Fort Rashid: The find-spot of the Rosetta stone.
Geoffrey Lenox-Smith visits the site where the Rosetta Stone was discovered in 1799.
archaeological history
The pectoral of Ramesses II, Musée du Louvre
Campbell Price describes a New Kingdom pectoral made of electrum and glass.
Forging Scotland’s story: Why a 245-year-old society is racing against time to raise £1.5 million
As the oldest antiquarian organisation in Scotland, the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland has been deeply involved in documenting the nation’s past for almost 250 years. Deborah Roe is our guide to this rich history, and to ambitious plans for the Society’s future.
Love, War, and Diplomacy: The Discovery of the Amarna Letters and the Bronze Age World They Revealed
After exploring the Bronze Age Collapse of 1177 BC in his previous two books (reviewed in AE 85 and AE 143), Eric Cline travels back some 200 years to investigate the inter-relationships between the ‘great kings’ and vassal rulers of…
CA 434 Letters – April
Today’s trash is tomorrow’s treasure? I read with interest the concerns reported on in ‘Sherds’ (CA 431) about the proposed construction of a windfarm in Brontë country, and its potential impact on wildlife and heritage. However, I had to smile…
CWA 136 crossword, and answers to crossword #135
Across 7 Mercian king who ruled from AD 657 to 674 (8)8 Extinct language of Anatolia (6)10 US state containing the Grimes Point archaeological site (6)11 Roman name for York (8)12 Minstrel and poet of the Anglo-Saxon period (4)14 Ancient…
CA 429 Letters – November
Castles, conservation, and conquest With a week in Norfolk booked and a visit to Norwich in mind, not least to collect a fridge magnet from the Castle for a grandson, it was serendipity when CA 427 arrived with a review…
The Obelisk and Tomb of Antinous
Barbara Gai explores the history of this important monument and the clues that might lead to the location of Antinous’ tomb.
Brian M Fagan (1 August 1936-1 July 2025)
Professor Brian M Fagan, who has died aged 88, was a New York Times best-selling author and Current World Archaeology columnist, whose work brought the past to life for generations of readers. Nadia Durrani reflects.
Christiane Desroches Noblecourt: A legendary life
Simone Petacchi explores the life and work of a unique French Egyptologist.
Dating the dead: Chronology and context at Saqqara’s sacred animal necropolis.
The Sacred Animal Necropolis at Saqqara consists of a series of catacombs and temples dating from different periods. Professor Paul Nicholson and Dr Henry Bishop-Wright of Cardiff University describe their project, which aims to get an overview of the site and determine how it developed over the centuries.
Excavating the CA archive
In my columns to date I have barely mentioned Stonehenge. This is deliberate: for all that I worship archaeology, I am an atheist about this most famous of sites.
Rehabilitating the Neanderthals
He told us that he was a speleologist, whose girlfriend had just left him. He was in a very sorry state of distress.
The rescue of Abu Simbel: A history of restoration, exploration, and resurrection
Abu Simbel actually presents us with several milestones. Probably completed by Year 24 in the reign of Ramesses II, the rock-cut temples left an awe-inspiring statement of power and permanence 140km south of Elephantine in the peripheral territory of Wawat…
Forum: Comments and conundrums
Newgrange and Michael O’Kelly Re: ‘Clare Tuffy and Newgrange’, CWA 117 I had the privilege of working with Professor O’Kelly at Newgrange in 1969. The restoration was just starting, and we were excavating around the exterior of the mound. O’Kelly…
Digging Tell en-Nasbeh, 1929
Between 1926 and 1935, American scholar William F Badè and his team unearthed the remains of a small town at the site of Tell en-Nasbeh in Mandate-era Palestine. Thought to be the biblical town of Mizpah, the site, which flourished…
Exhibitions, events, and heritage from home – February Listings
There are many fantastic archaeological events on offer over the coming months, including new exhibitions, lectures, and conferences. Or, if you would prefer to get your history and heritage fix at home, there is a wide variety of resources available, from virtual exhibitions and 360° tours of museums and heritage sites to radio shows, games, and documentaries. Amy Brunskill has put together a summary of some of the options available.
From Stonehenge to Santa Claus: the archaeology of Christmas
What does Stonehenge have to do with Christmas? How did the Romans celebrate midwinter? Was Jesus really born on 25 December? How did the Medieval church merge the celebration of the Nativity with earlier pagan tradition? Why did Parliament abolish Christmas in the 17th century? What are the origins of Christmas trees, carols, and crackers? And who is Santa Claus?
Tutankhamun and the Tomb that Changed the World
by Bob Brier.Oxford University Press, 2022ISBN 978-0-1976-3505-6Hardback, £21.99. The present volume is a reminder of how writing (rather than just the theories) about Tutankhamun has in some ways changed quite markedly over time – and in some ways stayed the…
Tutankhamun’s Trumpet: the story of ancient Egypt in 100 objects
The title of this book is perhaps rather misleading. Although a hundred objects from the tomb of Tutankhamun (among which are counted two scenes from the walls of its burial chamber) are indeed listed, mentioned, and illustrated, they are arguably…
John Wesley Gilbert (1863-1923)
Gilbert was one of the first Americans – of any ethnicity – to undertake archaeological work in Greece. There, he is likely to have met Heinrich Schliemann, rediscoverer of Troy, and certainly he did groundbreaking excavation work on the neighbourhoods of Athens
Michael Ventris
Michael Ventris' decipherment of a mysterious ancient script, Minoan Linear B, was dubbed by The Times as ‘the Everest of Greek archaeology’…
Scanning the Elgin Marbles
The story was seen as a further blow to the argument that the Marbles must stay in London – replicas ‘accurate to a millimetre’ could be displayed at the British Museum and few visitors would know the difference.
CWA 112 Letters – March
Your observations, your objections, and your opinions.
History of the Caucasus
For thousands of years, people have lived on the 1,000-mile span of mountains stretching, high and low, from the Black Sea to the Caspian Sea, or in the numerous mountain valleys that delineate the Caucasus – an area where Asia…
John Pull: Worthing’s hero archaeologist
Self-taught archaeologist John Pull made discoveries of national significance in the South Downs around Worthing, but his humble origins saw him sidelined by more privileged professional peers. With a recently extended exhibition at Worthing Museum and Art Gallery bringing his story back into the spotlight almost 100 years after his investigations began, Current Archaeology's Carly Hilts visited to find out more.
Hadrian’s Wall: Creating Division
In this stimulating addition to the burgeoning literature of Hadrian’s Wall, Matthew Symonds, editor of Current World Archaeology, brings fresh emphases to the study of this endlessly fascinating Roman monument in the north of Britain, and in doing so shows…
The women of Sutton Hoo: tracing female stories at a celebrated cemetery
Sutton Hoo is best known as the location of an astonishing ‘princely’ Anglo-Saxon ship burial – but the site has compelling stories to tell about women too. Current Archaeology's Carly Hilts explores the lives of five fascinating females linked with the 7th-century site.
A Riveting Tale
Netflix has just released The Dig, a major film about the Sutton Hoo excavation. Lindsay Fulcher unearths the story of how Basil Brown uncovered the splendid Anglo-Saxon ship burial and illuminated the so-called ‘Dark Ages’.