Discover A14C2H News
Discover the archaeology of the A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon improvement scheme. These pages explore the latest findings and updates from one of the UK’s largest archaeological digs and includes insights from archaeologist and specialists working on this Highways England project, as well as information on our community programme
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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MOLA Headland Registered Finds Specialist, Owen Humphreys, explores what a Roman gridiron can tell us about cooking technology in Roman Cambridgeshire. One of the largest ‘smallfinds’ from the A14 excavations is a complete Roman gridiron, found deposited in a ditch. Known as a craticula in Latin, gridirons like this were…
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Archaeobotanical remains, from prehistory to the post-medieval period have been uncovered along the A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon improvement scheme. We know that cereal crops such as wheat and barley were staple plant-based foods at ancient settlements and sites along the route, and we uncovered the earliest physical evidence of the…
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Across the scheme we’ve uncovered items which relate to Anglo-Saxon clothing and textile production, sometimes in small amounts, and sometimes in larger, more concentrated amounts. In this blog, MOLA Headland finds expert Lyn Blackmore comments on the evidence we have so far… Q: To make clothes, Anglo-Saxons would first have…
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In the last #A14Archaeology blog, we looked at Iron Age coins in Cambridgeshire and found out from our numismatist, Julian Bowsher, about the significance of one particular Iron Age coin discovered along the route. In this blog, we’re taking a closer look at a rare coin with a more dramatic tale…
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The study of coins, and currency more generally speaking, is known as numismatics. In archaeology, numismatics can help us to ascertain precise dates and find out who occupied or passed through a particular site. They can also tell us about trade networks, belief systems and leadership. In this blog, find…
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In this blog, we look at cremation urns, what they are, and what they mean for archaeologists. Our excavations along the route of the new A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon improvement scheme have led us to uncover fascinating stories about Cambridgeshire’s past populations and the discovery of human remains plays a…
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This week, Emma Jeffery, Senior Archaeologist at MOLA Headland will be talking about the amazing archaeology of the A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon improvement scheme at Current Archaeology Live. In this blog, we find out more about her role on the Highways England scheme and what happens next. What has your…
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X-rays are a non-destructive way of exploring metal archaeological finds in more detail. They allow our finds specialists to reveal the true form of heavily corroded items and get a glimpse of the very fabric of an object, meaning they can better understand how it was made, its condition and…
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Our archaeobotanist, Lara Gonzalez Carretero, has uncovered what is believed to be the earliest physical evidence for beer-making in the UK, dating back more than 2000 years to the Iron Age, on the A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon improvement scheme. Evidence of early Iron Age porridge and bread-making has also been…
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