From the editor

I write this late in March, on the day British Archaeology goes to the printer. The world is changing fast. It’s likely that many, possibly all of the events featured here will not take place, whether they are cancelled, postponed or re-invented. An exhibition about a unique Bronze Age hoard will not open in April. You will not be able to see the movie 1917 in a cinema. At this moment, the future of courses, meetings and lectures listed in Briefing looks uncertain, and many will probably not happen – please check with organisers before making plans.

What role for archaeology in this maelstrom? Outdoors we can enjoy historic sites and landscapes, as the days lengthen and spring gets under way. Indoors we can read, exploring our own libraries, perhaps, and taking advantage of the huge amount of online material: museums and galleries showing their collections and research, excavation outfits featuring their work, blogs and podcasts by archaeologists, and conversations on social media. Journals often release some content for free, and of course cba members and digital subscribers can access the entire back archive of British Archaeology.

The past is all around us, in our homes, our streets and our countryside, and the stories it holds puzzle and entertain. In confusing times, there is comfort there too: people adapt endlessly, humanity endures.