Cover Story
Hare paenga: the canoe-shaped houses and monumental archaeology of Rapa Nui (Easter Island) The archaeology of Rapa Nui is dominated by the Easter Island heads, but these were just one element of larger ceremonial complexes. Colin Richards explores some distinctive houses, which offer tantalising clues for understanding the celebrated statues. Features
Archaeology in Tokyo: seeking out the past of a megacity Preparations for the 2020 Olympics saw excavations under way at numerous sites in Tokyo. Simon Kaner reflects on what archaeology tells us about activity in the area before and after… 
Paul Reynolds and a new Classical Archaeology The astonishing thing about Paul is his photographic memory. I recall he once joined a Roman sherd from Butrint with a piece from the maritime villa at Diaporit, three miles… 
Southern Levant: what was on the menu in the land of milk and honey? Just how much can ancient diet tell us about past lives? Shyama Vermeersch considers what cuisine reveals about the southern Levant in the Bronze and Iron Ages. 
Libarna: revealing the complex history of a colonial city How did the Romans learn to incorporate new groups and regions into their empire? Libarna, a Roman colony in what was the Gallic part of Italy, may hold the key… News
Ancient shark attack Individual 24 was found to have at least 790 wounds made at around the time of death 
Rare Roman boundary stone The travertine stone bears an inscription detailing Claudius’ titles and honours 
The Warsaw Mummy Project A multidisciplinary project that uses a wide range of techniques to study ancient Egyptian mummies is shedding new light on the secrets hidden beneath their wrappings, as Marzena Oz.arek-Szilke, Marcin… 
Earliest Christian monastery found in Egypt Inscriptions were also found on the walls of several buildings, with passages from biblical and early Christian texts written in Greek. 
16th-century Spanish objects in Mississippi Many of the objects found had been repurposed by the Chickasaws into tools and ornaments 
Ancient human relative identified in China The fossil human cranium, thought to belong to a male about 50 years old, was found in 1933 Views
Competition: Current World Archaeology Photo of the Year 2022 Competitions The winning image and three runners-up will be featured in CWA. 
Revealing the Lady of Baza’s true colours Objects The painted sculpture depicting a seated woman was found inside a burial chamber with other rich grave goods. 
New dates for Machu Picchu The Picture Desk Radiocarbon dating of burials from the Inca site of Machu Picchu has revealed that it was occupied several decades earlier than previously thought. The famous UNESCO World Heritage site in… Paul Reynolds and a new Classical Archaeology Feature, People The astonishing thing about Paul is his photographic memory. I recall he once joined a Roman sherd from Butrint with a piece from the maritime villa at Diaporit, three miles… 
Wooden snake figurine Objects Snakes are rarely depicted in rock art in northern Europe, and are known to have had symbolic significance in the later world views of the Finno-Ugric and Sámi peoples 
Doggerland and Malta Museum, What's on Gillis Kersting explores the lost worlds of Doggerland and prehistoric Malta through two new exhibitions at the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden. 
V. G. Childe’s archaeological theory Comment, People Central to Childe’s conception of history was the creative potential of hunters, farmers, craftworkers, engineers, and scientists, and the way in which elites wasted surpluses on wars, monuments, and luxuries 
Vikings of the Sunrise Comment Originating in the remote past on the island of Taiwan, these Austronesian-speaking people were ultimately to settle from Malagasy to Rapa Nui, Easter Island. But did they go even further,… 
Recognising historic landscapes Comment The idea that there was no pre-existing Roman settlement on the site of medieval Venice is hard to credit when you realise that the Italian peninsula was heavily populated under… Reviews
Great Sites of the Ancient World This gloriously illustrated volume takes readers on a tour of 100 archaeological sites around the world. While many of the selections are familiar entries in lists of great sites –… 
Archaeology and the Early Church in Southern Greece This book provides a brief history of Christianity in the eastern Peloponnese (including ancient sites in Corinth, such as Kenchreai and Lechaion, as well as Isthmia, Nemea, Sikyon, and Epidauros)… Doggerland and Malta Gillis Kersting explores the lost worlds of Doggerland and prehistoric Malta through two new exhibitions at the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden. 
The Archaeology of Medieval Towns: case studies from Japan and Europe The Archaeology of Medieval Towns is an interesting proposition: a book which aims to act as a bridge between the medieval worlds of Europe and Japan, introducing each to the… 
Drawn and Written in Stone: an inventory of stepped structures and inscriptions on rock surfaces in Upper Tibet (ca.100 BCE to 1400 CE) For many thousands of years, humans have inscribed their presence on the landscape. They drew or pecked images of the fanciful, representational, or sacred on the walls of caves, rock… 
From the editor
The statues of Rapa Nui (Easter Island) are among the most celebrated archaeological monuments – and enigmas – in the world. But looking beyond them reveals that they are just one part of larger ceremonial complexes. These can include distinctive canoe-shaped houses that seem to have been carefully designed to reflect the islanders’ views about how the everyday and sacred worlds were ordered. Could it be that understanding how people passed between realms when entering the houses offers clues, too, about the role of the famous statues?
Excavations associated with the Tokyo Olympics have also been helping archaeologists to take a wider look at a rich past, in this case of a megacity. Although the site was only elevated to the status of a capital in 1603, tracing the development of the region leads us from the pottery of ancient hunter-fisher-gatherers through to 19th-century industrialisation. Along the way, we encounter prehistoric rituals, samurai mansions, a medieval battlefield, and much more.
We have the Romans to thank for the founding of a town at Libarna, in northern Italy, around the mid-2nd century BC. While investigations over many decades have laid bare the well-appointed residences and varied leisure opportunities enjoyed by residents, the site is important as well for presenting an early example of a Roman colonial city. Here we can witness how Roman and Gallic cultures collided, a century or so before Caesar’s Gallic war.
Empires were also expanding into the southern Levant, which fell under the sway of powers including the Egyptians, Assyrians, and Hittites during the Bronze and Iron Ages. Study of ancient diets in the region allows us to see how prehistoric tastes changed, revealing what was on the menu in the land of milk and honey.
Finally, Richard Hodges lifts the lid on how food and other commodities were traded around the Mediterranean by providing a profile of Paul Reynolds, who has shown how the humble pot can revolutionise Classical archaeology.
