Built to last: Extraordinary ancient architecture at Kalambo Falls

In 2019, excavations at Kalambo Falls in Zambia produced a range of wooden objects. These included structural elements that have been dated using cutting-edge technology to an almost unbelievably ancient era. The results force us to rethink everything we thought we knew about the capabilities of early humans, as Larry…

Deciphering the decipherers: Young Versus Champollion

The rivalry between Young and Champollion in the race to translate Egyptian hieroglyphs is legendary. But what motivated these two scholars, and what qualities did they bring to the endeavour? Andrew Robinson goes in search of the personalities behind an extraordinary intellectual achievement.…

They’re coming! The invasion scares of 1803-05 & 1940

Napoleon and Hitler both drew up detailed plans for the invasion of Britain, spreading alarm among the public and forcing urgent measures from the UK government in return. Here, David Porter compares the plans, and the threat posed by the country’s two would-be invaders.…

The corpse that fooled Hitler

In the second part of our series on the use of deception during World War Two, Taylor Downing uncovers the extraordinary true story of Operation Mincemeat.…

Cromwell’s admiral

In the first part of a new occasional series, Graham Goodlad profiles Robert Blake, the republican ‘general at sea’ who laid the foundations of sea power after the Civil Wars.…

Uncovering a lost landscape: The archaeology of Llanddwyn Island

Located off the south coast of Ynys Môn (Anglesey), Llanddwyn Island was home to a small monastic community for more than 1,000 years. Now a decade of archaeological investigations have shed vivid light on this remote religious community, documenting the remains of a 12th-century church and its surrounding landscape. George…

Ad Gefrin: Distilling the spirit of Northumbria’s Golden Age

In the early medieval period, Yeavering was the site of seasonal gatherings by the Northumbrian royal court, whose palatial halls were famously excavated by Brian Hope-Taylor in the 1950s and 1960s. Now, with new archaeological investigations teasing out further details of the site, and an innovative attraction …

Rooted in the future: A cultural ecology of the Sycamore Gap tree

Do archaeological remains represent static monuments, or do they remain ‘alive’ in their natural and cultural landscapes? Emily Hanscam and Cornelius Holtorf discuss how Hadrian’s Wall and the Sycamore Gap tree can encourage us to rethink the relationships between humanity, nature, and the planet.…

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