Archaeology of Britain

A metalwork hoard dated to the Wilburton phase of the later Bronze Age, found at Barway close to the Isle of Ely in the Cambridgeshire Fens, is reported. Consideration of the hoard, in the context of later prehistoric hoarding in the local landscape, reveals that particular sorts of artefacts were associated with particular places in the landscape. In particular a strong association between later Bronze Age hoards and causeways connecting the Isle of Ely to the outside world is identified, and an interpretation suggested. This study demonstrates the potential of a detailed contextual approach for providing a more nuanced understanding of later Bronze Age metalwork deposition that moves away from a simplistic wet-dry dichotomy.

Studies of Iron Age artefacts from Britain tend to be dominated either by the study of metalwork, or pottery. This book presents a study not only of a different material, but also a different type of object: glass beads. These are found in a range of different sizes, shapes, colours, and employ a variety of different decorative motifs.

Through an analysis of glass beads from four key study regions in Britain, the book aims not only to address regional differences in appearance and chronology, but also to explore the role that this object played within the networks and relationships that constructed Iron Age society. It seeks to understand how they were used during their lives and how they came to be deposited within the archaeological record, in order to establish the social processes that glass beads were bound within.


The results indicate that glass beads were a strongly regionalised artefact, potentially reflecting differing local preferences for colour and motif. In addition, glass beads, in combination with several other types of object, were integral to Middle Iron Age dress. Given that the first century BC is often seen as a turning point in terms of settlements and material culture, this supports the possibility of strong continental exchange during an earlier period for either glass beads or raw materials. However, by the Late Iron Age in the first century BC and early first century AD, their use had severely diminished.

Ely, Cambridgeshire, is known to tourists as an incredible city steeped in myth and legend and dominated by the Norman Cathedral, a masterpiece of medieval architecture. There have been many popular books written about the Isle, but in 'Ely: A Hidden History' the approach is to look at the longue duree of life on the isle focusing on continuity and change in cultural practices.  The work combines the latest archaeological discoveries to tell the story of the settlement of the Isle from its earliest beginnings through to the seventeenth century. With vivid illustrations, the authors trace the origins of life in Ely, and bring the most recent archaeological excavations alive.

Topics covered include: the geological origins of the Isle of Ely, the first prehistoric settlement, including important archaeological sites at Haddenham, Wilburton and Barway. The foundation of the monastic centre by St Etheldreda, and the archaeological evidence for the Anglo Saxon foundations of the city, together with current thoughts on the site of St Etheldreda's first settlement. The story of Hereward the Wake, and his resistance against the Norman invaders. The Norman foundation of the cathedral and castle.

Key features of the book are discussion and synthesis of the latest research on the nationally important later Bronze Age hoard from Wilburton, and the Iron Age bog body from Soham, which highlight the importance of the Isle of Ely to British archaeology. The findings from Channel 4’s Time Team excavation of the medieval Broad Street are included, with illustrations, as are the stories of Hereward the Wake. Richly illustrated and extensively researched, this is a fascinating look at the early history of an amazing city.

What was life like for the prehistoric inhabitants of Lancashire? This is the first book to look at the longue duree of the history of the county from the Mesolithic to the Iron Age period. What emerges is a picture of a complex society that changed and developed with the introduction of new technologies and influences from overseas. David Barrowclough provides a narrative of how life would have been for the early residents of this county and explains the monuments they left behind them in the landscape.

Out of this study emerges elements of a uniquely Lancastrian prehistoric cultural identity, which at the same time shared some of the core values of the wider British and European prehistoric period. With new data from a number of unpublished sites and exceptional illustrations, this book is of interest to both scholars and the general public.

This is a copy of my undergraduate dissertation, submitted in May 1971 for a BA degree at Sheffield University. In those days there were no personal computers or word processing or spreadsheet software, though statistical software could be run on mainframe computers. The original text was hand written, and then sent to a copy typist who produced a typescript and two carbon copies (the typescript and one copy had to be submitted). This is a scan of the second carbon copy, hence the poor quality. The data and interpretations have long since been superseded, but the thesis may be of some historical interest in that it: 1) contains the first (I think) computerized multivariate statistical analysis of British Mesolithic assemblages, and 2) proposed a basic chronological division of the British Mesolithic into Earlier (‘broad blade’) and Later (‘narrow blade’) phases, which subsequently has become the conventional interpretation.

The post-medieval period in Britain saw pronounced changes in the ways people related to animals, both in life and in the afterlife.  Memorials to treasured non-human companions began appearing in the back gardens of stately homes and eventually made their way to the public sphere in the form of pet cemeteries by the late 19th century. The inscriptions on these memorials can be revealing of changing attitudes towards animals: indicative of whether or not pets were considered important members of the family and whether or not human and animal would reunite in the afterlife. While memorialisation of animals as a trend moves from the elite countryside into working-class urban centres, does the same hold true for shifting attitudes towards animals? To further explore, the locations of these memorials must first be identified. Many cities and towns throughout the UK feature such memorials and most local residents know of them. This poster introduces a crowdsourcing project that draws on this local knowledge to identify the locations of these memorials throughout the landscape. Find out how you can contribute!