CWA138

Gallarus looking towards Smerwick bay

Homage to Gallarus Oratory

Fifty years ago, one of the most daring expeditions in modern times left Ireland’s Dingle Peninsula. Tim Severin set out with a crew of three in a curragh – a skin-boat shaped like a banana – from Brandon Creek to…

Burial mounds Antiquity

Technological evolution

A study of human remains from two cemeteries in Bulgaria, all buried with distinctively ‘Gothic’ jewellery, brooches, and belt buckles, suggests that the ancient Goths were ethnically diverse and not a single homogeneous community.

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Living among ruins

Most CWA readers will have visited some ruined cities for one reason or another; the majority of us will have let ourselves be fascinated by imagining how life in the past might have been, and how much or how little it would have resembled the modern equivalent, with its venues for leisure and work; for sleep and entertainment; for labour and exploitation; for aesthetically pleasing and artistic expressions

Annette Græsli Øvrelid, Museum of Archaeology, University of Stavanger

Gold filigree fitting

It was found by a walker in a rock crevice. What is it? This spectacular sword scabbard fitting dates to the 6th century, during Norway’s Migration Period. The rectangular object measures 6cm wide by c.2cm high and is just a…

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Mohenjo-daro: an egalitarian urban centre? 

Mohenjo-daro (c.2600-1900 BC) has long invited questions about the relationship between urbanisation and social inequality. With an estimated population of 40,000 at its peak, it was one of the largest cities of the Indus Valley Civilisation. However, unlike other ancient…

Alexander

Alexander: god, king, man

Every new book about Alexander the Great needs to have its own unique selling point if it is to fight its way successfully into public consciousness. In the case of Edmund Richardson’s Alexander: god, king, man that USP is the…

Travels through Prehistoric Spain

Travels through Prehistoric Spain: a guide 

In Travels through Prehistoric Spain, Jude Brown and Gary Lock provide a richly rewarding and deeply engaging exploration of Spain’s prehistoric heritage. Written with enthusiasm, knowledge, and genuine affection for both archaeology and the Spanish landscape, their book succeeds not only…

Tutanhkamun tomb sealings

CWA news in brief

Silent guardians The original mud-plaster sealings that secured the burial chambers of King Tutankhamun’s tomb have been placed on public display for the first time. The sealings are made of a Theban plaster material traditionally known as habiya – a…