Cover Story
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… Features
Iron Age massacre in Iberia Post-excavation analysis is now shedding more light on the final days of La Hoya and the devastating attack on the settlement. 
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… 
Discovering Roman mosaics: where history meets luxury in Antakya When hotel construction work unearthed extraordinary mosaics, the owners decided to create a new archaeological park. It showcases what is believed to be the largest known surviving Roman mosaic, as… 
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… News
Uncovering Kalkriese A remarkable piece of Roman armour has been discovered at the site of the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest. 
Pre-Hispanic flood-management in the Pampa de Mocan For thousands of years, areas along the north coast of Peru have been subject to huge flooding as a result of El Niño, a periodic warming in the atmosphere of… 
Accessibility at ancient Greek sanctuaries A study of the architecture of ancient Greek temples and sanctuaries dedicated to healing has determined that these spaces were deliberately made accessible to individuals with impaired mobility. Individuals with… 
Early human footprints in Saudi Arabia The footprints were discovered as part of the Palaeodeserts Project, which is examining climate change and human evolution in Saudi Arabia. 
Earliest evidence for ball games in Eurasia Ball games are known to have been played in Egypt c.4,500 years ago and in Central America at least 3,700 years ago, but it was previously thought that they were… Views
Unearthing a tyrant Ideas And here is the weird thing. Polykrates is the greatest figure in Samian history. The Late Archaic age is the only time when the island could be considered a great… 
Cancel culture Comment No doubt those early Christians would say it was relatively mild revenge for the sufferings of the martyrs. 
AI and ancient languages Ideas Available in English and Arabic, Fabricius is an enjoyable introduction to hieroglyphs, but also presents new approaches for professional Egyptologists. 
In Praise of Antiquity Comment There is no email I await with greater anticipation and, indeed, trepidation, than one captioned ‘Your radiocarbon results’. 
Arctic: digging in permafrost Travel What is archaeology in the Arctic like? Matilda Siebrecht shares its challenges and charms. 
Ruins on Rapa Nui The Picture Desk This is the ruined ahu complex of the Akahanga, which is but one of dozens dotted around the coastline of the tiny island. 
Albania and the Death of Pan Comment, Travel Devil or pastoral sprite and mischief-maker, Pan’s presence in the form of the lost sanctuary on Mount Mile lends a new dimension to the god’s story Reviews
Mayflower 400: Legend & Legacy On entering the gallery, visitors are reminded that, despite their prominence in the story of the early colonists, the passengers of the Mayflower were not the first Europeans to settle… Arctic: digging in permafrost What is archaeology in the Arctic like? Matilda Siebrecht shares its challenges and charms. Albania and the Death of Pan Devil or pastoral sprite and mischief-maker, Pan’s presence in the form of the lost sanctuary on Mount Mile lends a new dimension to the god’s story 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… 
From the editor
Tantra has inspired striking imagery: heavily armed gods and goddesses committing violent carnage while adorned with human body parts, or enacting acrobatic acts of union. To the initiated, these graphic scenes often symbolise victories over internal obstacles, such as greed, or the coming together of wisdom and compassion. Others, though, have taken this art at face-value and judged it a product of demon worship, raising fascinating questions about how we should interpret ancient imagery more generally.
Groundbreaking study of an ice core from the Swiss-Italian Alps is allowing us to look at European history in new ways. Information preserved in annual layers of ice is revealing past pollution and environmental conditions over thousands of years. As well as shedding new light on the impact of the Black Death, it has shown that the misery of the First World War was aggravated by a climatic anomaly inflicting cold weather and rain.
A Roman mosaic discovered in Turkey has also proved exceptional, in this case by virtue of its size. The vast composition can stake a claim to being the largest surviving Roman pavement currently known. It is just one of several mosaics discovered during construction work on a hotel.
In Peru, deforestation has brought a new site to light in an area of tropical rainforest. It is well known that upland civilisations, such as the Incas, developed a taste for goods from the tropical lowlands, raising questions about what this freshly discovered complex can reveal about who was farming the rainforest.
Another unexpected find, this time made during construction of an Albanian anti-aircraft battery in 1981, is explored in our travel section. A statuette of Pan and other traces of the god’s cult in the region help lift the lid on the circumstances surrounding the story of the deity’s demise. Meanwhile, fieldwork conducted in the Arctic last summer offers a sense of what it is like to dig in permafrost.
