Current Archaeology 151

The front cover shows Professor Mick Aston
standing on the site of the old church, at Shapwick

Current Archaeology 151, was published in February 1997

The main articles include:

Shapwick and the origins of villages
When did the English village originate? Traditionally the villages are said to go back to the coming of the Saxons, or to the coming of Christianity. Recently however, these views have been under attack, and it has been argued that the formation of many of our villages may not have taken place till after the Norman conquest. At Shapwick, in Somerset, Mick Aston, well-know television personality and leader of the Time Team , has been carrying out a long term research project into this problem, and in this major article, we reveal the very impressive way in which he is seeking an answer.
Monkton

How far are sunken huts typical of the Saxons? At Monkton, on the Isle of Thanet, a major excavation in advance of a new road revealed a village of 'sunken huts' that dated to the early Roman period. They are in fact very different to the Saxon sunken huts, but they are also totally different to the typical 'British' settlements in Roman Britain. Is this a village of continental immigrants, settled there by the Romans at the very beginning of the Roman era?
Scaftworth
It is the early 70s, and the Romans had to build a road in a hurry if they were to put down Cartimandua's rebellion. At Scaftworth, in south Yorkshire, we see the result, a turf and timber road that 'floated' on the marsh and where the timbers that made up the road are still perfectly preserved.

And, of course, there are also the Books, Diary, John Musty's Science Dairy - and the Letters page!

The highlights of the 12 previous issues can also be found in these pages, listed under four main headings:

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