Ever been had?; Ooh lah lah; La Grande Horizontale; Our own dear queen; Cider with Rosie; the arsenic age
Ever been had? What makes a good April Fools’ Day hoax? Certainly not the infamous spaghetti-tree documentary that was shown on Panorama in 1957, which is often cited by journalists too young to know as ‘the spoof that fooled the nation’. It didn’t, of course. A nation brought up on macaroni cheese and spag bol [...]
Dark Satanic mills? The archaeology of the world’s first industrial city
By 1850, Manchester had a population of 300,000, and most of its 172 textile mills had already been built. Cotton goods were known simply as ‘Manchester goods’. Now, archaeology is adding new insights. We report on ten years’ digging of Manchester’s industrial history. In 1814, Johann Georg May wrote: ‘Manchester is famous throughout the world [...]
CWA 40
Before oil and gas, the Arabian Gulf grew rich on another natural resource: pearls. From the mid 18th until the early 20th century AD the international demand for pearls was insatiable. The local economy boomed. However, almost as fast as it boomed, so it bust. The story of this heady rise and fall is illustrated [...]
CWA 39
Between Mycenaean Greece and Classical Greece there is a ‘Dark Age’ during which civilization appears to have collapsed and little is known. But now, at Lefkandi on the Aegean island of Euboea, a site has been found that bridges this dark gap. What have they found? The answers are revealed thanks to a major exploration [...]
CWA 41
This issue features a trove of Turkish treasures. We begin in the ancient city of Myra on the southern coast of Turkey. This was once home to St Nicolas, the benign 4th century bishop of subsequent Santa Claus fame. Myra’s remains include a vast 11,000 capacity Roman-era theatre and numerous intricate rock-carved tombs – as [...]
Does civilisation start with beer?; Grumpiness is a sign of advanced civilisation; and more…
Does civilisation start with beer? According to archaeologist Patrick McGovern, a biomolecular archaeologist at the University of Pennsylvania Museum, the Neolithic Revolution was driven not by the desire for bread, rice, millet or sorghum, but by the thirst for soul food in the form of beer. In other words, we turned from the harsh and [...]
Tree-Ring Services
Tree-Ring Services is one of the UK’s leading independent dendrochronology laboratories dating building and archaeological timbers. We also offer a comprehensive range of other services including: the dating of live trees, hedge boundaries, forest research, dendroclimatological analysis, consultancy advice and publication. We operate all over the UK
CA 243
It’s been a big month for heritage and with the elections right around the corner, there are certainly more changes on the way. Our lead news story covers the release of the new planning policy statement, PPS5, which replaces the PPG 15 and 16 documents that have governed archaeology for nearly 20 years; what will [...]
Interview: The Roman Glassmakers
CA editor Lisa Westcott is blown away by a demonstration of authentic Roman glassmaking. The Roman Glassmakers opened shop in 1989, and ever since have specialised in researching the techniques involved in making Roman glass vessels and in reproducing Roman glass (CA 186). Now, they have expanded into English Medieval glass, complicated Roman luxury items, and other [...]
CA 242
This issue of Current Archaeology contains our annual Digs special, chock-full of all the information you need to get digging this summer, or plan a day out to see what’s happening in your local area. Have fun – and if you participate in an excavation or just visit one, tell us what you thought on [...]
Numerologists' triumph; Jacquetta Hawkes; Aliens and Woolworths; Ley line hunting
The triumph of the numerologists Chairing a meeting at the Society of Antiquaries on the life of Jacquetta Hawkes recently, the Society’s President (Geoff Wainwright) observed approvingly that she had had no time for numerologists with their cabalistic papers on the ‘megalithic yard’ (the unit of measurement supposed to underlie the layout of every megalithic [...]
London 2010
26 – 28 February, 2010 at the British Museum Archaeology 2010 brought you all the latest news and views from the archaeological world in a two day conference at the British Museum. It was an amazing line-up including some of the very best speakers working in British archaeology. TICKETS ALL SOLD OUT!!
Roman Comedy
Description: Roman Comedy provide something other groups don’t: a roman themed stand-up comedian. We cater for large festivals and smaller after dinner affairs in which the comedian can speak from 10 minutes up to an hour on the lighter side of the Roman occupation of Britain. Topics covered are the Celts, bathhouses and why the Romans [...]
Heritage Writtle
We are a small enthusiastic community group based in the historic Village of Writtle in Essex,. There are some 30 members, from a wide range of disciplines, all of whom have an interest in archaeology and local history. Heritage Writtle was formed in 2004, as a result of finding some Roman remains and road within 800 yards of the [...]
World's oldest butter; Colourful swear words; Regional accents thriving; the tough life of northern women
Great Scott! World’s oldest butter There are two ways to write an archaeological news story that are best avoided (but frequently deployed): claiming that something is the oldest example of its kind – or the earliest (which amounts to the same thing). So when the press reported that the ‘oldest butter in the world had [...]
Current Archaeology Awards 2010
Current Archaeology is pleased to announce the winners of their 2010 awards, presented 27 February 2010, at the British Museum as part of the Archaeology 2010 conference.
Visiting the Kingdom of Ife at the British Museum
When Nigeria appears on the news, it is too often for internet scams or identity fraud perpetrated on unsuspecting victims thousands of miles away. But the new exhibition at the British Museum brings to the public a very different side to Nigerian culture: the Kingdom of Ife.
CA 241
Current Archaeology travels to Orkney to investigate the Ness of Brodgar, a site that is set to revolutionise the way we think about the island’s Neolithic heritage. Sitting within an already known ritual landscape the Ness of Brodgar, new research suggests it may turn out to be the real focus of religious life on Orkney. Flying back to the [...]
Lanton Quarry: New evidence in northern Northumberland
A routine investigation ahead of gravel quarrying has turned up some exciting results: has the ‘support centre’ for the elite Anglo-Saxon settlement of Yeavering been found? Clive Waddington discusses the evidence. In the very north of Northumberland lies an old, dried-out glacial lake that is surrounded by raised gravel terraces, known as the Milfield Basin. [...]
