The front cover of the new British Archaeology is inevitably a bit sombre, but it’s a reminder of how fortunate we were to have had Mick Aston among us. I run an obituary-listing feature at the end of every year (about 60 individuals in the last one); and very occasionally deaths will be noticed of … Continue reading A British Archaeology for the holidays
Mick had been sending me a column for British Archaeology for every edition without fail since autumn 2006. We called it Mick’s travels, and in each piece he wrote about the archaeology and history of somewhere he’d been, often as a result of exploring on a Time Team shoot. Regardless of what I did with … Continue reading Gone travelling
Too soon. We've lost a man who was always true to himself, who loved life and inspired everyone he knew and met. If you liked archaeology, he was the archaeologist you wanted to be. His steadfast commitment to understanding the landscape and the lives of the people who made it – and to sharing his … Continue reading Mick
When I put that on the cover of British Archaeology above a photo of Mick Aston in February, I left it deliberately ambiguous. Mick was leaving Time Team – but what about Time Team itself? Now it’s official. Attempts to fiddle about with the 18-year-old format are deemed to have failed, and in the wake … Continue reading Time up
Mick Aston received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the British Museum today, presented by John Penrose, the out and about tourism & heritage minister, at the 2012 British Archaeological Awards. To quote the citation, this was for Mick’s “long-term commitment to public education and for his ongoing support for developing our understanding of past human … Continue reading Congratulations Mick
It'll be in the shops on Friday, but for those of you who haven’t yet become a member of the Council for British Archaeology or just subscribed, here’s a preview of some of my favourite bits. I had an overwhelming response from readers to last issue’s front cover exclusive – Mick Aston’s resignation from Time … Continue reading New British Archaeology
I'm giving you my essential guide to retuning your TV soon, but first a bit of archaeology. This is Maumbury rings, a nice earthworky sort of earthwork near the centre of Dorchester. It looks how it does now because of corporate curation, remodelling during the Civil War and before that as a Roman amphitheatre, but … Continue reading Filming in Dorset (& reprogramming the TV)
It started on Wednesday as the departure of Mick Aston from Time Team, as the Daily Mail ran with British Archaeology’s news. Yesterday the focus shifted to Mary-Ann Ochota, with misleading innuendos about the timing and nature of her departure from the same series. Today it’s moved down the paper chain, and has become a … Continue reading Down the paper chain
There's a lot of interest in Mick Aston's resignation, and quite rightly too. I didn't put his face on the cover of the new magazine for nothing! There's also been some misinformation, and not everyone understands how the media work. So I thought I'd round up the key pieces on the web and add a … Continue reading Let’s catch up with Mick
Mike Pitts – Digging Deeper 