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 is now open, and all the winners of the Current Archaeology Awards will be announced on 28 February 2026 as part of Current Archaeology Live! 2026. Click here to find out more about the event.
Click here for links to all the other categories.
Sponsor of Book of the Year 2026
An Irish Civil War Dugout – Tormore Cave, County Sligo: archaeology, history, memory
Marion Dowd, Robert Mulraney, and James Bonsall
Archaeopress, CA 419
This book describes the first dedicated research excavation ever conducted on an Irish revolutionary site.
Baltinglass and the Prehistoric Hillforts of Ireland
James O’Driscoll, Alan Hawkes, and William O’Brien
Wordwell, CA 420
Well-written and beautifully illustrated, this work has significantly added to our understanding of Irish hillforts.
Digging Lincoln: an archaeological memoir
Michael J Jones
Archaeopress, CA 421
A unique personal account offering a fascinating ‘view from the trenches’ that highlights archaeological discoveries from the 1970s onwards.
Wicked Problems for Archaeologists: heritage as transformative practice
John Schofield
Oxford University Press, CA 422
This timely, thought-provoking book explores how archaeologists can help address global issues from climate change to social inequality.
Cultural Landscapes of North-east Scotland: collaborative research in history and archaeology
Colin Shepherd (ed.)
Oxbow, CA 423
This volume brings together an exciting range of contributions and new insights, consciously foregrounding and celebrating their diversity.
A Land Won from Waste: Scotland AD 400-1400
Richard D Oram
Birlinn, CA 425
This is a thorough and digestible environmental history of medieval Scotland, extensively researched yet accessible to a wider lay audience.
Stone Lands: a journey of darkness and light through Britain’s ancient places
Fiona Robertson
Little, Brown Book Group, CA 426
Blending personal narrative with hard science, this book will engage and inspire a whole new generation of megalith enthusiasts.
Medieval Warhorse: equestrian landscapes, material culture, and zooarchaeology in Britain, AD 800-1550
O H Creighton, R Liddiard, A K Outram, K Kanne, and C Ameen (eds)
Liverpool University Press, CA 427
This book deftly combines disciplinary perspectives to paint a fuller picture of its complex subject, laying a firm foundation for further study.
Life in the Viking Great Army: raiders, traders, and settlers
Dawn Hadley and Julian Richards
Oxford University Press, CA 427
An important volume that provides a readable and stimulating basis for discussion, illuminating a seminal moment in English history.
Excavations in the Roman Legionary Fortress at Caerleon: the Priory Field store building
Peter Guest and Andrew Gardner
Archaeopress, CA 429
This impressive research report boasts a stellar cast of specialists, sets new standards for finds reporting, and is peppered with scientific analyses and discussion.
