An Egyptian team working in the Bahariya Oasis have discovered three tombs from different periods at the site of Sheikh Sobi, the necropolis for the priests and governors of the oasis from the Late Period. The first tomb was carved…
Egyptian excavations at the site of another lost city – ‘Asila’ – in northern Sinai have revealed the remains of an Islamic structure thought to be a caravanserai (roadside inn), on the Darb el-Sultani (‘Sultan’s Road’). Also known as the…
The archaeological site of Tell Abu Seifi in Qantara East (Ismailia Governorate) – a key site on the military ‘Horus Road’ – could be the location of the lost city of ‘Mesn’ mentioned in New Kingdom sources. An Egyptian mission…
A joint Egyptian-Chinese mission documenting the Temple of Sekhmet at Mit Rahina (ancient Memphis) has uncovered the remains of a mud-brick residential complex in the area surrounding the temple. The team also found a limestone wine press (with grape seeds…
Two Old Kingdom tombs have recently been discovered at Saqqara by an Egyptian team working at the Bubasteion necropolis, and a Spanish Egyptian team excavating at the ‘Mariette Necropolis’ to the north. The remains of a funerary chapel with a…
A Roman Period bath complex has been discovered by an Egyptian team working at Tell Nasser in Port Said – the first such structure to be found in the area. The discovery was made during the site’s first excavation season. Cypriot…
An Egyptian mission excavating at Kom el-Khilgan in Dakahlia Governorate has uncovered an ancient necropolis with evidence of use from the Predynastic Period through to the Graeco-Roman era. The earliest burials appear to be Maadi-Buto culture (c.4000-3500 BC), and are…
• Egypt, rather than East Africa, may have been the region where the ancestors of modern apes and humans emerged according to researchers, following their discovery of fossil remains of an ape in the Qattara Depression dating back 18 million…
A basilica built by the pioneering Roman architect Vitruvius has been rediscovered in the city of Fano, in the Le Marche region of Italy. Marcus Vitruvius Pollio was born in Fanum Fortunae (modern-day Fano) in the 1st century BC and…
As part of my ongoing mini-series on the towns of Roman Britain, I will focus in this column on Roman Lincoln (Lindum), which was founded as a legionary fortress during the reign of Nero (AD 54-68), and subsequently developed into a colonia (a settlement for retired soldiers) after AD 86 during the reign of Domitian (AD 81-96).
The first research excavation to take place at Wroxeter in more than 30 years has illuminated a previously unexplored area of one of the largest urban centres in Roman Britain. Peter Guest, Roger H White, and Mike Luke report.
This month sees a return of the Council for British Archaeology’s annual Festival of Archaeology, with a wealth of in-person and online events taking place across the UK between 19 July and 3 August. The theme for 2025 is ‘Archaeology and Wellbeing’. Here is a selection of regional highlights; for more details, and to explore the full programme, see www.archaeologyuk.org/festival.html.
Churches have long been a key feature of Britain’s urban and rural landscapes, and many are of great historical significance in addition to their religious meaning. In this article, Chiz Harward outlines some of the features (and challenges) particular to carrying out archaeological work within parish churches.
Following on from our special sections in CA 422, 423, and 424,
this selection of summer digging opportunities includes projects
in Gloucestershire, the Cotswolds, and Nottinghamshire.
REVIEW BY HEATHER BEETON This report is a result of 11 seasons of extensive excavations of the multiperiod site at Mellor hilltop in Stockport, carried out by University of Manchester Archaeological Unit. Occupation started in the Mesolithic and continued in…
Dionysian frieze discovered in Pompeii Ongoing excavations of a grand domus in Pompeii’s Insula 10, Regio IX, have revealed a series of spectacular finds, including a dining room decorated with scenes from the Trojan War (CA 412), a lararium or…
Recent excavations at Tell Abu Saifi in the Qantara region (Ismailia) have revealed new military architecture at the site of two fortresses dating back to the Ptolemaic and Roman periods. Located in the northern Sinai Desert, the ‘Fortress of the…
A number of well-preserved Third Intermediate Period tombs have been uncovered at the Ramesseum by a French-Egyptian mission (the Supreme Council of Archaeology and the French National Research Centre and Sorbonne University). The tombs, discovered in the north-eastern area, contained…
As we were going to press, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced the discovery of three new tombs in Dra‘ Abu el-Naga on the West Bank of Luxor. Dating to the New Kingdom, the three tombs, each with a…
Excavations at Holme Hall Quarry, between Doncaster and Rotherham, have revealed how the landscape was transformed into extensive, carefully planned field systems and farmsteads during the early Roman period. Was this development the work of local Iron Age communities, or a land grab by an occupying army? Francis M Morris, who has recently completed post-excavation analysis and publication through Archaeological Research Services Ltd, explains more.
Discovered in 1972 and excavated between 2004 and 2010, High Pasture Cave on the island of Skye has proven to have been an enduring hub of ritual activity for 900 years, from the Bronze Age to the late Iron Age. Few cave sites in Europe have produced evidence for recurrent use over such a long period of time. As Chris Catling explains, the newly published excavation report raises questions about what this site can tell us about the meaning and use of caves, and underground spaces in general, during later prehistory.
Correction: A 64m-Long Roman Building in Sussex? Well, not quite! I’m afraid the structure mentioned on p.22 of CA 423 in ‘A Roman landscape revealed’ suffered from the curse of metric measurements, i.e. the missing decimal point. It should have…
Recent research has shed new light on a rare group of Iron Age cauldrons, culminating in the construction of a full-sized replica. What did this process reveal about how such objects were made, maintained, and used? John Thomas, Liz Barham, and Hector Cole explain more.
A Roman lime kiln – possibly one of the first to be excavated in Gloucestershire – was discovered during excavations at Horsbere Brook at the Centre Severn development in Barnwood, a suburb of Gloucester. Excavations of the site were carried…
Archeoscan provides opportunities for public involvement in archaeology, including giving people the chance to participate in archaeological excavations at exciting sites in the Cotswolds area. They also assist communities in conducting geophysical surveys of sites of interest to them, and visit…
In recent months, excavations in Pompeii’s Insula 10, Regio IX, have uncovered several sections of a grand domus, including a black-walled dining room decorated with scenes from the Trojan War (CWA 125), a lararium or household shrine room (CWA 126),…
Following on from CA 422, this selection of summer digging opportunities includes projects in Aberdeenshire, Essex, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, and Nottinghamshire.
Recent archaeological research in the grounds of a Shropshire stately home has added a surprising new chapter to the estate’s story. Viviana Caroli and Nigel Baker explain more.
The newest archaeological reconstruction to be unveiled at Butser Ancient Farm is a late Neolithic house, based on a structure whose 5,000-year-old footprint was excavated in Dorset. CA visited the launch event to learn more.
REVIEW BY STEPHEN R COSH David Neal’s autobiography is a candid – sometimes perhaps too candid – account of his personal life and almost 70 years involvement in archaeology, lavishly illustrated. From humble beginnings, David’s interest in archaeology and talent…
• The French mission at Taposiris Magna has uncovered a finely crafted marble head depicting an elderly man (below), dating to the Ptolemaic Period. • A suitcase with the monogram ‘HC’, believed to have been owned by Howard Carter, has…
An Egyptian mission has discovered a new mud-brick tomb at the site of Tell el-Maskhuta, in the eastern Nile Delta (about 16km west of Ismailia). The tomb, consisting of a burial chamber linked to three other rooms, contained a skeleton,…
A complete Byzantine-era pottery workshop has been found in the village of Banawit, 24km north of Sohag, by an Egyptian mission. The complex, one of the largest pottery- and glass-manufacturing centres ever found, included a large range of ovens and…
The team from the French-Egyptian Centre for the Study of the Temples of Karnak (CFEETK) has uncovered a large collection of gold jewellery and amulets, which was in a broken pot. The treasure, found during recent excavations at Karnak, is…
An Egyptian team has completed a two-year project to excavate a 3,000 year-old gold-processing centre found on the site of the modern Sukari gold mine, near Marsa Alam on the Red Sea coast. The complex consisted of grinding and pulverising…
The Hellenistic site of Kom el-Nugus (Plinthine), 27km from Alexandria, was first discovered in 2013. Now a team from Université de Lyon has uncovered a settlement dating to the New Kingdom, as well as traces of settlement from the Late…