Within Roman society, highly aromatic resins were important in ritual activity, and sometimes even applied directly to the body at death. But did this sacred rite ever reach the remote province of Britannia? Bradford University’s Rhea Brettell and Carl Heron launched a project to discover more. To the Romans, frankincense, myrrh, and other fragrant resins […]

We are used to seeing the Celts through the filter of Greek and Roman propaganda. Ancient writers poke fun at the luxuriant moustaches sported by Celtic warriors, and cast them as the barbaric foils to Classical civilisation. Celtic art, though, tells a different story. Hidden among its graceful curves and elegant motifs are elusive abstract […]

September is a momentous month for Scottish archaeology. It opens with delegates gathering for the prestigious European Association of Archaeologists conference in Glasgow, and then launches into the inaugural Scottish Archaeology and Heritage Festival. Lesley McEwan guides us through some of the events on offer. It is with great excitement that we will launch the […]

Holt Castle in Denbighshire, northeast Wales, was built under Edward I and later served as Richard II’s treasury but today its royal connections are far from obvious. Plundered for stone to build the 17th century Eaton Hall in Cheshire, the once-mighty fortification has been reduced to overgrown ruins. Now, however, a Castle Studies Trust-funded project […]

Chedworth Roman Villa is undergoing a major transformation. Despite being one of England’s largest and best-preserved Roman villas, it was poorly understood. Past site reports had been lost, and previously excavated portions had been reburied. The National Trust has therefore launched a major project to re-explore the site. The results, as our cover picture reveals, […]

For anyone hoping to visit the Maryport Roman Temples Project, make sure you get there before 14 August, when the 5-year project finishes.

Eight hundred years ago, a band of revolting barons famously forced Bad King John to seal Magna Carta at Runnymede. But while historians have pored over the documents, what about the archaeology? Why Runnymede, and what remains on the ground? Architectural historian and archaeologist Tim Tatton-Brown enlightens us. Tim then takes us to two must-see […]

Fans of Classical mythology (or the Game of Thrones series!) may be interested in the latest news from Colchester, where a  conservator has  just completed the painstaking process of cleaning a newly-discovered copper-alloy  harpy. Standing 98mm tall, with an intricately detailed face (topped with braided hair), wings, talons, and scales, the Roman figurine  is the […]

The recent discovery of a rare Roman tombstone by Cotswold Archaeology in Cirencester (CA 302) is being celebrated by the launch of a new beer named in honour of the woman it commemorates. ‘Bodicacia’ – a 4.7% golden ale that contains a variety of English hops including the floral ‘Boadicea’ – has been brewed by […]

What was life like in Londinium when the first Romans arrived? In the shadows of St Paul’s Cathedral, at the site of 10 Gresham Street, archaeologists have revealed London’s largest-known cluster of indigenous round-houses. They date from the Roman city’s very earliest years. Read our feature to discover how this dynamic site is shedding new […]