British Archaeology (131)

Reports on the discovery and conservation of an early medieval iron helmet dating from about the 6th century, found near Shorwell in the Isle of Wight. The helmet lay within a grave at a poorly preserved cemetery identified following the discovery of artefacts by members of a metal detecting club. A brief description is given of the closest parallels for the Shorwell specimen '“ Frankish helmets from about AD 500-550. LD

Round-up of archaeological news from around Britain. Includes an item on the discovery in the Netherlands of the remains of a Coldstream Guards soldier who had died in battle when Britain and Russia invaded Holland in 1799. LD

Greg Bailey reviews a recent 'archaeology season' of programmes broadcast on BBC4, in light of recent cuts to the channel's budget. Includes comments on individual programmes and some remarks on potential audiences. LD

Recent research by Paul Whitehead and Mike Edmunds considered how groundwater, springs and rivers might have looked in the area around Silbury Hill, Wiltshire, at the time the mound was built in about 2400 BC. A period of exceptional rainfall in 2012 gave the author of this article an opportunity to build on the research by monitoring the flooding of the ditch around the mound. Using temperature differences between emerging springwater, streams and rainwater, he identified the sources of the water for the first time, recording the positions of 82 springs around the western ditch and seven in the eastern ditch; none were evident elsewhere in the Silbury meadow. It is considered likely that the area around Silbury was first regarded as sacred or special because of its many springs. Localised warming of the soil by springwater would have caused strips of snow to melt in winter, allowing grass to actively grow and the sites of springs to show as vibrant emerald patches, making this a place of verdant fertility and perpetual springtime even in the depths of winter '“ this phenomenon was observed at Silbury in January 2013. LD

Artist Jeremy Deller is representing Britain at the 55th Venice Biennale, a major international contemporary art event. Mike Pitts interviews Deller and Museum of London curator Caroline McDonald, who supported Deller in the selection of artefacts. His solo exhibition includes paintings, objects, photographs and a film. It is a complex installation, but prehistoric stone tools and photographs of megaliths at Avebury, Wiltshire, play key parts. LD

Discusses a group of four Anglo-Saxon dykes in the Cambridge-Newmarket area from a military perspective; the author is a former army officer. Although there is little consensus among archaeologists over what this series of isolated stretches of parallel ditch and bank were for or who made them, the author considers it self-evident that they are defensive structures. He discusses their construction and siting, and considers tactical issues. He concludes that the dykes were well engineered, but that those in charge of the defenders were not good tacticians '“ three of the dykes could have been outflanked or defeated by moderately simple manoeuvres. From a military perspective, it appears that a polity to the north-east defended against mounted incursions up the Icknield Way for several years, probably after the end of Roman rule, and could command considerable resources and the services of trained engineers. LD

Mick Aston describes some of the archaeological sites and features that can be found on Bodmin Moor, Cornwall. These range from prehistoric burial sites, stone circles and settlements to medieval and early medieval churches, monasteries and inscribed stone crosses and evidence of early tin mining. LD

Presents a current example from the Council for British Archaeology's (CBA's) listed buildings casework: the Nuclear Dawn mural in Brixton, London. The political and social background to the mural, one of a number of huge works created in the early 1980s, is described. The CBA has suggested to English Heritage that the mural be listed as a nationally significant work, and is focusing on raising the profile of the archaeological importance of its class. The mural is at risk for a number of reasons, and conservation techniques to ensure its survival need to be developed. LD