Iron Age Coinage on the Isle of Wight

This paper presents a discussion and catalogue of the Iron Age coins found on the Isle of Wight which have been recorded, or are extant, on the island. These coins show a wide variety of links with the mainland and Continental Europe. Many of the coins are of unusual or unique types, suggesting a political division between the Isle of Wight and recognized major tribal groups for at least some of the Late Iron Age. Links are indicated with the intermediary Hampshire group introduced by Sellwood (1984). Strong links are shown with the Durotriges group to the west, and to a lesser degree with the Atrebates/Regni group to the east of the island. There are also preliminary indications of political and social centralization on the island for the first time, from numismatic finds.     

Mapping of the Buried Yarmouth Roads Wreck, Isle of Wight, UK, using a Chirp Sub-Bottom Profiler

Remains of the 16th-century Yarmouth Roads wreck, buried in sediments, were imaged using high-resolution geophysical techniques. The remains appear as strong reflectors underlain by an acoustic blanking zone, which was used to create maps of the wreck material. Close survey line-spacing allowed the construction of contour maps and hull sections, which revealed that the bow and stern sections are tilted to port at different angles, implying that they are detached. The seismic data have enhanced our understanding of the site beyond what was known from conventional archaeological investigations and confirms that this wreck was once a large carrack.
© 2007 The Authors     

Faunal remains from radiocarbon-dated soils within landslip debris from The Undercliff,Isle of Wight,Southern England

An examination of coastal sections of landslip material forming The Undercliff of the Isle of Wight has revealed the presence of buried soils, in places, within the debris. Critical sections at Binnel Point and St. Catherine's Point have been logged and the contained vertebrate and molluscan faunas analysed. The Mollusca from both sites are very similar and indicate a shaded environment, contrasting sharply with the immediate local environments today. The vertebrates, present only at Binnel Point, again suggest woodland. The presence of red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) and dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius) is especially noteworthy constituting their earliest and only secure British fossil records respectively. Some marine shells (Patella, Gibbula) and remains of larger vertebrates (including red deer) possibly represent midden debris. Charcoal from the lower soil at Binnel Point yielded a radiocarbon date of 4480 ± 100 bp (BM-1737) indicating that at least some of the middens at Binnel date from the Neolithic, much earlier than previously demonstrated. The sections at St. Catherine's Point provided no evidence of human occupation but yielded two further radiocarbon dates of 4490 ± 40 bp (SRR-1813) and 3960 ± 50 bp (SRR-1947) from wood incorporated within the landslips. The significance of these dates in relation to the history of landslipping is discussed.     

On the Cromlechs Extant in the Isle of Anglesey

This paper is a part of a wider study into landscape change around St Albans, Hertfordshire. The original area of enquiry covered six medieval parishes, that is an area of126.z square km. While it has not been possible to subject the area to detailed field-walking, new information has arisen that requires a fresh assessment to be made of the area in the Late Iron Age. The new data come from a variety of sources such as aerial photographs, non-systematic field-walking, topographical observation, new archaeological discoveries and previous excavation reports. This combined information permits an insight into the earliest discernible landscape around St Albans and something of the society which created it.     

Sir Edward Grey,Germany, and the Outbreak of the First World War: A Re-Evaluation

ABSTRACT

Historians have variously condemned British Foreign Secretary Sir Edward Grey for contributing to the escalation of the July Crisis of 1914, and praised him as an heroic advocate of peace. Addressing this conundrum, this article first assesses historiographical debates around the significance of Grey's policy towards Germany in the events that led to the outbreak of the First World War. It then traces Grey's foreign policy vis-à-vis Germany on the one hand, and the Entente on the other. Finally, it provides an innovative analysis of Grey's policy from the vantage point of Berlin, arguing that in July 1914 decisions taken by the governments of other countries escalated the crisis and were taken regardless of Grey's position. The article concludes that current historiography overestimates British agency in July 1914 and that Grey was not as important to the outcome of the crisis as both his critics and his defenders have claimed. His actions could not change the minds of those on the continent who were bent on war.