Cover Story
Seeking the Silk Roads: An extraordinary story of the power of connections The Silk Road has long been seen as a conduit for exotic goods travelling both east and west. But taking a wider perspective reveals how extraordinary objects and ideas were moving much more widely, as Sue Brunning and Luk Yu-ping… Features
Valeria’s hall of fame: Secrets from an imperial forum Once home to Celtiberians, Romans, Visigoths, and Moors, the ancient city of Valeria is now the venue for an archaeological project focusing on investigating the imperial Roman forum. Catalina Urquijo… 
Pachacamac: Seeking the origins of an Inca cult centre Pilgrims once flocked from across the Inca Empire to Pachacamac. But just how ancient and rigorously planned was the layout of the cult complex that attracted them? Krzysztof Makowski reveals… 
Qarn al-Harf: Exploring a Bronze Age refuge Around 2000 BC, a successful and prosperous Bronze Age culture in Southeast Arabia suddenly collapsed. Traditions and settlements that had developed over centuries disappeared, apart from in one small enclave… News
Life and death at the ‘German Stonehenge’ Archaeological work around the ring sanctuary of Pömmelte in Saxony-Anhalt has uncovered a landscape rich in ancient monuments and settlements. Franziska Knoll tells us more about the discoveries. 
Did Vikings have glass windows? New research indicates that windows with glass panes may have been present in Viking Age buildings in Scandinavia. 
World’s oldest figurative art? New analysis of rock-art sites in Indonesia has identified the earliest narrative art currently known anywhere in the world. Research in recent years had already revealed that the Indonesian island… 
The sound of seashells New research is exploring how ancient Pueblo communities in the Southwest United States may have been connected by sound. Chaco Canyon in north-west New Mexico was once a bustling ancient… 
Early farming in east Africa Archaeological work in Kenya has uncovered the earliest evidence for plant farming in equatorial east Africa. As a crossroads for various population movements throughout history, many of which included the… 
Stonehenge’s Scottish connection New research suggests that one of Stonehenge’s famous megaliths may have come from the very north of the UK. The Altar Stone is a six-tonne sandstone slab that currently lies… 
Children’s burial ground found in Norway Excavations in south-eastern Norway have uncovered a unique prehistoric burial field containing graves belonging almost exclusively to children. In November 2023, archaeologists from Norway’s Museum of Cultural History working in… Views
Calling all photographers! Current World Archaeology Photo of the Year 2025 Competitions As summer comes to an end, it is the perfect time to reflect on any heritage-filled travels, archaeological projects, or visits to historical sites around the world. Dig out your… 
In the footsteps of N G L Hammond Travel On a cold March day in 1995, fortune blessed me. I had written to the ancient historian N G L Hammond to see if he might meet me. He was… 
CWA #127 crossword, and answers to crossword #126 Competitions Your observations, your objections, and your opinions: send them to cwaletters@world-archaeology.com 
Tales from ‘the Bone Room’ Comment I would like to dedicate these pages to my PhD supervisor, Eric Higgs. After studying at the London School of Economics, he bought a hill farm in Shropshire at the… 
The Hidden Länd Museum, What's on A new exhibition takes visitors on a journey through 1,000 years of life in south-west Germany. 
Counting cities Comment Archaeologists, like most people, have an urge to grasp the world through something tangible or, even better, countable. There can be a great comfort in numbers, and numbers also convince;… 
Building a Bronze Age boat The Picture Desk A reproduction of a type of Bronze Age vessel known as a ‘Magan Boat’ has just completed its maiden voyage off the coast of Abu Dhabi. The ‘Magan Boat’ is… 
Etruscan bronze lamp Objects What is it? This ornate bronze hanging oil lamp, 60cm in diameter and weighing 57.72kg, comes from the Etruscan civilisation. It is decorated with a unique combination of iconography that… 
Colonisation and cohabitation Comment In 1418, Captain ‘One-eyed’ Zarco sailed out from Lisbon to plant the flag of Portugal on the islands first of Porto Santo and then of Madeira. In doing so, he… Reviews
In the footsteps of N G L Hammond On a cold March day in 1995, fortune blessed me. I had written to the ancient historian N G L Hammond to see if he might meet me. He was… The Hidden Länd A new exhibition takes visitors on a journey through 1,000 years of life in south-west Germany. 
Byblos: A Legacy Unearthed REVIEW BY PAUL NEWSON This lavishly produced A4 book is one outcome of a recent major exhibition jointly organised by the Netherlands and Lebanese antiquities services, and held in the… 
Advances in UAE Archaeology: Proceedings of Abu Dhabi’s Archaeology Conference 2022 REVIEW BY GEORGE NASH In recent years there has been a lot of interest in unearthing the secrets of the diverse landscapes of the eastern Arabian Peninsula – lands that… 
Pilgrims in Place, Pilgrims in Motion: Sacred Travel in the Ancient Mediterranean REVIEW BY GEORGIA FRANK This rich collection of essays explores the behaviour, experiences, and memories of travellers who visited shrines and sacred centres around the Mediterranean in antiquity. Looking beyond… 
The Donkey And The Boat: Reinterpreting the Mediterranean Economy, 950-1180 REVIEW BY ROBERT PORTASS It is not every day that one encounters a book that aims to overturn a paradigm and establish in its place the foundations of a new… 
From the editor
We now know that there were many Silk Roads. Back in the 19th century, an attempt to chart how ancient exotic goods travelled east and west produced two lines on a map, running westwards from China. Today, the picture looks rather different. An increasingly intricate web of connections can be glimpsed, linking Asia, parts of Africa, and Europe. A new British Museum exhibition is examining this network, revealing both the wonders this flow of materials and ideas made possible, and the horrors that could accompany them.
Adapting to new circumstances was also on the agenda in Southeast Arabia around 2000 BC, when a prosperous Bronze Age culture suddenly fell apart. In one small enclave, though, a concerted attempt was made to continue traditional ways. Excavations at the prehistoric cemetery of Qarn al-Harf illustrate how this attempt to perpetuate the past brought change of its own, while contemplating the wider region presents intriguing clues about the circumstances surrounding the 2000 BC collapse.
Excavations at Roman Valeria in Spain have been examining the town forum, which underwent remodelling of a different kind. There, the Republican era edifice was replaced with a grander iteration in the imperial period. A curious feature of this revamped forum was a huge semi-circular wall. Investigation suggests that this architectural flourish provided a venue where links could be drawn between the local elite and the imperial family.
Power architecture was very much on show in Pachacamac, Peru, where a monumental centre drew pilgrims from across the Inca Empire. Digging at the site is producing remarkable finds, while also revealing intriguing insights into when and why the majestic complex visible today was laid out.
Finally, in our travel section, Richard Hodges follows in the footsteps of the esteemed scholar N G L Hammond as he sought the battlefield at Pelion, where Alexander the Great secured a daring victory in 335 BC.
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