A detailed report on excavation of early historic features at Forteviot in eastern Scotland by the University of Glasgow's Strathearn Environs and Royal Forteviot (SERF) Project. Features include a potential royal palace and early church, with a discussion of their relationship with prehistoric remains. This report also includes a detailed analysis of early medieval sculpture from the Forteviot area.

A detailed report on the excavation of prehistoric features at Forteviot in eastern Scotland by the University of Glasgow's Strathearn Environs and Royal Forteviot (SERF) Project. Details include an extensive prehistoric landscape including a Neolithic cremation cemetery, large pit-defined enclosure, early Bronze Age henge monuments, and a Bronze Age dagger-cist burial. The monuments appear to have survived into the early historic period and were modified in the first millennium AD.

Famous for the excavations carried out by Sir Mortimer Wheeler in 1951–52, the late Iron Age earthwork complex at Stanwick, North Yorks, is the largest prehistoric site in northern England. The site was probably the seat of the Brigantian queen Cartimandua, and both the structures and the finds from the site reflect this status. A recent re-evaluation of the radiocarbon dates has led to a new chronology which has rewritten our understanding of late Iron Age Britain. This volume reports not only on the excavations of the 1980s, but also synthesises other work in the environs of the site.

This latest CBA Practical Handbook forms part of the CBA-led project to record the physical legacy of the First World War on the Home Front in the UK. The book provides invaluable background information for anyone interested in identifying and recording the remains of the Home Front, from practice trenches to works by conscientious objectors to Homes fit for Heroes. Extensively illustrated, with both archive and modern images, the book also includes guidance on researching the Home Front. Mention of the First World War usually conjures up images of the trenches, the battles of the Western Front and the many cemeteries and memorials in Northern France and Belguim. Few will first consider the impact of the war here in Britain, yet the impact of the war on the Home Front was significant, affecting all aspects of life and introducing many changes, in industry, farming, housing and society. Little evidence of the First World War was thought to survive in the United Kingdom, but recent surveys have shown that much remains. With contributions from more than 25 authors, this book provides invaluable background information for anyone interested in identifying and recording these remains of the Home Front. More details on the Home Front Legacy project can be found at http://www.homefrontlegacy.org.uk.

Situated in what now seems a remote corner of south-west Scotland, Wigtown was once an important county town. With its harbour and location at the lowest fording point of the River Cree, Wigtown was at one time part of a major network of land and sea routes, including a pilgrim route to Whithorn. The layout of the town is notable for its large market square, a reflection of its importance in the cattle trade in the medieval period. The town achieved burgh status in the thirteenth century, by which time it was an important trading centre, and the present arrangement of streets and burgage plots dates to this time. Today the principal access route is from the north, rather than through the East and West Ports which controlled access to the great market place. The burgh arms depict a three-masted sailing ship, demonstrating the importance placed on its maritime trade. This book examines both the town’s political history, as it passed between the earldoms of Wigtown and Douglas, and its economic history, as it competed with Whithorn, before its eventual decline in the later nineteenth century. The authors use the surviving buildings to examine the development of the town from the medieval to the modern period. This book is part of the Scottish Burgh Survey – a series funded by Historic Scotland designed to identify the archaeological potential of Scotland’s historic towns.

The site of La Grava (or Grove Priory) in Bedfordshire, excavated in advance of quarrying between 1973 and 1985, was one of the most extensive monastic/manorial projects of the 20th century in the UK. Excavated originally as a medieval religious house, identified as an alien priory of the Order of Fontevrault in Anjou, the site was to reveal settlement from the Romano-British period to the 16th century.Granted to the Order of Fontevrault in 1164, the priory became the home of the Procurator of the Order in England. From the later 14th century the site reverted to a lay establishment and was held by high-ranking royal women. The excavations were notable for several reasons, including their extent, the stratification in the remains, and the continuity of settlement from the late Saxon period onwards. Post-excavation analysis and reconstruction of building plans has led the author to suggest detailed sequences of spatial planning across the site.The royal and ecclesiastic connections to the site provided excellent documentary sources, enabling recorded events to be linked to building works. When combined with the large finds assemblage, and detailed reconstruction drawings, a vivid picture of life at La Grava over several centuries can be painted.

Archaeological fieldwork in the inter-tidal zone of the Severn Estuary over the past twenty years has revealed a rich landscape of prehistoric settlement. This latest volume by Professor Martin Bell presents the evidence for the Bronze Age, focusing on sites at Redwick and Peterstone in the Gwent Levels.At Redwick, a settlement of four rectangular buildings, defined by well-preserved timber posts dating to the middle Bronze Age (1600–940 cal BC), is surrounded by footprint-tracks of animals and humans. Peterstone and other locations in the estuary have revealed a variety of wood artefacts and structures, and features such as fish traps, trackways and sites of seasonal encampments.The relationship between the wetland and dry ground settlements around the estuary is explored in detail, through artefacts, pollen and stable isotope analysis. The author concludes that there is clear evidence for transhumance throughout the Bronze Age. In the final chapters the author compares the Severn Estuary with other coastal sites of the Bronze Age in Britain and continental Europe.

The three large henges found adjacent to the village of Thornborough, near Ripon in North Yorkshire, lie at the heart of one of the most important Neolithic landscapes in the British Isles While the henges were first recorded in the eighteenth century, recent fieldwork has shown them to be part of a much larger ‘sacred landscape’ of the later Neolithic and Bronze Age which includes barrows, pit alignments and a cursus. Surrounding fields have yielded a rich collection of prehistoric flint artefacts. While the henges have all been damaged, either by agriculture or quarrying, they remain major upstanding features in the modern landscape. This volume considers first the history of investigations and changing attitudes towards the monuments before describing the detailed geophysical surveys, excavations and fieldwalking programmes that have been carried out across this landscape in the past twenty years. The author concludes that this was an intensely religious landscape, situated on an important routeway across the Pennines. He considers how people, both those who lived locally and those who travelled long distances to visit the site as a place of pilgrimage, would have experienced and interacted with the monuments

Located on the south side of the River Tees, in north-east England, the Roman villa at Ingleby Barwick is one of the most northerly in the Roman Empire. Discovered originally through aerial photography and an extensive programme of evaluation, the site was excavated in 2003-04 in advance of housing development. Unusually for the region, the site demonstrated evidence for occupation from the later prehistoric period through to the Anglo-Saxon. The excavations at Ingleby Barwick are significant not only for their scale but also for being carried out under modern recording conditions, allowing for extensive and detailed analysis of the finds. The villa is also a rare example of a Roman civilian site in the hinterland of Hadrian’s Wall.The Roman winged corridor villa and its outlying stone structures were surrounded by an extensive layout of rectilinear enclosures. While the main villa building was preserved in situ, excavation of the surrounding area revealed features such as ovens and paved surfaces, as well as rare finds such as a glass tableware vessel probably from Egypt and a large hoard of metalwork. The pottery has allowed a detailed phasing of the site to be proposed, while the environmental evidence reveals the villa to have been a working farm.

First discovered by sport divers in the 1970s, the two remarkable seabed finds of prehistoric bronze metalwork described here quickly became a testing ground for the new discipline of underwater archaeology, initially under the leadership of the pioneering maritime archaeologist Keith Muckelroy. A haul of 361 bronzes from Langdon Bay, Kent, represents one of the largest deposits from Bronze Age Europe. Dating to the thirteenth century BC, the collection is diverse in character and originates in various parts of western Europe and the British Isles. The assemblage from Salcombe, Devon covered here is of similar date with a unique combination of types and materials; further finds have since been made at this site.Neither site having yielded any ship’s remains, all possible mechanisms for deposition are reviewed, including erosion of coastal deposits and ritual deposition at sea. Extensive comparative analysis favours the conclusion that the unparalleled Langdon Bay and Salcombe assemblages represent material spilled or jettisoned from boats in trouble.For the first time, maritime archaeologists, period specialists, scientists and coastal geomorphologists, bring together research on these two exceptional sites: history of discovery, evaluation of context and character, detailed scientific analyses and a fully illustrated catalogue. Nineteen further marine finds of Bronze Age metalwork are also documented, models for seaborne exchange are reconsidered and cultural attitudes to the terre/mare interface are discussed.

This volume presents the conclusions of a research assessment funded by English Heritage which drew together the broad community of scholars interested in marine and maritime affairs, with a remit of both quantifying the known record and establishing a clear research agenda for the future. The result is an unrivalled exploration of our maritime heritage and a challenging agenda for the future.Britain is a maritime nation. Thus understanding the changing record of people&supl;s relationships with, and use of the sea is key to interpreting the archaeological record. People and the Sea considers all aspects of our maritime heritage; from the submerged landscapes created by changes in sea- level over the last million years, to the physical development of the modern coastline, through to ports, their hinterlands and associated maritime communities. It investigates the nature of seafaring, its associated material culture as well as people&supl;s changing perceptions and interactions with the sea. Chronological chapters, from the Palaeolithic to the 20th century, all consider a number of key themes, exploring both the current state of knowledge and priorities for future research. While the focus is on England, the themes explored are applicable to any coastal community, both in the UK and the near Continent. Written by leading academics, in consultation with numerous specialists, People and the Sea provides an unrivalled exploration of our maritime heritage and sets a challenging agenda for future research.

Marine Archaeology: A Handbook aims to give easy access to a range of information about the marine historic environment. It provides a useful guide for all those involved in the marine environment, from local authorities to recreational divers and interested amateurs. In recent years there has been increased awareness of both the potential and the fragility of the marine and maritime zones. Working in these zones presents a range of challenges, from the practical to the legal, which this Handbook attempts to explain.The book begins by defining what the marine environment is, and provides a brief history of maritime archaeology. It also considers the challenging question of the differences between marine archaeology and commercial salvage. Further chapters explain the organisation of marine archaeology in the UK and the planning of marine archaeological projects, with essential information on areas of responsibility and sources of information. A summary of the complex legal framework for the management of the marine zone around the UK is followed by discussion of European and UNESCO conventions on marine heritage. A glossary and extensive bibliography make this book essential reading for all amateurs and professionals with an interest in our marine historic environment.

This volume presents the results of the first national assessment of English battlefields. The primary written sources are complemented by the results of extensive fieldwork, computer-based terrain reconstruction, and scientific analysis of artefacts recovered from battlefields. The authors proposed methodology for investigating battlefield locations is validated by the recent identification of the precise location of the Battle of Bosworth, some 3km from the traditional site.

This Handbook provides an informative and accessible guide to the industrial remains of the UK. It is essential reading for anyone with an interest in our industrial heritage, giving concise summaries of the history of different industries, together with descriptions of the structures and below-ground remains likely to be encountered. The book also considers the power which drove these industries, the transport network which delivered the products and the houses in which the workforce lived. It further reviews the legislation protecting industrial sites and the problems and potential of their adaptive re-use.

In 2008, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Council for British Archaeologys Wessex group, archaeologists gathered in Southampton to review what we have learnt from the huge amount of research carried out in the region during the past 50 years and to identify the challenges for the next half-century. The conference was also a chance for those involved to tell the exciting story of discovery from their own, personal angle. The contributors to this volume include many of the UKs most influential archaeologists of the later 20th century, making this book an overview not only of the history of Wessex, but of the development of archaeological thinking and techniques during this period. Interspersed amongst these papers are profiles of the regions most influential sites and the memories of some of its leading characters.

Britain's abolition of the slave trade in 1807 did not end the traffic of human beings across the Atlantic. Indeed, for many decades to come, hundreds of thousands of enslaved Africans continued to be shipped into slavery. From 1840 to 1872 the remote South Atlantic island of St Helena played a pivotal role in Britain's efforts to suppress the slave trade, and over this time it received over 25,000 'liberated Africans', taken from slave ships by Royal Navy patrols. Conditions aboard the slavers were appalling, and many did not survive the journey. Rupert's Valley therefore became a graveyard to many thousands of Africans - 'a valley of dry bones' in the words of a visiting missionary. In 2008 archaeological excavations uncovered a small part of that graveyard, revealing the burials of over 300 victims of the slave trade. It was disposal on a massive scale, with the dead interred in a combination of single, multiple and mass graves. This book presents the finding of the archaeological and osteological study, and in so doing brings the inhumanity of the slave trade into vivid focus. It tells the story of a group of children and young adults who had lived in Africa only a few weeks prior to their death on St Helena, and whose remains bear witness to the cruelty of their transportation. However, the archaeology also shows them as more than just victims, but also as individuals with a sense of their own identity and culture. The slave trade continues to this day, and although this book is a study of the past it also serves as a reminder of evils that persist into the modern day.