This month’s cover feature takes us into rural Oxfordshire, where archaeological investigations ahead of the construction of a housing estate have uncovered the remains of a previously unknown Roman villa. The site’s story is still developing, but finds already paint a picture of an elegantly appointed residence, as well as activities ranging from the agricultural to the industrial – and hints of some rather more enigmatic practices.
The subject of our next feature is also unusual. In the mid 1990s, MoLAS (now MOLA) uncovered a unique burial ground in Westminster, used to dispose of the remains of dozens of horses in the late medieval and Tudor periods. Fast-forward to the present day, and cutting-edge scientific research at the University of Exeter has transformed our understanding of trade and travel networks stretching back over 500 years.
We remain in London for our next article, edging forward into the period just after the Great Fire, when the city’s waterfront evolved into a commercial powerhouse. What can recent interdisciplinary research tell us about the rise and fall of this influential area?
The following feature turns the spotlight on an enigmatic prehistoric site at Aspull, near Wigan, which appears to have begun life as a Neolithic henge before being repurposed for Bronze Age burials.
Finally, we examine how digital technology can help to bring the past to life, focusing on an immersively detailed interpretation of the Roman assault on Burnswark Hill in Dumfriesshire.
In This Issue:
FEATURES
Tracing a Roman villa in the oxfordshire countryside
Recent excavations of a heavily robbed-out Roman villa in southern Oxfordshire have added new details about high-status life in Britannia as well as tantalising clues of ceremonial activity at the site.
Tracing the medieval and Tudor horse trade in London
New analysis of a rare horse cemetery in Westminster- first excavated by MOLA nearly 30 years ago – is shedding fresh light on the scale of horse trading in England during the late medieval and Tudor periods.
Wandering through London’s post-medieval waterfront
A new publication explores how the waterfront of the City of London was redeveloped following the Great Fire, highlighting its growth as the reaches of the Empire expanded.
Investigating a prehistoric ‘mystery feature’ at Aspull
Investigations into an unusual monument on the outskirts of Greater Manchester are slowly revealing its story, showing that it may have been a Neolithic henge that was repurposed during the Bronze Age.
Creating a digital model of the Roman assault on Burnswark Hill
The Trimontium Trust has created a 3D animation of the Roman attack on the Burnswark hillfort in Dumfriesshire. Here we explore how the model was developed and the planning that went into it.
NEWS
‘Sacred landscape’ spanning millennia unearthed in Lincolnshire; Estimating the population of Roman Silchester; Tracing the origins of early medieval silver coinage; Large medieval cemetery uncovered in Carrickfergus; Human brains appear to be exceptionally preserved in the archaeological record; Science Notes; Proven link between heritage and wellbeing; Finds Tray
REGULARS
COMMENT
Joe Flatman excavates the CA archive
CONTEXT
Combing through history: Ipswich, Suffolk
REVIEWS
Places for the Living, Places for the Dead: archaeological discoveries on the N25 New Ross Bypass; Rushen Abbey, Isle of Man: a hundred years of research and excavation; Excavations at Tlachtga Hill of Ward, Co. Meath, Ireland; Bronze Age, Iron Age, Roman, and Saxon settlements along the route of the A43 Corby Link Road, Northamptonshire; Wolf Road; Living in the Ice Age
MUSEUM NEWS
The latest on acquisitions, exhibitions, and key decisions
MUSEUM
Amesbury History Centre
CALENDAR
Our selection of exhibitions and events, as well as historical, archaeological, and cultural resources from around the world that are still available online
GO DIGGING!
The second array of upcoming opportunities to get involved in archaeology this summer – get in touch to feature your project next!
SHERDS
Chris Catling’s irreverent take on heritage issues
ODD SOCS
The Milestone Society
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