Rare Roman mausoleum unearthed in Southwark

A large Roman mausoleum, used to bury high-status individuals, was recently discovered by MOLA during excavations in advance of the redevelopment of a site near Borough Market in Southwark, by Landsec and Transport for London (TfL). The foundations, which measured approximately 7-10m wide and up to 1m in depth, as…

‘Giant’ handaxes found in Frindsbury, Kent

Excavations at Manor Farm in Frindsbury, Kent – in advance of the construction of a Maritime Academy – have revealed more than 800 stone artefacts found within sediments thought to relate to a Middle Pleistocene tributary of the River Medway. Amid the assemblage recovered by Archaeology South-East, UCL Institute of…

Tracing the origins of the Benin Bronzes

A recent study has used geochemical analysis to compare brass manillas traded with West Africa in the 16th-19th centuries with the materials used to make the famous Benin Bronzes, in order to find out more about their possible origins.…

Religious sites in Bolivia

Archaeological surveys in the Carangas region of highland Bolivia have identified a previously unrecognised concentration of religious sites built by the pre-Hispanic inhabitants of the area, including one site with characteristics currently unique in the Andes. The survey identified 135 circular sites located on hilltops, each defined by concentric walls…

World’s earliest known saddle found in China?

A recent study has determined that a leather saddle found in north-western China may be the oldest surviving example currently known. Exactly when horse-riding and the use of saddles began is still a subject of some debate, but the latest research suggests that at least some people were riding horses…

Palaeolithic portable art

A rare example of Upper Palaeolithic portable art has been found at an open-air site in south-eastern France. Bellegarde, located between Nîmes and Arles, was discovered in 2015 by Inrap archaeologists. Excavations across c.2,000m2 of the multi-phase site have produced evidence of occupation at many intervals throughout history, from the…

Fusion diets in the early colonial Caribbean

Analysis of pottery from the Caribbean island of Isla de Mona, part of the Puerto Rican archipelago, is shedding new light on food and drink practices on the island at the time of its early colonisation, including what may be the earliest evidence of wine-drinking in the Americas. Isla de…

Roman body armour undergoes analysis

In 2018, a rusty lump of more than 400 fragments of iron was discovered in Germany at Kalkriese, the site of the Varus Battle, where a catastrophic defeat was inflicted on Rome in AD 9 (see CWA 104). In the five years that have passed since this material was found,…

Location of long-lost British submarine identified off Greek coast

The British submarine HMS Triumph was lost in mysterious circumstances off the coast of Greece in 1942. Now she has been located, after a search lasting more than 25 years. The submarine, which was involved in various special operations during the early years of the Second World War, was found…

Menin Gate memorial undergoes two-year restoration project

A two-year restoration project on one of the most recognisable memorials of the First World War has begun. The Menin Gate in Ypres, Belgium, is dedicated to British and Commonwealth soldiers who were killed during fighting in the nearby battlefields over the course of the war. The memorial, on the…

Rare Second World War bomber unveiled after decade of conservation

An exceptionally rare bomber from the Second World War is back on public display after undergoing more than ten years of conservation work. The Vickers Wellington bomber, one of only two remaining in existence, is the centrepiece of the Bomber Command exhibition at the RAF Museum Midlands, which opened in…

Science Notes: New calculations to help restore and conserve historic masonry

Although humans have been building impressive, gravity-defying architecture for thousands of years, we still have a limited capacity to quickly and effectively diagnose any developing faults in these structures – something that diminishes our ability to conserve them effectively. In this month’s ‘Science Notes’, we are exploring a simple new…

Bronze Age burnt mound brought to light in Suffolk

Excavations in the winter of 2021 at Framlingham Road in Laxfield, Suffolk, have revealed a palimpsest of prehistoric settlement activity, including an enigmatic Bronze Age burnt mound. Bronze Age burnt mounds have long been puzzling archaeological features. As they are often found in association with a river or other natural…

World News

More still to uncover at Pompeii While investigations at Pompeii have been ongoing for centuries, much of the site remains unexplored, and new excavations have recently begun in one such previously unexamined section. This new project aims to uncover an area of around 3,200m2 – roughly the size of a…

A Roman transport canal into Leicester?

After years of research, Steve Mitchell and John Poulter hypothesise that the Raw Dykes – a double-banked ditch located 2km south of Leicester’s Roman public baths – is a remnant of a navigable Roman canal. Their full results were recently published in Itinera (the journal of the Roman Roads Research…

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