Bronze Age

Buried in the Bronze Age: unearthing a rare log coffin in Lincolnshire

The discovery of 4,000-year-old log coffin and the remains of its occupant in Tetney, Lincolnshire, along with an equally rare stone axe buried with it, has brought together archaeologists from across the field in a massive effort not only to excavate and preserve the wood before it can disintegrate, but also to examine every avenue of evidence that this unique burial can provide. Hugh Willmott, Tim Allen, and Ian Panter report on their ongoing efforts.

Below Animal remains are a key source of information about ancient diets. Here we see the working space of a zooarchaeologist in the field. The assemblage consists of animal bones dating to the Iron Age from a site called Tell el Burak, located in present day southern Lebanon. What you see in the picture is work in progress, with some bones divided per skeletal element (for example, vertebrae, skull elements, teeth), while there is also a large to do pile. Most of these bones can be identified as sheep or goat, although some of the larger ones are cattle or donkey. Coincidentally, these are the most frequently identified animals at this site. Once everything is sorted, all information about every bone is recorded in a database, after which statistical analyses will follow.

Southern Levant: what was on the menu in the land of milk and honey?

Just how much can ancient diet tell us about past lives? Shyama Vermeersch considers what cuisine reveals about the southern Levant in the Bronze and Iron Ages.

Childe argued that symbols of elite wealth and power like ancient Greek temples (ABOVE) are signs of a society at risk of becoming technologically stagnant, explaining why the developments that led to the Iron Age could not have occurred within the highly structured civilisations of the Late Bronze Age Mediterranean (RIGHT).

V. G. Childe’s archaeological theory

Central to Childe’s conception of history was the creative potential of hunters, farmers, craftworkers, engineers, and scientists, and the way in which elites wasted surpluses on wars, monuments, and luxuries

FRC1808 depots en cours de fouilles photo C Fresillon scaled

The Past

Rich bronze artefact deposits found at ancient French settlement

Two deposits of spectacular bronze artefacts dating back to the 9th century BC represent the latest discoveries made during a series of archaeological excavations and surveys conducted in the Allier department of central France since 2019.

Drawn and Written in Stone: an inventory of stepped structures and inscriptions on rock surfaces in Upper Tibet (ca.100 BCE to 1400 CE)

For many thousands of years, humans have inscribed their presence on the landscape. They drew or pecked images of the fanciful, representational, or sacred on the walls of caves, rock shelters, rock faces, and boulders, as well as on structures,…

The Past

Bronze Age and Jutish cemetery excavated in Kent

One of the most exciting discoveries was that of a massive square pit burial holding the skeletal remains of a horse and a wolf-sized dog

The Past

Rare Bronze Age coffin sheds light on ancient funerary rites

The coffin, thought to date back c. 4,000 years, was crafted from a hollowed-out oak tree trunk

The Past

Hunter-gatherer settlements excavated in Russia

A vast number of flint artefacts – including scrapers, arrowheads, and axe fragments – were recovered from all five settlements.

Excavating Kent

Large infrastructure projects have led to some remarkable discoveries down the years – think of Heathrow Terminal 5, as well as the more recent work along the route of HS2

Three new Treasure finds in Wales

'The locations of these hoards are being carefully mapped to provide another piece of information in this jigsaw, so these finds are really important.’

Revealing a rich prehistoric landscape at Biddenham

One of the most significant discoveries the team made was circular ditch monument.

Exhibitions from around the world – August 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.

Honor Frost (1917-2010)

Frost fitted herself out with an improvised breathing hose at a party in order to explore a 17th-century well.

Excavating East Sussex

Perhaps Sussex’s most famous ‘site’ of all featured in CA 286, when the Time Team examined rival theories of the location of the AD 1066 Battle of Hastings.

Below Tomb SS contained the remains of 11 individuals, as well as many ceramic vessels.

Life and death in a Cypriot Bronze Age society

Excavations in the Bronze Age cemetery at Hala Sultan Tekke, Cyprus, are shedding light on trade networks and complex burial practices, as Peter M Fischer and Teresa Bürge explain.

The Maltese Archipelago at the Dawn of History

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…

Forum: comments and conundrums

Your observations, your objections, and your opinions.

Tea with the junta

For some unaccountable reason, perhaps a case of mistaken identity, Polly and I were ushered into a private room to sit down to afternoon tea with the junta.

BELOW The White Monument in Syria. It was previously thought to be a mass grave, rather than an organised memorial.

‘World’s oldest war memorial’ identified in Syria

Archaeologists have stated that a monument at the Banat-Bazi complex is over 4,000 years old.

Cornish connections in Bronze Age Germany

This identification of Cornish gold in Central Europe indicates that there was probably contact between these two regions during the Bronze Age, and perhaps even a well-established trade route.

RIGHT The small gold spiral recovered from an Early Bronze Age grave in Germany.

Striking gold in Germany

The discovery of the gold object in an Early Bronze Age grave was unusual, as precious metals are rare in the region at this date.

Excavating Surrey

The county is one that historically suffers from being overlooked: its proximity, and partial absorption, into Greater London risks obscuring its significance.

The Past

University of Glasgow project to shed light on modern-day burial mounds

They will investigate the recent trend in constructing burial mounds as a columbarium – a place for housing the cremated remains of the deceased.

Top The grave goods found in Grave 38, including this rare silver diadem (above), have shed further light on the economic divisions that existed in Argaric society and the power held by the wealthiest individuals.

Emblems of power in Argaric society

The Antiquity paper presents a new theory about the significance of these diadems as emblems of power and suggests that they may reflect the central position of these women in the governance of Argaric society.

Saint-Bélec Slab

What is it? This engraved stone dating to the early Bronze Age (c.1900-1650 BC) is known as the Saint-Bélec Slab. Made of grey-blue coloured schist, the slab is c.2.2m long, 1.53m wide, and 0.16m thick. New research suggests that the…

Image: Richard Brown and Giselle Eagle, WTSWW

Unprecedented prehistoric finds on Skokholm Island

After this first discovery, further finds were unearthed from the warrens, including large pieces of pottery that have been identified as part of an Early Bronze Age vase urn, usually associated with cremation burials

Darkness dispelled: exploring 1,500 years of life and death at the Sculptor’s Cave

The Sculptor’s Cave, on Scotland’s north-east coast, is best known for the Pictish carvings that give the site its name. Recent research by Ian Armit and Lindsey Büster, however, has drawn together evidence of enigmatic prehistoric funerary practices that were carried out at this remote spot for hundreds of years. Current Archaeology's Carly Hilts reports.

Image: West Yorkshire Archaeology Advisory Service

Highlights of the latest Treasure Report

The most recent Treasure Annual Report, which covers finds made in 2018, has been released by the British Museum. In total, 1,094 cases were reported as Treasure for that year, comprising over 20,906 individual artefacts. Of those reported, 347 have…

The Past

Museum of London sites reopening with extended exhibitions

The Museum of London Docklands has announced the extension of several exhibitions and displays, including their exhibition on London’s largest Bronze Age hoard, ‘Havering Hoard: A Bronze Age Mystery’, which will run until 22 August 2021.

The Past

Oldest 3D map in Europe unearthed

'The Saint-Bélec Slab highlights the cartographic knowledge of past societies that we tend to underestimate in the era of the GPS.'

5 Skokholm bevelled pebble findspot detail

The Past

Rabbits dig up prehistoric finds on Welsh island

Evidence of Late Mesolithic and Bronze activity has been discovered on a Welsh island.

Illuminating St Kilda’s Iron Age inhabitants

A newly published report from GUARD Archaeology has revealed evidence for the Iron Age inhabitation of St Kilda, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and isolated archipelago located 64km west of the Outer Hebrides.

Below This unusual Bronze Age spearhead was found on a beach in Jersey last August.

Unique spearhead sheds light on Bronze Age Jersey

The largest and most-complete late Bronze Age spearhead to be found in the Channel Islands has been discovered in Jersey, sparking questions about the ritual practices of the prehistoric islanders.

The Social Context of Technology: non-ferrous metalworking in later prehistoric Britain and Ireland

Although a little heavy on detail, this is a thorough study of the subject which presents, in a chronological fashion, the archaeological evidence for (mostly copper and bronze) metalworking from sites across the British Isles. The evidence is examined critically,…

Above This bone comb, dating to AD 500 600 and probably used as a weaving tool, was found within one of the Anglo Saxon structures recently discovered along with a large cemetery at Overstone.

Northamptonshire’s largest Anglo-Saxon cemetery discovered

A large Anglo-Saxon cemetery has recently been discovered at Overstone in Northamptonshire. With 154 interments, it is the largest burial ground from this period ever found in the county. The 15ha site was excavated by Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA)…

News in brief

Excavations begin along the A303 Preliminary investigatons by Wessex Archaeology in advance of the planned A303 tunnel scheme are in progress. So far they have undertaken more than 462ha of geophysical survey and 440 evaluation trenches, uncovering diverse finds in…