The award for Research Project of the Year was accepted by the University of Buckingham for their work at Blick Mead.
![Members of the University of Buckingham team accept the Research Project of the Year 2018 award [Photo Credit: Current Archaeology]](https://i0.wp.com/archaeology.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/ResearchProjectOfTheYear2018.jpg?resize=650%2C464&ssl=1)
Recently, the project team has expressed concerns that current plans for the Stonehenge tunnel could adversely affect the historic environment and reduce the water table at Blick Mead, destroying its rare organic remains.
Accepting the award, David Jacques of the University of Buckingham said:
“Wow! We really want to thank Current Archaeology, who were the first to notice Blick Mead and break the story. I’d also like to thank the University of Buckingham – and everyone who voted for us – we have never won anything!”
Below are all the nominees in this category:
Blick Mead: exploring the ‘first place’ in the Stonehenge landscape
(University of Buckingham – CA 324)
The excavations at Blick Mead, about a mile from Stonehenge, have provided a plethora of information about life in Mesolithic Britain, including evidence of meeting and feasting practices, but archaeologists have also discovered evidence for the transition into a more Neolithic way of life.
Read the full article here.
Cartimandua’s capital?: Roman diplomacy and the rise of Stanwick
(Colin Haselgrove, University of Leicester – CA 325)
New radiocarbon dates in combination with material evidence from the fortified complex at Stanwick, North Yorkshire, suggest that it was not a focus of resistance against Rome, as was once thought, but instead had earlier Iron Age origins and was most likely a Brigante stronghold, allied with Rome.
Read the full article here.
Rome’s homes on the range: revealing the Romano-British countryside
(Mike Fulford, University of Reading, and Neil Holbrook, Cotswold Archaeology – CA 326)
Previous into Roman Britain has predominately focused on more high-status villas and urban townhouses, leaving the lives of the common people unknown. The research compiled for the monograph, The Rural Settlement of Roman Britain, however, firmly elucidates the archaeological and historical evidence of everyday life in
rural Roman Britain.
Read the full article here.
Rheged rediscovered: uncovering a lost British kingdom in Galloway
(GUARD Archaeology Ltd and DGNHAS – CA 327)
This project set out to establish the context of unusual Pictish symbols carved at the entrance of Trusty’s Hill, a small hillfort in Dumfries and Galloway. They discovered similarities between this and other elite sites, suggesting that Trusty’s Hill may have been a royal stronghold – perhaps of the elusive Rheged kingdom.
Read the full article here.
Ice Age Jersey: tracing an island’s French connection
(Ice Age Island Project – CA 333)
Before the Channel Island of Jersey was surrounded by sea, it was rocky plateau in a middle of a wide-grassy plain. Recent excavations have revealed an oft-used Palaeolithic campsite, dating to c.15,000 years ago – a rare find in Britain, where few Magdalenian sites have been discovered.
Read the full article here.
Bellerophon in Boxford: a mythological mosaic revealed
(Boxford History Project, Berkshire Archaeology Research Group – CA 333)
A five-year community-led project in Boxford uncovered one of Britain’s most detailed mosaics in a Roman-era villa, depicting scenes from the story of Bellerophon, who was known for taming Pegasus and killing the Chimaera. The site yielded impressive details of three Roman sites in the Berkshire village.
Read the full article here.
