Analysing ancient anaesthetic
Examination of surgical tools from a Ming Dynasty tomb reveals evidence of early anaesthetic use in 14th-century China.
Medieval Asia
Genghis Khan: How the Mongols Changed the World
A new exhibition at the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds explores the history and legacy of the Mongol Empire. Carly Hilts visited to learn more.
Terror or tolerance? Taking a new look at the Mongol Empire
The conquests of Genghis Khan are traditionally associated with horrifying brutality, but this reputation has overshadowed another side to the empire that he forged. Matthew Symonds spoke to Marie Favereau to find out more.
CWA news in brief
Singapore’s first shipwreck Underwater excavations have uncovered the first ancient shipwreck to be found in Singapore. The vessel, known as the Temasek Wreck, underwent several stages of investigation between 2016 and 2019, and the results of the research have now…
Samurai
A new exhibition at the British Museum traces the story of Japan’s famous warriors from the medieval period to the present day, separating history from myth and exploring how their image has evolved over the last 1,000 years. Carly Hilts visited to learn more.
The Great Mughals: art, architecture, and opulence at the V&A
A vibrant exhibition currently running at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London illuminates the ingenuity and influence of the Mughal Empire. Carly Hilts visited to learn more.
Current World Archaeology 127
• Seeking the Silk Roads: an extraordinary story of the power of connections
• Digging Pachacamac: the surprising origins of an Inca pilgrimage centre
• A Bronze Age refuge: continuity and change at Qarn al-Harf
• Valeria’s hall of fame: secrets from an imperial forum
• Life and death at the ‘German Stonehenge’
• Albania: on the trail of Alexander the Great
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 told Matthew Symonds.
A Comprehensive Survey of Rock Art in Upper Tibet – Volume I: Eastern Byang thang
REVIEW BY GEORGE NASH If I had been asked a few months ago what I knew about a vast rock-art assemblage in Tibet, I would have simply shrugged my shoulders and asked what, when, where, and why. But then, thinking…
Zimingzhong 凝时聚珍: clockwork treasures from China’s Forbidden City
London’s Science Museum is currently home to more than 20 examples of intricately ornate timepieces loaned from the Palace Museum in Beijing. Carly Hilts visited to find out more.
Current World Archaeology 123
• Japan’s royal tombs: investigating expressions of elite power
• Monte Cassino: excavating one of the wonders of Christendom
• New light on cave art: surprising Ice Age images in Spain
• Jordan: global trade and ancient mobility on a Roman frontier
• The Netherlands: an ancient solar calendar discovered
• Australia: Sydney’s big dig
What the emissary saw
In 1296, the Chinese Emperor Temür Khan despatched a diplomatic mission to Angkor. Zhou Daguan was a member, arriving in August 1296 and leaving the following July. On his return, he wrote a memoir of his visit, a unique eye-witness…
The Golden Age of the Kingdom of Georgia
The Caucasus is a region where nations have often found themselves sandwiched between competing great powers. Christoph Baumer examines the political intrigues and military struggles that led to the rise and fall of the Kingdom of Georgia, while taking in some of the key monuments from the era.
People power: Understanding the making of Myanmar
Examining artefacts from Myanmar reveals how a tale of power, wealth, people, and the rise and fall of empires played out over centuries, as Alexandra Green told Matthew Symonds.
Burma to Myanmar
The UK’s first major exhibition to focus on the history of Myanmar (also known as Burma) is set to open at the British Museum next month, marking the 75th anniversary of the country’s independence. In this preview, Carly Hilts explores what will be on show.
Fragrant finds in Vietnam
A recent study of food preparation tools from Vietnam has identified the remains of a variety of spices used c.2,000 years ago. The researchers analysed microscopic plant remains from 12 grinding stone tools found at the site of Óc Eo…
China’s hidden century
A new exhibition at the British Museum explores an important period of cultural change in China’s history. Amy Brunskill visited to find out more.
A not-so-dense idea
Rubina Raja and Søren M Sindbæk on low-density urbanism at ancient sites
An Archaeological History of Hermitages and Eremitic Communities in Medieval Britain and Beyond
REVIEW BY DUNCAN W WRIGHT In An Archaeological History of Hermitages, Simon Roffey directly addresses a hitherto neglected area of scholarship by providing a wide-ranging survey of the material evidence for hermitages and eremitic practice. His work is not restricted…
World news in brief: finds from Japan, Iraq, and Egypt
A round-up of some of the latest archaeological news from across the globe.
Ashoka and the Maurya Dynasty: the History and Legacy of Ancient India’s Greatest Empire
Review by Robert Harding The ancient Mauryan Empire and its third emperor Ashoka (c.304-232 BC) represent a striking departure for Colleen Taylor Sen. The author’s reputation rests on her series of food books, most notably Curry: a global history. Nevertheless,…
War of Words – ‘samurai’
‘Samurai’, meaning ‘one who serves’, derives from the Japanese verb samurau, ‘to wait on’. These warriors were the elite military class of feudal Japan, akin to the knights of medieval Europe. A samurai (the word is both singular and plural)…
Elite Wari burials uncovered in northern Peru
Excavations have uncovered a significant section of the site’s necropolis, which the archaeologists are calling ‘The Gallery of the Elite Craftsmen’.
Circles of stone: exploring the monuments of Jomon Japan
Numerous ancient stone circles are known in Japan, but how and why were these monuments built? Simon Kaner examines what these enigmatic structures can tell us about a key period of Japanese prehistory.
Greenlandic Vikings traded walrus ivory with Ukraine
Historians have long believed that walrus ivory traded throughout Ukraine and Russia during the Middle Ages came from the Barents Sea.
Amaterasu – imperial goddess of the sun
Summer is in full swing, bringing with it the promise of long, bright days under the shining sun. This all-powerful celestial body has long been linked with kingship: Louis XIV of France, for example, famously chose the sun as his…
Rus – Vikings in the east
A new exhibition at the Moesgaard Museum in Denmark explores the often-overlooked story of the Rus Vikings. We spoke to curator Pauline Asingh about the adventures of these influential voyagers, whose travels took them from Scandinavia to Constantinople, the Caliphate, and beyond.
Seeking a legendary lost city
The civil war had been very disruptive. There had been looting, pillage, and social upheaval. There are records of a most heinous crime, rooting up the boundary markers of land ownership, for which those guilty were impaled.
Samurai: history and legend
For many centuries, the outside world knew little of the Japanese way of life. Before the Meiji Restoration of 1868 – after which the country rapidly modernised and opened itself up to global trade – only a handful of books…
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.
Exhibitions from around the world- October 2021
Due to changing coronavirus measures, the dates listed below may have changed since we went to print, and museums and galleries may close. Check the websites and social-media accounts of the museums for the most up-to-date information and bookings.
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 the birth of a great city.
Japan Quiz
Some of the world's earliest pottery was produced in Japan around 13,000 BC. By what name is this period known?
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 specialists of the other. The editors are careful to make…
Mogao Caves, 1943-1944
The oldest of the Mogao Caves temples that survive date from around AD 420. Among them is Cave 275, built during the Northern Laing period (AD 420-439).
Shipwrecks off Singapore shed light on island’s ancient maritime trade routes
The discoveries are significant as they reveal the long history of maritime trade in Singapore well before the establishment of the East India Company in 1819.