In 1920, a collection of antiquities and antiques was thrown away, and most of its contents remain lost more than a century later. Martin A Timoney describes recent efforts to piece together clues to their whereabouts and appeals for more information.
This Birdlip brooch was found by a metal-detectorist near Catterton in North Yorkshire this past June, and is believed to date between the late Iron Age and early Roman period. Birdlip, or Beaked Bow, brooches date from between 30 BC…
The site of what is believed to be the world’s first purpose-built prisoner-of-war camp will soon be open to visitors. The Norman Cross Camp, just south of Peterborough in Cambridgeshire, was established by the British government during the Napoleonic Wars.…
TOMB OF THE PHARAOHS This new 3D, immersive, and interactive experience of ancient Egypt recreates scenes of royal tombs including those of Ramesses IV, Sety I, Tutankhamun, and Nefertari, featuring more than 300 museum-grade replicas. CAIRNS AQUARIUM ANNEX, 122B Lake…
Establishing the origin of the lapis lazuli used in ancient artefacts has long been beyond the reach of science. Now an innovative technique has revealed, in a non-invasive way, where the precious stone was coming from. Alessandro Lo Giudice, Alessandro Re, Laura Guidorzi, Marta Magalini, Norman Hammond, Randall Law, Guy Clutterbuck, and Georgina Herrmann guide us from a laboratory in Italy to a remote mine.
A unique find, this tiny object is very finely crafted. What is it? This Roman miniature padlock, comprising a gold exterior and an iron core, measures just 1.2cm by 1.1cm. It is similar in form, technical structure, and decorative style…
• The French mission at Taposiris Magna has uncovered a finely crafted marble head depicting an elderly man (below), dating to the Ptolemaic Period. • A suitcase with the monogram ‘HC’, believed to have been owned by Howard Carter, has…
Geoffrey Lenox-Smith pays a second visit to the new Grand Egyptian Museum.
REVIEW BY ROGER FORSHAW Nigel Fletcher-Jones’ Ancient Egypt: a photographic history offers a visual overview of more than 3,000 years of Egyptian civilisation. With 200 well-presented photographs, the book provides a chronological record that spans from Egypt’s earliest beginnings to…
TIMELESS GAZES: FROM PHARAOHS TO THE PRESENT DAY Timeless Gazes is a new exhibition celebrating ancient Egypt and contemporary art in relation to the African continent, featuring 130 paintings, photographs, and sculptures from the prestigious collection assembled by Jean Claude…
An Egyptian mission has discovered a new mud-brick tomb at the site of Tell el-Maskhuta, in the eastern Nile Delta (about 16km west of Ismailia). The tomb, consisting of a burial chamber linked to three other rooms, contained a skeleton,…
The team from the French-Egyptian Centre for the Study of the Temples of Karnak (CFEETK) has uncovered a large collection of gold jewellery and amulets, which was in a broken pot. The treasure, found during recent excavations at Karnak, is…
The Hellenistic site of Kom el-Nugus (Plinthine), 27km from Alexandria, was first discovered in 2013. Now a team from Université de Lyon has uncovered a settlement dating to the New Kingdom, as well as traces of settlement from the Late…
New project to investigate Roman gypsum burials A three-year, £1 million project, supported by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, is set to explore the Roman practice of coating bodies within coffins in liquid gypsum before burial. (A burial of…
Reviewing the best military history exhibitions with MHM.
Iron Age artefacts that were discovered beneath an airfield in Wales have been declared national treasure. Parts of a Celtic chariot, believed to be around 2,000 years old, were found on the site of RAF Valley in Anglesey in April…
The latest on acquisitions, exhibitions, and key decisions.
REVIEW BY HARRIET HAUGVIK Ben Paites’ addition to the ‘50 Finds’ series is a well-researched and nuanced exploration of the history of sexuality through material culture. The book approaches the topic from five distinct angles: from the more standard ‘Historical…
UNRAVELLING THE MYSTERIES OF ANCIENT EGYPT FROM BROOKLYN MUSEUM A selection of 150 masterpieces from the Brooklyn Museum’s ancient Egyptian collection, including sculpture, coffins, jewellery, pottery, papyri, and human and cat mummies. MORI ARTS CENTRE GALLERY, Roppongi Hills Mori Tower,…
This medieval ear scoop was found by a metal-detectorist near King’s Lynn in Norfolk, and has recently been submitted under consideration for Treasure status according to the 1996 Treasure Act. One end of the 43mm-long object has been flattened and…
For this issue, Hilary turns her attention to one form of jewellery worn by both women and men in ancient Egypt.
BETWEEN PRAGUE AND CAIRO: 100 YEARS OF CZECH EGYPTOLOGY A century of Czech archaeology in Egypt and Sudan is celebrated in a new exhibition presenting the work of the Czech Institute of Egyptology of Charles University, featuring in particular the…
An exhibition running at the University of Nottingham Museum showcases the intriguing and eclectic Bronze Age metalwork that has been recovered from the waters and wetlands of the River Trent. Carly Hilts spoke to Mark Pearce and Clare Pickersgill to learn more.
REVIEW BY CH Corinium is how the Romans knew Cirencester; today it is the name of the Cotswold town’s museum. Its displays include a wealth of Roman finds, as well as artefacts spanning prehistory to the present day – and…
A new exhibition running at the British Museum explores the vast network of cultural and commercial connections that spanned Europe, Africa, and Asia in AD 500-1000. Carly Hilts visited to learn how diverse ideas, materials, and people filtered along these routes to the British Isles.
The latest on acquisitions, exhibitions, and key decisions.
The latest on acquisitions, exhibitions, and key decisions.
The latest on acquisitions, exhibitions, and key decisions.
Your thoughts on issues raised by CA.
Archaeologists have found the remains of a Revolutionary War-era barracks near the Colonial Williamsburg visitor centre in Virginia. The discovery was made during construction of a new indoor sportsground near to the centre last summer. Colonial Williamsburg is a 300-acre…
This month sees a return of the Council for British Archaeology’s annual Festival of Archaeology, with a wealth of in-person and online events taking place across the UK between 13 and 28 July. The theme for 2024 is ‘Archaeology and Community’. Here is a selection of regional highlights, see www.archaeologyuk.org/festival/festival-event-listing.html for more details, and to explore the full programme.
Maidstone Museum’s impressively eclectic collection of British archaeology has been redisplayed in an absorbing new gallery. Carly Hilts attended its official launch in June.
This unusual-looking doll was found by a mudlarker in a brook in Leicestershire earlier this year. A remarkable find, the lead- alloy female figure is the only complete example of such a doll currently recorded on the PAS database. The…
CA profiles the new Perth Museum, which opened at the end of March.
What is it? This small, intricately decorated cylindrical vial, measuring 6.7cm long and 1.9cm in diameter, is made of a greenish chlorite-schist and contains a deep red cosmetic mixture believed to be lip paint. The container, which comes from Iran,…
A new publication, An Early Medieval Craft: antler and bone working from Ipswich excavations 1974-1994, details the extraordinary Viking Age finds discovered over the course of 20 years of digging in the town by Suffolk County Council Archaeological Service (SCCAS).…