Current Archaeology 360

North of Inverness lies the evocatively named ‘Black Isle’ – a fertile peninsula that has hosted human activity for 10,000 years. Since 2017, community excavations have uncovered a wealth of finds from rare Mesolithic antler objects to a monumental Pictish barrow cemetery. Our first feature tours highlights from this productive project.
/nThe effort that went into creating such mighty burial mounds suggests that their intended occupants were distinctly upper crust – and in our cover feature we encounter more apparently privileged people: the Bowl Hole burials. Laid to rest in the shadow of Bamburgh’s Anglian fortress c.1,400 years ago, these individuals are thought to be members of the royal court from Northumbria’s 7th- and 8th-century ‘Golden Age’. Two decades of research have revealed a surprisingly diverse community with links to continental Europe and beyond.
/nEuropean connections continue as we piece together the story of the enigmatic Iron Age carnyx. Was it a ceremonial musical instrument or a terrifying war trumpet, and how was it played? A fragmentary antiquarian find from north-east Scotland may hold the answer.
/nOur fourth article is also something of a jigsaw puzzle, combining a broken horse bit and a single piece of horse bone with experimental archaeology to investigate an intriguing question: how big were the horses that raced in Colchester’s Roman circus?
/nCircuses were prestigious sites, hosting chariot races across the Roman Empire, but rare in Britain. Our final feature takes us to a rather different landscape of power, travelling to Laughton-en-le-Morthen to search for an aristocratic Anglo-Saxon hall that might shed light on the construction of Norman castles.