Below are some of the publications we feel most deserve to be recognised for their contribution to the field. Have a look at our nominees for Book of the Year and, once you’ve made your choice, click here to cast your vote!
Voting closes on 8 February 2021, and all the winners of the Current Archaeology Awards will then be announced on 26 February as part of our virtual Current Archaeology Live! 2021. More details of the event to come.
The Staffordshire Hoard: an Anglo-Saxon treasure
Chris Fern, Tania Dickinson, and Leslie Webster (eds), CA 368
This is the long-awaited publication detailing the discovery and post-excavation analysis of the Staffordshire Hoard, including investigations into many of the 600 ‘significant objects’ that form the Anglo-Saxon assemblage.
Read the full review here.
Planning in the Early Medieval Landscape
John Blair, Stephen Rippon, and Christopher Smart, CA 367
This significant book explores intriguing evidence suggesting that many Anglo-Saxon settlements were deliberately plotted on a grid, and details the impact this planning had on the development of the English countryside.
Read the full review here.
Kindred: Neanderthal life, love, death, and art
Rebecca Wragg Sykes, CA 367
This wide-ranging book is a beautifully written exploration of all-things Neanderthal, delving into their lives and deaths via archaeological evidence: from their tools and weapons to their homes and burials, including how they cared for the old and injured.
Read the full review here.
Llangorse Crannog: the excavation of an early medieval royal site in the Kingdom of Brycheiniog
Alan Lane and Mark Redknap, CA 365
This important report on the excavation of the only crannog known in Wales covers not only the discoveries – which include over 40,000 fragments of animal bone – but also the wider environment in which it stood.
Read the full review here.
Making One’s Way in the World: the footprints and trackways of prehistoric people
Martin Bell, CA 365
This thought-provoking publication leads the reader through ancient routeways – which rarely survive in the archaeological record – demonstrating the significance they may have had to prehistoric communities using historical and ethnographic parallels.
Read the full review here.
Manufactured Bodies: the impact of industrialisation on London health
Gaynor Western and Jelena Bekvalac, CA 363
This comprehensive volume weaves together archaeological, historical, and public health data, resulting in an impressive resource for understanding the health of Londoners both past and present.
Read the full review here.
Historic Landscapes and Mental Well-being
Timothy Darvill, Kerry Barrass, Laura Drysdale, Vanessa Heaslip, and Yvette Staelens (eds), CA 362
Exploring how historical landscapes can help improve the lives of those experiencing mental ill-health, this timely book investigates the therapeutic relationship between people and ancient places.
Read the full review here.
Brick: a social history
Carolyne Haynes, CA 358
This imaginative book strives to erase readers’ preconceptions about this unprepossessingly commonplace building material. It highlights the intricacies of English brickwork – in the process, telling the stories of those who made it throughout the centuries.
Read the full review here.
Voting closes on 8 February
The Book of the Year award is sponsored by Archaeology Plus
Archaeology Plus are a family-run specialist archaeology bookseller with over 7,000 titles available.
