This volume of essays presented to Andrew Rogerson is impressive. It contains twenty-one contributions on a wide range of topics dating from the Bronze Age to the early nineteenth century in period. Many of the authors are distinguished and sixteen of them are Fellows. The subject matter of many papers reflects Andrew’s interest in the Saxon and medieval periods and in ceramics. But his interests are more than this: settlement and landscape, exemplified by his study of Fransham soon to be fully published, and ‘artefacts’ (small finds) generally, for which his skill in identifying is recognised regionally.

The book is difficult to review because with so many papers not all of them can be mentioned. It is interesting to read of the early history, by Peter Wade-Martins, of the Norfolk Archaeological Trust (founded in 1923) and realise that archaeology in Norfolk, especially buildings, had been going well long before English Heritage and the county units were set up. Andrew was one of the first members of staff of the new organisation in 1973. The volume has a list of his publications, beginning in 1973 and continuing regularly to 2013, with four more in press (2014). The articles, arranged chronologically, are varied in nature, some being overviews and others fairly detailed reports of important sites or artefacts not before fully published.

Late Bronze Age metalwork from Feltwell is discussed by Alan West, who provides a setting of the site in the Norfolk Bronze Age. John Davies shows that decoration on Iron Age coins is not merely space-filling, but is a form of symbolism.

Jude Plouviez presents evidence deduced from Romano-British brooches found by Andrew when excavating at Scole in 1973, supplemented by recent finds. It seems that small towns in East Anglia distributed locally produced goods. Adrian Marsden shows that Romano-British anthropomorphic and zoomorphic objects found in major hoards reveal the religious landscape of Norfolk. The rich Thetford hoard of late objects may have been deposited because of anti-pagan edicts by Theodosius. The Stonea region has yielded several imperial busts, possibly representing an imperial cult. Stanley West considers wealth and power in the Lark Valley at Icklingham and beyond, which is rich in Bronze Age and Roman hoards. Material deposited at Hoxne, c ad 408, had vessels with Christian monograms and inscriptions.

Catherine Hills reviews ‘Spong man’, the figure on a lid excavated at the extensive mid-fifth-century cemetery in 1979. It may represent Odin, Freya or a secular person. The pots on which the lid would fit are large with elaborate decoration. Kenneth Penn gives a full report on the inhumation cemetery at Morningthorpe excavated in 1975 by Andrew and others. The grave goods found with 300 skeletons dating to c ad 450–600 reflect social changes. Weapons increased at first, later becoming fewer but of higher status. Many skeletons were accompanied with a single pot, sometimes complete, sometimes broken; decoration mattered to those choosing grave goods. Costume changes were indicated by the goods of young females.

Helen Geake examines the use of fish as objects and in engravings. A model silver-gilded fish from East Walton, Norfolk, found in 2008, is used as the book-cover illustration. The fish was a Christian symbol by the late second century, but Helen doubts if these Saxon images are symbols of reintroduced Christianity. There are excellent comparative colour images of fish motifs from the Staffordshire hoard. Edward Martin conclusively shows that the Late Saxon coin hoard, known as the Thwaite hoard, came from neighbouring Wickham Skeith. There were some 700 coins, of which 377 now survive, mostly of Harold and Edward the Confessor. The hoard was deposited c 1050 and Edward discusses possible reasons for this.

Tim Pestell presents a full report on the enigmatic site of Bawsey, where Time Team excavated in 1998. An area that has previously produced many Middle Saxon coins yielded Ipswich Ware and later pottery. An ‘Iron-Age type’ enclosure surrounding the ruined church seems to be medieval. Tim interprets the site as a trading area, later taken over in function by Bishop’s Lynn. Stephen Heywood discusses the bishopric sites of North and South Elmham and T A Heslop describes Great Dunham church with its high-status architecture of the late eleventh century.

Steven Ashley and Martin Biddle catalogue recent Norfolk and continental finds of late twelfth–early thirteenth-century sword and dagger pommels of unusual types, associated with the Crusades. Most known examples were collected in the Holy Land, and are possibly of French manufacture.

These papers presented to Andrew Rogerson are an interesting series, illustrating the scope of archaeology in East Anglia. The volume is a useful and well-illustrated record, of interest to the general reader as well as specialists and professionals.