Cover Story
Facing the Palmyrenes: exploring life and death in a desert city What can an extraordinary group of sculptures commemorating the dead reveal about ancient life in Palmyra? Thousands of ancient inhabitants’ portraits once graced lavish family tombs in cemeteries just beyond the desert city. Studying this artistry can reveal much about… Features
Confronting Climate Change at Butrint A new report spells out the risks that rising sea levels pose to some of the world’s greatest archaeological sites. Richard Hodges and David Prince consider the situation at Butrint. 
Ancient Greeks: Science and Wisdom For Ancient Greeks, the natural world was a source of wonder and inspiration. Philosophers pondered sundry subjects, seeking the secrets of the night sky or what makes for a satisfying… 
Connecting the Inca Empire: the art of maintaining Central Andean suspension bridges Suspension bridges were crucial for the success of the Inca road network, but these remarkable structures needed to be regularly rebuilt. Can examining surviving examples of similar bridges reveal more… 
Reconnecting relationships: uncovering genealogy in archaeology Examining ancient DNA is revolutionising our knowledge of the past. Being able to detect family relationships is revealing ever more about connections between people buried in cemeteries and even individual… 
Prehistoric people present New research is shedding light on the presence of early people around the world. News
Remains of a Hellenistic fortress revealed in Israel Weapons, pottery, charred wooden beams, and dozens of coins dating to the late 2nd century BC were also unearthed. 
Early evidence of leprosy identified in the Caribbean Radiocarbon dating has indicated that the skull is c.220 years old, making it possibly the earliest example currently known from the region 
Slaves’ room found in Pompeii The discovery grants us a glimpse of the people who were behind the day-to-day running of the villa 
Early evidence of clothing manufacture discovered in a Moroccan cave Excavations in Contrebandiers Cave from 2007 to 2010 found 62 bone tools used for leather and fur manufacture in Middle Stone Age layers. 
Mystery of a 1,300-year-old murder victim unearthed in China This discovery shows that the strategy of concealing the bodies of murder victims inside existing tombs has been in use for centuries. Views
Surveying Verulamium Comment We all gathered round on another day, when a whoop of excitement emerged from the next-door shop, where Professor Frend was working in a cellar. He had just found the… 
Norway: secrets of the ice Places Over the last decade, 64 glaciers and ice patches in the Innlandet region have produced over 3,500 archaeological finds, from hunting tools and textiles to zoological material... 
Unseen Aztec art in Leiden Museum, What's on Gillis Kersting explores an international exhibition presenting hundreds of Aztec objects on loan from Mexican and European museums, now on display in Leiden. 
Celebrity beasts Comment The statues of five elephants surrounding this part of the cemetery have led to the belief that these and other circus animals are buried here along with the human victims… 
Roman mosaic in Rutland The Picture Desk The mosaic, which measures 11m by almost 7m, once formed the floor of a dining or entertaining room within a large villa complex occupied during the late Roman period. 
Academic mass production Comment Every paper has to say something new. In the mass production of vehicle components, difference is defect. In the mass production of academic papers, difference is a requirement. 
Reviews
A Maya Universe in Stone A Maya Universe in Stone delves deeply into the imagery, inscriptions, and political and social contexts of several ancient Maya carved limestone lintels made in the late 8th century AD,… 
Forging Identities in the Prehistory of Old Europe: dividuals, individuals and communities, 7000-3000 BC This solid 459-page work by John Chapman summarises his life-long work in the Balkans and, as he states in the preface, was first conceived as a synthesis of Balkan prehistory… Unseen Aztec art in Leiden Gillis Kersting explores an international exhibition presenting hundreds of Aztec objects on loan from Mexican and European museums, now on display in Leiden. 
Visual Culture, Heritage and Identity: using rock art to reconnect past and present Many researchers dealing with prehistoric and historic rock art tend to remain firmly entrenched within their respective comfort zones. Throughout much of the contemporary world, the application and use of… 
Return to the Interactive Past: the interplay of video games and histories Return to the Interactive Past offers a fascinating introduction to some of the key topics surrounding the intersection of video games / interactive media and heritage. This book, a follow-on… 
Digging Deep: a journey into Southeast Asia’s past Professor Charles Higham will be a familiar figure to CWA readers. Not only does he write a regular column for the magazine, but he is also a world authority on… 
From the editor
Ancient visitors to the great family tombs outside the desert city of Palmyra would have come face to face with the dead. Within these edifices, the slots on shelves where the bodies lay were often sealed with sculptures depicting the deceased. Today, thousands of such likenesses are known, creating an extraordinary corpus of ancient art. Studying this is revealing fascinating insights into both life and death in a major trading hub. As well as showing that fashions come and go, the sculptures convey the enduring power wielded by wealthy families.
The significance of kinship has also been under the microscope in Sweden. Seeking family relationships between individuals buried in cemeteries has long taxed the ingenuity of archaeologists. Now, the increasing use of DNA analysis is providing answers. We take a look at three cases where reconnecting relationships brings fresh perspectives on past lives.
In Peru, connections of a different kind attracted the admiration of invading conquistadors. The Inca road network traversed some of the most demanding terrain on the planet, but it depended on ingenious suspension bridges to carry travellers over fast-flowing rivers. These bridges needed regular rebuilding, and it is possible that echoes of this tradition survived until recently in the Andes. Can these help us to grasp the role of local communities in the Inca world?
When it comes to Ancient Greek technology, the advent of modern scientific methods is allowing us to appreciate the full scope of their achievements. Both new discoveries and new approaches are shedding fresh light on subjects such as the strengths – and weaknesses – of Greek ships, the role of music, and the nature of sophisticated mechanical computers.
Finally, after a study outlining the risks of projected sea-level rises for some archaeological sites was published, Richard Hodges and David Prince consider the situation at Butrint.
