Below are some of the publications we feel most deserve to be recognised for their contribution to the field – the nominees for the Book of the Year award.
Voting has now closed, and all the winners of the Current Archaeology Awards will be announced on 25 February as part of our virtual Current Archaeology Live! 2022. Click here to find out more about the event.
The Dissolution of the Monasteries in England and Wales
Hugh Willmott, CA 370
This archaeological approach to the Dissolution uses examples from across the country to show how survey and excavation can elucidate not only monastic buildings but also their grounds and landscapes, as well as national trends.
Read the full review here.
The Tale of the Axe: how the Neolithic revolution transformed Britain
David Miles, CA 373
This new edition of The Tale of the Axe explores prehistory from the emergence of Homo sapiens to the first flickerings of the Iron Age, and includes a thought-provoking afterword that brings the story up to date with recent discoveries and scientific advances.
Read the full review here.
Early Anglo-Saxon Cemeteries: kinship, community, and identity
Duncan Sayer, CA 374
This must-read book for anyone interested in funerary archaeology takes a holistic yet nuanced multi-tiered approach to early medieval cemeteries in England, incorporating new data and thinking with intriguing results.
Read the full review here.
Bog Bodies: face-to-face with the past
Melanie Giles, CA 375
This wide-ranging and thought-provoking book explores how our understanding of bog bodies has evolved over time, what modern scientific techniques have added to this picture, and the ethical questions surrounding our engagement with the dead.
Read the full review here.
Hadrian’s Wall: creating division
Matthew Symonds, CA 375
This important new study sets out a lively and highly readable exploration of the significance of Hadrian’s Wall. It is at the forefront of archaeological research, addressing new topics that have emerged from recent studies and setting the Wall in a wider context.
Read the full review here.
River Kings: a new history of the Vikings from Scandinavia to the Silk Roads
Cat Jarman, CA 375
This fascinating book uses a single bead as a starting point to discuss diverse topics including early medieval seafaring and shipbuilding; Viking involvement in the slave trade and its legacy in Icelandic DNA; the role of women and how artefacts can be misleading; migration; and mythology.
Read the full review here.
Silchester Revealed: the Iron Age and Roman town of Calleva
Michael Fulford, CA 377
Michael Fulford has been excavating at Silchester in Hampshire since 1974, and this lucidly written book sets the Roman town within its national context, delivering the views of one of our leading experts on some of the big issues of Roman Britain.
Read the full review here.
Belonging and Belongings: portable artefacts and identity in the civitas of the Iceni
Natasha Harlow, CA 379
This powerful synthesis presents an enormous volume of work that challenges traditional Roman historians’ accounts of the Iceni and the area in which they lived, with intriguing analysis of imagery.
Read the full review here.
