation reveals new details in the Peebles Hoard
Ongoing conservation efforts on the Peebles Hoard – a collection of rare Bronze Age artefacts dating to c.1000-800 BC (see CA 417 and CA 418) – have revealed new details about its composition. The hoard was discovered by a metal-detectorist…
Science Notes: Tracing the origins of the Bedale Hoard
In CA 426’s exploration of the impact of the Viking Great Army on the north of England, we mentioned research that had shed light on the make-up of a Viking hoard discovered at Bedale, 56km (35 miles) from York. Here,…
Museum news
The latest on acquisitions, exhibitions, and key decisions.
The Melsonby Hoard: Exploring unprecedented insights into Iron Age Yorkshire
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.
Veterans uncover Iron Age treasures at RAF airfield in Anglesey
Iron Age artefacts that were discovered beneath an airfield in Wales have been declared national treasure. Parts of a Celtic chariot, believed to be around 2,000 years old, were found on the site of RAF Valley in Anglesey in April…
Galloway Hoard runic inscription translated
Over a decade after its discovery, the Viking Age Galloway Hoard continues to give up its secrets, following the translation of a runic inscription on one of its arm-rings, offering new insights into the assemblage’s early medieval ownership. Buried c.AD…
Iron Age offerings: New elements of the Llyn Cerrig Bach assemblage identified
A recent metal-detector survey undertaken ahead of maintenance work at the RAF Valley airfield in Anglesey has recovered artefacts thought to belong to one of the most significant Iron Age collections in Europe. Carly Hilts spoke to Adam Gwilt and Richard Osgood to learn more.
Beneath Our Feet: Everyday discoveries reshaping history
REVIEW BY CH This beautifully illustrated book highlights the vital work of the Portable Antiquities Scheme in documenting finds made by members of the public, and celebrates the remarkable artefacts and insights that have been brought to light through the…
The Snettisham Hoards (British Museum Research Publication 225)
REVIEW BY TIM PESTELL Only a handful of British archaeological sites can be truly described as iconic, but Snettisham in Norfolk has a strong claim, having become synonymous with the presence and hoarding there of Iron Age torcs. The questions…
Fields of gold: Understanding the Snettisham Hoards
Over the course of eight decades, at least 14 separate hoards of Iron Age metalwork have been recovered from a single field at Snettisham in Norfolk. Now, following the publication of a new book describing the excavation, conservation, and scientific investigation of these spectacular finds, Jody Joy and Julia Farley describe how they came to be discovered, and reveal some of the secrets that have come to light since then.
Intentional offerings? Examining Bronze Age metalwork from the River Trent
An exhibition running at the University of Nottingham Museum showcases the intriguing and eclectic Bronze Age metalwork that has been recovered from the waters and wetlands of the River Trent. Carly Hilts spoke to Mark Pearce and Clare Pickersgill to learn more.
London: Excavating the CA archive
My final geographically themed review focuses on London. I touched on some sites there in my reviews of Roman archaeology and the Thames (CA 330 and CA 343), so these columns will look more widely across modern-day Greater London. There…
Iron Age Wetland Deposition: Case studies from Wales and Scotland
REVIEW BY GRAEME CAVERS This volume comprises an assessment of the evidence for Iron Age object deposition from two study areas, modern Wales and Scotland, with the objective of identifying patterns in the available data. Primarily a desk-based exercise based…
Record year for Treasure cases
The latest Annual Report from the Portable Antiquities Scheme reveals that, in 2022, 53,490 finds were recorded by the initiative, including 1,378 Treasure cases – the highest ever reported in a single year. The county producing the largest number of…
Pieces of the past: Making sense of the Knaresborough Hoard
Found in the 19th century, the Knaresborough Hoard is one of the largest and most unusual late Roman metalwork hoards known from Britain – but until recently its contents had never been studied in detail, and the circumstances of its discovery were shrouded in mystery. Carly Hilts reports on recent research that has brought to light new elements of the story of these objects.
Echolands: A journey in search of Boudica
REVIEW BY CHRISTOPHER EVANS Thoroughly researched and well-written, this is simply a very good read, one informed by its author’s long experience of archaeological fieldwork. In it, Mackay tracks down the route of Boudica and her rebel followers, as well…
The Year 1000
It is often thought that AD 900-1100 was a time when nothing much happened in the area that is today the Netherlands; many overviews of Dutch history have a tendency to skip straight from the Romans to the later Middle…
Current Archaeology’s September Listings: exhibitions, events, and heritage from home
If you are looking for new ways to get stuck into history and heritage over the coming months, there are plenty of opportunities. From conferences and lectures to exhibitions and activities, there’s something for everyone. Or, if you would prefer to get involved from the comfort of your own home, there are lots of resources on offer, from online museums and virtual heritage site tours to digital databases and new documentaries. Amy Brunskill has put together a selection of some of the options available.
Gold bracteate
What is it? This gold pendant, known to specialists as a bracteate, is 5cm in diameter and comes from a Danish hoard dated to the 6th century AD – the object itself dates to the early 5th century. The front…
Treasures of Roman Yorkshire
Review by Peter Halkon As the cover note states, this is an accessible introduction to the major artefacts and sites within the county. As Adam is a member of the curatorial staff at the Yorkshire Museum in York, the book’s…
The Watlington Hoard: coinage, kings, and the Viking Great Army in Oxfordshire, AD 875-880
Review by Murray Andrews This exciting new book is the definitive publication of the Watlington Hoard, a remarkable find of precious metal coins, ingots, and jewellery hidden in Oxfordshire in the late 870s AD and rediscovered in October 2015. Richly…
This week: Roman silver
Back in 1919, when the spectacular Traprain Hoard was unearthed at an Iron Age hillfort outside Edinburgh, it must have been tempting to view this unmatched assemblage of Late Roman ‘hacksilver’ (silver items and objects which have deliberately been cut,…
Museum news from London, Edinburgh, Liverpool, and Glastonbury
The latest on exhibitions, acquisitions, and key decisions.
Exhibitions, events, and heritage from home – Summer and Autumn 2022
There are many brilliant opportunities to get involved in archaeology, history, and heritage around the UK over the coming months, ranging from new exhibitions and lectures to returning festivals and excavations. There are also still plenty of ways to get your heritage fix at home, with online exhibitions and virtual tours, podcasts and online talks, and TV shows and games for the whole family. Amy Brunskill has put together a selection of some of the options available.
Warrior Treasure: the Staffordshire Hoard in Anglo-Saxon England
Review by Kevin Leahy. This book joins the growing list of publications on the Staffordshire Hoard, but Warrior Treasure is published by Historic England and can be viewed as an ‘official’ popular account. Written by Chris Fern, one of the…
CA 388 Letters – June
Digging up memories I was delighted to see a reference to the 1974 excavation alongside the Mermaid Theatre in London (CA 386, ‘The triumphal arch’). I was one of the students working with Martin Millett on the site, while on…
Excavating Essex
One discovery in Essex above all others has regularly hit the archaeological headlines since the early 2000s – the spectacular Saxon princely burial from Prittlewell, near Southend-on-Sea. This was... one of the most exciting finds made in Britain in this period.
Anglo-Saxon artefacts feature in new exhibition at Sutton Hoo
The latest on acquisitions, exhibitions, and key decisions in the UK.
Bronze Age hoards in Wales declared Treasure
The larger of the two hoards comprises fragments of seven socketed axes, a piece of sword-blade, two ingots, and six casting jets
Gold Quiz
Which book of the Bible describes the city of New Jerusalem as having streets 'made of pure gold'?
50 Bronze Age Finds from the Portable Antiquities Scheme
Although Bronze Age finds make up just a fraction of the Portable Antiquities Scheme database, the discoveries recorded still number over 12,000. The objects presented here, in the latest publication in the 50 Finds series, reflect both the most common…