CA 277

2 mins read

001_CA277_Covers final_SC.inddSo it really is him, then. Unusually for archaeology all the strands of evidence point to the same conclusion. And what a conclusion it is: the skeleton found in Leicester Grey Friars carpark is that of Richard III ‘beyond reasonable doubt.’ Archaeology is normally poorly suited to recover a specific object or individual. Dependent on the accuracy of the sources that locate the object, it not being subsequently removed, and sufficient preservation, endless factors have to go right. Success on this occasion captured the world’s imagination, treating CA to the novel experience of jostling with international news agencies at a heritage-based press conference. Finding Richard III should not have been possible. Let’s celebrate it.

Major discoveries have also been underway on Rome’s northern frontier. It has long been assumed that native settlements in the shadow of Hadrian’s Wall flourished during a lengthy pax Romana. Now, recent excavations indicate that construction of the new frontier extinguished a settled farming community that had endured for centuries. It sheds powerful new light on life in the military north.

Survey of a stone circle type unique to Aberdeenshire has rekindled debate about the purpose of these enigmatic monuments. We examine what makes these circles special and investigate some of the theories that have been proposed to explain their purpose.

Finally, we celebrate the publication of Scotland’s largest ever urban excavation. Dug in the 1970s, Perth revealed a breathtaking assemblage of Medieval objects. Now the excavation can take its place alongside such classics as London, York and Winchester.

 

FEATURES

 

RECONSTRUCTING RICHARD III

Discovering the man behind the myth

Following the announcement that the human remains found in the Leicester carpark are those of Richard III, we look at what they can tell us abut the life and death of Britain’s most infamous monarch.

 

DIVIDE AND CONQUER

Hadrian’s Wall and the native population

For over 40 years it has been believed that the native population living in the shadow of Hadrian’s Wall flourished under the pax Romana.  Now new archaeological evidence suggests otherwise.

 

GREAT CROWNS OF STONE

The recumbent stone circles of Scotland

A unique form of stone circle can be found in Aberdeenshire, defined by a massive stone lain on its side. We examine what these majestic monuments were for.

 

PERTH

Revealing the jewel in Scotland’s urban archaeological crown

The 1975-1977 exploration of the heart of Medieval Perth remains Scotland’s largest urban excavation. The results have finally been published, allowing the site’s full potential to be appreciated.

 

NEWS

Ringfenced research; Colchester’s burning insights, York’s mint-condition finds; Ecclesiastical etchings; Housing Neolithic Horton; Iron Age community research; Locating Loch Awe’s lost chapel

REGULARS

Opinion
Richard Hodges investigated the community archaeology in the Wiltshire village of Box.

Reviews
Bath Stone Quarries; A Roman Frontier Post and its People: Newstead 1911-2011; The Origins of the Irish; Exploring the World of the Vikings

Sherds
Chris Catling’s irreverent take  on heritage issues.

Last Word
CA‘s Editor-in-Chief makes a trip to Cheddar to investigate a Saxon palace.

Odd Socs
The Society of Archer-Antiquaries

2 Comments

  1. […] Part of this work focussed on mitochondrial DNA (mDNA), which is passed down the female line to both male and female children. Here the team built upon genealogical research by Dr John Ashdown-Hill, who had traced a female line of descent from Richard’s older sister, Anne of York, to a modern woman, the late Joyce Ibsen (CA 296). While verifying this family tree, the researchers also identified a second descendant of Anne, Wendy Duldig, allowing them to triangulate their results, comparing DNA from one of the skeleton’s teeth to samples from Wendy, and from Joyce’s son, Michael. The result was a conclusive match (CA 277). […]

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