Cotswold Archaeology @CotswoldArch

One of the top #archaeology service providers in the UK. Educational charity. All views developed over millennia of human civilisation. #CASiteTeam #CAArchTeam cotswoldarchaeology.co.uk UK Joined March 2013

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Cotswold Archaeology @CotswoldArch

2 days ago

This beautiful #Roman plate brooch features an intricate petalled design, and is of a type known to the nerdier among us as a 'Mackreth British Plate 7a' 🤘🤓 Plate brooches were a common Roman dress item in the north-west provinces (which includes us!). Although this one is now damaged and its colours have faded, for the person who once wore it, it would've been much more vibrant, and its original beauty is still impossible to ignore. Discovered as part of a rich finds assemblage, this brooch is just one of 16 recovered from our site at Whaddon, near #Cheltenham, alongside a silver ‘coin set’ ring and a pottery face flagon. The site appears to have been very wet in the Roman period and some of these items may've been carefully placed. We know there was an Iron Age tradition of placing items in watery contexts – interpreted as 'ritual deposition'. Could the people of Whaddon have been continuing this cultural practice into the Roman period? You can check out some of the other special finds from this excavation, in our Virtual Museum: cotswoldarchaeology.co.uk/museum/?s=whad… #CASiteTeam #Archaeology #RomanBritain

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Cotswold Archaeology @CotswoldArch

5 days ago

"We’re finding a fair few flints along the route of the A66" is something of an understatement..! One site alone – at Stainton West, near Carlisle – has uncovered a staggering 300,000 lithics, including more than 6,000 microliths dating to the Mesolithic period (10,000 – 4,000 BC). Analysis has revealed that some of the flint used to create these tools came from as far away as the Southern Scottish Uplands, the Eastern Pennines, and possibly even Yorkshire. In the Mesolithic period this site would have been on an island within the floodplain of the River Eden. This means the site is ideally located to exploit Atlantic salmon as they returned upriver to their spawning grounds. It's likely that Stainton West served as an important meeting place for communities across the wider region, with groups travelling considerable distances to take advantage of this seasonal phenomenon. Read more about the lithics being uncovered along the A66 in our latest article: oxfordcotswoldarchaeology.org.uk/news/prehistor… @oatweet @NationalHways #A66NTP #OCAArchTeam #Lithics #Flint #Mesolithic #Prehistory #Cumbria #Archaeology

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Cotswold Archaeology @CotswoldArch

6 days ago

𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗷𝗼𝘆... ✨ From our excavations at @SizewellC, flint specialist Rob has this absolutely teeny leaf-shaped arrowhead, dating to the Early Neolithic (between 4000-3300 BC). Experimental archaeology suggests it could've been hafted into a wooden shaft, held in place with pitch or pine resin, and used for hunting or other shooting activities. The level of craftsmanship required to create such a tiny flint tool would've been exceptionally high, and there's no question that the maker was incredibly skilled. One other thing we know for sure – it's captivated all our hearts for being the tiniest arrowhead we've ever seen! 😍 @oatweet #OCAArchTeam #Archaeology #Suffolk #Neolithic #FlintFanciers

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Cotswold Archaeology @CotswoldArch

a week ago

⛏️ Back on site at the Halberton #Roman villa complex in #Devon, where @UniofExeter archaeology students have completed their first 4-week excavations of two huge trenches – one over the villa complex, the other over a series of ancillary buildings. Their discoveries indicate that the villa was inhabited from the 2nd to 4th centuries AD. Adapted and enlarged in several phases, the earliest iteration was rectangular, with further additions and wings added, including post settings that suggest a second storey. A cold plunge pool is positioned nearby, alongside a large building that incorporates a possible workshop. Next week, local community volunteers will be back on site to continue the dig, supported by our own field team. More news to follow soon! @HeritageFundUK @DevonCC #SHAREproject #TivertonArchaeologyGroup #Archaeology #Devon

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Cotswold Archaeology @CotswoldArch

a week ago

"Careless talk costs lives"... and not only lives, it could also have put some of the country's most valuable works of art in danger! During the Second World War, an extraordinary logistical operation was undertaken, to move more than 2,200 paintings from their home at the @NationalGallery to a slate quarry in North Wales – protecting them from the bombing in London and safeguarding them in case of German invasion. Today, we're being deliberately careless with our talk, so you can explore the storage chambers constructed within the slate mines of Manod Quarry through a 3D tour, alongside a collection of archival photographs, oral histories, and new research that uncovers this top-secret chapter in the National Portrait Gallery's history. Start here: cotswoldarchaeology.co.uk/project/manod-… @WelshSlate @UNESCO @cadwwales #WWII #Art #Archaeology #ArtHistory #ManodQuarry

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Cotswold Archaeology @CotswoldArch

2 weeks ago

📣 600,000m² of land was excavated for the #A417 'Missing Link' road scheme in #Gloucestershire ⛏️ We uncovered 12,000 years of human #history, including an Iron Age banjo enclosure, Roman 'service station' or 𝘮𝘶𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰, and Second World War air defence positions. Our fieldwork is now complete, and project manager Alex Thomson is ready to share the discoveries and highlights with you, in his upcoming talk: 🗓️ Monday 20th July at 7pm (in person) 📍 Winterbourne Medieval Barn, Bristol 🎟️ Details and tickets: ticketsource.com/winterbourne-m… @oatweet #OCAArchTeam #Roman #IronAge #WWII #Archaeology #Bristol

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Cotswold Archaeology @CotswoldArch

2 weeks ago

𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼 𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗲𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙪𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝗱𝗼? Well... it depends on which archaeologist you ask! There is a wide variety of interests and specialisms within archaeology. So the day-to-day of one archaeologist may look quite different to another. In this video we follow some members of the field team working on #A66 who share what a week on site looks like for them and how they found their way into archaeology. Watch the full video: youtube.com/watch?v=HCeHi8… #Archaeology #ArchaeologyCareers #A66NTP #OCAArchTeam

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Cotswold Archaeology @CotswoldArch

2 weeks ago

Archaeology isn't all mud and trowels – historical records and ground surveys are essentials too 💪📖🥾 #Archaeology #Heritage #WWII #WorldWarTwo #Gloucestershire

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Cotswold Archaeology @CotswoldArch

2 weeks ago

𝘖𝘱𝘶𝘴 𝘚𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘮, CBM, superstructure – what do they even mean?👀 Senior Project Officer, Dan, shows all in this mini-tour of our trenches at the Halberton Roman villa in #Devon, where volunteers and @UniofExeter students have been digging since April – kicking off a five-year project at the site! More updates coming soon, but for now grab a cuppa, watch the vid, and read a bit more here: cotswoldarchaeology.co.uk/share-rare-rom… #SHAREproject #TivertonArchaeologyGroup #Roman #Archaeology

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Cotswold Archaeology @CotswoldArch

3 weeks ago

This little bone ring was found during the careful recording and exhumation of a former workhouse cemetery in Bristol, ahead of urban redevelopment. Its positioning in the grave suggests its owner was wearing it at the time of their burial. The design evokes a type of signet ring – could it be a copy of an original that was lost, or pawned during financial hardship? If so, this replica must surely have held a personal significance to its wearer, potentially being crafted to represent former connections or status, and paid for with what money they had. You can learn more about this poignant item in our virtual museum: cotswoldarchaeology.co.uk/museum/bone-ri… #Archaeology #Bristol #CAArchTeam #3D #PostMedieval #CA_VM

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Cotswold Archaeology @CotswoldArch

3 weeks ago

@JohnTierney_ Working on our side – a few of us tested to be sure.... Hope you can access now? If not, the museum is at Cotswoldarchaeology.co.uk/museum so easy to type if you do need to? 😬🙄