This year, events are taking place across the country to celebrate the 1,900th anniversary of the construction of Hadrian’s Wall (the eagle-eyed among you may have spotted that this most-famous Roman landmark has also featured, in some capacity, in every issue of CA since January). This month our cover story considers whether the Romans too may have commemorated the Wall’s construction – and we also have an opinion piece asking how sure we can be about its date.
From monumental stonework to modern quarrying, we next head to Bedfordshire to learn about archaeological investigations at Black Cat Quarry, carried out before extraction works began on the site. There, excavations have revealed an impressive multi-period landscape, including Neolithic and Bronze Age settlements, a significant Roman farmstead, and what may be the remains of a Viking ‘fort’ referred to in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle.
Archaeology can shed vivid light on the activities of past populations – but what can we learn about the make-up of such communities? Excavations in Leicester have revealed intriguing hints of diversity during the Roman period, including links to North Africa. We return to monumental themes for our next feature, exploring the hillforts of Britain and Ireland, the different forms they take, and their often-enigmatic purpose.
Finally, we take a trip to leafy west London to visit Marble Hill – an elegant Thames-side villa that has just been restored to its Georgian glory, and has a fascinating story to tell about its resourceful female owner.
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
THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF BLACK CAT QUARRY
Farming, flooding, and fighting in the Great Ouse valley
Recent excavations at Black Cat Quarry in Bedfordshire have revealed a story of farming communities spanning the Neolithic to the early medieval period, as well as the possible remains of an important Viking encampment.
LEICESTER AND ROMAN AFRICA
Exploring ancient multiculturalism in the Midlands
Archaeological investigations in Leicester over the past 20 years have uncovered evidence of the city’s ancient cultural diversity and connections across the Roman Empire, including intriguing links between Roman Leicester and North Africa.
WHAT ARE HILLFORTS?
Investigating one of the most misunderstood monuments in Britain and Ireland
Despite their name, not all hilllforts were built on hills and there is little evidence for them having had defensive or offensive functions. So what are they, exactly? CA explores decades of research into these puzzling prehistoric monuments.
RESTORING MARBLE HILL
How archaeology helped to revive a Georgian gem
Marble Hill in Twickenham is one of the last survivors of a grand neighbourhood of villas built by the Thames in the 18th century. Recent restoration work at the house and archaeological investigations in its grounds have restored the site to its Georgian glory, and have also highlighted the dramatic story of its owner, Henrietta Howard – as CA reports.
COMMEMORATING HADRIAN’S WALL
Searching for signs of a 2nd-century celebration
This year, events across the country are taking place to celebrate the 1,900th anniversary of the building of Hadrian’s Wall in AD 122. Did the Romans also hold some kind of ceremony to commemorate the construction of this famous frontier fortification? We consider the archaeological evidence.
NEWS
Thousands of possible prehistoric pits found near Stonehenge; New analysis from Oxford hospital cemetery; New analysis of Blick Mead’s Mesolithic landscape; ‘Prehistoric farming settlement’ found on North York Moors; Hyde900 project finds Hampshire abbey’s medieval nave; Science Notes; Survey identifies Greasley Castle remains in Nottinghamshire; Finds Tray
NEWS FOCUS
‘They are devils who dwell in this place’: in search of Guthlac, Crowland’s early medieval hermit
REGULARS
COMMENT
Joe Flatman excavates the CA archive
CONTEXT
Farming Wales: Esgair Llewelyn, Powys
REVIEWS
Barrows at the Core of Bronze Age Communities; Silures: resistance, resilience, revival; Fragments of the Bronze Age; A Contemporary Archaeology of London’s Mega Events; Muldlark’d: hidden histories from the River Thames; Strange Relics: stories of archaeology and the supernatural, 1895-1954
EXHIBITION
From Julius Caesar to Boadicea: a century of Icenian coins at the Ashmolean Museum
MUSEUM
Marlipins Museum, Shoreham-by-Sea
MUSEUM NEWS
The latest on 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 still available online
OPINION
Matthew Symonds on Hadrian’s Wall
SHERDS
Chris Catling’s irreverent take on heritage issues
ODD SOCS
The Faversham Society
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