Treasures of a Saxon King of Essex An archaeological excavation by the Museum of London Archaeology Service at Priory Crescent, Prittlewell, Essex in autumn 2003 unearthed a 7th century grave that is perhaps the most spectacular discovery of its kind made during the past 50 years - the grave is probably that of an Anglo-Saxon King of Essex. The range and combination of objects and how they were placed in the grave to create a setting for the dead king is unique. Weapons, equipment for feasting and personal possessions were found. The coffin contained items that had been placed on the body as part of the burial ritual. These included two small gold foil crosses, two gold coins and a gold belt buckle. The survival of the chamber and its contents is due to the mound above the grave collapsing into the open chamber as the roof timbers decayed. However, the high acidity of the sand filling the burial chamber has meant that no trace of a body survived. The objects in the grave such as the sword suggest it was almost certainly that of a man. The contents of the burial chamber, down to the 'king's' shoe buckles (above) were still in place. The finds will be on show in London and Southend for the next few weeks.

York Viking festival launched The annual Viking festival, organised by the York Archaeological Trust, has been launched in York. The climax of the festival will be a reconstruction of the Coronation of Erik Bloodaxe in York Minster, with a candlelit procession and authentic ceremony, surrounded by over 100 Vikings.

Archaeological informatics A new issue of the electronic journal Internet Archaeology has been published with a number of papers on the theme of archaeological informatics: beyond technology.

Historic Scotland to remain Executive agency Historic Scotland will remain as an agency of the Scottish Executive. A report on the review of the structure and functions of Historic Scotland has been published, and Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport Frank McAveety said that he had accepted all of the review recommendations and work is in hand to make many of the required changes. Mr McAveety said: "The review has concluded that all of the functions currently delivered by Historic Scotland are necessary, and that the organisation should remain as an executive agency within the Scottish Executive Education Department. "However, the review has identified a clear need for cultural change within the organisation and I have asked the chief executive of Historic Scotland to start work on a programme to deliver the necessary changes. As part of this process independent external members will be appointed to the Historic Scotland management board. "I especially welcome the recommendation that, following consultation with stakeholders, all of the policies which impact on the historic environment should be pulled together into an overarching policy statement".

Resource becomes MLA The Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries has announced that it is dropping the name "Resource" from its title. The organisation, which provides leadership across the sector and strategic advice to government, said it would be known in future as the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council, abbreviated to MLA.

Traffic in artefacts from Iraq, Afghanistan and beyond A Swiss-British conference on 'Not for sale - making the new laws work', held from 5-6 February 2004 at the University of Geneva, brought together archaeologists, curators, collectors, dealers and auction houses alongside those who drafted the new laws and those who will apply them. The discussion was summarised in an online blog.

Access to archaeological archives Resource, in association with the Archaeological Archive Forum, has recently completed a study to define the costs associated with the storage of, and provision of access to, archaeological archives in museums for the financial year 2002-2003. The research will help museums who are reviewing their provision for archaeological archives.

Neanderthals not human ancestors? A group of researchers have suggested that the Neanderthals were not close relatives of modern humans and represent a single species quite distinct from our own. Thye claim that 3D comparisons of Neanderthal, modern human and other primate skulls confirm theories that the ancient people were a breed apart.

Killhope is Guardian's family friendly museum of the year Killhope, the North of England Lead Mining Museum in County Durham has been named as the winner of the first Guardian Family Friendly Museum award.

Consultation over future of Lincoln's Roman past The City of Lincoln Council is asking the public to comment on its plans to conserve, manage and reinterpret the city's vast Roman heritage. Many of the sites are inaccessible to the public or require conservation and the council has drawn up a draft plan to ensure the city’s past is maintained for future generations. "Lincoln is extremely fortunate to have 27 visible Roman monuments which is a tremendous cultural and tourism resource," said Portfolio Holder for Regeneration and Tourism, Cllr Neil Murray. "The opening of the new City and County Museum will become a signpost to the city’s Roman heritage and it is now vital that we both look after and imaginatively interpret our Roman monuments. The Conservation Plan plays an important part in that process."

National Trust plans for 2004 unveiled Fiona Reynolds, the National Trust's Director-General, has highlighted the enormous range of innovative cultural and natural heritage projects opening to the public during 2004. "There are literally hundreds of areas in which the Trust is embarking on ambitious projects that will benefit people at all levels and that build on unprecedented levels of public support" she said. "It is a pity that the Government seems reluctant to take a lead in celebrating the contribution a thriving heritage sector can make to all our lives."

Views on the Stonehenge roads proposals "English Heritage supports the Highways Agency's proposal for the A303 at Stonehenge, which will bring a number of major benefits to the Stonehenge World Heritage Site (WHS) by removing the roads and traffic from the immediate vicinity of the Stone Circle. This will improve the visitor experience as well as achieving major objectives of the WHS management plan. The route of the new road and its associated structures have been deliberately planned to minimise archaeological disturbance. We are still in discussions with the Highways Agency about some aspects of the scheme and are hopeful they will be resolved." A public inquiry into the proposals begins on 17 February. The National Trust "does not believe that the proposed 2.1km tunnel is long enough to guarantee the integrity of this iconic site".

Rare medieval silver ring declared Treasure A 13th or early 14th century silver ring, faceted to form 16 concave panels each containing a single letter of the inscription Ave Maria Gracia V - Hail Mary (full of) Grace - a religious inscription commonly found on medieval rings, which was found with the aid of a metal detector on the Isle of Wight has been declared to be Treasure by the local Coroner.

The Amesbury Archer was a settler from the Alps The man who may have helped organise the building of Stonehenge was a settler from continental Europe. The latest tests on the Amesbury Archer show he was originally from the Alps region, probably Switzerland, Austria or Germany. The tests also show that the gold hair tresses found in the grave are the earliest gold objects found in Britain. The grave of the Archer, who lived around 2,300BC, contained about 100 items, more than ten times as many objects as any other burial site from this time.

Roman water mains still flowing Archaeologists on a Roman fort dig at Vindolanda in Northumberland have unearthed 30 yards of wooden mains which fed the fort with water from nearby springs. Amazingly, the mains were still working and carrying water - almost 2,000 years after they were first installed. "The fact that they were still working is quite incredible but it was also a nuisance because they flooded the excavation trenches which had to be pumped out every day," said Robin Birley, director of excavations at Vindolanda. The pipes had been created by drilling huge lengths of alder, which were joined together by oak pegs.