Fabulous festive news for diggingthedirt: the infinite amount of monkeys bashing the infinite amount of typewriters that occasionally spew-forth sporadic posts for your favourite website, have been nominated for an archaeology award!

‘When the Celtic Tiger Roared,’ the first installment in a four-part Celtic Tiger serial recently published in Current Archaeology, has been nominated for ‘Rescue Dig of the Year.’ This article featured a multi-period wetland excavation on the N25 Waterford Bypass, drawing on the differences between British and Irish archaeology.

The awards are held annually at the British Museum in London, and are voted for by the readers of the magazine in print and online. There are a number of categories of award, including Archaeologist of the Year, Book of the Year, and Research Project of the Year.

Along with yours truly, the other projects in my category include:

Lanton Quarry: New evidence in Northumbria CA 239

A routine investigation ahead of gravel quarrying turned up some very exciting multi-period results, but it was the discovery of a rare, low-status Anglo-Saxon settlement that captured the most attention. Could these modest dwellings be the ‘support centre’ for the elite Anglo-Saxon royal town at nearby Yeavering?

Bouldnor Cliff: Diving into the Mesolithic  CA 241

The dark green, fast-flowing waters of the Solent have proven to be a prehistoric paradise for archaeologists. The discovery of a drowned Mesolithic landscape off the coast of the Isle of Wight has provided insight into the wood-working ability and changing lifestyles of our Mesolithic ancestors.

Excavating All Saints: A Medieval church rediscovered CA 245

Archaeologists in York found much more than they expected when excavations began on the site of a ‘lost’ Medieval church. Mass graves were discovered, containing the remains of Cromwell’s soldiers from the Siege of York in 1644.

The Frome Hoard CA 246

The Frome Hoard, discovered by a metal detectorist in a Somerset field, is the largest coin hoard ever found in Britain in a single pot. Another great success for the Portable Antiquities Scheme, the 52,000 coins in the pot have much to say about wealth, ritual and political upheaval in Roman Britain.

And of course, last but by no means least…

When the Celtic Tiger roared: The golden years of commercial archaeology in Ireland CA 247

The prosperity of Ireland’s Celtic Tiger economic boom created an unprecedented period of success for commercial archaeology: big sites were excavated, worldwide controversies were created, and a new system of archaeology was put to the test.

Download the complete series of Celtic Tiger articles here…

And please vote for your favourite article here… (as long as it’s mine).