Introduction to Issue 27
Helen Winton, our Head of Archaeological Investigation Team introduces this issue of Historic England research, focusing on highlights of archaeological research.
In this issue
Welcome to the latest archaeology themed Research Magazine where we highlight a range of work by Historic England and partners.
A strong theme of this issue is how different approaches connect us to people in the past. Jonathan Last reflects on how lithics studies help us to understand where and how our predecessors created stone tools thousands of years ago.
At the other end of the time line, Olaf Bayer and Fiona Small’s account of the First World War training trenches at Browndown evokes a sense of how the conflict affected new recruits and local people.
Pieces on two well-studied sites demonstrate how new research still brings different perspectives:
- Tony Wilmott and Ian Haynes’ excavations at Birdoswald Roman Fort are transforming our ideas about the scale and function of towns associated with military sites.
- In a recent publication on the celestial alignments at and around Stonehenge, Clive Ruggles and Amanda Chadburn provide a tantalising glimpse into the belief systems associated with this incredible landscape.
Robyn Andrews shows how the view from above leads to exciting discoveries when ephemeral cropmarks reveal the substantial buried remains of past settlements. Robyn is a new addition to the Aerial Survey team and she, along with our two other archaeological apprentices, has brought a fresh energy and new ideas to the Archaeological Investigation Team.
We also present our standing feature rounding up recent additions to our research reports database.
All our research ultimately underpins management and presentation of archaeological remains in highly varied forms. This includes providing the information needed to gain national protected status for the Browndown trenches or aerial photography to inform condition monitoring of already scheduled monuments.
The new lithics guidance by Oxford Archaeology builds on exciting discoveries made during commercial archaeological excavations. Our partnerships provide the understanding needed to present sites and landscape to the public.
Our partnerships, in particular with the English Heritage Trust, provide the understanding needed to present sites and landscape to the public.
If you would like to find out more about our approaches to research please see the Methods section of our website.
