Current Archaeology 149 Cover Photo: A late Saxon stirrup mount The West Runton ElephantIn the storms of 1992, the bones of an elephant half a million years old were washed out of the cliffs at West Runton in Norfolk. Were the bones of the rest of the elephant also in the cliff, waiting to be eroded by the sea? With the help of the lottery funds, the cliffs were cut back, and the archaeologists were able to make some interesting discoveries ...Anglo-Saxon stirrup mountsHow far is it possible for archaeologists to collaborate with metal detectorists? David Williams has been studying decorated Anglo-Saxon stirrup mounts and by using information supplied by metal detectorists, he has been able to transform the subject. A fascinating article with numerous colour illustrations of these decorated objects.Barking AbbeyWas there a Saxon nunnery at Barking? According to the Venerable Bede, a nunnery was founded there in 660, but extensive excavations by Sir Alfred Clapham in 1910 failed to find any Saxons. Now rescue excavations under a new superstore have revealed evidence for the Saxons - but not in the form that might be expected ...The Magor Pill boatAnd then there is the dramatic account of the rescue of a medieval boat. Laden with iron ore it was making its way across the tidal flats to Magor Pill in South Wales, when it sank. Here we recount how it has been recovered, and in the nick of time transported back to the National Museum of Wales in Cardiff.The oldest wheelWhat is the date of the oldest wheel in the British Isles? The National Museum of Scotland has been carrying out a programme of radiocarbon dating on some of the finds in its collections, including a number of objects which Stuart Piggott once said could as well be 18th century AD as 18th century BC. Many of the objects proved to be much older than expected - including bog butter barrels of the Roman period and a Bronze Age tunic.The Defence of BritainA project to record the remains of the pill-boxes and other remains left behind from the two world wars.And, of course, there are also the Books, Diary, John Musty's Science Dairy - and the Letters page! Other featured issues Current Archaeology 147: Special issue on the Hebrides. Current Archaeology 148 Current Archaeology 150, and the Welsh Prince's palace The highlights of the 12 previous issues can also be found in these pages, listed under four main headings: Return to Home page |