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Celebrating Archaeology
From this page you can find out how Historic England's Archaeologists contribute to understanding the past and discover more resources for you to learn more about archaeology. We are supporters of the Council for British Archaeology's Festival of Archaeology 2023, with events running from 15-30 July.
Picturing the past
The theme of the Festival of Archaeology 2023 is about creativity and archaeology, including how archaeologists and illustrators use images to stimulate and inspire the viewer to better understand archaeological topics.
'World building' and prehistory online event Tuesday 18 July 2023 at 7pm
A part of the Festival of Archaeology theme on 'creativity', in an online Historic England prehistorian and Landscapes Strategy Manager Jonathan Last asks if there are creative parallels between science fiction writers imagining future societies and prehistorians using evidence to understand the distant past.
Archaeology in the news
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New Scientific Study Solves Mystery of 2,000-year-old Grave
Study led by Historic England solves the long-running mystery of a 2,000-year-old burial on the Isles of Scilly: was this a man or a woman?
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New Film Showcases Artefacts from the Rooswijk Shipwreck
A new film launched by Historic England reveals stories behind artefacts discovered on the 18th-century Dutch East India Company ship, the Rooswijk.
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Rare Stone Age Artefact Discovered In Dorset
A stone artefact dating back over 5,000 years has been discovered during a community heritage project in Dorset.
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Oldest Decoratively Carved Wood in Britain Found During Building Project
A large piece of decoratively carved wood discovered by chance has been identified by Historic England as being over 6,000 years old.
Seven ways our archaeologists understand and protect evidence of the past
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Excavation
Excavation or 'digging' is just one of the techniques that 21st-century archaeologists use to understand past ways of life, but remains an important method.
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Airborne Remote Sensing
Our flying archaeologists monitor known archaeological landscapes and discover thousands of new sites each year from the air.
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Terrestrial Remote Sensing
Archaeologists use remote survey techniques to 'see' below the ground or to capture 3D images without damaging the archaeology.
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Marine Archaeology
Marine or maritime archaeologists discover and monitor our heritage of shipwrecks and submerged landscapes.
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Archaeological Conservation
Find out how archaeologists conserve and analyse finds
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Heritage Science & Archaeology
Archaeological scientists use a range of techniques to date traces of the past and to understand how people lived and interacted with their environment.
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Scheduled Monuments
The most special and significant archaeological remains are protected by law, known as 'scheduling'
'Dig deep' in our archaeology blogs
Longer archaeological reads
Really get into the archaeology zone with our Aerial Archaeology Mapping Explorer or our archaeological themed research highlights.
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The Origins and Use of Medieval Glazing in England
Researching window glass from England’s medieval abbeys.
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Understanding the Staffordshire Hoard
How 10 years of research has revealed new insights into the nation’s largest Anglo-Saxon treasure.
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Uncovering the Secrets and Vulnerability of Glastonbury Lake Village
Reporting on a project to research and protect England’s best-preserved Iron Age settlement.
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The Sweet Track and Climate Change
Investigating the vulnerability of the UK’s oldest wooden trackway.
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The Castle at Apple Dumpling Bridge
Research for the Gosport Heritage Action Zone has drawn attention to a previously neglected castle in the Alver Valley.
Highlights of recent archaeological research by Historic England and partners: including excavation, geophysics, analytical survey, maritime archaeology, scientific finds analysis and more.
