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pcaarchaeology.bsky.social
PCA
@pcaarchaeology.bsky.social
Commercial archaeological contractor with offices in Cambridge, Durham, London, Newark, Norwich, Warwick and Winchester.
For #FindsFriday a silver coin from a Late Iron Age site in Suffolk. It’s a rare Icenian issue from c.40–35 BC, only the 5th of its kind. The reverse shows a horse; the obverse a bust with a two-headed snake, an unknown design which adds a new thread to the story of Iron Age coinage!
#Archaeology
May 30, 2025 at 10:45 AM
This C17th onion bottle from the old Great Kitchen at Westminster School might be the one listed among the belongings of Mr Busby, a schoolmaster who died in 1653. A find that can be linked to a specific person adds an extra layer to the story, making the past feel that much closer! #FindsFriday
May 16, 2025 at 9:48 AM
For #FindsFriday, this Roman pipeclay figurine of one of the Matres (mother goddesses) feels fitting to share, as this week marked World Maternal Mental Health Day. This would have been kept in a household shrine fertility and protection for fertility and protection
#RomanBritain #Archaeology
May 9, 2025 at 11:46 AM
For #FindsFriday we're heading way back to the Lower Palaeolithic! This flake was found during a geoarchaeological evaluation in Swanscombe, known for its early prehistoric finds.

It came from Boyn Hill/Orsett Heath Gravels, so it's probably 430,000–350,000 years old! #Palaeolithic #Prehistory
April 25, 2025 at 11:05 AM
This Giant Spider Conch was found recently in a Victorian context in Shadwell, near the East End docks. It may be a sailor’s souvenir or part of a collection from Jamrach’s legendary emporium of shells and strange beasts which was just down the road. #archaeology #FindsFriday (a bit early!)
April 17, 2025 at 11:04 AM
This once-elegant copper-alloy mount, incised, moulded and pierced with tiny holes, came from a Romano-British pit in the Cotswolds. It was probably attached to a circular object, perhaps made of wood or leather. What could it have been?
#FindsFriday #archaeology #RomanBritain
April 11, 2025 at 9:44 AM
For #FindsFriday, a Mesolithic tranchet axe from a site near Chichester. The site revealed evidence from the Neolithic to the Roman period, a landscape shaped and reshaped over time, with this axe as a small trace of its earliest inhabitants!
#Archaeology #Mesolithic #FlintFriday #Prehistory
April 4, 2025 at 9:33 AM
For #FindsFriday a silver fibula brooch from a Roman pit in Gloucestershire. The pit also yielded a copper alloy pin and wire. Verdigris from the copper clung to the brooch, making us think it was copper alloy too. But to our delight, a gentle clean with a dry brush revealed the silver beneath!
March 28, 2025 at 9:53 AM
PCA has uncovered a remarkable Neolithic cremation burial, adding a crucial piece to the puzzle of Neolithic Cambridgeshire. This discovery offers new insights into early funerary practices. Read more here: www.pre-construct.com/news/neolith... #archaeology #neolithic #prehistory
March 24, 2025 at 11:49 AM
For #FindsFriday on #NationalPerfumeDay, a Roman perfume bottle! The base is stamped S • V (or A). These marked phials came from imperial estates in Spain, France & Italy. Did it once hold an exotic or floral blend? We’ll never know, but smelling good never goes out of style!
#Archaeology
March 21, 2025 at 1:12 PM
For #FindsFriday, a 'Bartmann' jug from a Stratford site, with a bearded face inspired by the Green Man of folklore.
Tomorrow (15th), Harry Platts shares PCA's excavation results at LAMAS. Visit our stall to see some of the fantastic finds! bit.ly/4issWwt
March 14, 2025 at 11:42 AM
PCA Warwick have a new site in the Cotswolds which is looking promising! The team have found bone pins, a glass bead, and Romano-British pottery. The site lies on the edge of a settlement occupied from the Bronze Age to the Anglo-Saxon period, which may be the current town’s origins.
#Archaeology
March 12, 2025 at 1:44 PM
For #FindsFriday, an antler pick, typically used in the Neolithic period. This one from Suffolk, found with late Iron Age pottery, may have been repurposed for agriculture. Similar tools appear at hillforts like Danebury and Maiden Castle, showing continued use in the Iron Age. #archaeology
March 7, 2025 at 11:28 AM
We’re Hiring: Assistant Project Manager / Project Manager – Winchester

Send your CV and cover letter to Caroline Edwards (CEdwards@pre-construct.com) by 4 April 2025.

More info: www.pre-construct.com/jobs/winches...
March 6, 2025 at 9:32 AM
It’s World Book Day!
For today only, get 20% off all our publications.

Shop here: www.pre-construct.com/publications/
Use coupon code BOOKS at checkout for 20% off all books.
#WorldBookDay #Archaeology #BookSale
March 6, 2025 at 8:43 AM
WE'RE HIRING IN DURHAM!
Fancy a career in archaeology? PCA is looking for Trainees and Archaeologists to join our Durham team!
www.pre-construct.com/jobs/durham-...
March 3, 2025 at 1:24 PM
We’re Hiring! PCA is recruiting Trainees, Archaeologists, Assistant Supervisors, Supervisors, and Project Officers to join our growing Cambridge team.

More here: www.pre-construct.com/jobs/cambrid...

[Image: PCA archaeologists spelling out ‘PCA’ on site – because teamwork is everything!]
February 28, 2025 at 4:23 PM
For #FindsFriday, a medieval gunstone from the Tower of London! This rough projectile was for a cannon, its final size adjusted once the gun was known. Gunstones were vital in medieval warfare & finding one in such an iconic fortress offers a compelling glimpse into its defensive past.
#archaeology
February 28, 2025 at 10:22 AM
A dragon egg in an Iron Age pit?! This striking septarian nodule, found in Cambridgeshire, formed millions of years ago in ancient seas. Minerals filled its cracks giving it an otherworldly look. Was it a ritual offering or just a curiosity?
#FindsFriday #Archaeology #IronAge #Geology
February 21, 2025 at 12:21 PM
This Roman harness mount from a site in Essex is a fitting #FindsFriday for Valentine’s Day! The heart shape might just be a design choice, but it’s a reminder that symbols we associate with love have been around for centuries.
#Archaeology #RomanBritain #Valentinesday
February 14, 2025 at 3:21 PM
Illustrating flint tools isn’t just about recording their shape—it helps capture the subtleties of flake scars, texture & wear that can reveal how they were made and used. This drawing shows last week’s #FindsFriday Palaeolithic handaxe.
#Archaeology #Prehistory #FindsIllustration #FlintFriday
February 7, 2025 at 9:31 AM
For #FindsFriday, a Lower/Middle Palaeolithic handaxe from Suffolk. The flaking is rough, but the surface is smooth as butter! Its rolled, recorticated condition hints at deep prehistory, far older than the area's usual Neolithic axe roughouts.
#archaeology #palaeolithic #lithics #flintfriday
January 31, 2025 at 10:14 AM
Behind the scenes at the Tower of London! Inside Byward Tower, medieval wall paintings show Archangel St Michael with scales tipped by demons, while Mary & John the Baptist stand to the left of a Crucifixion scene, later replaced by a Tudor fireplace. Thanks to HRP for making this visit possible!
January 30, 2025 at 12:26 PM
This Chinese fire-breathing lion from Bermondsey Square is a very rare find! It reflects the British fascination with Chinese imports during the 18th century, when objects like this became very fashionable.
Happy Chinese New Year!
#Archaeology #LunarNewYear
January 29, 2025 at 9:58 AM
For #FindsFriday we have two fantastic coins of Cunobelin, dating to AD 8-41! The gold coin is a Cunobelinus Wild type quarter stater with an ear of corn on one side and a horse on the other. #IronAge #Archaeology 🧵
January 24, 2025 at 3:35 PM