CFA Archaeology

@cfaarchaeology.bsky.social

Archaeological excavation, watching brief, building recording, consultancy, and geophysics in England, Scotland, and Wales. https://www.cfa-archaeology.co.uk/

#FindsFriday! CFA has two copper alloy rings dating from the Roman into the medieval period and recovered from a large excavation in Warwickshire. These rings are two of an impressive 47 copper alloy objects found on site, which included brooches, buttons, a nail cleaner, and more.

Two metal rings, one greenish and one orangey brown, displayed side by side on a white background with a 5cm scale below.

The CFA Nature and Walking Society has been out for their annual springtime circular walk - this time exploring 9 miles of trails and moorland on the edge of the Dark Peak. They enjoyed commanding views of Yorkshire and the Longendale Valley. Couldn't have asked for a better day for it!

Group of people resting and chatting on a grassy hillside under a partly cloudy sky in a wide open moorland landscape.Group of hikers helping each other cross a rocky stream in a grassy moorland under a cloudy sky.

Last week, two of #TeamCFA’s heritage consultants attended The Setting of Heritage Assets course at Oxford University, exploring how heritage settings contribute to significance and how change can affect this. CPD like this helps our team continue to provide informed, up-to-date advice to clients.

A photo montage with four images including a large yellow stone tower surrounded by scaffolding, an old telescope pointing out a window, a blue sign reading 'Rewley House' on a brick wall, and two nametags.

That's a wrap for the #CIfA2026 Conference! CFA Archaeology was proud to sponsor a bursary for an early career archaeologist, helping make these events more accessible for all. #TeamCFA had a great time and we’re leaving inspired and ready to shape the future of archaeology. See you next year!

Blue notebook with archaeology stickers and a pen next to a CIfA 2026 Edinburgh conference programme on a wooden table.Speaker presenting on 'Foundations and Futures: Building Connections in Scotland’s Archaeological Landscape' in a conference room.Group of friends enjoying dinner at a vibrant, neon-lit restaurant with hanging plants and industrial ceiling decor.

#TeamCFA kicked off Day 1 of the CIfA conference with discussions on Scotland's Archaeology Strategy, catching up with colleagues, and, of course, soaking up the glorious Edinburgh sunshine! Looking forward to another jam-packed day today, stay tuned for more updates 🙌🏺⛏️

Group of ten people standing outdoors on a sunny day with trees and buildings in the background, all wearing conference badges.

#TeamCFA is at the CIfA Conference! Stop by the CFA stall to chat with us about archaeology, our latest projects, industry insights, and your favourite site stories. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or just curious, we’d love to meet you and share our passion for cultural heritage!

Two representatives sit behind a table displaying CFA Archaeology promotional materials and brochures at an indoor event booth.Presenter Cara Jones speaking at the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists 2026 conference in Edinburgh with a slide showing standing stones.

It's a beautiful day to be doing archaeology and when we're out in the field, every day brings a new discovery! Using high-tech GPS technology, #TeamCFA maps archaeological trenches and any finds within them, deepening our understanding of the archaeology overall as well as the past and its people.

Archaeologist in high-visibility gear surveying trenches in a green field under a partly cloudy sky.

CFA has a fragmented #FindsFriday this week! Can you guess what kind of vessel these pottery sherds came from? Hint: It’s Roman, dating from the 2nd to the 3rd century, and has some grit worked into the fabric. Let us know what you think in the comments! We’ll be back next week with the answer.

Collection of broken brownish orange pottery sherds arranged on a grey surface with a 5cm scale for size reference.

The sun's out, so the tarp is back! This behind-the-scenes shot shows how #TeamCFA uses the power of friendship (and flat shadows) to take the best photographs of our excavations, including this massive pit in Suffolk. It's looking great, don't you think?

Three workers in orange safety gear hold up a large blue tarp at an archaeological dig site under a clear sky, while a fourth person takes a photo of an excavated pit.

#FindsFriday! For this week’s treasure, CFA Archaeology is excited to share a wonderful Roman brooch recovered from excavations in West Yorkshire. The upper face of this disc brooch was decorated with 10 circles (of which 4 remain) evenly spaced around a central raised circle.

Close-up of a circular metal brooch with a decorative dot design and a curved pin on the back, shown from three angles against a black background.

CFA Archaeology's March photo competition winner was Jenni with this great shot entitled 'Archiving Colour'. Jenni is one of our buildings archaeologists and an excellent urban explorer with an eye for colour, and is particularly skilled at finding great little moments like this!

Colorful graffiti on a textured blue wall featuring the word 'KARAOKE' in bold black letters with red diamond shapes.

#FindsFriday! This perfect Early Bronze Age plano-convex knife, carefully knapped from flint, was recovered during CFA Archaeology’s excavations in West Yorkshire. Knives like this are often associated with collared urn cremation burials, although ours was found on its own.

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Did you figure out our mystery feature? This #FindsFriday we've found... a Romano-British corn dryer! These stone-built structures were used to dry grain before it was stored or processed further, and the part you can see is the buried flue which circulated hot air for drying corn and other grains.

Excavated stone-lined corn dryer structure partially buried in dry, cracked earth with measurement scale nearby.A section through the corn dryer, showing how the stone walls were constructed.A hand-drawn technical plan of the corn dyer, showing what it looked like before and after excavation.

Happy #FindsFriday! This week, we’ve got lovely, if somewhat degraded, decorated Samian ware sherds recovered during excavations in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. Originating in La Graufesenque, France, these sherds are Flavian in form and date from 70 – 110 AD.

Sherds of reddish orange pottery with faded red geometric patterns on a black background.

It's a beautiful morning to be opening archaeological trial trenches in Nottinghamshire! We're investigating potential historic field systems and agricultural activity, which geophysical survey suggests may be medieval in origin.

Sunrise over a vast green field with muddy tire tracks cutting through the grass under a clear blue sky. Archaeological trenches are scattered across the field.

Excavation nearly finished! We're investigating two intersecting ditches - if one was dug after the other, we could see differences in the soils (colour, composition, etc.). If they were filled in at the same time, the soils should match. What do you think: does one ditch look newer than the other?

Angular excavation in a clayey sandy area with archaeologists and a small excavator in the background during an archaeological dig.

CFA is an industry leader in green energy and we regularly work on renewable energy projects, including, among others, wind farms, solar farms, and battery energy storage systems. Working together, we can help make the future look more green!

Three white wind turbines stand on rolling brown and green hills under a clear blue sky during daytime.