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  • The Leek embroidery

    In last month’s CA, Sherds wrote that Reading Museum’s copy of the Bayeux Tapestry was censored by the women of the Leek Embroidery Society when they stitched the facsimile in 1886. Sherds has since learned that the ladies of Leek have been maligned.

    Chris Catling

Photo of The Day

  • Flinders Petrie and the discovery of early Egypt

    Flinders Petrie and the discovery of early Egypt

    Petrie’s work at Naqada revealed for the first time the prehistoric past of Egypt.

  • Colliery headstock and winding house listed : Swanwick, Derbyshire

    Colliery headstock and winding house listed : Swanwick, Derbyshire

    This rare example of a private colliery – called Swanwick Common Colliery and dating to the early 20th century – was recently granted Grade II-listed status. Surviving collieries are rare in England, and those from private, small-scale operations particularly so, despite having once been fairly common. In fact, Historic England is not aware of any…

  • Footprints in stone

    Footprints in stone

    Analysis of human and animal footprints carved into rock faces in Namibia has revealed that they contain a wealth of hidden details. Engravings of human and animal tracks are found in prehistoric rock art around the world, but these images are often overlooked, grouped together with other geometric motifs. However, the authors of a new…

  • The wreck of Södermanland, Sweden

    The wreck of Södermanland, Sweden

    In this photograph, a diver explores the wreck of Södermanland, an 18th-century Swedish ship of the line now resting in the waters off Karlskrona, on the country’s southern coast. Built in Stockholm and launched in 1749, the 42-metre ship could carry a crew of 450 men and was armed with 50 guns. She saw action…

  • A snapshot in time

    A snapshot in time

    The Hardmans’ House, Liverpool

Archaeology Books

Military History Books

Comment

  • Excavating the CA archive: Monasteries of the high medieval period – Part 2

    Joe Flatman

    Continuing last month’s exploration of high medieval monasticism, this month I will visit sites across the country, both well known and less well known, that reflect the profound impact the Church had on society during this era, and the discoveries made by modern-day archaeologists which highlight this

  • The Bayeux Tapestry

    Chris Catling

    The Bayeux Tapestry has gone on display at the British Museum at last, despite the fears of some conservators that transporting it to London would cause irreparable damage. In the event, two threads were found to be broken when the Tapestry was inspected after arriving in London.

  • The view from Vienna

    Charles Higham

    Last year, in Vienna, we visited the salt mines at Hallstatt and the site beside the Danube where the Venus of Willendorf was discovered.

  • Amphibious cities

    World Archaeology

    When news about Tenochtitlan (nowadays Mexico City), the capital of the Aztec Empire, started to reach Europe around the time of the conquest by the Spanish Conquistadors led by Hernán Cortés, the city was soon labelled the ‘Venice of the New World’.

  • The Jacobite Wars

    The Jacobite Wars

    In the first part of our new series, Graham Goodlad explores the Jacobite movement’s early attempts to overthrow Britain’s ruling Protestant monarchy.

Travel

Let our intrepid team of reporters inspire you with their reports from around the world

Museums

We continue our visits of museums around the workd

  • American thunderbolt

    In the first part of our special feature, Graham Goodlad charts the development of America’s air-arm from its earliest beginnings, while in our second article he focuses on the hardware deployed by American forces.

    American thunderbolt

Objects

We select our favourite objects from the newly discovered to the well-known

  • Finds Tray: Bronze Age hoard

    Finds Tray: Bronze Age hoard

    This is a Bronze Age hoard that was found near Blyth Bridge in the Scottish Borders. It comprises two bronze axe-heads, a complete copper ingot…

  • The pectoral of Ramesses II, Musée du Louvre

    The pectoral of Ramesses II, Musée du Louvre

    Campbell Price describes a New Kingdom pectoral made of electrum and glass.

  • Finds Tray: Bronze Age button

    Finds Tray: Bronze Age button

    This Bronze Age button comes from a hoard of three copper-alloy items that also included two axe heads. One of the axe heads was noticed…

  • Medieval notebook

    Medieval notebook

    We can see Latin, scratched into the book’s wax 700-800 years ago. What is it? This well-preserved medieval ‘notebook’ dates to the 13th or 14th…

Groups

We discover the little known, yet tirelessly dedicated voluntary heritage societies thriving in Britain today..

  • Nautical Archaeology Society

    Nautical Archaeology Society

    Sea levels have risen by around 120m (400ft) since the last Ice Age, only stabilising at their current position around 3,000 years ago. Given how…

  • The Grayling Society

    The Grayling Society

    In the world of fly fishing, trout dominate the headlines, but in the past grayling were considered to be the equal of trout for sporting…

  • Friends of Abingdon Abbey Buildings Trust

    Friends of Abingdon Abbey Buildings Trust

    On 9 February 1538, Abbot Thomas Rowland signed a Deed of Surrender, formally handing over his monastery to Henry VIII, and the 1,000-year history of…

  • Cambridge Past, Present & Future

    Cambridge Past, Present & Future

    Starting with the opening of the UK’s first science park in 1970, Cambridge has grown from the sleepy market town of 60 years ago into…