H J M Green and T Malim
Archaeopress, £50
ISBN 978-1784917500
Review George Nash
During the latter part of the 20th century, there was a large flurry of archaeological fieldwork in our towns and cities. Much of this work was undertaken before the introduction of Planning Policy Guidance Note 16 in November 1990 in England and Wales. A large number of urban sites during this period were meticulously investigated but many lacked the final phases of completion, namely post-excavation analysis and final publication. Michael Green’s fieldwork at Godmanchester in Cambridgeshire included a number of small excavations in and around this former Roman town, but at the time many of these sites remained unpublished.
This large, handsome volume, organised into 11 well-crafted chapters and associated appendices, describes the trenching rationale from 25 sites and reveals the former street and building layout of the town, along with a vast artefact assemblage. The systematic and careful editorial not only brings to light an excellent synthesis of the fieldwork but also reveals something of the character of a man who spent 30 years of his life digging this significant Roman site.
