archaeological science

Current Archaeology’s May Listings: exhibitions, events, and heritage from home

There are lots of great ways to get involved with history and archaeology over the next few months, including exhibitions, lectures, and conferences exploring a wide range of subjects. If you would prefer to get your heritage fix from the comfort of your sofa, though, there is a variety of resources on offer online, too, from virtual site tours and digital offerings by museums to podcasts, TV shows, and more. Kathryn Krakowka has put together a selection
of some of the options available.

Current Archaeology Live! 2026

At the end of February, our annual conference returned to UCL’s Institute of Education in London, with hundreds of people coming together to share the latest news about the past. For those who weren’t there, here is a round-up of what went on.

A world of discoveries

The 6th Shanghai Archaeological Forum has just drawn to a close, and it is time to reflect on its many highlights. This year, the field trip was scheduled on the first day, and we were given the choice of visiting freshly uncovered shipwrecks and the new Shanghai Museum, or to take the bus south to visit two key sites: Jingtoushan and Hemudu.

Ancient dental practice

New research published in the British Dental Journal (240, January 2026: 45-50) reveals that, although limited, ancient Egyptian and Graeco-Roman dentistry was surprisingly inventive. Prescriptions recorded in the medical papyri provide a fascinating glimpse into how dental care was approached…

Current Archaeology’s January Listings: exhibitions, events, and heritage from home

The future of studying the past: Showcasing archaeological science at Fort Cumberland

Historic England’s laboratories at Fort Cumberland, near Portsmouth, recently reopened after major refurbishment. Carly Hilts visited the new facilities and spoke to Gill Campbell, Jen Heathcote, Ian Morrison, Simon Mays, Francesca Gherardi, and Angela Middleton to learn about some of the latest advances in archaeological understanding to which the site’s specialists have contributed.

Science Notes: Analysing amino acids to ascertain Palaeolithic chronologies

In this month’s ‘Science Notes’, we are examining amino acid geochronology (AAG) – a dating technique that can be used to help date the whole Quaternary period, from c.2 million years ago up to the present day. Recently, a team…

From brewing to bread: Exploring the buildings of the British malting industry

In CA 419, Chris Catling reported on the history and development of kilns and oast houses used for drying the hops that help to preserve and give flavour to beer. This month, he reports on the buildings associated with the production of the malted grain used primarily in making beer and whisky, but also as an ingredient in a range of foods, from bagels to biscuits, and from vinegar to Ovaltine.

Reading the Herculaneum Scrolls: Secrets from the only surviving Classical library

Thanks to an ingenious digital technique, a particle accelerator, and an internet competition, we stand on the threshold of being able to enjoy what is potentially the greatest influx of ‘new’ Classical texts since the Renaissance. Brent Seales told Matthew Symonds why scrolls that were once widely believed impossible to read are now on the verge of becoming legible.

World news

Painted throne room discovered in Peru Excavations in a large square-pillared Moche building in Peru have uncovered a painted room which is believed to be the throne room of a previously unrecognised female ruler, dating to around AD 650. The…

Science Notes: Exeter’s cutting-edge scans of Roman medical instruments

A set of six Roman medical instruments, originally found in London 125 years ago, has undergone scanning at the University of Exeter using state-of-the-art scientific technology. The artefacts were recovered from a site along the Walbrook River, a now-buried tributary…

Current Archaeology’s August Listings: exhibitions, events, and heritage from home

There are lots of great ways to get involved with archaeology, history, and heritage over the next few months, from country-wide festivals and new exhibitions to exciting conferences and lectures. Or, if you would prefer to get your heritage fix from the comfort of your sofa, there is a wide variety of options on offer online, from virtual museum and site tours to new documentaries, games, and more. Amy Brunskill has put together a selection of some of the resources available.

Steppe Warrior Institute of Archaeological Sciences

World news

Analysis of ancient wooden tools from Germany Results from the analysis of more than 700 pieces of prehistoric wood from Schöningen 13, Germany, have revealed that they had been transported from at least 3-5km away. A variety of techniques were…

In the pipeline: Besselsleigh deserted manor and village

During this season’s work at the Oxfordshire site of Besselsleigh deserted manor and village (CA 400) by Appleton Area Archaeological Research Project (AAARP), the team of volunteers and students from the Oxford University Department for Continuing Education (OUDCE) excavated the…

Against the flow

Rubina Raja & Søren M Sindbæk on managing ressources in urban African societies.

The Tomio Maruyama: Discovering the longest sword and largest mirror in ancient Japan

In January 2023, the finds from excavations within the Tomio Maruyama burial mound in Nara city caused a media sensation. For the second in a two-part series examining Japanese tombs, Simon Kaner travelled to Nara and caught up with Okabayashi Kosaku, recently retired Deputy Director of the Nara Prefectural Kashihara Archaeological Institute, to find out more about the discovery and see how the story is developing.

Boom and Bust in Bronze Age Britain: the Great Orme copper mine and European trade

REVIEW BY SIMON TIMBERLAKE This is a landmark study concerning the origins of mining and metallurgy in Britain. Alan Williams has turned his PhD thesis into a scholarly publication that provides the reader with a compelling narrative based upon thorough…

The Ness of Brodgar: Time and Place

REVIEW BY CH The Ness of Brodgar in Orkney is home to a remarkable range of Neolithic buildings, uncovered over the last 20 years. We reviewed the excavation team’s guidebook in 2018 (CA 338) but since then the story has…

Jalame, 1963-1971

Viewers of the Netflix competition series Blown Away will be familiar both with the mesmerising transformations that take place under extreme heat as glass is blown, shaped, and decorated, and with the Corning Museum of Glass in upstate New York,…

Illuminating Islamic glass in Scotland

The three fragments of an Islamic glass vessel were found in the late 1990s at Caerlaverock Castle, near Dumfries.

Iron from Tutankhamun’s Tomb

by Katja Broschat et al.AUC, 2022ISBN 978-1-617-97997-2Hardback, £29.95. This is a lavish production from American University in Cairo Press, though at 62 pages long it is a rather slim volume. The book provides, for the first time, a complete account…

Study sheds light on origins of Venus figurine

Researchers have studied the 30,000-year-old figurine using micro-CT imaging to try to trace the origins of the oolite rock it was made from

The Past

Early ochre workshop discovered in east Asia

The study suggests that the site may represent an early colonisation attempt by modern humans.

Left EEF ancestry increased in southern Britain during the middle to late Bronze Age.

New aDNA evidence for Bronze Age migration into Britain

A new investigation has now seen an international team of more than 200 geneticists and archaeological scientists discover aDNA evidence for a second significant and hitherto unknown Bronze Age migration into Britain

The Past

CARD Fund applications are open

The CARD fund provides funding for ten radiocarbon dates from British archaeological sites which are organised by community archaeology groups.

Gold spiral ring

This ring is a significant discovery because it represents the earliest gold object from a clear and well-dated context discovered in this region so far.

The World Before Us: how science is revealing a new story of our human origins

After decades of slowly piecing together the puzzle of our human origins, the last ten years have seen a gigantic leap forward in our knowledge, spurred by advances in aDNA (see CA 338), radiocarbon dating, and other areas of archaeological…

Queen Adelaide’s castle in the Tuscan marches

Thanks to modern scientific analyses, the every-day circumstances of Tuscany’s Dark Age peoples are no longer mute. One thing is certain from this excavation: objects and nature played an active part in transforming the primitive experiences of Tuscany’s 9th-century peasants and their early feudal masters into some of the most sophisticated lifestyles in Europe by the 12th century.

Earthquake! How the earth shook up the past

When earthquakes strike, the consequences can be catastrophic. Yet what do we really know about their impact on past cultures? All is revealed in Andrew Robinson’s latest unputdownable book Earth-Shattering Events: Earthquakes, Nations and Civilization.

A brief history of Time Team

Everybody knows the story of how Time Team started: one ex-teacher turned TV producer, a couple of quirky archaeologists, and a fortuitous meeting in the Mediterranean with one of Britain’s best-loved actors combined to create the most successful archaeology programme ever on British television.