Wessex Archaeology

Wessex Archaeology Wessex Archaeology is a trusted archaeology and heritage service provider and educational charity.

19/06/2026

Phil Harding chats with Curator Win Scutt from English Heritage about aurochs, space travel and what the solstice celebrations at Bulford might have looked like 5000 years ago…

Our team recently discovered evidence for the earliest known alignment with the solstice in the Stonehenge landscape at Bulford, Wiltshire.

This structure was created at least 500 years before the alignment of the stones at Stonehenge, and is likely to have been a focus for major religious gatherings.

Read more about the discovery: https://ow.ly/OKYq50ZcPHj

Ministry of Defence | Defence Infrastructure Organisation | Tetra Tech Europe | The Skyscape Academy

🎥 Video description: Win and Phil are stood in front of Stonehenge on a cloudy, blustery day.

18/06/2026

📢 Discovery led by Phil Harding reveals 5,000-year-old ‘prototype’ for Stonehenge solar alignment

Radiocarbon dated to around 5,000 years ago, the discovery reveals evidence for the earliest known alignment with the solstice in the Stonehenge landscape, at least 500 years before the alignment of the stones at Stonehenge.

The structure at the heart of the discovery would have consisted of two wooden poles 120 metres apart. Analysis conducted by leading skyscape archaeologist, Fabio Silva, showed how this would have aligned with the solstices to within an accuracy of one degree, pointing directly towards the midsummer sunrise and midwinter sunset.

Located 5km from Stonehenge at Bulford, Wiltshire, the site was likely a focus for major religious gatherings, with extensive evidence of feasting and large-scale gatherings as people came together to celebrate.

Read more: https://ow.ly/OKYq50ZcPHj

English Heritage | Ministry of Defence | Defence Infrastructure Organisation | Tetra Tech Europe | The Skyscape Academy

🎥 Video description: Phil Harding can be seen at Stonehenge on an overcast day, speaking to camera and wearing his signature hat.

14/06/2026

Watch our Conservator Tom carefully clean an Iron Age comb. 🪮

Fashioned from red deer antler, this weaving tool would have been used to soften wool before spinning. 🦌

You can see where a hole has been made in the handle, allowing the owner to hang it from their belt, around their neck or from a work bench.

🎥 Video description: Our conservator, Tom, can be seen removing soil from the comb with a small paint brush and sluicing it with deionised water. It’s a short squat tool with small teeth and no markings, though there are several examples of beautifully decorated weaving bones from this period.

31/05/2026

Our Finds team were given a 'mammoth' task recently...

Building an actual woolly mammoth tusk its very own bespoke box. 🦣

Woolly mammoths first emerged during the Pleistocene Epoch, also known as the Ice Age, and disappeared from Britain roughly 14,000 years ago.

This tusk was found on a quarry in South East England and currently lives within our archives.

🎥 Video description: Amy can be seen measuring the tusk before assembling a custom-built box and lining it with tissue paper. She and Erica carefully lift it into its new home.

Our Finds team have been busy assessing almost 70kg of pottery from a Roman settlement in Lincolnshire. But there’s one ...
29/05/2026

Our Finds team have been busy assessing almost 70kg of pottery from a Roman settlement in Lincolnshire. But there’s one bowl from the 2nd century AD that caught their eye…

With its intricate design and attractive black colour, our specialists believe its potter has merged two regional styles, that of the East Midlands where it was found and a style more commonly seen further South, to create something rather unique.

Though wealthy families in Roman Britain are more likely to have opted for glass or metal tableware rather than pottery, this level of decoration suggests it was probably used as a serving dish. Either way, we certainly appreciated its beauty!

📸 Lincolnshire Historic Places Team | Wessex Archaeology

22/05/2026

🏰 Project Manager Ashley explains just how important the medieval well would have been to the inhabitants of Sheffield Castle, particularly during times of siege.

Working alongside FlyThru, we recently used a drone to capture details of its 12.5 metre construction, as well as hundreds of images which will be used to create a 3D model.

The survey and wider excavation of the castle form part of Sheffield City Council’s development of a new park in the Castlegate area of the City Centre, its most historical and oldest quarter. The well will be exposed for people to see as part of the new park.

Sheffield City Council | Aureos | FlyThru

🎥 Video description: Ben from FlyThru is shown flying the caged drone down the well. The footage it was able to capture reveals where the brickwork turns to bedrock, as well as the water that still remains at the bottom. Project Manager Ashley crouches next to the well and speaks to camera.

21/05/2026

📢 Caged drone surveys a medieval well at Sheffield Castle!

Our team have been working alongside specialist drone pilots, FlyThru, to record the medieval well uncovered during our excavations at Sheffield Castle.

Located on top of the Norman motte, the well would have provided a vital source of water within the castle walls, as well as being indispensable during times of siege.

The survey saw a drone in a cage descend into the 12.5 metre shaft, taking hundreds of photos to create a 3D model of its interior and revealing exciting details of the well's construction.

The survey and wider excavation of the castle form part of Sheffield City Council’s development of a new green space in the Castlegate area of the City Centre, its most historical quarter, where the well will be exposed for people to see as part of the new park.

🎥 Video description: Two archaeologists lift a grate from the well to allow the drone to enter. Project Manager Ashley is shown crouched to the right of the well speaking to camera. Drone footage shows where the brickwork turns to bedrock, as well as the pool of water at the bottom.

Sheffield City Council | Aureos | FlyThru

17/05/2026

You don’t become a British archaeologist without accepting your fate as a mud gremlin for half the year. ☔

🎥 Video description: Our field team use buckets and sponges to try and empty their trenches of rainwater, fumbling and dropping things as they go. Victoria helps Hannah clamber out of a muddy trench. Hannah laughs and gives a thumbs up as Jim talks about the importance of teamwork.

Over 100 years ago, soldiers from Britain and the Commonwealth left their marks in the Wiltshire chalk before heading of...
13/05/2026

Over 100 years ago, soldiers from Britain and the Commonwealth left their marks in the Wiltshire chalk before heading off to war. Many would not return.

Our archaeologists uncovered the historical graffiti they left behind at Larkhill’s WW1 training trenches, along with many of the names and stories behind it.

Our new publication sheds light on the young men that passed through these long-hidden chalk tunnels.

Read more on our Open Library:
https://ow.ly/Nwm250YVqRx

Ministry of Defence | Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO)

For many WW1 soldiers, the first time they were introduced to trench warfare wasn’t on the Western Front – but during tr...
07/05/2026

For many WW1 soldiers, the first time they were introduced to trench warfare wasn’t on the Western Front – but during training in .

Between 1915 and 1918, thousands of young men from Britain and the Commonwealth came to Larkhill in Wiltshire to train in specially dug trenches.

Since 2014, we have been analysing these unique time capsules, uncovering a wealth of stories and artefacts from the people and events that shaped the Great War.

Find out more about our findings and their stories over on the Open Library: https://ow.ly/Nwm250YVqRx

Ministry of Defence

Address

Portway House, Old Sarum Park
Salisbury
SP46EB

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+44 (0)1722 326 867

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Wessex Archaeology posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Wessex Archaeology:

Shortcuts

Share

Category