What was life like in Londinium when the first Romans arrived? In the shadows of St Paul’s Cathedral, at the site of 10 Gresham Street, archaeologists have revealed London’s largest-known cluster of indigenous round-houses. They date from the Roman city’s very earliest years. Read our feature to discover how this dynamic site is shedding new light on interactions between the local population and the Mediterranean migrants.
From Roman-era houses, we then leap forward in time to explore the still-standing historic houses of Snowdonia, Wales. Chris Catling explains how a community project has been seeking to understand more about the region’s medieval timber houses. Tree ring analysis has been a fundamental strand of this project, demonstrating how some Welsh houses were forerunners of innovative building styles originally assumed to have rippled out from London and the south-east.
Moving up to Scotland, the AD 1314 Battle of Bannockburn marked a watershed in the Scottish Wars of Independence, a David and Goliath battle in which Robert the Bruce struck a crushing blow against the authority of Edward II. Over time, its precise location was lost. To mark the 700th anniversary, a team set out to find it once more.
We close with Richard III. With the king now reburied in Leicester Cathedral, CA joins the Greyfriars research team, the Guardian’s Maev Kennedy, and Leicester University’s Prof. Lin Foxhall for the inside story, and latest findings, from the remarkable project that found him.
Good reading!
Nadia Durrani
IN THIS ISSUE:/n
FEATURES/n
BANNOCKBURN/n
Scotland’s seminal battlefield rediscovered
Fought in 1314, Bannockburn marked a watershed in the Scottish Wars of Independence, but the iconic engagement’s location was lost to history. Could a recent project change this?
THE ROUND-HOUSES OF ROMAN LONDON/n
Early Londinium recast
Major excavations a stone’s throw from St Paul’s Cathedral have uncovered a cluster of Iron Age round-houses, shedding new light on the earliest days of Londinium.
DWELLING IN THE PAST/n
Rediscovering the historic houses of Snowdonia
What can tree-ring analysis tell us about the evolution of North Wales’ hall houses? A recent community project holds the key.
REVISITING THE TEMPLE/n
The Mithras project
Members of the public have shared their memories of visiting the 1954 excavation of London’s Temple of Mithras for a recent oral history project – with illuminating results.
RICHARD III/n
The final chapter
With the long-lost king laid to rest, and scientific analysis of his remains at an end, the team who discovered him share what it was like being involved in such a unique project.
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NEWS/n
Flying high: the angels of East Anglia; Political panel from medieval London revealed; Hunting finds at Vindolanda; Britain’s earliest cremation burial; Safe as 14th-century houses; Radiocarbon revolution; Rare cist burial found in Nefyn; Richard III reinterred.
REGULARS/n
Reviews
The Year Without Summer; Sherborne Old Castle; Discover Prehistoric Dartmoor
Sherds
Chris Catling’s irreverent take on heritage issues
Odd Socs
PLACE (The People, Landscape, and Cultural Environment of Yorkshire)