February is the bicentenary of Dickens’ birth. Revered for his vivid descriptions of Victorian London, he is also applauded for drawing attention to the plight of the poorest in society. One of the slums he visited was Jacob’sIsland, which became the backdrop to the thrilling dénouement of Oliver Twist. Yet while the level of [...]
Skara Brae cake
February 3, 2012 By Filed Under: Cakes
Following his brilliant group tour of Orkney, the theme for Robert Morgan’s Christmas cake had to be Skara Brae. It was the centrepiece of his Christmas dinner and was much admired by all. Sent in by Robert Morgan, featured in issue 264 of Current Archaeology.
Time Team series 19
The Time Team are back! Join Tony Robinson and friends at a number of noted and less well known archaeological sites across Britain. Expect grubby hands, evocative insights, intriguing discoveries, revealing reconstructions, plenty of arguments amongst the experts and the usual excitement from the team.We are very excited to mark the start of series 19 of the [...]
Hallaton Treasure cake
January 2, 2012 By Filed Under: Cakes
Helen Sharp’s mother made her this Hallaton Treasure birthday cake featuring Iron Age coins and a Roman helmet. She even went to the trouble of printing off tiny images of the real coins and colouring them gold or silver. Sent in by Helen Sharp, featured in issue 263 of Current Archaeology.
Micromorph Cake
December 1, 2011 By Filed Under: Cakes
Benn Penny-Mason couldn’t resist the temptation to send in a photo of a cake made with a friend for their boss at this year’s Silchester Insula IX Excavations. Cindy van Zwieten is the Head of Science on site, so fittingly they constructed a ‘micromorph’ cake shaped like a sample from a pit section for her special day. Sent in by Benn Penny-Mason, featured [...]
News: How do you date a hoard? The case of Bredon Hill
The chance discovery of a cache of over 3800 Roman coins outside Evesham has raised interesting questions about how accurately we can date finds of this kind. Hoards are typically found in isolated spots, without other archaeological remains, so their date of burial is usually established by when the latest coin was minted. The discovery [...]
Roman Pumps
November 4, 2011 By Filed Under: Cakes
Richard Stein works on Roman pumps. His wife had this cake made for my birthday. It is a faithful replica of the Roman wooden pump from Sablon, near Metz, found in 1905. The (very decayed) wooden body is of oak (iced chocolate cake), and the metal liners of the cylinders are of lead (marzipan). [...]
Simon Thurley: Heritage Guardian
October 14, 2011 By Filed Under: Featured, Features, Special Features
CA recently interviewed Simon Thurley, Chief Executive of English Heritage, on challenges facing the heritage sector, and the new draft National Planning Framework. The National Trust is extremely worried about the new draft National Planning Framework. Do you share their concerns? Absolutely, and we are delighted that the NT is making a [...]
Iron Age Roundhouse
October 7, 2011 By Filed Under: Cakes
As Rebekah Hart enjoys baking and loves archaeology, she decided to have a go at making an Iron Age roundhouse! Sent in by Rebekah Hart, and featured in issue 260 of Current Archaeology.
Peckish for Picts?
September 2, 2011 By Filed Under: Cakes
This is an image of a cake that was made for one of the previous exhibitions, The Picts Preserved, at Perth Museum. Sent in by Mark Hall, Perth, and featured in issue 259 of Current Archaeology.
Mick and his Test Pit
On 1 July 2011, it was Mick Aston’s 65th birthday, and his test pitting team (The Winscombe Archaeological Research Project) had a cake made for him by Sasa Donovan, representing a test pit with neatly stacked turfs, and Mick lying down on the job. Sent in By Teresa Hall, featured in issue 258 of [...]
Greek Temple
July 1, 2011 By Filed Under: Cakes
In response to our call for photos of edible archaeology, some students from Exeter University sent in a picture of their Greek Temple they made for their last Art in Ancient Society seminar. Sent in by Julia Tomas and Joanna Law, MA Classics Students, Exeter University.
Roman Fort
June 3, 2011 By Filed Under: Cakes
For Steph Turville’s 21st birthday, her parents had an archaeological birthday cake made for her – the decoration was a Roman fort and possible finds. A week after her birthday she was going to an excavation at Birdoswald Roman Fort on Hadrian’s Wall, a joint project between English Heritage and Newcastle University. Steph was one [...]
Zesty Archaeology
May 6, 2011 By Filed Under: Cakes
Here are some fruity shots of Stonehenge and a Celtic cross that show a real zest for archaeology! These pictures were taken in February this year at the Menton Lemon Festival, in Menton, France. The town gardens were filled with amazing life-sized models of historic importance, including: a Roman garden; the Trojan horse; a Viking [...]
Dairy Farm
May 5, 2011 By Filed Under: Cakes
The Norfolk Historic Buildings Group celebrated its tenth anniversary in December 2010. Part of the party celebrations included a cake incorporating the group’s logo – Dairy Farm, Tacolneston. Very tasty it was too! Sent in by Ian Hinton, Hon. Membership Secretary, featured in [...]
Layer Cake
May 5, 2011 By Filed Under: Cakes
How Romantic! An archaeologist couple sent us this picture of their wedding cake. Now that’s commitment! Featured in Issue 250 of Current Archaeology
Mosaic
April 5, 2011 By Filed Under: Cakes
This cake, which was enjoyed at the 3D Archaeological Society Christmas Dinner, is of a ruined Roman floor – complete with hypocaust, mosaic fllor, walls and flues. The border mosaics display the society name, and the creature in black is a smiling squid, which we saw as part of the mosaic floor in the Roman [...]
Stratigraphy
April 5, 2011 By Filed Under: Cakes
This cake is in the form of a section, with turf and layers, and a trowel beside it. It was made by Basingstoke Archaeological & Historical Society member Nicola Turton for a farewell party for a previous chairman, Tim Herrington. It was delicious! Sent in by Barbara Applin, featured in CA254
Time Team book competition now closed
To celebrate the return of Time Team to our screens, Current Archaeology has offered the chance to win two Team Team books. Competition closed!! Thanks to all our entrants for the overwhelming response we have received, proving once again Time Team’s place in the nation’s heart. The winners who correctly identified five members of Time Team’s [...]
Hackney Double Eagles
When several companions set about an ambitious piece of landscaping in the back garden of their residence in Hackney, Greater London, a chance discovery brought them to a halt: a large group of gold coins from America. Ian Richardson discusses this curious find. On a summer’s day three years ago, a group of friends set [...]
