This has been another exceptional year for archaeological research. The following are some of the most exciting projects to have featured in CA over the last 12 months – the nominees for Research Project of the Year.
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.
Archaeology on furlough: how volunteers explored the past during lockdown
Rob Wiseman, Cambridge Archaeological Unit, CA 370
This initiative brought together more than 100 furloughed archaeologists to create a volunteer task force that shed light on sites all over the country, spanning prehistory to the present day.
Read the full article here.
Rise of the mega-henges: unpicking the evolution of Mount Pleasant’s monuments
Susan Greaney, University of Cardiff/English Heritage, CA 371
It was long thought that huge, complex monuments like Mount Pleasant in Dorset had developed over many centuries – but new dating evidence suggests otherwise, with intriguing implications.
Read the full article here.
From mounds to monasteries: examining burials in late Iron Age and early medieval Ireland
Elizabeth O’Brien, FSA, FSA Scot, and MIAI, CA 374
Elizabeth O’Brien has studied every excavated Irish burial dating from the period c.200 BC to c.AD 800, exploring over 250 sites.
Read the full article here.
Darkness dispelled: exploring 1,500 years of life and death in the Sculptor’s Cave
Ian Armit and Lindsey Büster, University of York/Canterbury Christ Church University, CA 375
The Sculptor’s Cave, on Scotland’s north-east coast, is best known for its Pictish carvings, but recent research has drawn together evidence of enigmatic prehistoric funerary practices.
Read the full article here.
Bridge over troubled water: Roman finds from the Tees at Piercebridge and beyond
Hella Eckardt and Philippa Walton, University of Reading/Birkbeck, University of London, CA 378
How should we interpret objects that ended their days in rivers during the Roman period? Analysis of over 3,600 artefacts from the Tees at Piercebridge may hold the key.
Read the full article here.
A lost monastery revealed? Investigating an Anglo-Saxon community at Cookham
Gabor Thomas, University of Reading, CA 380
Cookham minster was the focus of a long early medieval power struggle but the religious community’s location became lost –until recent excavations revealed vital clues.
Read the full article here.
Iona in the Viking Age: laying a ‘zombie narrative’ to rest
Adrián Maldonado, Ewan Campbell, Thomas Owen Clancy, and Katherine Forsyth, National Museums Scotland/University of Glasgow, CA 381
Illuminating interdisciplinary research presents an intriguingly nuanced story of Iona’s early medieval monastery.
Read the full article here.
Living like common people: uncovering medieval peasant perceptions of landscape
Stephen Mileson and Stuart Brookes, University of Oxford/UCL, CA 381
This wide-ranging and imaginative research project set out to explore ideas of identity in strikingly innovative ways.
Read the full article here.
Voting has now closed
Butser Plus | See how we explore the ancient past
Butser Plus shares the story of Butser Ancient Farm through a series of mini-documentaries. Watch experimental archaeology projects alongside ancient skills and academic discussions to learn more about the ancient past. Donate to access professional behind-the-scenes video content whilst supporting future archaeological projects and safeguarding the farm’s future. To find out more, please visit www.butserancientfarm.co.uk/butser-plus
