The Book of the Heavenly Cow
Andrew Fulton investigates the ancient Egyptian myth that tells how humanity
was saved by red-coloured beer.
epigraphy
The Thirteen Dynasty: Vizier Ankhu
In the second of his series focusing on remarkable people of their period, Wolfram Grajetzki introduces us to an important official whose tomb has recently been discovered.
Heliopolis finds
The joint German-Egyptian mission at Heliopolis, excavating the area surrounding the Obelisk Open-air Museum, has discovered a series of stone fragments from statues depicting Ramesses II, Ramesses IX, Horemheb, and Psamtek II. The finds include heads belonging to sphinxes that…
Saints or Sinners? Scandals among the servants of God
Roger Forshaw explores the transgressions of the ancient Egyptian priesthood.
The Association for Roman Archaeology
One of archaeology’s distinctive features has always been the lack of hard boundaries between professional and amateur. Archaeology is perhaps unique in the degree to which anyone can participate in the discipline, even at the highest level. That is especially…
Maya ballgame marker discovered at Chichén Itzá
The ancient Maya ballgame, known as pelota or sometimes pok-ta-pok, played an important ritual and symbolic role in the Mesoamerican culture.
Oldest Odin inscription identified
The inscription appears next to the image of a man – possibly a king or warlord named Jaga or Jagaz – on an early 5th-century bracteate
Ancient Egyptian news in brief: crocodile burials and a counterfeit tomb
A round-up of some of the latest news from the ancient Egyptian world.
Hand of Irulegi
What is it? This 2,100-year-old piece of bronze sheet cut into the shape of a life-size right hand has been dubbed the ‘Hand of Irulegi’, after the site in Spain where it was found. The hand is 143mm tall, 128mm…
This week: Signature style
With no contemporary written record to guide us, we cannot know the precise meaning behind the many depictions of human hands featured in prehistoric cave art around the world – the oldest known examples of which are believed to have…
Ashoka and the Maurya Dynasty: the History and Legacy of Ancient India’s Greatest Empire
Review by Robert Harding The ancient Mauryan Empire and its third emperor Ashoka (c.304-232 BC) represent a striking departure for Colleen Taylor Sen. The author’s reputation rests on her series of food books, most notably Curry: a global history. Nevertheless,…
Assyrian palace excavated in the ancient city of Nimrud
Finds from the palace include a large stone vase and inscribed fragments of ivory and of ostrich eggshell.
Egypt’s golden couple: a family affair
John Coleman and Colleen Darnell present new interpretations of the imagery from the fascinating reign of Akhenaten and Nefertiti.
Travels in an antique land: the Temple of Nekhbet-Hathor at Elkab
Each issue, AE magazine goes off the beaten track to explore some of Egypt’s lesser known sites, new museums, and newly opened monuments, with tips to help the independent traveller. In this issue, the intrepid Karl Harris searches for a small New Kingdom temple in the Wadi Hilal at Elkab.
Ivory comb with rare Canaanite inscription
Until now, inscriptions found in the Canaanite alphabet have been limited to two or three words; this is the first meaningful Canaanite inscription found in Israel.
Second Pictish stone discovered near Ulbster
It probably dates to between the 5th and 7th centuries AD, before the Picts were converted to Christianity.
Marks of devotion: exploring historic graffiti in St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall
The distinctive red sandstone edifice of St Magnus Cathedral is an unmistakeable landmark in Orkney’s largest town – as well as a fascinating repository of Kirkwall’s history. A recent graffiti survey there has recorded hundreds of markings and inscriptions dating from the medieval period to the present day. What can they tell us about the hopes, fears, and experiences of generations of visitors to the sacred site? Carly Hilts toured the cathedral with custodian Fran Flett Hollinrake to find out more.
Ogham inscription discovered on Pictish cross found near Doune
Such inscriptions are relatively rare in Scotland, with only 35 currently known
Does a hidden door in Tutankhamun’s tomb lead to Nefertiti?
Nicholas Reeves claims the north wall of KV62 originally depicted Tutankhamun burying Nefertiti and was later overpainted to show Ay burying Tutankhamun.
In Carter’s footsteps: a legacy in epigraphy
Tutankhamun and Howard Carter: two men whose lives are separated by more than three thousand years, but now and forever intertwined in the annals of history. The discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun in November 1922 would seal the fate of both men and have long-lasting implications for the study and popularity of ancient Egypt. But Carter’s contribution to Egyptology goes much further than his leading role in the world’s most famous archaeological discovery, as Carl Graves reports.
The power of words: racing to read the lost secrets of Egypt
The beautiful and mysterious signs adorning ancient monuments across Egypt have excited speculation for centuries. The tale of how their meaning was finally rediscovered is just as long, and takes in many twists and turns. Success came 200 years ago, and with it a staggering insight into ancient Egyptian history, as Ilona Regulski told Matthew Symonds.
A Cult Centre on Rome’s North-West Frontier: excavations at Maryport, Cumbria 1870-2015
Maryport is home to one of the largest and most-impressive collections of Roman altars in the world, with the role of religion at the site debated by academics and archaeologists over many years. Deliberately buried in pits, the altars –…
Historic Texts Quiz
In which Roman fort were the wooden tablets found that contain the earliest handwriting ever discovered in Britain?
Living and Cursing in the Roman West: curse tablets and society
Review by Charlotte Spence. Stuart McKie’s reassessment of curse tablets sets itself up as a ‘paradigm shift’ in the scholarship and our understanding of these objects; and this is something he well achieves. The focuis on the examination of the…
Conquering the Ocean: the Roman invasion of Britain
Review by Matthew Symonds. Reconstructing Roman military campaigning in Britain poses a fascinating challenge. For some periods, a solid overview of events – from a Roman perspective, at least – is provided by Classical writers as renowned as Julius Caesar…
Halet Çambel
This ruined city had richly carved monumental gateways and, even more significant, an 8th-century BC stela that, bearing the same text in both the Phoenician alphabet and Luwian hieroglyphics, gave Çambel the key to unlock the Luwian language for future scholars.
Pearl of the Desert: A History of Palmyra
Review by Jennifer A Baird. Palmyra has long been considered the jewel of Syria. In recent years, the site – which is internationally well-known for its monumental remains – has become infamous after those remains were targeted for destruction, casualties…
Roman sanctuary revealed in the Netherlands
As well as the remains of the temple buildings, many votive altars, and sculptures, archaeologists also unearthed fire pits with vestiges of sacrifices.
CA 390 Letters – August
Your views on issues raised in Current Archaeology.
Stone inscription celebrating Athenian military academy cadets discovered
The inscribed stone is the ancient Greek equivalent of a 'graduate school yearbook'.
The Writing of the Gods: The Race to decode the Rosetta Stone
Review by Andrew Robinson. The Rosetta Stone, dated 196 BC, is of course famous worldwide – and perhaps the best-known object in the British Museum, following its 1801 capture by the British army from its French military discoverers in Egypt.…
Michael Ventris
Michael Ventris' decipherment of a mysterious ancient script, Minoan Linear B, was dubbed by The Times as ‘the Everest of Greek archaeology’…
From scandalous sculptures to Selfridges
The objectionable trough has survived, though the figures are so eroded that you need advanced powers of imagination to see anything erotic or outrageous in these maenads – female followers of the wine god, Dionysus.
When was Hadrian’s Wall built?
We know that Britain experienced tumultuous events during Hadrian’s reign. What we do not know is the order in which they played out. The answer may hold the key to understanding Britain’s premier Roman monument, as Matthew Symonds explains.
Commemorating Hadrian’s Wall: searching for signs of a 2nd-century celebration
This year marks the 1,900th anniversary of the visit of the emperor Hadrian to Britain where, according to his biographer writing more than 200 years after the event, ‘he put many things to right and was the first to build a wall 80 miles long to separate the Romans and the barbarians’. In 2022, the anniversary is being marked by events across Britain – but was there a ceremony in AD 122 to mark the building of Hadrian’s Wall? David Breeze, Christof Flügel, Erik Graafstal, and Andreas Thiel explore the possibilities.
CWA 113 Letters – May 2022
Your observations, your objections, and your opinions: send them to cwaletters@world-archaeology.com