Roman frontiers are often viewed as measures to increase security, but did this concern extend to soldiers locking the doors of their towers? Thomas Becker, David Breeze, Christof Flügel, Erik Graafstal, Elisabeth Krieger, Orsolya Lang, Felix Marcu, Martina Meyr, and Andreas Thiel weigh the evidence for how tower access was controlled on the European frontiers, and what it means.
New research from the University of Liverpool (Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, October 2024) has given insights into how ancient Egyptian mirrors were manufactured. Metallurgical analysis on 19 Egyptian mirrors from UK museum collections shows three main types of alloy…
Petrie’s work at Naqada revealed for the first time the prehistoric past of Egypt.
The game of 58 Holes – also known as ‘Hounds and Jackals’ – is one of the oldest games in the world. It was long thought to have originated in Egypt, with the oldest example dating to the Eleventh Dynasty…
Fragments of four letters have been discovered at Berenike on the Red Sea coast. They were written on papyrus by Roman commanders stationed in Egypt in the reign of Nero (AD 54-68) and name three centurions: Haosus, Lucinius, and Petronius.…
What is it? This perforated baton made of mammoth ivory is believed to be a Palaeolithic tool used to make rope. The baton is 20.4cm long, 3.6cm wide, and 1.5cm thick. Four holes of slightly different sizes have been drilled…
Following the publication of a major new work combing through antler- and bone-working evidence, as well as signs of Scandinavian influence, from early medieval Ipswich, Ian Riddler and Nicola Trzaska-Nartowski explain how a chance meeting at a railway station helped to transform understanding of this early medieval craft.
REVIEW BY MATTHEW SYMONDS Vindolanda is a marvel. It lies to the south of Hadrian’s Wall, and boasts a series of superimposed Roman forts and associated structures. The Vindolanda Trust has been investigating them for over 50 years, with this…
Wemyss Casts returned Two plaster casts of a boat carving in Jonathan’s Cave, east Wemyss, have been returned to Scotland after 90 years. Dated to 1st millennium BC, the original carving is possibly the earliest depiction of a boat in…
Dr Campbell Price describes an unusual lamp stand from the collection of the Petrie Museum in London.
Rome’s military is renowned as one of the finest fighting forces of the ancient world. But what was life really like for the individuals who became career soldiers, and how much do we know about the tools of their trade? Richard Abdy told Matthew Symonds about the people who fought for Rome.
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…
A new site museum tells the story of what was the fourth-largest town in Roman Britain. Carly Hilts visited to find out more.
A new museum in Van, Turkey, explores the rich history of the area. Nick Kropacek visited to find out more.
Review by Hugo Anderson-Whymark Carved stone balls are one of Scotland’s most intriguing Neolithic artefacts. Some 500 of these palm-sized stone spheres are known, with most found in Aberdeenshire. This monograph is the first solely devoted to the study of…
A new study is using Indigenous pottery to find out more about travel between the islands of the Caribbean throughout history.
With the 40th anniversary of the raising of the wrecked Tudor flagship Mary Rose approaching this autumn, the Portsmouth-based museum dedicated to the vessel is trialling immersive new approaches to illuminating its archaeology. Carly Hilts visited to find out more.
Four pot sherds found between 1961 and 1967 in the Armenian Garden, located within the walled Old City of Jerusalem, were studied as part of the research.
Review by Kevin Leahy. This book joins the growing list of publications on the Staffordshire Hoard, but Warrior Treasure is published by Historic England and can be viewed as an ‘official’ popular account. Written by Chris Fern, one of the…
This coin, found near Shrewsbury, Shropshire, is one of a series of high denomination gold coins issued during the reign of Elizabeth I (1558-1603). Elizabethan coins are among the objects most frequently reported to the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS). Gold…
This, the third volume to tackle the legacy data from Malta (Tanasi et al. 2011; 2015), effectively lays the groundwork from which to launch renewed archaeological investigations. Its reinterpretation of past excavations highlights the fragile nature of the archaeological remains…
The Roman emperor Nero has long been reviled as a notorious tyrant, prone to lavish and often murderous excesses, who headed a chaotic regime that saw Britain erupt into open insurrection led by the rebel queen Boudica. A new exhibition at the British Museum presents a more nuanced picture, however, and Current Archaeology's Carly Hilts spoke to the curator, Thorsten Opper, to find out more about what Nero’s reign had meant for Roman Britain.
At what event did Edith Pretty, Sutton Hoo’s owner, get chatting with historian Vincent Redstone, a meeting that began the chain of events which led to the site’s excavation?