One place that I never tire of visiting is Stonehenge; it is awe-inspiring to stand and think how long it has endured. This longevity has had a little help, however, with conservation initiatives occurring periodically over the last 120 years. The latest works took place in September, as our cover story reports.
The ‘Neolithic revolution’ that sparked the creation of mighty monuments like Stonehenge also heralded new ideas like pottery production and animal husbandry. This month we hear from a project that set out to record rock art on a portal dolmen in Pembrokeshire, but which went on to uncover what could be the earliest direct evidence of dairy farming in Wales.
Our next feature takes us to the Berkshire–Buckinghamshire border, once home to a monastery associated with a powerful Anglo-Saxon queen. Despite this illustrious patronage, however, the site’s precise location became lost over subsequent centuries. Now an excavation at Cookham has brought tantalising clues to light once more.
Rather earlier religious practices form the focus of our next article, reporting on a visit to Caistor St Edmund. There, Caistor Roman Project volunteers have been exploring the remains of an enigmatic building close to a known Romano-Celtic temple. Completing our hat-trick of sacred sites, CA also visited the latest Hyde900 dig in Winchester, which is working to piece together the layout of a once grand Benedictine abbey.
Speaking of grand constructions, our final feature considers the country estates of 18th-century England, and the evolution of ornamental lakes.
Finally, I would like to extend my best wishes to our Deputy Editor Kathryn, who is going on maternity leave, and to welcome Hazel Blair (see below), who is covering her absence.
P.S. Details of all the content of the magazine are available on our new site, The Past. Here you will be able to read each article in full as well as the content of our other magazines, Current World Archaeology, Minerva, and Military History Matters. Subscribers should see the advert inside the magazine for a very special offer!
In This Issue:
FEATURES
TRELLYFAINT
How excavating a Pembrokeshire portal dolmen illuminated Neolithic dairy farming in Wales
A study of rock art on a Neolithic chambered tomb took an unexpected turn, revealing what is thought to be the earliest direct evidence of dairy farming in Wales.
A LOST MONASTERY REVEALED?
Investigating an Anglo-Saxon community at Cookham
Has a recent excavation found the remains of a lost Anglo-Saxon monastery that lay at the heart of conflict between the kingdoms of Wessex and Mercia?
REINTERPRETING THE ‘PRIEST’S HOUSE’
Excavating an enigmatic Roman structure at Caistor St Edmund
Outside the Roman town of Venta Icenorum, clues have been revealed as to the purpose of an unusual building next to the Roman temple previously revealed on the site.
THE HUNT FOR HYDE ABBEY CONTINUES
Piecing together the layout of a royal monastery in Winchester
This summer, CA visited a community excavation in Winchester as volunteers searched for the remains of Hyde Abbey – once an important religious centre and the burial place of Alfred the Great.
IN THE LAP OF LUXURY
Looking at lakes as ornaments in the landscape
We explore the history and archaeology of one of the quintessential aspects of an 18th-century estate: the man-made lake.
RESTORING STONEHENGE
Securing a Neolithic monument over 120 years
Conservation work on the sarsens of Stonehenge is currently being carried out. We explore this latest initiative, as well as the previous campaigns that have helped to preserve the world-famous monument over the last 120 years.
NEWS
Roman fort revealed in Devon; Rare Iron Age idol found in Irish fen; Evidence of medieval fenland use discovered in Burwell; Roman wall restored in Horncastle; Anglo-Saxon church and burials uncovered in Stoke Mandeville; Science Notes; Neolithic stone balls found in Orkney tomb; Finds Tray
SPECIAL REPORT
Buried in the Bronze Age: unearthing a rare log coffin in Lincolnshire
REGULARS
Comment
Joe Flatman excavates the CA archive
Context
King and the castle: Lincoln Castle
Reviews
Bretons and Britons: the fight for identity; Rethinking the Ancient Druids; English Landscapes and Identities: investigating landscape change from 1500 BC to AD 1086; Ancestors: the prehistory of Britain in seven burials; 50 Bronze Age Finds from the Portable Antiquities Scheme; England’s Seaside Heritage from the Air
Museum
The Shipwreck Museum, Hastings, and the wreck of the Amsterdam.
Museum News
The latest acquisitions, exhibitions, and key decisions.
Listings
Our selection of exhibitions and events, as well as historical, archaeological, and cultural resources from around the world that are available online.
Sherds
Chris Catling’s irreverent take on heritage issues
Odd Socs
Friends of the City Churches
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