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Radiographs of Iron Age and Roman jars
X-rays grant vision into the past – What we found out X-raying ancient pottery from the A14 (and why we did it)
February 24, 2022

Excavations on the National Highways A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon Road Improvement Scheme may be complete, but we’re continuing to study the incredible amount of finds unearthed. Now, when you think about X-rays you probably imagine hospitals and airport security rather than archaeology and ancient pots. However, recently more than 100…

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Left: Lanah holding a pot, reconstructing its shape. Right: Jemma in hi-visibility clothing in the middle of a field.
Pots and metals along the A14 – Masters students reflect on their National Highways and MOLA Headland studentship
January 6, 2022

Back in 2020, Jemma Moorhouse and Lanah Hewson were each awarded an MA Scholarship funded by National Highways at Reading University. This included a placement to work with MOLA Headland on the archaeological excavations that formed part of the A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon Road Improvement Scheme. Having now completed their…

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(1) A cow tooth analysed to try and determine birthing seasons. (2) Bone samples demineralising in acid during the collagen extraction process.
Nifty neutrons – isotope analysis on the A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon National Highways scheme
November 2, 2021

Isotope analysis makes it possible to understand past environments and the human diet by using information taken from a single tooth, bone or plant grain. This revolutionary technique is being used by Professor Janet Montgomery and Dr Joanna Moore (of Durham University) on materials found during the A14 Cambridge to…

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Radiocarbon dating on the A14 Cambridge to Huntington Improvement Scheme
May 17, 2021

Radiocarbon dating is a key tool that is allowing us to more precisely understand the chronology of archaeological sites and features across the A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon improvement scheme. Over 400 radiocarbon samples have been sent to the Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre (SUERC), giving us dates for features such…

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A cross section diagram of a Roman updraught kiln showing the arrangement of a movable floor propped up on pilasters, on which pots would be stacked. Above ground level, a dome of clay and turf (not pictured) would insulate the load. A fire would then be set in the opening on the left (the ‘firebox’ or ‘flue’), the resulting heat being drawn up into the kiln by air currents.
‘What have the Romans ever done for us?’: the Roman Ceramic Revolution in Cambridgeshire
March 18, 2021

The numerous archaeological surveys we have carried out on the A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon improvement scheme have revealed a huge range of archaeology, dating from the earliest hunter-gatherers to the Second World War. Most recently, excavations by MOLA Headland Infrastructure have revealed new insights into the Roman Ceramic Revolution in…

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Circular ‘henge’ monument thought to have been used as a ceremonial space (c) A14C2H courtesy of MOLA Headland Infrastructure
Fully-funded Highways England Master’s Studentships on the archaeology of the A14C2H
January 7, 2021

From July 2021 we will be welcoming two Archaeology Master’s Students to MOLA Headland Infrastructure as part of an exciting MA Studentship opportunity, funded by Highways England and delivered in conjunction with the University of Reading. The award-holders will spend the first 12 weeks of their programme (July-September 2021) on…

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Metal finds from the A14 Cambridge to Huntington Improvement Scheme
Highways England and MOLA Headland provide learning opportunities for Archaeology Masters Students
December 15, 2020

“It sounds like everything I could have dreamed of” were the thoughts of Lanah Hewson when she applied for an exciting MA Studentship opportunity with MOLA Headland Infrastructure in January 2020. Six months later, Lanah and fellow Archaeology masters student and successful applicant, Jemma Moorhouse, had joined the company and…

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Aerial view of TEA38, an archaeological site on the A14 Cambridge to Huntington Improvement Scheme (c) HIghways England, courtesy of MOLA Headland Infrastructure
The road ahead: making sense of twelve thousand years of archaeology along the A14 in Cambridgeshire
September 29, 2020

Our efforts to uncover the secrets of the Cambridgeshire countryside through the archaeology programme of the A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon improvement scheme have reached an exciting stage. We have started the main phase of analysis, with a project team of over 70 people spread all over the country looking at…

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Aerial photo of A14 archaeological site (c) Highways England, courtesy of MOLA Headland Infrastructure
Tracing lost Roman bath houses and ancient tile trade networks on the A14C2H scheme
January 6, 2020

Now that excavations on the A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon improvement scheme  are complete, it is over to our specialists to reveal the finer details and significance of what has been uncovered. In this blog, MOLA Headland specialist Ian Betts shares why tiles found near Offord Cluny may hint at a…

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The many lives of objects found along the A14C2H
October 28, 2019

Along the A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon improvement scheme, we’ve uncovered thousands of items that provide insight into their owners. We have also learnt a great deal about the lives of the objects themselves. In this blog, find out from Senior Specialist in Prehistoric and Roman Finds, Michael Marshall, about a…

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