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Ninth-century Carolingian coins from the reigns of Louis the Pious and Charles the Bald are not the sort of objects you would expect to find on a remote farm on the Isle of Anglesey, so, when metal-detectorists began reporting these and other exceptional artefacts from the early medieval period, the National Museum of Wales (now Amgueddfa Cymru) sent Mark Redknap, then Curator of Medieval and Later Archaeology, to investigate. Between 1994 and 2012, Mark led ten seasons of fieldwork on the site, revealing the remains of a trading settlement with a form unparalleled in Wales. With the full report recently published, Chris Catling describes its key findings.

Lechlade’s buried secrets: Revisiting a long-lived ritual landscape in Gloucestershire

In 2017, excavations revealed an unusual Bronze Age burial alongside other signs of ceremonial activity spanning thousands of years. With some of the grave goods now on display, CA returns to the story of the Lechlade ‘chieftain’.

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The making of ancient Egypt: Glimpsing the artisans behind the artefacts

January 22, 2026

The art and artefacts of ancient Egypt are still familiar around the world, but how much do we know about the people who created these objects? Matthew Symonds spoke to Helen Strudwick about the makers of ancient Egypt.

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Communicating classical antiquity: The making of a Museum of Ancient Art

January 21, 2026

Aarhus offers a fascinating example of how university museums can reflect research agendas, as Vinnie Nørskov and Rubina Raja explain.

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The last continent: Heritage on the Antarctic Peninsula

January 20, 2026

Amid the remote and beautiful Antarctic wilderness, a set of structures is preserved to tell the story of British science in the region. While the origins of a permanent presence on the continent lie in a covert wartime mission, this laid the foundations for an era of trailblazing scientific discovery. Matthew Symonds found out more from Camilla Nichol.

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109 Roman mounts: Excavating a military horse cemetery

January 20, 2026

Investigating the environs of a Roman fort at Stuttgart-Bad Cannstatt, in south-west Germany, has revealed the remains of a remarkable number of cavalry horses. Sarah Roth explains what these can teach us about a key instrument of Roman power.

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The empire strikes back: The American Revolution – Part 3: changing fortunes

January 13, 2026

In the third part of his series marking the 250th anniversary of the US Declaration of Independence, Fred Chiaventone examines the crucial events of 1777-1780.

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Life blood: Britain’s war-winning medical innovation.

January 13, 2026

One of the greatest contributions to Britain’s WWII success was made not by frontline troops, but by the transfusion pioneers who supported them on the battlefield. John Beales reports.

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Berlin, year zero : The Iron Curtain falls – Part 4: a divided city

January 13, 2026

In the latest part of our series on the coming of the Cold War, Taylor Downing reveals how tensions mounted in Germany’s ruined capital.

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Verdun by numbers

January 13, 2026

10 months. Duration of the battle: lasting from 21st February until 18 December 1916. Verdun was the longest conflict of the First World War.

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Verdun: the longest battle

January 12, 2026

In our special feature for this issue, Graham Goodlad traces first the military career of Philippe Pétain, the French marshal later disgraced for his collaboration with Nazi Germany, and then looks at the battle of Verdun to understand how France’s eventual victory was achieved at such terrible human cost.

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The Mill on the Meuse

January 12, 2026

In the second part of our special feature, Graham Goodlad examines the epic French defence of the fortress of Verdun in the longest battle of World War I.

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Spitfire at 90

January 9, 2026

The maiden flight of the world’s most famous fighter took place 90 years ago this spring. Stephen Roberts reveals how it helped to win the war.

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Blazing a trail: Earliest evidence of humans making fire discovered in Suffolk

January 1, 2026

Excavations at East Farm, Barnham, have uncovered the oldest-known traces of deliberate fire-making – a game-changing step in the human story that we now know took place 350,000 years earlier than was previously thought. Carly Hilts reports.

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Lord of the Isles: Uncovering Finlaggan’s elite archaeology

December 31, 2025

The Lords of the Isles ruled large swathes of the western islands and highlands of Scotland between 1140 and 1493, but documentary evidence for their activities is thin and the period is shrouded in myth. By excavating two islands in Loch Finlaggan, reputed to be the site of inauguration ceremonies and meetings of the Council of the Isles, a team led by David Caldwell of National Museums Scotland has enriched the story of this powerful Gaelic state. Chris Catling reports.

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Hadrian’s Wall and its trees: From Sycamore Gap to the Vindolanda tablets

December 31, 2025

Hadrian’s Wall may be primarily associated with stone fortifications, but trees played a key role in Roman life on the northern frontier. Complementing our preceding geological exploration of this region, David Breeze now turns the spotlight on to sacred species, wooden artefacts, and iconic views.

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Rediscovering west London’s lost landscapes: Six millennia of change and continuity at Sipson Farm

December 30, 2025

Today, Heathrow is Europe’s busiest airport – but the underlying and surrounding river terraces have long been a rich hunting ground for archaeologists, concealing a palimpsest of buried landscapes. Since the late 1960s, they have seen dozens of excavations ahead of quarrying and development. Robert Cowie reports on one such project.

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Between a rock and a hard place: Exploring the geology of Hadrian’s Wall

December 29, 2025

Archaeologists have long sought to understand how the Romans made use of natural resources on their northern frontier, both in constructing its famous fortifications and supporting the lives of those who garrisoned them. Ian Jackson offers a thought-provoking insight into what geology can add to this picture – and what it cannot.

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Amenemhat III: Last of the great Middle Kingdom pharaohs

December 18, 2025

Although there are some statues of Amenemhat III as a young man, others depict him in later years with large ears and what appears to be a careworn expression. AE recounts the life and times of this, the last major king of the Twelfth Dynasty.

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In the shadow of Hathor

December 17, 2025

Patryk Chudzik describes recent archaeological discoveries in the Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahri.

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Harry Burton: The alchemist of light

December 16, 2025

Carmen Ruiz recounts the life and legacy of the visual storyteller who sculpted the history of ancient Egypt with light.

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Treasures of the Pharaohs in Rome