ArchaeologyUK

The Council for British Archaeology has joined other members of the Better Planning Coalition in signing a letter to the Prime Minister calling for a reset in the Government’s approach to planning reform.

The letter recognises the urgent need for good development, including social and genuinely affordable housing, but raises concerns that recent changes to planning policy could weaken the safeguards that help ensure development is sustainable, well-located, and properly considered.

The planning system is one of the key ways we make sure that the historic environment is understood before change happens. It helps make sure archaeology, historic landscapes, and heritage are considered alongside the need for new homes and infrastructure.

Read the full letter from the Better Planning Coalition 👉 https://shorturl.at/7aTvz

From prehistoric Wessex seen from the air to the streets of Southampton during the Blitz, OGS Crawford’s photography changed how archaeologists read the landscape.

His aerial images helped transform how archaeologists understood ancient field systems, cropmarks, earthworks and traces of human activity that were almost invisible from the ground. Later, during the Second World War, his photographs of Southampton recorded a city in transition, capturing historic buildings and medieval remains at risk of being lost.

Our latest British Archaeology Open Access blog marks the opening of Changing Landscapes: The Photography of OGS Crawford at Southampton City Art Gallery, where these images are being shown together for the first time.

Read the blog 👉 https://shorturl.at/TyU7S

The exhibition runs from 13 June to 17 October 2026.

Join us online on 24 June, 7pm - 8.30pm, for An Evening with Natural England’s Archaeologists to find out how archaeologists are supporting nature recovery projects.

Hosted by the CBA and Tony Juniper, Chair of Natural England, this free online event brings together archaeologists from Natural England to explore how archaeology and nature can work together to recover habitats, support better land management, and reveal the hidden histories in the landscapes around us.

You’ll hear from:

🌿 Rosie Cummings - Protecting the Past and Growing the Future in Natural England’s Farm & Land Management Advice
🌳 Steve Hall - Hidden Histories of National Nature Reserves
⚔️ Ian Marshman - Managing England’s Battlefields for People, Nature, and Heritage

There will also be a chance to ask questions after the talks.

This summer, the is celebrating Archaeology and Nature, and this is a brilliant opportunity to explore just how closely the two are connected.

Book your spot 👉 https://shorturl.at/w5xU5

Organising a event, or thinking about getting involved?

We’ve launched a brand new Festival of Archaeology Forum to bring organisers together from across the UK.

It’s a space for anyone planning or running Festival events, whether you’re a volunteer organising one local activity or part of a larger organisation delivering a full programme.

The forum is designed to help organisers:

💬 Connect with each other
💡 Share ideas and inspiration
❓ Find answers to common questions
🤝 Ask for advice and support
📚 Access guides and training as they become available

Most of all, it’s a space to build confidence, learn from each other, and join the Festival community.

To join the forum, email [email protected] and we’ll be in touch with how to get involved.

Following a recommendation from the CBA, this seventeenth-century former threshing barn and stables has been added to the national List at Grade II. 🎉

Historic agricultural buildings like this are becoming increasingly rare, so it is brilliant to see the building’s character, craftsmanship, and story recognised.

Its new listing means these qualities will be properly taken into account in future decisions about the site.

The latest issue of British Archaeology is out now.

As summer festival season begins, our July/August issue looks ahead to the Tewkesbury History Festival, Chalke Valley History Festival, and hundreds of events taking place across the UK for this year’s Festival of Archaeology.

Inside this issue:

🔎 Oxford Cotswold Archaeology shares discoveries from one of the largest excavations ever carried out in the UK, with material from the Neolithic to the medieval period found beneath Sizewell.

🧬 Forensic archaeologists begin work at the former Mother and Baby Institution in Tuam, where almost 800 children died without burial records in the twentieth century.

🗿 In a British Archaeology exclusive, Mike Pitts identifies overlooked samples from the Easter Island statues in the British Museum, opening up new research possibilities.

🏺 Public participation takes centre stage, from the Nautical Archaeology Society’s work to the Bedfordshire kiln pot-washing project.

🏛️ In My Archaeology, Jeannette Plummer Sires considers how the colonial roots of archaeology still shape cultural institutions today.

There’s also news, reviews, Casefiles, Archaeology Active, Heritage Crafts with Phil Harding, and a look at what’s coming up at this year’s Festival of Archaeology.

British Archaeology is one of the benefits of CBA membership, alongside on-demand access to our This Is Archaeology lecture archive, member updates, events listings, and more.

Join as a member to access the latest digital issue and support our work helping more people discover, explore and take part in archaeology 👉 https://shorturl.at/7ye4n

Are you involved in archaeology? We’d love to hear from you.

This year, the new fortnight-long digital event is bringing together short films, blogs and stories from people across the archaeology sector as part of the .

Tell us about your first dig, your current project, a place or collection that matters to you, a day in your working life, the route that brought you here, or something you wish more people understood about archaeology.

You can get involved by:

🎥 Sharing a short video
✍️ Writing a blog
📱 Taking part live on social media for Ask An Archaeologist Day on 24 July

We also have online guides to help you submit a blog or short video, so you’ll have everything you need to take part.

Find out more and get involved 👉 https://www.archaeologyuk.org/festival/past-in-our-hands.html

Want to be part of the 2026?

We’re inviting museums, heritage sites, community groups, archaeological societies, universities, commercial units, local groups, volunteers, and anyone with a brilliant idea to organise an event for next year’s festival.

Your event could be a walk, talk, workshop, open day, family activity, exhibition, digital resource, behind-the-scenes tour, or something completely different.

Taking part is a great way to share your work, reach new audiences, celebrate your local area, and help more people discover the archaeology around them.

Did you know that in 2025 the Festival reached 60 million people digitally? This year, your event could be part of it.

And you won’t be doing it alone. We provide support for organisers, including:

🧰 Festival branding and promotional materials
📋 Toolkits, guidance, and evaluation support
📣 Event listings on the Festival of Archaeology website
💻 Online organiser support sessions
📬 Updates and advice through organiser newsletters

Our next organiser support session takes place on Thursday, 11 June. Come along to ask questions, talk through ideas, and find out why and how to get involved.

Find out more and submit your event 👉 https://shorturl.at/fhw5N

Can video games make us think like archaeologists? 🕹

In our latest open-access British Archaeology article, Florence Smith Nicholls explores archaeological roleplay in Nothing Beside Remains, a 2D exploration game where players interpret a ruined village through the material traces left behind.

Read the article 👉 https://shorturl.at/QFKU0

We’re really pleased to be part of this year’s Chalke History Festival

If you’ve never been, Chalke is a brilliant mix of talks, debates, living history, performances, food, and plenty to explore, all set in the Wiltshire countryside near Salisbury.

This year, we’re excited to be sponsoring two talks:

Turi King: Secrets of our DNA: Our Past Revealed - Thursday, 11.45am
And
Chariots of Chalke - Friday, 10.15am

Hope to see some of you there!