As Hadrian’s Wall is a protected World Heritage Site, opportunities to excavate across the line of the Roman fortifications are rare. In the summer of 2021, however, planned development works in the Ouseburn area of Newcastle upon Tyne offered the possibility to do just…
Welcome
This week on The Past, we are delighted to celebrate a very special milestone: the 400th issue of our sister publication Current Archaeology – the ground-breaking specialist magazine, first published in March 1967, that is now firmly established as Britain’s favourite archaeology title. Over more than five decades, CA has gone from strength to strength – bringing you all the latest news from around the country, as well as reporting on digs, talking to excavators, and reviewing a seemingly endless supply of books and papers – all part of the never-ending work of keeping readers up-to-date with everything going on…
Continue reading ->
Opinion
editor Carly asked me to delve into the archives for a bumper edition of my column, in order to tell the story of archaeology in the UK across the lifespan of the magazine…
Christopher Catling, Contributing Editor for Current Archaeology, delves into the eccentricities of the heritage world. This is his latest 'Sherds' column.…
Andrew Selkirk, Current Archaeology’s founder and Editor-in-chief, marks the magazine’s latest milestone, and looks to the future.…
had King Charles been in need of distraction or amusement during his Coronation in May 2023, he could have done worse than study all the graffiti carved into the woodwork of the Coronation Chair…
The Picture Desk
Orford Castle in Suffolk has reopened to visitors after detailed conservation work – a project 13 years in the making – was completed in January. The castle was originally built for Henry II between 1165 and 1174, as a royal…
Don't miss
There are many great ways to get involved with archaeology and heritage this summer, including new exhibitions, events, activities, and more. Or,…
A new exhibition running at the World Museum in Liverpool illuminates some of the key figures of ancient Greek and Roman myth,…
The latest on exhibitions, acquisitions, and key decisions.…
The archaeological gems on show in a neglected region of Greece help to shed light on the success of Alexander the Great,…
What is it? This object, thought to be at least 2,000 years old, is believed to be a stringed musical instrument. The…
A recent exhibition at the National Museum of Asian Art in Washington, DC, explores the art and culture of the Bronze Age…
A look at some of the best military history events and exhibitions to check out.…
The Avro Manchester originated with an Air Ministry specification dating from November 1936 for a bomber capable of carrying a load in…
As CIfA’s code of conduct states, ‘fuller understanding of the past provided by archaeology is part of society’s…
How did Alexander the Great tame rebellious provinces? According to the ancient sources, he established a chain of…
In this first part of a special feature on the dynastic struggle between the rival houses of Lancaster…
What actually happened on a Wars of the Roses battlefield? What was it like to fight in the…
Our special feature in this issue explores the art of war in late 15th-century England with an article…
What can objects tell us about how people objected to the authority of the day? A new exhibition…
Lucy Shackleton lifts the lid on bee-keeping in the ancient world and sees how Virgil’s presentation of bees…
Archaeology destroys: once a site has been dug, it cannot be un-dug. Now, however, archaeologists Maurizio Forte, Nicolò…
MHM Editor Neil Faulkner analyses the RAF’s controversial strategic bombing campaign.…
Graham Goodlad analyses Cunningham’s masterpiece, the battle which broke the power of fascist Italy in the Mediterranean.…
For our special this issue, Graham Goodlad analyses the achievements of Admiral Andrew Browne Cunningham, universally known to…
The greatest battle in American history took place 160 years ago this summer, in July 1863. Fred Chiaventone…
Atrocities were mercifully few in America’s most bloody war. But the exceptions were grim. Frederick Chiaventone recalls the…
The fanciful character of Dracula the vampire evolved from a real-life figure who was just as terrifying as…
The roots of the current war in Ukraine are deeply entwined with the nation’s turbulent military history. Here,…
Half a century on, the most comprehensive series ever made about the Second World War is still being…
Ponteland’s prehistoric past: tracing life and death on the edge of the Northumberland Coastal Plain
Recent excavations on the south-western part of the Northumberland Coastal Plain have revealed an early Bronze Age ring-ditch…
Richborough in Kent was one of the key locations in the early stages of the Roman invasion of…
It has been an undergraduate essay topic for the last 50 years and is a question that continues…
When a rock carved with late prehistoric imagery was uncovered in Shropshire – a county where examples of…