Rescue Dig of the Year 2011

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Congratulations to the team behind the Frome Hoard, which was named as Current Archaeology‘s Rescue Dig of the Year 2011.

The award was accepted by Sam Moorhead on behalf of the project team, including Dave Crisp (finder), Katie Hinds and Anna Booth (Finds Liaison Officers), Bob Croft and Alan Graham (excavators).

The Frome Hoard CA 246

The Frome Hoard, discovered by a metal detectorist in a Somerset field, is the largest coin hoard ever found in Britain in a single pot. Another great success for the Portable Antiquities Scheme, the 52,000 coins in the pot have much to say about wealth, ritual and political upheaval in Roman Britain.


Rescue archaeology is archaeological survey and excavation carried out in areas revealed or threatened by development, or preventative measures taken on a previously unexcavated site. The following nominees have shown the great importance of this work, as detailed in the pages of CA this year:

Click here for a fuller description of the finalists

Lanton Quarry: New evidence in Northumbria CA 239

A routine investigation ahead of gravel quarrying turned up some very exciting multi-period results, but it was the discovery of a rare, low-status Anglo-Saxon settlement that captured the most attention. Could these modest dwellings be the ‘support centre’ for the elite Anglo-Saxon royal town at nearby Yeavering?

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Bouldnor Cliff: Diving into the Mesolithic  CA 241

The dark green, fast-flowing waters of the Solent have proven to be a prehistoric paradise for archaeologists. The discovery of a drowned Mesolithic landscape off the coast of the Isle of Wight has provided insight into the wood-working ability and changing lifestyles of our Mesolithic ancestors.

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Excavating All Saints: A Medieval church rediscovered CA 245

Archaeologists in York found much more than they expected when excavations began on the site of a ‘lost’ Medieval church. Mass graves were discovered, containing the remains of Cromwell’s soldiers from the Siege of York in 1644.

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When the Celtic Tiger roared: The golden years of commercial archaeology in Ireland CA 247

The prosperity of Ireland’s Celtic Tiger economic boom created an unprecedented period of success for commercial archaeology: big sites were excavated, worldwide controversies were created, and a new system of archaeology was put to the test.

Click here for a fuller description of the finalists