Cutting-edge archaeological research revealing the secrets of the Stonehenge landscape has received an award for Research Project of the Year 2017. The award was accepted by members of the Stonehenge Riverside Project, the Stonehenge Hidden Landscapes Project, and the National Trust for their work at Durrington Walls, where an ongoing investigation combining excavation and sophisticated geophysical technology has revealed a massive and previously unknown palisaded enclosure beneath the banks of the famous Neolithic henge. It is a discovery that is set to rewrite the site’s history.
The prize forms part of the celebrated Current Archaeology Awards, which are given each year by Current Archaeology, the UK’s leading archaeology magazine, and voted for by the general public. TV personality and archaeologist Julian Richards (of Meet the Ancestors fame) announced the winners of the 2017 awards on 24 February, during the Current Archaeology Live! annual conference, held at the University of London’s Senate House. This year saw a record-breaking attendance for the event, with over 400 people hearing the latest research and discoveries from archaeology’s leading experts.
Accepting the award, Nick Snashall of the National Trust said: ‘Durrington Walls is a fantastic place to work, really special, and the opportunity to work with these people is extraordinary. To see two such projects [the Stonehenge Riverside Project and the Stonehenge Hidden Landscapes Project] come together with so much knowledge and scientific expertise is a real privilege.’
Notes for Editors: Current Archaeology Awards
• Voted for by subscribers and members of the public, the awards recognise the outstanding contributions to our understanding of the past made by people, projects, and publications featured in the pages of Current Archaeology.
• The 2017 Current Archaeology Award for Research Project of the Year is sponsored by Oxbow Books.
• Current Archaeology was launched in 1967 and is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.
• The major feature ‘Rethinking Durrington Walls: a long-lost monument revealed’ appeared in issue 320 of Current Archaeology magazine.
• This year’s conference saw a record attendance, with over 400 people hearing the latest research and discoveries from archaeology’s leading experts.
• Award categories include: Archaeologist of the Year, Book of the Year, Research Project of the Year, Rescue Project of the Year, and Archaeological Innovation of the Last 50 Years.
• For more information about CA Live!, visit www.archaeologylive.co.uk
