Offa's Dyke Journal 2024 : A Journal for Linear Monuments, Frontiers and Borderlands Research

An open-access peer-reviewed academic publication venue for interdisciplinary research on linear monuments, frontiers and borderlands, Offa's Dyke Journal is edited and produced under the auspices of the Offa's Dyke Collaboratory supported and funded by the University of Chester and the Offa's Dyke Association. Published online by JAS Arqueología and with paperback copies sold and distributed by Archaeopress, the journal is supported by an expert editorial board. Each article is peer-reviewed by multiple specialists. ODJ here reaches its sixth volume, the second sole-edited by Howard Williams (ably supported by Kate Waddington as stand-in editor for his own publication). The core aim is to provide a venue for researchers, scholars, students and the general public to learn about the latest work on frontiers, borderlands and linear monuments.

Volume 6 comprises an introduction by the editor, and five research articles, arranged in crude chronological order in relation to their subject matter. Vyner provides an invaluable review of linear earthworks across Britain before presenting the latest data on cross-ridge dykes in North Yorkshire, arguing for their role in demarcating 'territories of ritual' in the early first millennium BC (Late Bronze Age), incorporating earlier cairns and mounds. Hankinson tackles a series of 'short dykes' in mid-Wales, arguing from their dates (where known) and spatial placement that they were part of an early medieval Welsh territory, the direct or indirect predecessor of the late medieval cantref of Mechain. Nevell considers Manchester's Nico Ditch and postulates, based on its position, that it might have been an early medieval period linear earthwork, roughly comparable in date and significance to Offa's Dyke, but controlling borderlands between Mercia and Northumbria. The penultimate publication by Belford, Grant and Malim builds upon the interim fieldwork report in volume 1 (Belford 2019), presenting important scientific dating (radiocarbon and OSL) for the construction of Offa's Dyke and Wat's Dyke, both confirming their early medieval date and prompting further questions regarding how and why they were constructed and used. Finally, Williams critiques the current heritage interpretation along the line of Offa's Dyke and the Offa's Dyke Path National Trail, advocating for a coherent strategy utilising new media, art and narratives to challenge misinformation and disinformation about the history of the borderlands and Offa's Dyke's significance within it. Together, the contributions provide new insights into the past and present uses and significances of linear monuments.

Howard Williams is Professor of Archaeology at the University of Chester and researches public archaeology and archaeologies of death and memory. He co-edits the Offa's Dyke Journal and writes an academic blog: Archaeodeath.