It’s amazing to think that it was almost ten years ago that we reported (in CA 274) that Time Team was drawing to a close. Over two decades of digging, the popular programme had revolutionised archaeological television and was, for many, a key influence and inspiration for their own archaeological journeys (including yours truly, who grew up watching the show and worked as a researcher on Series 18 – ten points if you can spot me dressed as a Roman!). Now, though, the Team has reunited to film two new excavations: one exploring an Iron Age fogou in Cornwall, the other a Roman villa in Oxfordshire. Our cover feature takes you behind the scenes.
We next travel to the outskirts of Oswestry, to examine the remains of a camp that housed captured German servicemen during the Second World War. Wessex Archaeology’s excavations have given vivid insights into what life was like within the compound – apparently, relatively comfortable, although signs of escalating tensions between prisoners and camp staff could also be seen.
Moving from ephemeral outlines of buildings to monumental architecture, our third feature traces the evolution of the triumphal arch, and its lasting legacy.
Such arches were, of course, a Roman invention, and our final two articles discuss different aspects of Roman Britain. At Maryport, just south of Hadrian’s Wall, the remains of two temples first uncovered in the 19th century have been reinvestigated in detail. What can they tell us about cult activity on the Roman frontier? Meanwhile, in the Scottish Borders, intriguing research is emerging from Trimontium, a Roman fort with a remarkably turbulent past.
P.S. Details of all the content of the magazine are available on our new site, The Past. Here you will be able to read each article in full as well as the content of our other magazines, Current World Archaeology, Minerva, and Military History Matters. Subscribers should see the advert inside the magazine for a very special offer!
In This Issue:
FEATURES
HAPPY CAMPERS?
Investigating the experiences of prisoners of war near Oswestry
What was life like for German soldiers interned in England during the Second World War? CA reports on recent excavations at a prisoner-ofwar camp outside Oswestry in Shropshire, where archaeologists have found evidence of everyday conflict and cooperation.
BACK TO THE FUTURE
Visiting Time Team’s first new digs in a decade
Popular archaeology programme Time Team has returned with its first new episodes in a decade thanks to an ongoing crowdfunding campaign. We take a peek behind the scenes in Roman Oxfordshire and Iron Age Cornwall.
THE TRIUMPHAL ARCH
Exploring the legacy of a Roman monument
From stone foundations in Roman Richborough to temporary Renaissance structures, CA looks at how one of ancient Rome’s most enduring monuments has been reimagined throughout the centuries.
A TALE OF TWO TEMPLES
Tracing religious remains at Maryport Roman fort
The Roman fort at Maryport is best known for its collection of altars that had been buried in a series of large pits. Why were they committed to the ground, and what can the excavation of two temples nearby tell us about cult activity on the Roman frontier?
NEW LIGHT ON TRIMONTIUM
Building a museum against the odds
Previous excavations at the Roman fort of Trimontium in the Scottish Borders have uncovered signs of a turbulent, even tragic, past. Now, renovation of the dedicated museum in Melrose has given archaeologists an opportunity to re-examine these finds.
NEWS
London’s largest area of Roman mosaic for over 50 years; Was Stonehenge a solar calendar?; Industrial-scale Roman silver extraction in Kent; Pictish symbol stone unearthed near Aberlemno; Bronze Age mound found under ‘lost’ Oxford college; Science Notes; Iron Age coin database launched online; Finds Tray
REGULARS
Comment
Joe Flatman excavates the CA archive
Context
A landscape through time: Belhus Park, Essex
Reviews
Evensong: people, discoveries and reflections on the church in England; The Mesolithic in Britain: landscape and society in times of change; The Great British Dig: history in your back garden; The Shaping of the English Landscape: an atlas of archaeology from the Bronze Age to Domesday Book; The Archaeology of Merseyside in 20 Digs; The World of Stonehenge
Exhibition
CA previews Feminine Power: the divine to the demonic at the British Museum
Museum News
The latest acquisitions, exhibitions, and key decisions.
Listings
Our selection of exhibitions and events, as well as historical, archaeological, and cultural resources from around the world that are available online.
Digs
A selection of upcoming excavations
Sherds
Chris Catling’s irreverent take on heritage issues
Odd Socs
The Long Distance Walkers Association
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