Current Archaeology 355

This summer has been typically busy for archaeology, and it has been brilliant zipping around to visit as many projects as possible. This issue’s cover story, one of a trio of site visits (more to come in CA 356!), marks the 80th anniversary of the discovery of the great Sutton Hoo ship burial and explores changes that have been made to the site, which has just reopened to the public after a £4 million transformation.
/nSutton Hoo revolutionised our understanding of Anglo-Saxon England – and the Anglo-Saxons also feature in the second part of this trilogy, which takes us to Lyminge in Kent. There, excavations have uncovered what may be one of the earliest post-Roman churches built in the country. Moving into the later medieval period, CA has also visited Shrewsbury, where the first excavation ever carried out within the castle’s inner bailey has shed interesting new light on how the site’s defences evolved.
/nThis month’s features are bookended by two thought-provoking pieces. The first challenges long-held assumptions about the immediately post-Roman period, and asks whether we should completely rethink our interpretation of the Anglo-Saxons; the other considers the ethics of archaeologists’ interactions with the dead.
/nWe also bring you the latest from a major development-led excavation in Raunds, Northamptonshire, home to finds spanning the Neolithic to the Anglo-Saxon period.
/nFinally, I’d like to thank Edward Biddulph, who is hanging up his Books Editor hat after two years of masterminding our reviews section. Edward, you’ve been a star – thanks for your help and hard work!