In mid-May, the day before CA 437’s print deadline, we joined a press conference to hear about an exciting discovery associated with Stonehenge. Keen to keep to our commitment to bringing you ‘current’ archaeology, we included a brief summary of the key findings in last month’s issue – here is a fuller account of the research that was described by Phil Harding, Matt Leivers, and Fabio Silva.
A geophysical survey on Machrie Moor, on the western side of the Isle of Arran (a small island off the west coast of Scotland), has revealed the outline of what may be a previously unknown, near-circular prehistoric monument, adding to…
In Travels through Prehistoric Spain, Jude Brown and Gary Lock provide a richly rewarding and deeply engaging exploration of Spain’s prehistoric heritage. Written with enthusiasm, knowledge, and genuine affection for both archaeology and the Spanish landscape, their book succeeds not only…
REVIEW BY KK Published from the papers presented at the Belfast Bronze Age Forum, which took place on 9-10 November 2013, the editor makes a point of noting that the proceedings from this forum are not normally published, but that…
REVIEW BY FEDERICO SANTANGELO Shortly after the felling of the Sycamore Gap tree, David Breeze gathered an outstanding lineup of contributors to reflect on specific sections of Hadrian’s Wall: the result was a brilliant little book that should be required…
REVIEW BY PADDY LAMBERT This report details the results of a large (3.56ha) excavation undertaken by Archaeological Research Services prior to the construction of the new Cambridgeshire South Police Station. The result of the analysis suggests the site formed a…
REVIEW BY KK On the threshold between the Lowlands and the Highlands, the King’s Seat fort, 1.5km (a mile) west of Dunkeld on the River Tay, sits in an important location in the landscape. Despite its importance, little was known…
A recent geophysical survey in Margam Country Park, near Port Talbot in South Wales, has revealed the clear outline of a large Roman villa. The building’s footprint was identified during a geophysical survey carried out as part of the ArchaeoMargam…
Petra is renowned for its extraordinary tomb architecture, but little is known about the builders of these mausolea. George H Nash, Genevieve von Petzinger, Lina Alrabab’h, and James Nash examine this funerary landscape and the traces of those who made it possible.
In the first of a two-part piece, Richard Hodges visits Corinth for a conversation with its legendary excavator Charles K Williams.
Iván Ghezzi, Alcides Alvarez, and Cecilia Camargo discuss the unique site of Chankillo in Peru.
Folk memory, songs, place names, and oral histories are being deployed by the Somerset Eel Recovery Project (SERP) in its work to bring this critically endangered species back to the Somerset Levels. Those stories and songs are a reminder that the Levels once teemed with eels.
New dendrochronological evidence has provided a minimum age for the tree that used to grow at Sycamore Gap on Hadrian’s Wall before it was illegally felled in September 2023. It was not previously known how long the sycamore had been…
As summer comes to an end, it is the perfect time to reflect on any heritage filled travels, archaeological projects, or visits to historical sites around the world. Dig out your best photos on an archaeological theme – these can…
The Haldensleben Forest in Saxony-Alhalt, Germany, is home to a large concentration of Neolithic megalithic tombs. One of these monuments, known as the Küsterberg tomb, was the subject of excavations between 2010 and 2013, and was revealed to be in…
Highgate Cemetery, consecrated on 20 May 1839, was created to provide a more hygienic alternative to ‘intramural’ burial (within church walls) or in overcrowded church- and chapel yards. Today, Highgate is known as one of the so-called ‘magnificent seven’ cemeteries…
REVIEW BY KK With more than 1,500 castles – a term that Andrew Powell-Thomas uses to cover everything from medieval military fortifications and tower houses to crenellated mansions and great estates – still standing in Scotland today, no book can…
REVIEW BY SOPHIA CHAPPLE Richard Oram presents a thorough and digestible environmental history of medieval Scotland in his new book A Land Won from Waste. Covering AD 400-1400, this is one of three in a wider series spanning from AD…
Karl Harris continues his ‘Travels in an Antique Land’ with visits to the First Intermediate Period Tomb of Ankhtify at Mo‘alla, and a multi-era temple complex dedicated to the god Montu at Tod.
Correction: A 64m-Long Roman Building in Sussex? Well, not quite! I’m afraid the structure mentioned on p.22 of CA 423 in ‘A Roman landscape revealed’ suffered from the curse of metric measurements, i.e. the missing decimal point. It should have…
REVIEW BY ALISTAIR FAIR Simon Jenkins’ Short History of British Architecture ranges over several thousand years of cathedrals, castles, and grand buildings. Jenkins enjoys a good example and a memorable phrase. Inevitably in a survey, there is some unevenness, with…
A giant ephemeral land artwork the size of four Olympic swimming pools has been unveiled by Sir Tony Robinson at Whitby Abbey, to mark the 30th birthday of the National Lottery and celebrate the achievements of seven heritage ‘Game Changers’.…
REVIEW BY CH The earliest surviving written reference to Edinburgh is found in a charter of 17 July 1124 – and, to celebrate the city’s 900th ‘birthday’, Alistair Moffat has written an engaging biography of the Scottish capital. He begins…
Results We had a fantastic selection of entries sent in for this year’s photo competition, with images that took us all over the world, and back in time. Subjects range from famous monuments and spectacular heritage sites to places of…
REVIEW BY CH The N25 New Ross Bypass in Co. Wexford was designed to alleviate the notorious peak-time tailbacks that were known to extend for miles on either side of the historic town of New Ross. Its 14km route, stretching…
The Pole Society is the delightful invention of a group of satirists who have taken to the internet to poke fun at Tripadvisor by championing the merits of a new tourist attraction in Gloucestershire’s Forest of Dean: the ‘Cinderford Rusty…
REVIEW BY EDWARD BIDDULPH How did a giant ship create the White Cliffs of Dover? Why can Oxfordshire’s Rollright Stones never be counted? Which ghost said to haunt Lake Windermere was recorded on Ordnance Survey mapping? The answers can be…
For the last two years, archaeologists have been exploring the remains of a medieval nunnery that once occupied the bank of the Thames opposite to where Magna Carta was signed. Carly Hilts met James Brown on site to learn more.
REVIEW BY ANTONY LEE This volume, an output of the WallCAP project (2018-2022), directly and successfully addresses historic disconnects between archaeological and geological studies of Hadrian’s Wall. It presents a thoughtful and accessible study into how consideration of the Wall’s…
A new five-year project by the Vindolanda Trust is shedding unprecedented light on Magna Roman fort and nearby Milecastle 46, as well as providing invaluable data about how the local environment – and the underlying archaeology – is being affected by climate change. Carly Hilts visited Rachel Frame and Franki Gillis on site to hear the story so far.
The installation is part of the HW1900 Festival and will be open to the public until 30 October.
The garden was gifted to the National Trust in 1962, and now welcomes more than 85,000 visitors every year.
Richard Hodges has been visiting Sexten, where the alpine scenery still bears the traces of fighting in the First World War.
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Review by HB. In this deep-dive into the archaeology of the Ilich – the people of Islay – Steven Mithen toys with the concept of insularity, presenting an account of Scotland’s southernmost Hebridean island which demonstrates that the area is…
Active travel, as it is known, is set to become even more popular as people rediscover the riches of the UK’s natural and cultural heritage.