Making people laugh in the 12th century proved to be lucrative work for Rahere (d. 1143), who is variously described as a jester, minstrel, and courtier to Henry I (c.1068-1135; r. 1100-1135). But that was in his early life: Rahere later became a devout…
Welcome
Understanding burial practices and funerary customs is a vital part of any attempt to understand an ancient culture – for while the need to separate the living from the dead is common to all human societies, the way in which this has been done over the centuries varies widely according to time and place. As part of a Viking funeral, for example, a deceased warrior might be buried with his horse, his dogs, or even in some cases an unfortunate human sacrifice, as an offering to the gods on the journey to Valhalla. Followers of the ancient Iranian religion of…
Continue reading ->
Opinion
The treatment of Tennyson and Chaucer stands as a warning to us all not to adopt similarly reductive techniques in our interpretations of history, heritage, and archaeology.…
Archaeology is not immune to wider social changes... the #BlackLivesMatter movement focused attention on the colonial pasts of many nations and on the challenges of the post-colonial present.…
Even reputable observers like Pliny the Younger often ended up at the mercy of the competence of later scribes. As his writings only survive as copies, it may be no more than a scribal slip of the hand that immortalised August as the month when Pompeii met its fate.…
A long-lost Roman emperor. Who could resist such a headline? The media lapped it up. But how could anyone lose an emperor in the first place? It turns out that this emperor was self-declared, so he wasn’t really an emperor at all…
The Picture Desk
Last year, Historic England archaeologists used ground-penetrating radar to confirm the remains of Tudor and Jacobean formal gardens at Belhus Park in Thurrock, Essex, the site of a manor built in the medieval period and rebuilt in the 16th century.…
Don't miss
The latest on exhibitions, acquisitions, and key decisions.…
David Breeze, Tatiana Ivleva, and Rebecca Jones consider the contribution made to the study of Roman frontiers by Brenda Heywood, who died…
Almost 20 years ago, York Archaeological Trust were excavating part of a Roman cemetery when they uncovered dozens of decapitated skeletons. Were…
Visitors can craft their own lanterns in a 30-minute workshop, before taking their creations on a tour of the castle whilst accompanied…
As the British Institute at Ankara celebrates a major birthday, CWA casts an eye over what it has achieved, and where it…
I would restore the great chambers of Boyne, prepare a sepulchre under the cupmarked stones. Seamus Heaney, ‘Funeral Rites’…
Until now, inscriptions found in the Canaanite alphabet have been limited to two or three words; this is the first meaningful Canaanite…
The conference, taking place on Friday 24 and Saturday 25 March 2023 in the cathedral's Old Palace, will feature talks from eight…
Christopher Catling greets an outstanding new English Heritage book by Christopher Wakeling on Nonconformist places of worship with…
Almost nothing remains above ground of London’s medieval friaries: only the names of places like Blackfriars Bridge and…
The Staffordshire Hoard is a glittering reminder of the creative talents of the Anglo-Saxons – but now pioneering…
Buckingham Palace has been the main London residence of the British monarch since 1837, when Queen Victoria chose…
On the plain of Pasargadae, Cyrus the Great founded a spectacular garden palace. Nothing like it had ever…
Everyone has heard of the aqueducts of Rome, but what about those of Medieval Exeter? Professor Mark Stoyle…
Chris Bambery examines how the deadliest engagement of the Spanish Civil War paved the way for Republican defeat.…
Chris Bambery traces the history of the Spanish Civil War and sets the scene for the conflict’s bloodiest…
Eighty years on, Graham Goodlad analyses the brutal battle that brought an end to Japanese expansion in the…
In this second part of his special on Balaklava, Patrick Mercer analyses the events of 25/26 October 1854.…
25 June 1876. Fred Chiaventone reassesses that most-famous collision between US and Native American forces.…
Patrick Mercer, a Crimean War specialist, takes a critical look at the men in command at one of…
A huge, mountainous, landlocked Central Asian state, Afghanistan has defied invaders for 2,500 years. Jules Stewart takes a…
In his latest book, the distinguished historian Peter Burke considers the many ways that misunderstandings, arrogance, and lack…
Pirates or privateers? The buccaneers who haunted the high seas in the 17th and 18th centuries sailed a…
It was a battle that changed the course of English history – at which the royalist forces of…
Archaeological work just outside Northampton has uncovered an internationally significant burial, furnished with a remarkable 7th-century necklace, as…
It was one of the greatest disasters in Spain’s history, yet it came within hours of success. Here,…
In a new book, Robert Kershaw argues that the lack of a German perspective means we have only…
In 2020, we reported on intriguing discoveries emerging from a Roman villa site near Corby, Northamptonshire. Now further…