This month\u2019s cover star is, of course, Stonehenge \u2013 one of the most recognisable archaeological sites in Britain. What can we understand about the world that this famous monument emerged from, though, and how much can we know about the experiences of the people who built it? A new exhibition at the British Museum places the site in its wider context, and explores the transformative social, cultural, and technological changes that it witnessed.<\/p>\n
While our cover feature considers the ideas and identities that Stonehenge may have been intended to express, was there also deeper meaning in the act of sourcing its raw materials? Our next article discusses ideas of significance and symbolism in Neolithic stone extraction.<\/p>\n
Stone and the art of shaping it also plays a key role in our third feature, which showcases the latest findings of the Elusive Sculptures project. Researchers have been documenting previously unrecorded Roman carvings and inscriptions that have lain hidden for hundreds of years \u2013 many of them in plain sight.<\/p>\n
Centuries-old artistic secrets have been coming to light in Stratford-upon-Avon too. We have visited the town\u2019s medieval guildhall to learn more about 15th-century wall paintings that were covered over during the Protestant Reformation \u2013 and about the building where William Shakespeare is thought to have attended school.<\/p>\n
Finally, bookending this issue with more news from Salisbury Plain, we bring you the latest findings following ancient DNA analysis of the Amesbury Archer, an early Bronze Age migrant from the Continent who was given one of Europe\u2019s richest Bell Beaker burials a short distance from Stonehenge.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In this issue:<\/strong><\/p>\n – Shadows of the past: exploring the world of Stonehenge Plus: News, Reviews, Science Notes, Museum News, Current Archaeology Live!, Sherds, and more!<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":3393,"template":"","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"","site-sidebar-style":"","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"default","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}}},"product_brand":[],"product_cat":[465],"product_tag":[20],"class_list":{"0":"post-3392","1":"product","2":"type-product","3":"status-publish","4":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"product_cat-back-issue-current-archaeology","7":"product_tag-current-archaeology","8":"product_shipping_class-back-issue","9":"desktop-align-center","10":"tablet-align-center","11":"mobile-align-center","12":"ast-product-gallery-layout-first-image-large","13":"ast-product-gallery-with-no-image","14":"ast-magnify-disabled","15":"ast-product-tabs-layout-distributed","17":"first","18":"instock","19":"taxable","20":"shipping-taxable","21":"purchasable","22":"product-type-simple"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/currentpublishing.com\/shop\/wp-content\/uploads\/ca384-lg.webp",1500,2018,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/currentpublishing.com\/shop\/wp-content\/uploads\/ca384-lg-150x150.webp",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/currentpublishing.com\/shop\/wp-content\/uploads\/ca384-lg-223x300.webp",223,300,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/currentpublishing.com\/shop\/wp-content\/uploads\/ca384-lg-768x1033.webp",768,1033,true],"large":["https:\/\/currentpublishing.com\/shop\/wp-content\/uploads\/ca384-lg-761x1024.webp",761,1024,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/currentpublishing.com\/shop\/wp-content\/uploads\/ca384-lg-1142x1536.webp",1142,1536,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/currentpublishing.com\/shop\/wp-content\/uploads\/ca384-lg.webp",1500,2018,false],"woocommerce_thumbnail":["https:\/\/currentpublishing.com\/shop\/wp-content\/uploads\/ca384-lg-300x400.webp",300,400,true],"woocommerce_single":["https:\/\/currentpublishing.com\/shop\/wp-content\/uploads\/ca384-lg-600x807.webp",600,807,true],"woocommerce_gallery_thumbnail":["https:\/\/currentpublishing.com\/shop\/wp-content\/uploads\/ca384-lg-100x100.webp",100,100,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"admin","author_link":"https:\/\/currentpublishing.com\/shop\/author\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"In this issue: - Shadows of the past: exploring the world of Stonehenge - Dining with the saints: symbolism in Shakespeare\u2019s schoolroom - Quarrying clues: exploring the symbolism of Neolithic stone extraction - Artistic obscurity: analysing Britain\u2019s most elusive Roman sculptures - Family ties: deciphering the DNA of the Amesbury Archer and the Companion Plus:…","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/currentpublishing.com\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product\/3392","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/currentpublishing.com\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/currentpublishing.com\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/product"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/currentpublishing.com\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3393"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/currentpublishing.com\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3392"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"product_brand","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/currentpublishing.com\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_brand?post=3392"},{"taxonomy":"product_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/currentpublishing.com\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_cat?post=3392"},{"taxonomy":"product_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/currentpublishing.com\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_tag?post=3392"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n– Dining with the saints: symbolism in Shakespeare\u2019s schoolroom
\n– Quarrying clues: exploring the symbolism of Neolithic stone extraction
\n– Artistic obscurity: analysing Britain\u2019s most elusive Roman sculptures
\n– Family ties: deciphering the DNA of the Amesbury Archer and the Companion<\/p>\n