I was down in the very splendid library of the Society for Roman Studies, looking for a book and happened by chance to notice a title Rome and China. I thought, ha ha!, this is a book for me. Since I am devoting my semi-retirement to writing my ‘big book’, a history of the world… [Continue Reading]
Archaeological magazines in Europe – and America: the Paestum experience
December 1, 2011 By Filed Under: Andrew Selkirk
It is always fascinating to find out how archaeological magazines are doing in other countries, and we had a marvellous opportunity to do this at the Annual meeting called the Borsa Mediterranea del Turismo Archeologico which is held every November at Paestum in southern Italy. Paestum is a marvellous place to visit as… [Continue Reading]
Vienna
October 26, 2011 By Filed Under: Andrew Selkirk
We have just been to Vienna for a short break. We had never been to Vienna and we thought it was about time we went. It was intended to be an entirely non-archaeological visit but inevitably archaeology intervened and I began to ask archaeological questions: how and why did Vienna become so important? Vienna is… [Continue Reading]
An Interview with Rónán Swan of the National Roads Authority
January 24, 2011 By Filed Under: Lisa Westcott
The road more travelled: Rónán Swan discusses life on the road schemes with CA Editor Lisa Westcott. Why did you become an archaeologist? My father, Leo Swan, was an archaeologist, so I grew up with it. All my holidays were spent on sites, or fieldwalking places like the Dublin mountains, Tara, and the Boyne Valley. My… [Continue Reading]
Are we all Druids now?; National Trust lacks soul?; Carlisle Castle; Socks with sandals; World Heritage diet
January 20, 2011 By Filed Under: Chris Catling
Are we all Druids now? Tuning in to the BBC’s religious affairs programme on 1 October, Sherds was amused to hear Emma Restall Orr, founder of the Druid Network, talking about the ‘long hard struggle’ to persuade the Charity Commission for England and Wales to grant charitable status to the Druids. This was a frustrating… [Continue Reading]
State of play; concrete countryside; Halloween reflections; advice on meeting a witch
January 20, 2011 By Filed Under: Chris Catling
State of play Believing that things are not what they used to be is a viral disease that strikes as you enter adulthood and gets worse with age, says folklorist Steve Roud. One symptom is the perennial complaint that children do not play proper games any more. In 1804, the demise of childhood games was… [Continue Reading]
Rock and roll; The Dunster cobbles; Historic Scotland; stonemason sparks cathedral row; Berlusconi's appendage
January 20, 2011 By Filed Under: Chris Catling
Rock and roll Bits of rock, in various guises, form a running theme in this month’s Sherds, starting with Neolithic ball bearings. Numerous attempts have been made to explain how the slabs of stone used in the construction of Stonehenge got to their destination. Could these huge blocks, weighing up to 4 tonnes, have been… [Continue Reading]
Another word on Climate Change
January 20, 2011 By Filed Under: Andrew Selkirk
CA’s Editor in Chief discusses the evidence for climate change and wonders whether we are barking up the wrong tree. Our Archaeology 2010 conference at the British Museum was a great success – as recounted elsewhere in this issue. My main role was to chair a session on ‘climate change’, a subject that has become… [Continue Reading]
Quangos and Conferences
January 20, 2011 By Filed Under: Andrew Selkirk
CA’s Editor in Chief considers the impact of our next government on heritage issues, and relives his season’s epic round of conferences. An election is coming: by the time you read this, there will be a new government. The pundits tell us that whichever government is elected, a certain retrenchment may be needed in the… [Continue Reading]
Good idea, wrong architect?
January 20, 2011 By Filed Under: Andrew Selkirk
CA’s Editor in Chief evaluates the British Museum’s new expansion plan and considers whether the end will justify the means. The British Museum is expanding again. After the triumph of the Great Court building, which has been one of the most successful museum transformations in recent years, the museum is now launched on its next… [Continue Reading]
Who champions the amateur?
January 20, 2011 By Filed Under: Andrew Selkirk
CA’s Editor in Chief defines the difference between community and amateur archaeology, and cautions not to leave our past to the politicians. It is commonplace today to say interest in archaeology is growing – a feeling well-expressed by Suzie Thomas in her very interesting article Common Ground (p.28). Yet I can’t help feeling that something… [Continue Reading]
The Roman Baths: Britain's most profitable museum?
January 20, 2011 By Filed Under: Andrew Selkirk
I make a visit to the refurbished Roman Baths at Bath. On 9 September 2010, I was invited down to Bath for a Press Day at the Roman Baths. I had not been there for many years: indeed, I think I last saw the Roman Baths when Barry Cunliffe was still excavating there. I remember… [Continue Reading]
Celebrating 250 Issues of CA
January 20, 2011 By Filed Under: Andrew Selkirk
Editor in Chief Andrew Selkirk reminisces over 250 issues of Current Archaeology. When I launched Current Archaeology, way back in 1967, I never thought I would be around to see CA 250. Mind you, for the first 206 issues, CA was bi-monthly and since it has become monthly, the numbers are adding up rather more… [Continue Reading]
Barbarism and Civilisation
January 20, 2011 By Filed Under: Andrew Selkirk
A response to Miles Russell’s and Stuart Laycock’s theory of UnRoman Britain. In their interesting essay UnRoman Britain, in CA 249, Miles Russell and Stuart Laycock argue that Romanisation in Britain was only a veneer, and that most of the population of the country remained firmly ‘UnRoman’. I disagree. I think that their argument is… [Continue Reading]
After the Cuts: Scorched earth, or clean slate? (Part II)
January 4, 2011 By Filed Under: Andrew Selkirk, Features, News
Editor-in-chief, Andrew Selkirk offers his insight on some issues raised by spending cuts. How will universities fare under the new regime, where funds will go to students rather than to universities? Archaeology is not exactly a subject that will set you up to become a big earner, so will archaeology inevitably go into decline? I… [Continue Reading]
Contradictory policies; Coastal delights; Ringo's house; Museums 'best place to lose wallets'; London Lives 1690-1800
November 20, 2010 By Filed Under: Chris Catling
Contradictory policies David Cameron marked the beginning of the holiday season (now but a distant memory) with a speech on tourism that included some startling statistics: did you know that Britain is only 22nd in the list of most popular destinations for Chinese tourists – by comparison, Germany is 10th. Or that the UK is… [Continue Reading]
The end to 'bad laws'?; Quirky collections; Museum of Leathercraft; re-branding towns and boroughs
October 20, 2010 By Filed Under: Chris Catling
Plans to ‘de-regulate’ Britain ‘Help us repeal bad laws,’ said Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg on 1 July, asking the public for feedback on unnecessary legislation the British people would like to see scrapped. One response, published in the Independent on 5 July 2010, was so witty, it deserves a wider audience. ‘In Hereford’s Cathedral… [Continue Reading]
Interview: Alice in Archaeologyland
September 24, 2010 By Filed Under: Lisa Westcott
Alice Roberts, one of the most popular presenters of archaeology on TV, discusses the bare bones of her new series with CA Editor Lisa Westcott. How did you get involved in TV archaeology? I started out in medicine and was a junior doctor in south Wales. But I wanted to indulge my interest in anatomy… [Continue Reading]
Heritage plaques; Heads at Westminster; Even infamy in fleeting; How much for Stonehenge?; How towns attract tourism.
September 20, 2010 By Filed Under: Chris Catling
Heritage plaques Strict rules govern the erection of Blue Plaques, the circular memorial tablets in Wedgwood blue that mark the residences of celebrated historical figures. The person commemorated must have been dead for 20 years or have passed the centenary of their birth; should be considered eminent by other members of their profession or calling;… [Continue Reading]
Vikings: Raiders and traders
August 25, 2010 By Filed Under: Chris Catling, Features
A group of 51 fit and battle-ready Scandinavians met a brutal death in the years between AD 910 and 1034; crudely beheaded, their remains were thrown into a mass grave near Weymouth in Dorset. Chris Catling asks how this discovery fits in with our picture of the Vikings. Recent discoveries such as the Dorset Ridgeway… [Continue Reading]
