The summer heatwave of 2018 has revealed scores of lost archaeological sites across Britain and Ireland, as scorched crops and grass expose outlines of ancient structures. Aerial archaeologists from Historic England have identified a wealth of features, including Neolithic cursus monuments, Iron Age barrows, and Roman farms, which are typically invisible at ground level.
Among the most significant finds are four Iron Age square barrows at Pocklington in the Yorkshire Wolds, a rare type nationally. Two cursus monuments near Clifton Reynes, Milton Keynes, dating back 5,000 to 5,600 years, were also uncovered, one hidden beneath a medieval bank. In Cornwall, an unusual prehistoric settlement with concentric ditches at Lansallos and an Iron Age settlement at St Ive show evidence of 4,000 years of continuous habitation.
Other discoveries include a Roman farm at Bicton in Devon, Bronze and Iron Age farms at Stogumber in Somerset, and a circle of pits and burial mounds near Eynsham in Oxfordshire. In Wales, a rare early medieval cemetery with square barrows was spotted in south Gwynedd, along with a Roman villa site in the Vale of Glamorgan. Historic Environment Scotland reported similar finds, including a Roman camp and Iron Age burial sites, while in Ireland, a previously unknown henge appeared near Newgrange.
Duncan Wilson, chief executive of Historic England, said the exceptional weather opened up whole areas at once, providing perfect conditions for aerial surveys. Damian Grady, aerial reconnaissance manager, noted it was one of his busiest summers in 20 years, while Helen Winton, head of aerial investigation, called it the best year since 2011, when over 1,500 sites were first recorded.
While few of the newly identified sites will be excavated, their locations will now be protected from deep ploughing or development, preserving these traces of millennia of human activity.
