World Archaeology

World Archaeology

Above Some of the small gold boats from Bronze Age Nors, which represent the ship that carried the sun through the darkness of the underworld at night. below There are a large number of amber artefacts on display at the museum, including Mesolithic and Neolithic pendants and figurines, like this bear.

National Museum of Denmark

The National Museum of Denmark has one of the oldest established collections of prehistoric artefacts in the world. It dates back to King Frederik VI, who set up The Royal Commission for the Preservation of Antiquities in 1807. More than 200 years after the Commission’s founding, the ground floor of the Prince’s Palace (where the collection moved in 1855) beautifully presents artefacts from across Denmark, which offer a detailed look at the people who lived there, as well as further objects from the land that once connected Denmark to Britain.

RIGHt This sculpted stucco Maya head excavated at Uxmal, Mexico, may have once decorated the House of the Governor.

Infinity of Nations

Around 700 objects from more than 200 Indigenous communities give a glimpse of the people who have interacted across these diverse environments over thousands of years.

Mexico: Day of the Dead

Long-held traditions evolve and gain new elements with every generation. Current World Archaeology's Carly Hilts travelled to Mexico for the Day of the Dead to find out more.

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Ruins on Rapa Nui

This is the ruined ahu complex of the Akahanga, which is but one of dozens dotted around the coastline of the tiny island.

ABOVE An early example from Nepal of a ‘Tantra’ that is, a religious text. BELOW A 13th century temple sculpture showing Bhairava. His impassive expression is undercut by the pair of fangs projecting from his mouth and the severed head clutched in his hand. Members of the demonic dead stand to Bhairava’s left and right.

Tantra: an archaeology of enlightenment

Tantra’s appeal has proven remarkably broad. What began on the margins of Indian society went on to command the patronage of royalty and transform Hinduism and Buddhism as it spread across Asia. Along the way, it created a rich archaeological legacy, capable of provoking radically different reactions from its audiences, as Imma Ramos told World Archaeology.

ABOVE The location of Cedrocucho. This photograph shows the steep sided and heavily vegetated mountain where ruins were recently encountered during forest clearance work (location circled in red). BELOW This 1m wide wall seems to mark the lower eastern boundary of the site. At one end, it connects to a cliff, while at the other it reportedly reaches a ravine.

Cedrocucho: a pre-Inca tropical rainforest site?

The Incas had an eye for exotic rainforest produce, but many questions remain about how and when such goods were exploited by peoples living in the Peruvian highlands. Now a major archaeological complex, discovered during deforestation, promises to shed new light on the subject. Lidio M Valdez ponders who was farming the forest.

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War, plague, and pollution from a European ice core

For millennia, fresh ice forming on a European glacier marked the passing years like tree rings. But over time these layers became compressed, preventing individual years within the depths of the ice from being examined individually. A new technology is now unlocking this remarkable repository of information, as Alexander More, Christopher Loveluck, Michael McCormick, and Paul Mayewski told World Archaeology.

LEFT Pachacamac was one of the glories of the Inca world, but it also had a history that stretched back long before the Inca conquest. A long running project has been examining pilgrimage to the site before and during the Inca period. Here, excavations are underway on a remarkable building, referred to as B15 by the team, with the Inca Temple of the Sun in the background. BELOW An aerial view of Pachacamac with a pyramid with ramp in the foreground, the Pilgrims' Plaza and its columns in the middle, and the Temple of the Sun dominating the site to the south.

Pachacamac: pilgrimages and power in ancient Peru

Excavations at Pachacamac in Peru have revealed evidence for large-scale pilgrimages at the time of the Incas. Ongoing research is exploring the pilgrims’ motivations and the ceremonies performed by them. Project director Peter Eeckhout describes the discoveries made by his team and how they illuminate our understanding of the biggest pre-Columbian empire.

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Pasargadae: seeking the origins of a garden palace

On the plain of Pasargadae, Cyrus the Great founded a spectacular garden palace. Nothing like it had ever been seen in the region before, raising questions about where the idea came from, how the garden was maintained, and even where the inhabitants lived. Recently, an Iranian-French team under Rémy Boucharlat went in search of the answers, as Andrew Selkirk reveals.

Above The spectacular pyramids at Tikal rising above the Guatemalan rainforest. For centuries, such dense foliage has kept the Maya secrets well, but an extensive LiDAR survey has revealed just how much lies shrouded under the canopy.

Mapping the Maya: the lost wonders of a jungle civilisation

The deeds of royal dynasties presiding over Maya city-states in northern Guatemala can still be followed on ornate inscriptions raised in their name. But just how large were their dominions? Recent survey work has revealed that the Maya were far more populous and sophisticated than previously suspected. Tom Garrison told Matthew Symonds how follow-up fieldwork is revolutionising our knowledge of Maya state power.

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The Palpa figures: were these images created before the Nasca lines?

Survey near the town of Palpa, Peru, has revealed a wealth of geoglyphs that appear to be older than their celebrated neighbours at Nasca. Luis Jaime Castillo, Johny Isla, Fabrizio Serván, and Karla Patroni reveal what has been found, and why these images seem to have been aimed at a very different audience to the Nasca lines.

Tutankhamun: a teenager’s journey to the afterlife

As the centenary of Howard Carter’s discovery looms, the largest collection of Tutankhamun’s grave goods ever to leave Egypt has embarked on a world tour. The objects, ranging from glittering treasures to everyday essentials, were assembled to ease the youthful pharaoh’s passage into the next world. For all their beauty, these artefacts also tell tales of belief, the burden of royal duties, and young love, as Tarek El Awady revealed to CWA's Matthew Symonds.

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Object Lesson – ‘Ahu ‘ula

What is it? This glorious 18th-century Hawaiian cloak, measuring 175cm in length and c.223cm in width, is made of olona¯ fibre and black rooster feathers, with a border of yellow feathers from the now-extinct ‘o‘o (a honeyeater) and red ones…