Prehistoric standing stones are famously enigmatic, but some monuments may have more secrets in their past than was previously supposed. Recent excavations at Trefael indicate that a supposedly Bronze Age standing stone was deliberately recycled from a Neolithic tomb. Was this a knowing refashioning of a sacred landscape?
Salt may be a seasoning taken for granted in modern households, but to the Romans it was a symbol of civilisation. Excavations beside the Thames Estuary have shed light on how this essential industry operated in Iron Age and Roman Britain.
Discovered in 2009, the Staffordshire Hoard is one of the outstanding archaeological finds of the 21st century. Now more pieces of early Medieval metalwork have been recovered from the same field, some of which do not appear to belong to the famous cache. Could this be evidence of repeated activity on the site?
Concluding our trilogy of features exploring Scotland’s monumental prehistoric brochs, we leave the islands behind to visit two projects on the mainland. Here community excavations are shedding new light on life in the shadow of the brochs.
The rise of the motorcar has done more to change the face of Britain than any other modern technological advance, but for too long this influence has been neglected by archaeological research. With railways and canals an established part of the historic environment, we examine the heritage of the humble automobile.
Finally, as we hurtle towards March there is still time to get a ticket for the Current Archaeology conference. It is a great opportunity to hear about some of the most exciting projects underway in Britain and further afield ‚ I can’t wait!
FEATURES/n
TREFAEL/n
The dolmen that became a standing stone
Prehistoric recycling? Researchers recording rock art on a Bronze Age monolith have uncovered evidence that the stone was once part of a much larger monument.
SALT OF THE EARTH/n
Roman industry at Stanford Wharf
New discoveries have revolutionised understanding of how salt – a symbol of civilisation to the Romans ‚ was produced in Iron Age Britain.
NEWS FROM THE FIELD/n
Rethinking the Staffordshire Hoard
Does the discovery of more 7th-century metalwork in the famous field suggest that Anglo-Saxons visited the site multiple times?
NYBSTER AND THRUMSTER/n
A tale of two brochs
The concluding part of our brochs trilogy returns to the mainland to explore two community excavations.
IN SEARCH OF CARSCAPES/n
Motoring and the historic landscape
How has the rise of the motorcar changed the appearance of the archaeological environment?
/n
NEWS/n
Brancaster’s Roman Resistance; Liberator bomber: case closed; Evading the body snatchers; Landslide victory; Saxons over the White Cliffs of Dover; Re-cut runes; Anglesey’s foreign field; Motion-capture Mary Rose
REGULARS/n
Conference
Further details of Current Archaeology Live! 2013
Reviews
Rural Settlements and Society in Anglo-Saxon England; Geoarchaeology, Climate Change, and Sustainability; Roman Chester: Fortress at the Edge of the World
Sherds
Chris Catling’s irreverent take on heritage issues.
Mick’s Dig Diary
Mick Aston returns to provide an overview of his work unravelling the archaeology of Winscombe.
Odd Socs
The Pre-Raphaelite Society