Shire Archaeology – serie

Ring-headed crosses of impressive height and intricate design were first erected in Iona and Ireland from the eighth century onwards. This book deals with these but also shows how they were the culmination of a long period of development during the early Christian period. The early sculpture of Wales, Cornwall, the Isle of Man, Scotland and Ireland is examined against the background of the spread of Christian beliefs and practices. Examples selected from the whole of the Celtic west between the fifth and eleventh centuries are fully discussed and illustrated. A bibliography and list of places to visit are also included.

Viking raids, and the subsequent Scandinavian settlements in the ninth and tenth centuries, had a major effect on many parts of Britain and Ireland. These impacts can best be seen in a wide variety of archaeological discoveries, primarily from distinctive pre-Christian burials, which contain weapons, tools, jewellery and metal, wood and bone artefacts. Written by an expert in the field of Viking and Norse archaeology, this book examines the distinctive archaeology of each phase, aspect or area of Norse impact in turn, with sufficient historical background to put the archaeological discoveries into context.

Almost every Roman site in Britain seems to have had its baths.They needed to be strongly built and to a large extent were constructed below contemporary ground level. As a result the remains of Roman baths have resisted demolition and damage by the plough.This concise volume explores how Roman baths came to be built, how they were constructed, how they were used, and how they worked.

Accessible to archaeological experts and students alike, PJ Casey's "Roman Coinage in Britain" is a fascinating investigation of the Roman Empire's economic presence in Britain. Drawing from a wealth of archaeological sources, this book places Roman coinage in its rightful economic and political context to better understand the chronology and lives of those who used it. Boasting over a hundred images of exquisitely preserved coins, many of them life-sized, Casey's study is a must for coin collectors, amateur archaeologists and anyone with an interest in ancient Roman Britain.

Aerial surveying is an important technique used in archaeology, providing a new perspective on large sites or features that are hidden at ground level. This book uses fascinating photographs to illustrate the way in which buried sites can be viewed from the air, and detailed diagrams to explain how these artefacts change the appearance of the soil or vegetation, and how they can be mapped and interpreted. An extraordinary number of discoveries have been made and recorded by aerial archaeologists and the author uncovers the most influential and remarkable finds in this comprehensive introduction to a captivating subject.

This book examines some of the most spectacular ancient monuments in Britain: the iron age brochs of north and west Scotland.It places the building of these unique fortifications in context and examines some of the impressive sites that may still be visited, including the brochs of Mousa and Clickhimin in Shetland and Carloway on Lewis. There is a short section on what brochs are not – including 'Pictish' towers.A select gazetteer of some of the most important brochs is followed by a list of museums in which representative artefacts are preserved.

Starting with the basic concept of a 'road' in medieval times, and discussing the increasing need to travel, this book explores the evidence from documents and maps that provide clues as to where the roads of medieval Britain led, connecting the study of individual roads together to paint an image of the broader road network.

Environmental archaeology is is the study of the physical environment in which people lived and includes the study of soils, food sources and animal bones. It also includes the study of the people themselves, from their skeletal remains. This is known as physical anthropology and, like any other aspect of environmental archaeology, is very specialised. This book describes in simple terms the procedures used by the specialist. The effects of different burial conditions and rituals on the bones are explained, and ways of excavation and treatment are suggested. The human skeleton is described, as are methods of recording and analysis.

This book explains in detail the practice of masoncraft in the Middle Ages, using evidence from a number of sources. Monastic chronicles, building contracts and other contemporary documents have already revealed a good deal of information on the subject, but less attention has, until now, been paid to archaeological evidence preserved in numerous surviving Medieval buildings. Dr Hislop investigates how a study of certain features in these buildings, such as the stonework and building joints, can contribute to our knowledge of working practices of masons in medieval England. By focusing on how to interpret clues in the building structure, this account provides a practical guide to pursuing the study of masonry, and helps the reader to understand and identify the medieval mason's approach to design and constructional techniques.

A concise exploration of how ceramic artefacts reveal the technology, trade, craftsmanship, and daily life of Roman Britain.Written by renowned Roman historian Guy de la Bédoyère, this accessible guide explains how pottery was produced, circulated, and used—shedding light on cultural exchange, local industry, and the far-reaching influence of Rome.This engaging, highly visual introduction is an essential resource for anyone seeking to understand the material culture of ancient Britain.

Now in its third edition, a concise introduction to the towns of Roman Britain.Many of Britain's towns and cities originated in the Roman period, established as part of a systematic programme to urbanise the island. This accessible volume explores the towns and the background behind why imperial Rome initiated this programme.

Villages have been abandoned throughout history, and in every part of the British Isles. Some of them are former towns; others were only ever small hamlets. Many still await discovery. This book explains how villages have become deserted – often the result of disease and shrinking populations – and describes how the archaeologist recovers and interprets the evidence and shows how everyone can become involved in discovering and recording sites. Some good examples of sites worth visiting are included.

The Roman period was Britain's first great architectural age, though this is difficult to appreciate from the ruinous state of the sites that survive. Understanding the types and range of buildings that existed in Roman Britain depends on careful excavation of foundations and wall footings, together with fragments of windows, roofs and carved architectural decoration discovered among the debris. When this evidence is taken together with examples of better-preserved buildings that still exist in Europe, the Near East and North Africa, it is possible to recreate something of the architecture of Roman Britain. This book looks at how in a few years Britain witnessed the design and erection of an astonishing range of buildings, from mundane and functional houses through to exotic temples and ambitious civil engineering projects. Some of Britain's Roman architects turn out to have been innovators. Reconstruction drawings and paintings by the author bring these vanished buildings back to life and recreate a lost world of forts, basilicas, theatres, baths, arches, classical temples, villas and lighthouses.

Britain's visible Roman remains are lacking in impressive monuments such as the temples, arches and amphitheatres found in France and Italy. Yet to compare the foundations typical of Roman sites in Britain unfavourably with these is unfair since the best testament to Britain's participation in Graceo-Roman civilisation is its 'hidden' monuments: spectacular hoards of household valuables such as jewellery, precious-metal table utensils or decorations and also - the concern of this book - rich hoards of gold, silver and bronze coins. Many such hoards are hidden no longer, as visits to numerous museums will quickly show. Since the 1980s, there has been a rise in discoveries, mostly due to the increased use of metal detectors. In response to this, there has been a greater recognition of the importance of detailed recording and, in some cases, keeping coin hoards together as artefacts in their own right. This book provides an introduction to Romano-British coin hoards and places major discoveries, new and old, in the story of the Roman province's monetary system.

A concise examination of Roman forts in Britain from the first to the fourth century.Expert professor David J Breeze describes the layout of a fort and how forts developed from the marching camps thrown up each night by the army on campaign to the strongholds of the Saxon Shore. Forts, fortresses, watch-towers and signal stations are in turn examined, and the defences of the fort and its annex analysed. Other chapters deal with how the Roman soldiers built the fort and the life of the men stationed there.A gazetteer of forts worth visiting is included and there is also a select bibliography.

This little book has become a classic. Re-issued yet again with revisions and colour pictures, it provides an excellent introduction to stone circles, including Stonehenge, and shows how we are gradually coming to an understanding of their significance.

Stonehenge was not an observatory used by druidical astronomer-priests. It was, instead, a monument in which the moon and the sun and the dead were joined together. In this book the author explains how people in the British Isles, four thousand or more years ago, identified life and death with the cycle of midwinter and midsummer and with the risings and settings of the sun and moon. This is why so many megalithic monuments have astronomical sightlines built into them. This book describes how astronomical customs developed in the British Isles. Unlike other works about 'megalithic astronomy' technical explanations about azimuths and declinations are kept to their simplest. The emphasis here is upon people rather than pertrubations and eclipses.

After an introduction to the topic of maritime archaeology and account of the way maritime archaeologists work, the author describes the building and use of rafts, boats and ships in north-west Europe up to about 1500. The evidence for early sea voyages and for navigation without instruments is surveyed, and there follows a summary of present knowledge about early water transport in the Mediterranean, Arabia, India, south-east Asia, China, Australia the south Pacific and the Americas. There is a glossary of technical terms.

The vast networks of roads throughout the Roman Empire were vital to the expansion of Roman culture, power and influence across the world and one of their principal uses was the transportation of the Legions to strategic bases in the most direct way possible. This book details the planning, construction and maintenance of these road networks, and discusses the different types of Roman road found in areas of Britain, and their many uses. With photographs of surviving roads in Britain and a list of where they are still in use, "Roman Roads" is a perfect introduction to a Roman legacy that exists to this day.

Towns have been a place of evolution and development throughout British history, growing from royal 'wics' between the seventh and ninth centuries, to characteristic Viking towns in the later ninth and early tenth centuries, then changing following the Norman Conquest in 1066. Using archaeological, topographical and documentary material, this book provides an extensive and detailed insight into recent ideas about the developments of towns in England in the first half millennium to AD 1140.

From hunter-gatherer societies in the Neolithic period to the full 'agroscape' of the late Iron Age, a compact history of the evolution of agriculture.Featuring up-to-date results of experimental research at the Butser Ancient Farm Research Project in Hampshire, of which the author was the director, this is a compact yet authoritative guide to ancient farming that enhances theory with practical probability.