Nel mese di marzo di quest'anno un maschio suba dulto di lince eurasiatica (Lynx lynx), catturato nel Parco Nazionale svizzero -dove ne erano segnalate le tracce già a partire dal 5 dicembre del 2007 (Haller 2008) -il 22 febbraio ed equipaggiato di un radiocol lare satellitare Gps/Gsm, ha prima attraversato l'Alta Valtellina, in Lombardia, per poi raggiungere la Val di Pejo, nel Trentino occidentale, dalla Valfurva, su perando -tra l'altro -un passo situato ad una quota di oltre 3.000 m s.l.m. Nei due mesi successivi di aprile e maggio B132 -così è chiamata nella codifica zione dei ricercatori svizzeri la lince in questione -ha proseguito il suo cammino fino a raggiungere il Brenta orientale, dove sembra essersi stabilizzata, su scitando un rinnovato interesse nei confronti della specie in ambito alpino. Si tenga conto che nelle Alpi italiane solo un'altra lince è stata -ed è in effetti tut tora -sotto controllo radiotelemetrico, ad opera del l'Università di Udine: si tratta di un maschio adulto che sembra aver stabilito il suo home range in un'area relativamente ristretta delle Prealpi Carniche, tra le province di Udine e Pordenone (Molinari-Jobin 2007, Filacorda 2008 -vedi anche: http://www.uniud.it/ri cerca/strutture/dipartimenti_scientifica/dian/wildli fe/index_html/cattura_lince/). L'aspetto più significativo di questo avvenimento risiede comunque nel fatto che si tratta della disper sione a più ampio raggio documentata per la specie in ambito europeo, al di fuori dell'areale scandinavo: in linea d'aria B132 ha infatti già percorso oltre 200 km dal suo luogo di nascita -avvenuta nel 2006 -ed oltre 80 km dal luogo di cattura nel Parco Nazionale svizzero. Questo sorprendente record assume valore sia dal punto di vista scientifico che da quello più propriamente conservazionistico. Il 22 febbraio 2008, come si è detto, era stato possi bile catturare in una trappola a cassetta la lince in questione (Fig. 1) -risultata pesare 24 kg -e dotarla di un radiocollare Gps/Gsm: dopo una visita veteri naria completa è stato prelevato anche un campione di sangue, per consentirne successivamente l'identi ficazione per via genetica. Il comportamento spaziale di questo esemplare riveste un interesse particolare, dal momento che è stato catturato ed ha poi prose guito il suo movimento di dispersione al di fuori dei limiti dell'areale di distribuzione attuale della popo lazione alpina stabilizzata. Quest'ultimo fa infatti se gnare, nel vasto tratto della catena che intercorregrosso modo -tra il Canton Vallese e le Alpi e Preal pi Carniche, uno iato distributivo (con segnalazioni solo sporadiche, ) che B132 ha -per la parte ad ovest dell 'A Forest@ 5: 269-272 (2008) 269 269

The TRAC session that led to this series of combined mini-papers was consciously designed as a forum for discussion. The aim of the session was to consider ways to tackle perceived systemic problems in the archaeology of Roman Britain (and, by extension, in the archaeology of other periods) that lead to destructive methods, interpretive fallacies and poor job satisfaction. The shared feeling of those attending the TRAC session seemed to be that well established systems in developer-funded or 'commercial' archaeology, university archaeology departments and even in museum environments are overly driven by ideas of competition, division and acquisition for its own sake, the apparently dominant neoliberal values of our time. Such values promote constraining hierarchies within and between organisations, generating lack of communication and ineffective team working. In this 'manifesto'-style paper, different authors discuss the systemic issue that has most impact on their field of employment or research, and offer solutions for a potential 'redemption'.

allocate a number to this phase. The same is true of the post-Roman phase, including the evidence for the late 18th-century colliery. Phase numbers (designated Periods) are solely allocated to the five Roman phases identified. This has potential for confusion. The Wall crossed a shallow valley at this point, and the Period 1 building included very deep foundations with 'long stones' in the footings, adding 'a new term to the vocabulary of the Wall'. The construction, including the carefully coursed core and the fact that the structure was clay-bonded, is described in great detail. Bidwell examines the possible source of stone and the reasons for the absence of mortar, and issues in the supply and transport of lime. The idea of the Narrow Wall to the east of Newcastle being an addition to the original scheme is emphatically restated. The primary construction of the Wall included provision for the passage of two channels of an aqueduct, which must have been carried over the Wall ditch in a timber channel. The aqueduct would have supplied extramural buildings, particularly the recently discovered fort bath-house. This in turn means that when the Wall was built aspects of the extramural plan had already been laid out. At the end of Period 1 the Wall collapsed, due to subsidence and possibly the failure to maintain the aqueduct. The rebuild is dated to the Severan period, and is of a piece with the provision of defences to the vicus. A feature of both Periods 1 and 2 is the provision of the well-known system of 'obstacles' on the berm between the Wall and the Wall ditch. The Period 2 replacement of these features was also connected with the vicus defences. Period 2 was ended by a second collapse, apparently occasioned by continuing subsidence. During the Period 3 reconstruction, probably in the second quarter of the third century, the system of obstacles was erased. A third collapse again prompted a rebuilding, this time using spolia from other structures, in particular a chamfered string course featuring a lewis hole and bar-cramp slots which was used in the remodelling of one of the original aqueduct culverts. Adjacent to the aqueduct, a space where individual arrowheads had been buried is interpreted as a sacred or votive space in the lee of the Wall. The final collapse at the end of Period 4 included parts of five collapsed courses, which remained in situ. This revealed the reused stonework employed in the Period 3 rebuild, including a decorated cornice block and part of a monolithic stone window head, which seems to have been derived from the main west gate of the fort (abandoned in favour of the minor west gate before the fourth century). There is some indication of a final rebuild, though no stonework of this putative phase survived. At all events, it seems that stretches of the Wall remained standing long after the end of the Roman period, into the 15th century and beyond. The evidence for post-Roman robbing, the layout of 18th-century fields and the construction of the late 18th-century colliery are described...

Spindle whorls are one of the most durable traces of the textile craft in the archaeological record. They can be found in copious quantities and diverse types in forts and extramural settlements on the Romano British northern frontier. The connection between spinning tools and female identity, although widely recognised and studied in the burial record, has seldom prompted in-depth observation of whorls and their characteristics, either individually or as assemblages, along the frontiers of the Empire. The following paper will explore how shape, size, decoration, and use wear marks on spindle whorls from Vindolanda and Corbridge can reveal insights into the practice of spinning. By analysing the distribution and physical properties of whorls in the northwestern quadrant of Vindolanda, an attempt will also be made to connect the spinning practice to the construction and performance of female identity.

the region, we cannot be sure to what extent the population might have been exploited by the Roman army and other immigrants.The book demonstrates beyond any doubt the wealth of archaeological remains and rich Roman heritage of County Durham, giving new insights on the interactions between the diverse frontier communities, as well as the lasting legacy of the sites, infrastructure and populations. Roman County Durham is an attractive production, but the length of the volume has perhaps caused several editing oversights. There are some repetitions, and some references in the text are missing from the bibliography (e.g. Herz 2011 on p. 65). The hefty weight of the book means this is not a volume to carry around the county when visiting sites, but it combines easy and enjoyable reading with the quality of a reference book or gazetteer packed with informative and thorough analysis. Mason has done a great service in making our current state of knowledge available in one convenient place to professional archaeologists, academics and the general public alike.