Current World Archaeology

Below Tollund Man, a naturally mummified individual who died in the Early Iron Age, is one of the best known bog bodies in Europe.

Bog bodies: complex human connections with wetlands, death, and burial

New research is expanding our understanding of the human remains deposited in peatlands around Europe.

Above The two coffins found last year beneath the floor of Notre Dame cathedral were sent to Toulouse University Hospital for further analysis.

Burials in Notre-Dame undergo analysis

Following their discovery by a team from Inrap last year, the coffins were sent to the forensic institute of Toulouse University Hospital for further investigation.

ABOVE Excavations in Hune, Denmark, are uncovering a large Viking Age hall, the most significant find of this type in a decade.

Viking Age hall found in Denmark

Excavations near the village of Hune in the North Jutland region of Denmark have uncovered evidence of a large Viking Age hall.

ABOVE This gilded mummy belonging to a woman called Isaious was discovered at Hawara in 1911. The mummy mask’s facial features and hairstyle are reminiscent of Ptolemaic ideals, while other elements of the cartonnage feature traditional Pharaonic iconography, reflecting the multiculturalism present in burial traditions in Egypt at the time.

Golden Mummies of Egypt

An internationally touring exhibition featuring mummies and artefacts from Graeco-Roman Egypt has opened in the UK for the first time at the newly refurbished Manchester Museum. Amy Brunskill visited to find out more.

Left The reconstructed 3D model of the bone object revealed that its shape was consistent with that of a human made

Research identifies the earliest bone weapon in the Americas

The bone fragments were embedded in a mastodon rib found during excavations at the Manis site in north-west Washington in 1977-1979.

Left Archaeologists working in Slovakia have discovered a mass grave containing 38 headless

Headless skeletons uncovered in Neolithic mass grave

The positions of the skeletons indicate that they were thrown or rolled into the grave, and many of the remains are disarticulated or incomplete.

Above left Excavations on the Phoenician island city of Motya have uncovered evidence of a large monumental sanctuary, with a sacred pool at its heart. left The ‘Kothon’ at Motya has now been refilled and a replica of the statue of Ba’al placed in the middle, offering an idea of what the Phoenician sacred pool may have looked like.

Sacred Phoenician pool identified in Sicily

Numerous altars, stelae, votive offerings, and other finds associated with a religious complex were discovered.

Left These mural fragments from San Bartolo depict the ‘7 Deer’ sign used in the Maya 260 day calendar.

Early evidence of Maya calendar found

This discovery demonstrates that this calendar system has been in operation for at least 2,200 years.

Above Analysis of old photographs taken during excavations of the Mesolithic burial site in the 1960s has identified possible evidence of early mummification.

Evidence of Mesolithic mummification discovered in Portugal

Until now, the earliest evidence for intentional human mummification came from the Atacama Desert in northern Chile, c.7,000 years ago.

RIGHT A new project by students at the University of Granada aims to learn more about the acequias of Las Alpujarras, in the Sierra Nevada.

Ancient aquifers and a sovereign spirit

The death of Prince Philip was marked on Tanna with traditional rites and tribute ceremonies: the consensus among members of the sect is that the Duke’s spirit has returned to its island home...

CWA Letters – Janurary 2022

Your views and observations...

BELOW Felicity Wild and I helped Martin Aitken with the proton magnetometer survey. I wore my school rugby jersey. She took off her sweater in the hot weather and never saw it again.

Surveying Verulamium

We all gathered round on another day, when a whoop of excitement emerged from the next-door shop, where Professor Frend was working in a cellar. He had just found the lovely bronze statuette of Venus, now a proud exhibit in the Verulamium Museum

BELOW The Glacier Archaeology Program carries out archaeological fieldwork on the ice patches and glaciers of Norway (RIGHT), which presents some unique challenges but produces some truly incredible finds, like this 1,300 year old wooden ski (BELOW RIGHT).

Norway: secrets of the ice

Over the last decade, 64 glaciers and ice patches in the Innlandet region have produced over 3,500 archaeological finds, from hunting tools and textiles to zoological material...

Unseen Aztec art in Leiden

Gillis Kersting explores an international exhibition presenting hundreds of Aztec objects on loan from Mexican and European museums, now on display in Leiden.

Below The Barber Institute’s new exhibition, Miss Clara and the Celebrity Beast in Art 1500 1860, includes several depictions of the famous 18th century rhinoceros, such as this bronze sculpture.

Celebrity beasts

The statues of five elephants surrounding this part of the cemetery have led to the belief that these and other circus animals are buried here along with the human victims of the Hammond circus train disaster of 22 June 1918.

Roman mosaic in Rutland

The mosaic, which measures 11m by almost 7m, once formed the floor of a dining or entertaining room within a large villa complex occupied during the late Roman period.

The pressure placed on academics to publish new books and papers has led to a dramatic increase in the number of works produced (LEFT), but has it also had a negative impact on their ability to address wider narratives? For example, perhaps Roman studies would benefit from more discussions of broader topics such as the nature of Roman urbanism (ABOVE).

Academic mass production

Every paper has to say something new. In the mass production of vehicle components, difference is defect. In the mass production of academic papers, difference is a requirement.

Cage cup

What is it? This cage cup, or vas diatretum, dates to the 4th century AD. The intricate, colourless glass bowl is 12.6cm tall and 15cm in diameter and has a flared rim. A Latin inscription in the central part of…

Above The bridge at Tinkuqchaka nearing completion in 2008. It was last renewed in 2014, bringing a long standing community

Connecting the Inca Empire: the art of maintaining Central Andean suspension bridges

Suspension bridges were crucial for the success of the Inca road network, but these remarkable structures needed to be regularly rebuilt. Can examining surviving examples of similar bridges reveal more about how Inca crossings were maintained, and the importance of such events for the local communities involved? Lidio Valdez takes us behind the scenes of a long-standing Andean tradition.

La Glacerie: excavating a prisoner-of-war camp in Normandy

La Glacerie in Cherbourg, Normandy, is the first WWII prisoner-of-war camp for German soldiers in France to be excavated and studied. How does living memory measure up to archaeological research? Robert Early compares the hard evidence with the witness accounts.

The Kouros of Samos (LEFT) and the Tunnel of Eupalinos (ABOVE) are just two examples of the impressive archaeology on Samos.

Unearthing a tyrant

And here is the weird thing. Polykrates is the greatest figure in Samian history. The Late Archaic age is the only time when the island could be considered a great power. And the archaeological imprint is truly awesome. Yet our local minibus driver didn’t even know the way to the ancient walls!

Cancel culture

No doubt those early Christians would say it was relatively mild revenge for the sufferings of the martyrs.

AI and ancient languages

Available in English and Arabic, Fabricius is an enjoyable introduction to hieroglyphs, but also presents new approaches for professional Egyptologists.

In Praise of Antiquity

There is no email I await with greater anticipation and, indeed, trepidation, than one captioned ‘Your radiocarbon results’.

Above The Roman armour had to be lifted in large blocks in order to recover the fragile finds safely.

Uncovering Kalkriese

A remarkable piece of Roman armour has been discovered at the site of the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest.

Image: © 2020 Brownstein, Tushingham, Damitio, Nguyen, and Gang

News in brief: Italy, Persia, North America

Late Neanderthal tooth Investigation into a canine tooth found at Riparo Broion, a rock shelter in Vicenza, north-eastern Italy, has revealed that it may represent an important piece of direct evidence for late Neanderthal occupation in the area. The tooth…

BELOW A reconstruction of the 4th century Temple of Asclepius at Epidaurus.

Accessibility at ancient Greek sanctuaries

A study of the architecture of ancient Greek temples and sanctuaries dedicated to healing has determined that these spaces were deliberately made accessible to individuals with impaired mobility. Individuals with mobility impairments were relatively common in ancient Greek society, as…

ABOVE A modern day floodwater field, located behind an ancient canal.

Pre-Hispanic flood-management in the Pampa de Mocan

For thousands of years, areas along the north coast of Peru have been subject to huge flooding as a result of El Niño, a periodic warming in the atmosphere of the Pacific Ocean, which causes torrential rainfall in the eastern…

LEFT This area in the south western part of the Nefud Desert was once a freshwater lake surrounded by grassland, making it a gathering place for animals and early humans.

Early human footprints in Saudi Arabia

The footprints were discovered as part of the Palaeodeserts Project, which is examining climate change and human evolution in Saudi Arabia.

ABOVE Visitors can walk through the large ship structure that runs down the centre of the exhibition space to learn more about the journey and the

Mayflower 400: Legend & Legacy

On entering the gallery, visitors are reminded that, despite their prominence in the story of the early colonists, the passengers of the Mayflower were not the first Europeans to settle in the ‘New World’.

Below The three balls found in burials at Yanghai cemetery were made of leather, with soft cores of hair

Earliest evidence for ball games in Eurasia

Ball games are known to have been played in Egypt c.4,500 years ago and in Central America at least 3,700 years ago, but it was previously thought that they were not present in Europe and Asia until much later.

RIGHT The remains of 13 individuals were found around the site of La Hoya, lying where they were killed, many with evidence of traumatic injuries.

Iron Age massacre in Iberia

Post-excavation analysis is now shedding more light on the final days of La Hoya and the devastating attack on the settlement.

The Past

Sumerian Plaque

The carving depicts a clean-shaven, elite male figure, perhaps a high-priest or ruler, sitting on a decorated stool, wearing a kaunakes (a type of Sumerian long skirt).

Bar brawl in Pompeii

Two gladiators wearing helmets with abundant, bristling crests are immortalised in paint in this Roman fresco, recently discovered at Pompeii. On the left, a murmillo stands tall and holds his large shield high in victory, while his vanquished opponent, a…

RIGHt This sculpted stucco Maya head excavated at Uxmal, Mexico, may have once decorated the House of the Governor.

Infinity of Nations

Around 700 objects from more than 200 Indigenous communities give a glimpse of the people who have interacted across these diverse environments over thousands of years.

Appointing Pompeii’s Director

Beyond the island I saw the thin campanile of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, which houses the Mouth of Truth, a bucket- list ‘must’ thanks to the incomparable Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck in Roman Holiday (1953).