Cover Story
Digging Caesar’s Forum: three thousand years of daily life in Rome Fresh traces of urban life spanning almost three millennia are coming to light in central Rome. New Danish-Italian excavations have uncovered far more than Caesar’s monumental forum project. Delving through archaeological layers, while travelling back in time from Mussolini’s 1930s… Features
The Nebra Sky Disc: decoding a prehistoric vision of the cosmos It was probably around 3,600 years ago that the earliest known depiction of the cosmos was buried in eastern Germany. By then, the Nebra Sky Disc had already served several… 
881: Sacking San Vincenzo al Volturno In the conclusion to this two-part article, Richard Hodges examines the circumstances surrounding the attack on the Benedictine monastery of San Vincenzo al Volturno in AD 881. 
Tsunami: piecing together a Bronze Age tragedy in Turkey Access to the sea can be a double-edged sword. Recent archaeological work at Çeşme in Turkey has revealed that its Bronze Age inhabitants learnt this lesson the hard way. Vasıf… 
A tale of endurance How a research expedition in Antarctica located the lost wreck of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s ship, Endurance. 
Violent conflict on the Peruvian south coast: the dead of Amato Why did collecting human heads as trophies become so widespread along the south coast of Peru, and who were they being taken from? Lidio M Valdez examines the extraordinary and… News
Sacred Phoenician pool identified in Sicily Numerous altars, stelae, votive offerings, and other finds associated with a religious complex were discovered. 
Medieval tombs discovered beneath Notre-Dame Among the discoveries were a large number of fragments of Notre-Dame de Paris’ lost medieval rood screen. 
Machu Picchu may have been known by another name, study suggests The Inca may have called the city Picchu, or more likely Huayna Picchu. 
Pompeii’s robot archaeologist 'Spot' is equipped to carry out routine inspections and monitor the safety of the site. 
Stone jars found in India Many of the jar sites in Assam contain engraved stone slabs decorated with human figures and other motifs. 
Early evidence of Maya calendar found This discovery demonstrates that this calendar system has been in operation for at least 2,200 years. 
Evidence of Mesolithic mummification discovered in Portugal Until now, the earliest evidence for intentional human mummification came from the Atacama Desert in northern Chile, c.7,000 years ago. Views
CWA 113 Crossword – May 2022 Competitions Across 7 Phoenician city state destroyed by Rome in 146 BC (8) 9 Light cavalryman originating in Hungary in the 15th century (6) 10 Sailing vessel developed in Macau in… 
CWA 113 Letters – May 2022 Letters Your observations, your objections, and your opinions: send them to cwaletters@world-archaeology.com 881: Sacking San Vincenzo al Volturno Feature, Travel In the conclusion to this two-part article, Richard Hodges examines the circumstances surrounding the attack on the Benedictine monastery of San Vincenzo al Volturno in AD 881. 
Japan: Courts and Culture Museum, What's on A new exhibition at the Queen’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace, tells the story of 350 years of interaction between the British and Japanese royal and imperial families. Amy Brunskill visited to… 
Current World Archaeology Photo of the Year 2022 RESULTS Competitions We have had a wonderful selection of entries for this year’s photo competition, with archaeological images that have taken us all around the world. Travelling from famous heritage sites to… 
The Vase in the Flooded Cave The Picture Desk Cave diving at the cenotes in Mexico is a magical experience, a never-ending labyrinth of tunnels filled with crystal-clear water where the only limit is how much gas you can… 
Investigating the Venus of Willendorf Objects New research into the Venus of Willendorf has shed more light on the fascinating prehistoric figurine’s construction and its possible origins. The c.30,000-year-old statue is exactly 11cm tall and depicts… 
Writing archaeology Comment, People Neil went on to propose using what R G Collingwood called ‘the historical imagination’ by blending data and interpretation to ‘tell the story’. He was convinced that this ‘must be… 
The Princess of Khok Phanom Di Comment The Princess was not buried alone. Alongside her was a grave big enough for an adult, which contained the ochre covered skeleton of a little girl aged about 18 months,… 
6th-century ivory comb Objects What is it? This 6th-century ivory comb, which may have been used by its owner to style his hair and beard, was found in a grave in Germany, in an… Reviews
At Home in Roman Egypt: a social archaeology Review by Barbara E Borg ‘The real essence of an age is better revealed among trivial and commonplace things than among prominent monuments and great leaders.’ The opening sentence of… 881: Sacking San Vincenzo al Volturno In the conclusion to this two-part article, Richard Hodges examines the circumstances surrounding the attack on the Benedictine monastery of San Vincenzo al Volturno in AD 881. Japan: Courts and Culture A new exhibition at the Queen’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace, tells the story of 350 years of interaction between the British and Japanese royal and imperial families. Amy Brunskill visited to… 
Ancient Households on the North Coast of Peru Review by M Elizabeth Grávalos What makes a home? All humans have ideals of home, but no two people conceptualise home and their household in the same manner. Yet despite… 
The Roman Peasant Project, 2009-2014: excavating the Roman rural poor Review by Luuk de Ligt The two volumes that make up this publication present the results of the ambitious Roman Peasant Project co-directed by Kim Bowes and Cam Grey. Geographically,… 
Corpus of the Mosaics of Albania Volume 1: Butrint intramuros Review by Oliver J Gilkes Everybody likes mosaic pavements; they are ancient artefacts that entrance and beguile the visitor at Greek and Roman sites. No matter that floor mosaics (the… 
From the editor
Caesar’s Forum was a bold concept. Constructed next to the Roman Forum – the beating heart of public life – Julius Caesar’s monumental new complex staked his claim as sole ruler of the Empire. It proved an expensive statement. The plot earmarked for this project was occupied by elite housing, ensuring the land came at an eye-watering price. Both residences and forum, though, are only parts of a much longer history of activity on the site. Now, our cover feature reveals how excavations are providing a glimpse of daily life over thousands of years in central Rome.
Work at Çeşme in Turkey has also revealed a long-lived settlement. In this case, though, life was abruptly interrupted by the eruption of a volcano at ancient Thera, 227km away. It may have been the greatest natural disaster ever witnessed by humans. Despite the distance between the volcano and Çeşme, its inhabitants still felt the fury of the eruption. Careful study of the site stratigraphy has revealed that multiple calamities befell the site after Thera blew.
The tragedy that befell the community living at Amato, in Peru, was human rather than natural in origin. Heads taken as trophies have been widely found in the region, but who they were claimed from was less clear. Excavations at Amato unexpectedly unearthed a mass of decapitated individuals. Their remains provide powerful and poignant testimony to the violent end of Amato.
It was illicit digging on a hilltop in Germany that revealed one of the most remarkable ancient artefacts ever discovered in Europe. The Nebra Sky Disc seemingly presents a Bronze Age vision of the night sky. Careful study suggests that its face could be encoded with sophisticated knowledge of celestial cycles, while later adjustments to the artefact show its meanings shifting over time.
Finally, in our travel section, Richard Hodges returns to San Vincenzo al Volturno for the second in a two-part piece looking at how archaeological evidence for its sack compares to historical accounts.
