Our cover story stems from one of this summer’s site visits, which took me to the stunning surroundings of Herefordshire’s Golden Valley to learn more about Arthur’s Stone. This Neolithic monument has an intriguing (pre)history, shape-shifting from one type of tomb to another. Thanks to three years of excavations, this enigmatic evolution is now coming into focus.
Heading back east, our next feature ventures to another valley, this time in north Lincolnshire, where twin Anglo-Saxon cemeteries representing dramatically different burial traditions were excavated in the 1990s. Thirty years on, analysis has shed vivid light on a fascinating period of religious change and continuity. Moving forward in the medieval period, we then travel to Ankerwycke, on the riverbank opposite Runnymede. While one side of the Thames was witnessing the creation of Magna Carta, the other was home to the nuns of St Mary’s Priory. What have recent investigations revealed about this religious community, and the grand Tudor residence that succeeded it?
Following this, we tour the hillforts of Wales, considering what these mighty monuments were for, and if one definition can capture a purpose for all of them. We end by unpicking the Knutsford Hoard, a collection of over 100 Roman coins and items of jewellery, and what it tell us about life some 2,000 years ago.
Finally, I offer a grateful salute to my indomitable, indefatigable, and entirely indispensable deputy, Kathryn, for overseeing this issue while I’ve been away for much of September.