Rescue archaeology is carried out in areas threatened by human or natural agencies. We’ve collated some of the best rescue projects that have been highlighted in Current Archaeology over the past year. Below are the nominees for Rescue Project of the Year.
Voting closed 1 February and all the winners of the Current Archaeology Awards will be announced on 25 February as part of Current Archaeology Live! 2023. Click here to find out more about the event.
Happy campers? Investigating the experiences of prisoners of war near Oswestry
Wessex Archaeology, CA 386
What was life like for German soldiers interned in England during the Second World War? Excavations at a POW camp outside Oswestry in Shropshire have found evidence of everyday conflict and cooperation.
The archaeology of Black Cat Quarry: farming, flooding, and fighting in the Great Ouse valley
Archaeological Research Services Ltd, CA 388
Excavations at Black Cat Quarry in Bedfordshire have revealed a story of farming communities spanning the Neolithic to the early medieval period, as well as the possible remains of a Viking encampment.
Restoring Marble Hill: how archaeology helped revive a Georgian gem
English Heritage, CA 388
Ongoing restoration work at Marble Hill in Twickenham and recent investigations of its grounds have revealed the fabric of the Georgian building alongside the story of its owner, Henrietta Howard.
HMS Invincible: excavating a Georgian time capsule
Daniel Pascoe/Bournemouth University, CA 389
Investigations of the wreck of HMS Invincible, which sank off Portsmouth in 1758, have shed illuminating light on what life was like on board this 18th-century warship, and within the Georgian Royal Navy.
Lessons from Canterbury: saving heritage with new approaches to urban development
SAVE Britain’s Heritage, CA 389
SAVE Britain’s Heritage have recommended a more historically sympathetic approach to urban development in response to the scale and height of new buildings proposed for Canterbury’s city centre.
No stone unturned: new insights from community archaeology on Hadrian’s Wall
WallCAP/Newcastle University, CA 390
Having excavated over 15 sites on and around Hadrian’s Wall, what has the WallCAP project revealed about how stone was sourced to construct the fortification, and these materials’ post-Roman afterlife?
From abbey infirmary to academic accommodation: tracing the evolution of Dulverton House
Urban Archaeology, CA 390
In the shadow of Gloucester Cathedral, works at Dulverton House have revealed material traces of a long history, from monastic infirmary and Reformation-era graffiti to Restoration redesigns.
Archaeology adrift? A curious tale of Lego lost at sea
The Lego Lost at Sea Project, CA 391
Since a shipment of Lego went overboard in 1997, millions of plastic bricks have been slowly washing up on beaches. The team behind the Lego Lost At Sea Project has painstakingly examined and documented what has come ashore.
Is archeology rescue done together with activists or teams from outside that help?