This week on The Past, we are delighted to celebrate a very special milestone: the 400th issue of our sister publication Current Archaeology – the ground-breaking specialist magazine, first published in March 1967, that is now firmly established as Britain’s favourite archaeology title.
Over more than five decades, CA has gone from strength to strength – bringing you all the latest news from around the country, as well as reporting on digs, talking to excavators, and reviewing a seemingly endless supply of books and papers – all part of the never-ending work of keeping readers up-to-date with everything going on in the world of British archaeology.
Against this backdrop, then, it is fitting that the latest issue of CA highlights a recent discovery at the eastern end of Hadrian’s Wall, one of the UK’s best known archaeological sites.
As we discover, the identification of a new turret on the Wall is no everyday event. Indeed, Turret 3a (or T3a, as it is known) is the first such structure to be uncovered anywhere along its length in more than 40 years.
Perhaps even more remarkable, however, is its location: T3a is not, as you might expect, situated amid Northumberland’s splendidly barren upland landscape, but right in the middle of urban Tyneside – a heavily built-up area in which major archaeological finds have previously been few and far between.
As project leader Scott Vance explains, the discovery of T3a is not only providing new insights into the construction of the Wall as a whole, but has also had the unlikely effect of turning Newcastle city centre into a hotbed of research activity.
Elsewhere this week on The Past, we have also been delving into the archives for more about Hadrian’s Wall: we investigated the relationship between the Roman army and the communities living in its shadow; and we even joined David Breeze, a leading expert on the Wall’s history, for a pilgrimage along its length.
And finally, if all that simply whets your appetite, don’t forget to have a go at our latest Quiz, which this week is also themed around Britain’s most famous Roman ruin. Good luck, and we hope you enjoy The Past!
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