This month, CFA's Jenni Morrison helped organise the Vernacular Archaeology Group’s annual spring conference, attended by heritage professionals from across the UK (including fellow #TeamCFA member Carley).
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.
Summer is finally here and we can't think of anything nicer than carrying out a field survey in the beautiful Scottish Borders!
Happy #FindsFriday! This find is a stone block with a rectangular ingot mould carved into one of its faces. Hot liquid metal would have been poured into the mould, forming it into a perfect ingot.
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!
#FindsFriday! We have a Roman flue tile with evidence of key combing on its surface, which helped mortar or plaster adhere to it. Flue tiles such as this were often used in Roman hypocaust systems which were, essentially, an early form of underfloor heating.
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.
Happy #FindsFriday! Recovered during excavations in East Yorkshire, this bead is made from a yellowy brown glass and dates from the late Iron Age into the early Roman period, possibly from the 1st to the 2nd centuries.
#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 🙌🏺⛏️
#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!
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.
#AnswerTime! This object from last week’s #FindsFriday is a 2nd- to 3rd-century Roman mortaria from Norfolk! Something unusual about this one is that parts of it have been vitrified, meaning that the ceramic was exposed to very high heats and, as a result, areas across its surface became shiny.
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.
An Iron Age settlement? And field system? In West Yorkshire? Can it be? Yes, of course! (It's one of many). In case you missed it, CFA recently published an article all about it. Find it online: https://www.yas.org.uk/Sections/Pre-History/Pre-History-Publications
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?
#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.
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!
#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.
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.
Check it out! CFA has a new article in ‘Prehistoric Yorkshire’ detailing our excavations of a rural Iron Age settlement in West Yorkshire, including a field system and settlement with a roundhouse and grain store. https://www.yas.org.uk/Sections/Pre-History/Pre-History-Publications
#TestYourKnowledge What do you think this is? Put your guesses (✅ right and ❌ wrong answers welcome!) in the comments and watch this space for an explanation later in the week!
Discover CFA’s latest article in SAIR! Later Prehistoric Settlement and Early Medieval Reuse at Loak Farm, Bankfoot, Perth and Kinross' describes our discovery of a Bronze Age to Iron Age settlement and early medieval reoccupation. Read it at: doi.org/10.9750/issn...
A Later Prehistoric Settlement and Early Medieval Reuse at Loak Farm, Bankfoot, Perth and Kinross | Scottish Archaeological Internet Reports
doi.org
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.
#TeamCFA has a classic flinty #FindsFriday for you this week – a lovely late Neolithic to early Bronze Age flint scraper. Found in North Yorkshire, this disc scraper was made out of one thick flint flake. The mottled black you can see across part of its surface is the result of having been burnt.
We’re staying close to home for this #FindsFriday with these two fragments of Roman-era Derbyshire ware pottery found by #TeamCFA in Yorkshire. Produced between the 2nd and 4th centuries, Derbyshire ware travelled far and wide - it's been recorded on sites across central and northern Britain.
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.
#FindsFriday! Check out these Bronze Age perforated cobbles, which were likely components from a larger piece of equipment and served as weights or flywheels for something like a drill.
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?
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!