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

Cambridgeshire Ice Age giants uncovered on the A14C2H22 Oct

The partial skull which may be steppe or woolly rhino © Highways England, courtesy of MOLA Headland Infrastructure

Excavations for the A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon Improvement Scheme have revealed partial remains belonging to extinct megafauna including woolly mammoth and woolly rhino, thought to be at least 100,000 years old. Archaeologists were working closely with plant operators from Walters Group when the remains were uncovered. MOLA Headland consultant Palaeolithic…


Read Article

Archaeological finds: A human connection to the Cambridgeshire landscape through time10 Oct

Fired clay loom weights (c) Highways England courtesy of MOLA Headland Infrastructure

Once finds have been carefully lifted from the ground, they immediately begin their journey through the post-ex process. We carefully bag and label them, which means that when they arrive at our processing facilities, we still know exactly which layer they came from or which feature they were found in…


Read Article

A potted history of Cambridgeshire: Ceramic finds from the A14C2H26 Sep

Samian ware decorated with lion fight scene (c) Highways England courtesy of MOLA Headland Infrastructure

Excavations for the A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon Improvement Scheme have produced enormous quantities of pottery – nearly four tons, in fact, at our last estimate! Over the coming year, MOLA Headland Pottery Specialist Adam Sutton and a team of 9 other experts will sort through these finds and figure out…


Read Article

From dig to desk: the story of the A14C2H archaeology programme is just beginning13 Sep

As the excavations on one of the UK’s largest ever archaeological projects draw to a close, we now start the huge challenge of pulling the results together, to paint a more detailed picture of over 6000 years of history. The archaeology programme of  the A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon improvement scheme…


Read Article

Broadening horizons on the A14C2H Community Dig: From digital pro to archaeology volunteer31 Aug

Group photo of the A14C2H community dig volunteers

Nearly 65 volunteers have taken time out from their everyday lives to try their hand at archaeology on the A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon Improvement Scheme Summer Community Dig. In this blog, we hear from Debbie, whose time on site proved to be quite the exciting departure from her digital day…


Read Article

Five favourite artefacts from the A14C2H Community Dig22 Aug

A14-COM-DIG-cover-photo (c) Highways England, courtesy of MOLA Headland Infrastructure

Volunteers on the A14C2H Summer Community Dig have been unearthing some fascinating and beautiful things that are helping to piece together the past of their area. As the dig enters its final week, we take a look at some of the highlights. Usually the arrowheads we find in Britain are…


Read Article

Sharing the joys of archaeology on the A14C2H Summer Community Dig15 Aug

The MOLA Headland team have been reflecting on their experience of the A14C2H Summer Community Dig so far. Our archaeologists are extremely efficient at managing archaeological projects, including the A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon Improvement Scheme, but the thrill of a career in archaeology is in uncovering remnants of the past. …


Read Article

Volunteers get to grips with their local heritage on the A14C2H Summer Community Dig08 Aug

A14C2H Community Dig volunteer Donald (c) Highways England, courtesy of MOLA Headland Infrastructure

The A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon Improvement Scheme Summer Community Dig has given us the opportunity to welcome onto site more than 60 volunteers from the local area and further afield. They have been able to pick up new archaeological skills and see first-hand the rich archaeological landscape we have been…


Read Article

The A14C2H Community Dig Begins01 Aug

A14C2H Community Dig Volunteer Yannack (c) Highways England, courtesy of MOLA Headland Infrastructure

The A14C2H Summer Community Dig is now underway, with over 65 members of the public set to join us on site near Brampton over the next month. Already the team has been getting to grips with a wide range of archaeological techniques including excavation, drawing, survey and photography. As the…


Read Article

Five favourite archaeological features from of the A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon improvement scheme23 Jul

Aerial photo of a circular Bronze Age burial ground and nearby Saxon building on A14C2H (c) A14C2H courtest of MOLA Headland Infrastructure

An archaeological feature is an aspect of the archaeology that can be seen in the ground but isn’t movable unlike a brooch or piece of pottery for example, which is classed as a find. Examples of features are walls, pits and ditches. So, what do features tell us that finds…


Read Article
×