Current Archaeology 148
Current Archaeology 148 was published at the beginning of July 1996.
There were four major articles.
The Clava Cairns
Just outside Inverness, by the battlefield of Culloden, lie the Clava cairns, perhaps the purest examples of 'passage graves' in this country. Professor Richard Bradley has just completed a major research excavation, and here he describes his findings among 'The Good Stones'. The Cover photo (above) shows one of the cairns,
Eton College are proposing to build a huge new Rowing Lake a mile and a half long at Dorney, on the north bank of the River Thames. The Oxford Archaeological Unit is excavating in advance, and already two bridges across a former channel have been discovered, one dated to the Bronze Age (1300 - 1400 BC) the other to the Early Iron Age (400 - 800 BC) - the results of radiocarbon dating. Work continues in 1996, and this will be done largely by volunteers, making this the largest volunteer excavation for many years. Volunteers pay £30 a week for the first two weeks, - which includes food - thereafter participation will be free. For details ring Denise Price on 01865 204642. There is a campsite (tents provided) complete with shower block.
A new amphitheatre
Last summer, archaeologists were busy at Catterick race course, where to their surprise they discovered the race-course's predecessor. The excavations in advance of gravel digging were meant to uncover a rather grotty Iron Age settlement, but instead they hit the Roman amphitheatre - or rather one side of it. If this was not enough, they then realised that the amphitheatre itself was built over a neolithic cairn and was later used as an Anglian burial ground. Colm Malony describes how he made this surprising discovery.
Witham: from monastery to country house
Witham in Somerset, was the site of the first Carthusian monastery in England. But where was the monastery? The Royal Commission is doing as survey of all Carthusian monasteries, and Rob Wilson-North was sent to do a survey. There was little to be seen - only some humps and bumps. However in a triumph of field archaeology - no excavation - he unveiled the eighteenth century history and in doing so discovered not just one but two country houses built over the ruins of the monastery. Here the Royal Commission performs an intellectual strip-tease to stunning effect.
In addition there is the Diary, Books, John Musty's Science Diary, and last, but certainly not least, the Letters page.
Please note that the recent article on Feet, published in CA 144, which has caused considerable world-wide interest, has been placed on the web in full.
There is also an extended summary of the contents of our previous issue, a special issue on Archaeology in the Outer Hebrides.
The highlights of the 12 previous issues can also be found in these pages, listed under four main headings:
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(Revised: 6th October 1996)