British Archaeology (132)

Since at least the 18th century archaeologists have debated whether or not Stonehenge was a complete megalithic circle. In 1655 architect Inigo Jones imagined the monument with a complete lintelled circle, but in 1747 John Wood published a rival theory based on the first accurate survey of the stones, contending that 'the whole Work was never compleat'. Jones's version became the popular view, although Wood's has always had its followers. Last year a new case for a full ring emerged with a 3D laser survey of the stones by English Heritage. In July 2013 a spell of dry weather revealed parch marks on the sites of missing stones, further supporting the idea of a complete circle. LD

Round-up of archaeological news from around Britain. LD

This edition of Greg Bailey's regular column pays tribute to Mick Aston, who has recently died. Although in later life Mick said he regretted not getting an agent with his first television appearance, thinking that if he had negotiated a production company directorship he could have helped decide the future of Time Team and archaeology on TV, this is somewhat at odds with his repeated claim that it was his very detachment from the business of production that allowed him to speak his mind. His singleness of purpose was a great strength, enabling him to balance the competing priorities of television entertainment and public archaeology. It is suggested that a fitting tribute to Mick might be an 'ultimate' Time Team special, and that a scholarship in archaeology awarded to impoverished but promising access or sixth form students, sponsored by Channel 4, would also make a suitable memorial. LD

Obituary for Mick Aston, acknowledging the shock and sadness shared by many at the news of his recent death. Mick is said to have been the Mortimer Wheeler of our time, at once a profoundly good and experienced field archaeologist and a superb, very popular, communicator. Whilst their personalities were very different, both were passionate about archaeology, about discovering things in the past and about sharing that excitement. Mick's career and how it led to the creation of Time Team in the early 1990s is outlined, and the analogy with Mortimer Wheeler is then revived: Wheeler sought to create a profession, whilst fifty years on Aston sought to save the profession by reminding archaeologists that their job was to do archaeology, and that if it meant nothing to ordinary people, there was no point in doing it. LD

Describes the findings of a project set up in 2007 to publish historic excavations at Broxmouth hillfort, about 40km east of Edinburgh. The site was almost completely excavated in the 1970s, in one of the first major rescue projects in Scotland; it has now been destroyed by a cement works. The modern-day research team was able to clarify the long sequence of Iron Age activity at the site, tracing events from before the hillfort through many episodes of enclosure construction and modification to several phases of occupation after the rampart had fallen into disuse. LD

Describes in detail the burial of a young woman and the associated grave goods, discovered by a metal detectorist in a field near Chesil, Dorset, in 2010, and excavated by archaeologists from Bournemouth University. As well as items of jewellery, the burial included a rare copper-alloy mirror, of which only around thirty are known from Britain. The assemblage dates from around 15BC to AD 50 or 60, and the woman would have been a member of the Durotriges, the Iron Age tribal group who occupied this area at the time. LD

Reports on the findings from the east of England that have emerged from the Roman Rural Settlement Project, a major national project based at the University of Reading which is using archaeological reports to address questions about settlement form, architecture, farming, industry and ritual expression and how these changed through time and across the landscape. A pilot study revealed the huge potential of unpublished 'grey literature', and this has been examined alongside published reports. Whilst a development-led bias in the sites recorded is acknowledged, in the east of England area the project has allowed our understanding of how people lived and farmed in the Romano-British countryside to be considerably refined, and has provided information on pre-existing Iron Age settlements and levels of continuity following the Roman conquest. The project will continue over the next two years, and the results are to be made available as a fully interactive database and GIS (geographic information system) that anyone will be able to access. LD

Presents a current example from the Council for British Archaeology's (CBA's) listed buildings casework: St Catherine's Island, a small tidal island at Tenby, Wales. This was the site of a medieval chapel that was destroyed when a fort was built in the mid-19th century. Roman coins and other finds reported during construction of the fort provide evidence of further time depth. The fort itself never saw action and was turned into a private residence in the early 20th century. After the Second World War the island became the site of Tenby's 'Island Zoo', but this closed at the end of the 1970s. The present owners have applied for planning permission and Scheduled Monument Consent to open the site as a tourist attraction. The CBA have welcomed a sensitive reuse and restoration of the building, and have advised that a thorough archaeological recording of the island and fort would be essential. LD