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currentcurrent archaeologycurrent CONTENTS i ssue 315 (Vol.XXVII, No.3) | June 2016 UP FRONT Letters Your comments, complaints, and compliments News 150 Anglo-Saxon graves found at Bulford; Bear bones story rewrites Irish prehistory; Major Roman villa discovered in Wiltshire; Scourge of Rufford Abbey found?; Remains of Partick Castle rediscovered; Deer DNA sheds light on prehistoric seafaring; Relic of Romano-British religion found in London bones story rewrites bones story rewrites Major Roman villa discovered in Wiltshire; ; Remains of Partick Castle Deer DNA sheds light on prehistoric seafaring; 4 6 6 6 I s s u e 3 1 5 | J u n e 2 0 1 6 current current THE UK’S BEST SELLING ARCHAEOLOGY MAGAZINE June 2016 Issue 315 | £4.50 June 2016 Issue 315 | £4.50 A l d e r l e y E d g e | B i n c h e s t e r | M e d i e v a l g r a f f i t i | B i d d e n h a m L o o p www.archaeology.co.uk www.archaeology.co.ukwww.archaeology.co.uk Conquest & creature comforts Digging bathhouses and barracks at Binchester Roman fort Issue 315 c u r r e nt a r c h a e ol o g y Demons in the Church Discovering the graffiti illuminating medieval life New galleries open at the Imperial War Museum 001_CA315_CoverFinal_MESC.indd 1 Under the Edge How mining created magic at Alderley Sharing stories 60 years on 21/04/2016 12:05 ON THE COVER A cavalry barrack under excavation at Binchester Roman fort. IMAGE: Aerial-Cam, www.aerial-cam.co.uk REGULARS 52 FEATURES ON THE EDGE The story of Alderley from prehistory to the present Mining on Alderley Edge dates back to at least the Bronze Age and continued into the 20th century. How was this picturesque sandstone outcrop transformed from a hub of mining activity into Manchester’s first commuter community? 12 BATHING AT BINCHESTER 20 Creature comforts in the military north Unearthing Binchester Roman fort started two centuries ago, with the discovery of a bathhouse after the ground gave way beneath a horse and cart. In recent years, major excavations have exposed one of the best-preserved surviving Roman buildings in Britain. How do the two bathhouses compare, and what can they tell us about life in and around the military base? MEDIEVAL VOICES 28 Recording England’s early church graffiti A survey of medieval graffiti in Norfolk’s churches has revealed tens of thousands of illicit engravings. What do these reveal about the people who left their mark on the church walls? IN THE LOOP 34 A landscape 6,000 years in the making near Biddenham Excavation near Biddenham in Bedfordhire has uncovered a wealth of features ranging from the Neolithic to the Saxon eras. How did so many successive generations occupying the same land develop the landscape of their forebears? 20 28 34 28 Context 44 Continuing excavations in north-west Wales have uncovered the remains of the area’s first multi-house early Neolithic settlement. With a range of enigmatic features preserved, this is an exceptional find. Reviews 47 Blood of the Celts:The New Ancestral Story;The Archaeological Excavation Dictionary;Latin Inscriptions Sherds Chris Catling’s irreverent take on heritage issues 48 Odd Socs Dry Stone Walling Association 50 AVERTING EVIL AVERTING EVIL Ain in AVERTING EVIL IN ROMAN BRITAIN 40 Phallic carvings on the frontier Depictions of phalluses can be found across the Roman world. How did these images find their way to Britain, and what did the island’s residents think of them? 2 current archaeology | www.archaeology.co.uk January 2014 | June 2016 |
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www.archaeology.co.uk www.facebook.com/currentarchaeologymag twitter.com/currentarchaeo visit us online at www.archaeology.co.uk WELCOME A recent excavation campaign at Binchester Roman fort concluded with a spectacular discovery. A trench revealed part of a bathhouse that may be one of the best-preserved structures surviving from Roman Britain. Traces of garish frescoes still cling to walls standing above head height, which bear witness to refurbishments that kept pace with the garrison’s demand for creature comforts. We discover how a facility dedicated to cleanliness ended up choked with dirt. the garrison’s demand for creature comforts. We discover how a facility Also in this issue, we pay a visit to Alderley Edge to learn the results of a survey unearthing the secrets of a landscape that has attracted miners and myths in equal measure. From a Bronze Age shovel that became a schoolboy’s talisman to a 19thcentury landowner’s revenge on the commuter settlement that had appropriated the name of his family seat, this weird and wonderful landscape is fertile ground for stories. The devil is in the detail, they say, and for medieval churches and cathedrals this adage is especially apt. A fascinating study of graffiti is giving voice to generations of congregations and clergymen who whiled away the hours incising fears, fancies, and frustrations into the masonry. These frequently crude compositions of ships, windmills, music, and demons bring their creators’ worlds to life with extraordinary power. A lost landscape has been brought to light in the Biddenham Loop, where archaeologists have dug a huge tract of land bound within a river meander. What they found was a place where monuments evolved over thousands of years, keeping past generations’ decisions very much in the present. Our contributors this month BATHING AT BINCHESTER DAVID MASON David has been Principal Archaeologist for Durham County Council since 2004. His publications include Roman Chester – Fortress at the Edge of the World and Roman Britain and the Roman Navy, both published by the History Press. MEDIEVAL VOICES MATTHEW CHAMPION Matthew is a multiaward-winning freelance archaeologist and author, and the project director of the Norfolk and Suffolk Medieval Graffiti Surveys. His latest book is Medieval Graffiti:the lost voices of England’s churches. LIFE IN THE LOOP MIKE LUKE For 15 years, Mike has been managing projects for Bedfordbased Albion Archaeology. In the last year, he has published monographs on the Biddenham Loop and on a Romano-British farmstead in Leicestershire. | Issue 315 archaeologycurrent Editorial Editor: Dr Matthew Symonds matt@archaeology.co.uk Tel: 020 8819 5580 Contributing editor: Christopher Catling chris@archaeology.co.uk Deputy editor: Carly Hilts carly@currentpublishing.com Editorial assistant: Lucia Marchini lucia.marchini@currentpublishing.com Art editor: Mark Edwards mark.edwards@currentpublishing.com Designer: Lauren Gamp lauren.gamp@currentpublishing.com Sub editor: Simon Coppock Editor-in-chief: Andrew Selkirk 9 Nassington Road, London NW3 2TX andrew@archaeology.co.uk Tel: 020 8819 5584 Managing director: Robert Selkirk Commercial Advertising sales manager: Mike Traylen mike@currentpublishing.com Tel: 020 8819 5360 Managing editor: Maria Earle maria@currentpublishing.com Acting business manager: Bree Forrer bree.forrer@currentpublishing.com Marketing manager: Emma Watts-Plumpkin emma@currentpublishing.com Tel: 020 8819 5575 Commercial director: Libby Selkirk Current Publishing Thames Works, Church St, London W4 2PD Tel: 020 8819 5580 (office hours) Fax: 020 8819 5589 Web: www.archaeology.co.uk Subscriptions Current Archaeology is published monthly for a subscription of £46.95 for 12 issues. Foreign subscriptions are £56.95. Subscriptions should be sent to: Current Publishing, Thames Works, Church Street, London W4 2PD Tel: (office hours) 020 8819 5580 Fax: 020 8819 5589 Subscription queries to: subs@archaeology.co.uk or online at: www.archaeology.co.uk Back issues: £5.50 each / £6.50 non-UK Binders: (hold 12 copies) £15 / £20 Slip Cases: (hold 12 copies) £15 / £20 Printed in the UK by William Gibbons Unauthorised reproduction in whole or part is prohibited without written permission. The publisher, editor and authors accept no responsibility in respect of any products, goods or services which may be advertised or referred to in this issue. Every effort has been made to secure permission for copyright material. In the event of any material being used inadvertently or where it has proved impossible to trace the copyright owner, acknowledgement will be made in a future issue. 210416190 www.archaeology.co.uk | current archaeology 3

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www.archaeology.co.uk www.facebook.com/currentarchaeologymag twitter.com/currentarchaeo visit us online at www.archaeology.co.uk

WELCOME

A recent excavation campaign at Binchester Roman fort concluded with a spectacular discovery. A trench revealed part of a bathhouse that may be one of the best-preserved structures surviving from Roman Britain. Traces of garish frescoes still cling to walls standing above head height, which bear witness to refurbishments that kept pace with the garrison’s demand for creature comforts. We discover how a facility dedicated to cleanliness ended up choked with dirt.

the garrison’s demand for creature comforts. We discover how a facility

Also in this issue, we pay a visit to Alderley Edge to learn the results of a survey unearthing the secrets of a landscape that has attracted miners and myths in equal measure. From a Bronze Age shovel that became a schoolboy’s talisman to a 19thcentury landowner’s revenge on the commuter settlement that had appropriated the name of his family seat, this weird and wonderful landscape is fertile ground for stories.

The devil is in the detail, they say, and for medieval churches and cathedrals this adage is especially apt. A fascinating study of graffiti is giving voice to generations of congregations and clergymen who whiled away the hours incising fears, fancies, and frustrations into the masonry. These frequently crude compositions of ships, windmills, music, and demons bring their creators’ worlds to life with extraordinary power.

A lost landscape has been brought to light in the Biddenham Loop, where archaeologists have dug a huge tract of land bound within a river meander. What they found was a place where monuments evolved over thousands of years, keeping past generations’ decisions very much in the present.

Our contributors this month

BATHING AT BINCHESTER DAVID MASON David has been Principal Archaeologist for Durham County Council since 2004. His publications include Roman Chester – Fortress at the Edge of the World and Roman Britain and the Roman Navy, both published by the History Press.

MEDIEVAL VOICES MATTHEW CHAMPION Matthew is a multiaward-winning freelance archaeologist and author, and the project director of the Norfolk and Suffolk Medieval Graffiti Surveys. His latest book is Medieval Graffiti:the lost voices of England’s churches.

LIFE IN THE LOOP MIKE LUKE For 15 years, Mike has been managing projects for Bedfordbased Albion Archaeology. In the last year, he has published monographs on the Biddenham Loop and on a Romano-British farmstead in Leicestershire.

| Issue 315

archaeologycurrent

Editorial Editor: Dr Matthew Symonds matt@archaeology.co.uk Tel: 020 8819 5580 Contributing editor: Christopher Catling chris@archaeology.co.uk Deputy editor: Carly Hilts carly@currentpublishing.com Editorial assistant: Lucia Marchini lucia.marchini@currentpublishing.com Art editor: Mark Edwards mark.edwards@currentpublishing.com Designer: Lauren Gamp lauren.gamp@currentpublishing.com Sub editor: Simon Coppock Editor-in-chief: Andrew Selkirk 9 Nassington Road, London NW3 2TX andrew@archaeology.co.uk Tel: 020 8819 5584 Managing director: Robert Selkirk

Commercial Advertising sales manager: Mike Traylen mike@currentpublishing.com Tel: 020 8819 5360 Managing editor: Maria Earle maria@currentpublishing.com Acting business manager: Bree Forrer bree.forrer@currentpublishing.com Marketing manager: Emma Watts-Plumpkin emma@currentpublishing.com Tel: 020 8819 5575 Commercial director: Libby Selkirk

Current Publishing Thames Works, Church St, London W4 2PD Tel: 020 8819 5580 (office hours) Fax: 020 8819 5589 Web: www.archaeology.co.uk

Subscriptions Current Archaeology is published monthly for a subscription of £46.95 for 12 issues. Foreign subscriptions are £56.95. Subscriptions should be sent to: Current Publishing, Thames Works, Church Street, London W4 2PD Tel: (office hours) 020 8819 5580 Fax: 020 8819 5589 Subscription queries to: subs@archaeology.co.uk or online at: www.archaeology.co.uk Back issues: £5.50 each / £6.50 non-UK Binders: (hold 12 copies) £15 / £20 Slip Cases: (hold 12 copies) £15 / £20 Printed in the UK by William Gibbons Unauthorised reproduction in whole or part is prohibited without written permission. The publisher, editor and authors accept no responsibility in respect of any products, goods or services which may be advertised or referred to in this issue. Every effort has been made to secure permission for copyright material. In the event of any material being used inadvertently or where it has proved impossible to trace the copyright owner, acknowledgement will be made in a future issue. 210416190

www.archaeology.co.uk | current archaeology

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