Skip to main content
Category

News

Oct 06

A11 and Wangford Warren Excavations at the Suffolk Institute Autumn Conference

By Conferences, News No Comments

We’re pleased to share that Tom Woolhouse and Tom Lucking will be speaking at the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology & History Autumn Conference on Saturday 18 October.

Their paper will draw together results from two recent projects in the Breckland: the A11 excavations and the work at Wangford Warren. Together, these investigations trace thousands of years of activity across what is often thought of as one of Suffolk’s quieter landscapes.

The A11 sites revealed everything from early flint scatters and Bronze Age cremations to Iron Age farmsteads and Roman occupation, showing that this stretch of ground was far more intensively used than previously thought.

At Wangford Warren, excavation of the rabbit warren earthworks and buried soils has brought to light traces of Neolithic and Bronze Age activity, alongside evidence for a Roman farmstead, all preserved beneath the shifting sands of the Brecks.

Event details

Date: Saturday 18 October 2025, 9:30am to 4:30pm

Location: The Hold, 31 Fore Street, Ipswich, IP4 1LN

Tickets: Email chairman@suffolkinstitute.org.uk and use the Donate button on the Suffolk Institute website (please mention the conference in your note).

Sep 17

26th Annual BABAO Conference

By Conferences, News, Outreach

PCA has worked on burial sites for more than thirty years, uncovering thousands of skeletons across Britain. Most reflect expected health patterns, but every so often individuals with striking and uncommon pathologies emerge.

At the 26th Annual Conference of the British Association for Biological Anthropology and Osteoarchaeology (BABAO) this week (18-20 September), PCA osteologists James Young Langthorne and Dr Ariadne Lucia Schulz will present two such cases. The event will take place at the University of Leicester, and will also be available to attend virtually.

One individual, from St Mary Newington in Southwark (pictured here), was a young adult with bowed, shortened limbs and pronounced changes to the spine. Although the missing skull prevented a firm diagnosis, the skeleton suggests a serious congenital or metabolic disorder that would have caused pain and mobility issues.

The second case, from the Saxon cemetery at Sun Lane, New Arlesford, shows features consistent with Klippel-Feil Syndrome: fused vertebrae, spinal abnormalities and restricted movement.

Despite their visible differences, both individuals were buried in the main areas of their cemeteries, suggesting social acceptance within their communities.

📅 26th Annual BABAO Conference, 18–20 September
📍University of Leicester
🎙 James Young Langthorne & Dr Ariadne Lucia Schulz


Aug 29

Tower of London Discoveries Featured in National Geographic

By News, Recent Finds, Tower of London

We’re delighted to see PCA’s work at the Tower of London featured in National Geographic! It’s always exciting when the stories we help uncover reach such a wide audience.

This #FindsFriday, we’re sharing one of the most tantalising discoveries from the site, a pair of medieval funerary incense pots (c.1150–1250). As Alfred Hawkins, Curator, says in the article, “Grave goods in Medieval England aren’t really a thing,”

Only two such “gravpottes” have been found in the UK, suggesting the individual may have come from Northern France or Denmark, where they were more common. If the charcoal fragments are large enough, it might even be possible to reconstruct the incense.

Read the full article here (subscription required)

Aug 22

An Irish Comb in Worcestershire

By News

For #FindsFriday, a decorated comb from an Early to Middle Anglo-Saxon settlement in Worcestershire, though it may not be local.

The comb’s trapezoidal connecting plates, along with its elaborate decoration (sawn-out openwork X designs and undulating chains of overlapping ring-and-dot) match Mairéad Dunlevy’s class C2 Irish combs, dated to the 7th–early 8th centuries.

Irish combs do turn up on Anglo-Saxon sites, but until now only class D combs, dating from the later 7th–early 9th centuries, have been found. Excitingly, this would be the first class C comb recorded in England.

Aug 19

World Photography Day

By News

Photography has been central to the archaeological record since the earliest excavations, from fragile glass plate negatives to today’s vast digital archives. Each image helps preserve context, capture discoveries, and record the evolution of sites over time.

Drones have taken this further, revealing entire landscapes, showing scale at a glance, and offering perspectives once impossible.

This footage comes from a recent excavation in the Cotswolds (Bronze-Age to Anglo-Saxon activity). The client is Centaur Land, and thanks to SUMO GeoSurveys for the film.

And stay tuned, two red kites make a spectacular appearance at the end!

Aug 15

From Civil War Bridges to Medieval Garderobes: New finds at Newark Castle

By News

PCA archaeologists from the Newark office have been busy over the last few weeks at Newark Castle in Nottinghamshire, and the work has been turning up some unexpected finds.

Adjacent to the Gatehouse, a substantial section of walling was revealed during monitoring. Early thoughts were that this was a possible outer gatehouse; however, after visits from a Castle expert and consulting various mapping, it is now thought this wall may be part of the fortifications by the bridge that crossed the River Trent during the Civil War.  

Elsewhere, during excavations for an attenuation tank, an unexpected retaining wall was exposed. After assessing the stone thickness and style, it is thought that this wall is part of the earliest phase of the stone Castle (the magnificent stone structure that currently stands was probably preceded by an earth and timber castle). This discovery has reshaped our understanding of how the Castle may have looked; the ditch seems to have only partially encircled the Castle.

During investigations to ascertain the route of the wall, the team made a rather exciting discovery. At the bottom of the outflow of the garderobes, a large capped cesspit was revealed. A large, worn millstone was used to cap the cesspit at some point during the medieval period, to make way for a garden.

From Civil War bridges to medieval garderobes, Newark Castle still has stories to tell.

Aug 08

A Tonne of Pottery: what 72,000 sherds can tell us

By News, Recent Finds

In archaeology, individual finds are valuable, but it’s often the bigger picture that tells the real story. Assemblages, or groups of objects found together, can reveal patterns of behaviour, trade, and chronology in ways that isolated finds simply can’t. Too often, limited sampling or tight excavation windows mean specialists don’t get the volume of material needed for meaningful analysis. But when we do have the chance to excavate large assemblages, especially of pottery, the payoff can be huge.

Large ceramic assemblages are crucial for refining chronological frameworks in British archaeology. Pottery styles evolve rapidly and vary regionally, making them sensitive indicators of time and cultural change. Analysing form, fabric, and decoration across stratified contexts allows us to build precise dating sequences and trace shifts in occupation, identity, and social practice.

This approach is central to regional research agendas, like those set out in the East of England and South West Archaeological Research Frameworks, which emphasise the importance of ceramic studies in understanding settlement patterns, trade networks, and social transformations. Large assemblages also allow for statistical analysis and comparison across sites, strengthening regional chronologies and contributing to broader narratives of historical development.

Our long-running excavations in Milton Keynes offer compelling evidence for the value of an assemblage-based approach. Prehistoric pottery specialist Lawrence (pictured here with finds supervisor Emily and project officer Jenn) is now nearing the end of an epic cataloguing effort from an unusual site spanning 12 hectares. This site was established in the mid-1st century BC and spans the late Iron Age with all activity ceasing by around AD70. With over 72,000 pottery sherds, weighing approximately 1.1 metric tonnes, this is starting to look like a very significant assemblage with a fascinating story to tell – watch this space!

Aug 01

#FindsFriday | Saint Peter ad Vincula Feast Day

By News, Recent Finds, Tower of London

Today, August 1st, is the Feast of Saint Peter ad Vincula, the saint to whom the Tower of London’s chapel is dedicated, and the timing couldn’t be more fitting.

During our recent excavation, in collaboration with the independent charity Historic Royal Palaces, PCA uncovered the footings of Henry I’s 12th-century chapel, along with a contemporary stone drain. These remains haven’t been seen since the building was demolished under Henry III, more than 750 years ago.

There’s a strong possibility that this early chapel was inaugurated on the feast day itself, establishing its place in the Tower’s early sacred history.

Jul 30

Essex Festival of Archaeology and Heritage 2025

By News, Outreach

We had a great time at the Essex Festival of Archaeology last week! Thanks to Place Services for putting together such a well-organised and welcoming event.

It was great to be part of something that clearly struck a chord with so many people. Over 1,100 visitors came through the doors, the talks were fully booked (with waiting lists!), and there was a real buzz around the stands all day.

The feedback was lovely, people appreciated the range of exhibitors, the quality of the displays, and the enthusiasm from everyone involved. We’re proud to have been part of it, and we’re already looking forward to the next one.

Jul 25

More from the Tower of London

By News, Tower of London

Want to see more from the Tower of London excavation?

Historic Royal Palaces have shared a fascinating two-part blog by Curator Alfred Hawkins, offering more detail on the discoveries made outside the Chapel of St Peter ad Vincula, including insights from the 2019 trial work and the recent excavation.

Part 1: Two Skeletons Found at the Tower of London

Part 2: Discoveries from Excavations Outside the Chapel of St Peter ad Vincula

You can also hear directly from Alf in this short film, where he explains the context and significance of the dig by clicking here

Image: © Historic Royal Palaces