Cate Davies

Our team had the privilege of visiting the Byward Tower to admire these fabulous medieval wall paintings. On the right, Archangel St Michael holds scales tipped by mischievous little demons, while Mary and John the Baptist stand to the left of what was once a dramatic Crucifixion scene. Centuries later, a Tudor fireplace – complete with a decorative rose – was added, reshaping this historic space. Thanks to HRP and Alf Hawkins for making this unforgettable visit possible!

This Chinese fire-breathing lion from Bermondsey Square is a very rare find! 

Dating to the 18th-century, the stoneware figurine’s design includes a spiral-patterned mane, green and honey-yellow glazes, and a hollow body, thought to hold incense. When lit, smoke emerges from its mouth to transform it into a fire-breathing lion. Possibly made in Fujian or Guangdong, it reflects the British fascination with Chinese imports during the 18th century, when objects like this became very fashionable.

Happy Chinese New Year! 

Former PCA employee Ellen Green has made the press with her PhD research on a bone assemblage found during 2015 excavations at a significant PCA site in Ewell, Surrey. Ellen has identified a remarkable Roman artefact: a 2,000-year-old dog’s penis bone (baculum) painted with red ochre.

Ellen said “This is the only example I could find of an actual penis being potentially used as a ritual object… In Roman culture, the penis had many associations, including being used as a good luck charm and to ward off the evil eye.”

(Photo courtesy of Ellen Green)

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The baculum was found in a 4m-deep quarry shaft, which was part of a broader complex that included evidence of Late Bronze to Early Iron Age settlement and early Roman quarrying activities. Approximately 300 human and animal remains were recovered from the shaft, predominantly small dogs like terriers or corgis. These remains, lacking signs of butchery, burning, or disease, suggest they were part of a ritual deposit; dogs are frequently found in ritualistic locations, often in shafts. Other features at the site included pre-Roman ditches, pits, and shafts, some of which, like the quarry shaft, appear to have served a ritualistic or symbolic function, possibly linked to religious beliefs or fertility practices.

Ellen undertook X-ray fluorescence analysis of the assemblage, which revealed that the baculum was coated in iron oxide, a substance not naturally found on the site. This indicates that the iron oxide was intentionally applied before the bone was placed in the quarry, supporting the theory that the object had symbolic or ritual significance.

.The site’s broader archaeological context—including other ritual deposits, like a neonatal burial and the remains of animals—suggests a link between these practices and Roman beliefs about fertility, abundance, and the agricultural cycle. The feature’s association with chalk quarrying further underscores its importance in the ancient landscape, potentially functioning as a site of veneration or symbolic significance tied to local deities, such as Succellus, a god of protection, and Nantosuelta, a goddess of nature and fertility. Succellus is frequently portrayed as being accompanied by a dog and Nantosuelta by a raven.

This discovery adds a new layer of understanding to the significance of the site, showing how the landscape itself played a central role in the worldview of its ancient inhabitants.

Congratulations Ellen for making the press with this fascinating research!

Click here to read the article in Live Science

The shaft during excavation.

This drone footage provides a stunning glimpse of millennia of evolving land use in Leicestershire. Iron Age and Romano-British features revealed during investigations in Medbourne included ditches, gullies, pits, and post structures, highlighting the long-term agricultural use of the land into the early medieval period. These features suggest activity on the settlement’s outskirts, either just beyond the excavation area during the Iron Age or beneath the Roman small town of Medbourne. Nearby, a Roman villa and activity near the historic core of Medbourne further underline the area’s rich archaeology.

Kathy Davidson will speaking to The City of London Archaeological Society on Friday 15 November about PCA’s recent work at Newgate Street. This is a hybrid lecture – you can attend in person at St Olave’s Church, 8 Hart Street, London EC3R 7NB, or online through Zoom, you will receive the login information for the online meeting once you register:

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The former GPO site on Newgate Street was one of the most significant excavations conducted by the DUA in the City of London during the 1970s. This key site revealed late Iron Age and early Roman buildings from early Londinium, late Saxon structures, and traces of medieval occupation. Additionally, it revealed remains of the 12th-century church of St Nicholas Shambles and its associated cemetery.

The building constructed after the 1970s work was recently extended and its basement enlarged. Our team, led by Kathy Davidson, excavated the surviving archaeology over a trench measuring 25m by 4.5m. Surprisingly, there were no medieval burials, suggesting they might have been removed during 19th-century developments. However, we did discover human remains in an unexpected location.

The excavation revealed well-preserved sequences of medieval rubbish pits, extensive Roman buildings, and early 1st-century AD quarries. Evidence from the Roman phases strongly suggests that smiths were working either on-site or nearby, which will be a focal point for further investigation and publication.