A second excavation season at Buckler’s Hard, a private ship- building hub on the River Beaulieu, 12 miles (20km) south of Southampton in the New Forest, has fully revealed the wooden slipway where 55 ships for the Royal Navy –…
This handsome 158-page volume focuses on the Mediterranean and its role in the Bell Beaker phenomenon. Throughout the book, the sea emerges both as an inhabited space and as a medium for communication and circulation. This maritime perspective shifts attention…
The identity of a 17th-century shipwreck containing hundreds of gold coins has been revealed, three decades after its discovery. The wreck, which lies at a depth of c.18m in Salcombe Bay, off the south coast of England, was discovered in…
We often write in ‘Science Notes’ about how technology is revolutionising many aspects of archaeology, but this column rarely touches on conservation. This is one of the areas, however, where technological advances are having some of the biggest impacts, with…
Bronze Age sword discovered by divers at Salcombe A rare Bronze Age sword has been discovered by divers Becky Gill and Catherine Gill from the South West Maritime Archaeological Group (SWMAG) while investigating the Salcombe Cannon and Moor Sand protected…
New Mudlark-in-Residence role at Southwark Cathedral Lara Maiklem has been named as the first Mudlark-in-Residence for Southwark Cathedral, in what is thought to be the UK’s only permanent mudlarking role within a cultural or heritage organisation. With almost 25 years…
The latest on acquisitions, exhibitions, and key decisions.
A collection of large cannons from the American Revolutionary War has returned to Savannah, Georgia, after several years of conservation work, as part of a project led by the US Army Corps of Engineers and the Coastal Heritage Society. The…
Six coins have been recovered from beneath the foremast of Nelson’s famous flagship during an ongoing conservation project. Over several nights in April, a 750-tonne crane was used to remove the Victory’s mizzen, foremast, and bowsprit, as part of the…
A team of divers believe they have identified the wreck of the USCGC Tampa off the English coast. The vessel was one of six United States Coast Guard cutters sent to Europe in 1917 on America’s entry into the First…
Exploring the archaeology of Sandwich Bay The Nautical Archaeology Society has launched a new project: ‘Coastal Pasts – Connecting Community with Coastal Heritage at Sandwich Bay’. This initiative, largely funded by a recent National Lottery Heritage Fund grant, will create…
Iron age mining rituals in Germany Evidence of Iron Age ceremonial activity associated with quartz mining has been discovered at the Bruchhauser Steine, a prominent rock formation in the Sauerland region of western Germany. This natural landmark comprises four massive…
Archaeological investigations at a short-lived 16th-century Spanish settlement in southern Chile have uncovered a coin associated with its foundation. In 1584, colonists led by veteran navigator Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa established a fort called Ciudad Rey Don Felipe beside the…
Marine archaeologists have uncovered the wreck of the Dannebroge, a Danish warship sunk during the Battle of Copenhagen on 2 April 1801. The Dannebroge sat at the centre of a chain of old Danish ships of the line that had…
Crown Room at Edinburgh Castle redeveloped Redevelopment of Edinburgh Castle’s Crown Room is under way. The project, which began in January, will see elements of the Victorian design, including oak panelling, restored and new enhanced displays for the Honours of…
Ancient footprints are not the only archaeological discoveries that have been brought to light by recent winter storms. At the end of January, gale-force winds and massive waves revealed a large fragment of a 17th-century shipwreck on Studland Beach in…
There are currently 57 nationally important shipwrecks in English waters, spanning the Bronze Age to the 20th century, designated under the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973 – including the remains of HMS Invincible (pictured here), a 74-gun warship that was…
The 6th Shanghai Archaeological Forum has just drawn to a close, and it is time to reflect on its many highlights. This year, the field trip was scheduled on the first day, and we were given the choice of visiting freshly uncovered shipwrecks and the new Shanghai Museum, or to take the bus south to visit two key sites: Jingtoushan and Hemudu.
A century ago, an Iron Age boat was found in Denmark. Now it is revealing new secrets. Amy Brunskill spoke to Mikael Fauvelle to find out more.
Most maritime archaeologists spend their careers trying to tease out what happened before a ship sank by asking questions like who was on board, when was it built, where was it going, and why? While poring over James Delgado’s new…
Singapore’s first shipwreck Underwater excavations have uncovered the first ancient shipwreck to be found in Singapore. The vessel, known as the Temasek Wreck, underwent several stages of investigation between 2016 and 2019, and the results of the research have now…
An ancient Egyptian pleasure barge (thalamagos in Greek) has been discovered by Franck Goddio and his team from the European Institute for Underwater Archaeology (IEASM). The 35m-long boat was found submerged off the coast of Alexandria in the Eastern Harbour,…
• A 3,000-year-old gold mining operation, including mining tools and residential areas, has been discovered in Egypt’s Sukari Mountains; the entire camp has been moved nearly two miles away to separate it from the modern mine at the site. •…
CA at Paestum The 27th annual Mediterranean Exchange for Archaeological Tourism met at Paestum, Italy, at the end of October and start of November to celebrate archaeological and cultural heritage. Together with archaeologists, heritage managers, and tourism professionals, CA visited…
A collection of undersea constructions dating to the end of the Mesolithic period has been discovered off the coast of France near Île de Sein, Brittany. A total of 11 submerged structures were identified through analysis of a LiDAR survey…
The ruins of ancient Phaselis occupy a striking setting on the Mediterranean shore. Matthew Symonds visited to find out more.
Amid the remote and beautiful Antarctic wilderness, a set of structures is preserved to tell the story of British science in the region. While the origins of a permanent presence on the continent lie in a covert wartime mission, this laid the foundations for an era of trailblazing scientific discovery. Matthew Symonds found out more from Camilla Nichol.
The Lords of the Isles ruled large swathes of the western islands and highlands of Scotland between 1140 and 1493, but documentary evidence for their activities is thin and the period is shrouded in myth. By excavating two islands in Loch Finlaggan, reputed to be the site of inauguration ceremonies and meetings of the Council of the Isles, a team led by David Caldwell of National Museums Scotland has enriched the story of this powerful Gaelic state. Chris Catling reports.
REVIEW BY SARAH GRIFFITHS ‘Without the Nile Delta, ancient Egyptian culture could not have emerged’. This bold statement begins the first of a new series of volumes that aims to publish more rapidly the fieldwork reports from sites across north…
There are lots of great ways to get involved with history and archaeology over the next few months, including exhibitions, lectures, and conferences exploring a wide range of subjects. If you would prefer to get your heritage fix from the comfort of your sofa, though, there is a variety of resources on offer online, too, from virtual site tours and digital offerings by museums to podcasts, TV shows, and more. Kathryn Krakowka has put together a selection of some of the options available.
Underwater archaeology is not all deep-sea diving. Artefacts and historic remains are periodically exposed on the shoreline before vanishing as the tide rises again, and can be found further inland in lakes and other bodies of water. Karen Moule describes the experience – and importance – of documenting these finds, and highlights three initiatives that you can join.
A new exhibition at Flag Fen Archaeology Park, near Peterborough, brings the area’s prehistoric past to life – including a trio of Bronze Age and Iron Age log boats. Carly Hilts visited to learn more.
The latest on acquisitions, exhibitions, and key decisions.
Investigations have been carried out at the wreck site of the RMS Titanic’s sister-ship, which was sunk during the First World War. HMHS Britannic was the last of three ‘Olympic-class’ ocean liners built for the White Star Line at Harland…
Underwater excavations around the Aegadian Islands, off the north-west coast of Sicily, have discovered a 2,200-year-old bronze helmet of the ‘Montefortino’ type. This style of Roman helmet, which has a conical shape with a knob on top, a flared rim,…
The Egyptian Department of Underwater Antiquities has recovered three heavy ancient artefacts from the seabed off the coast at Abu Qir Bay in Alexandria. One of them is a large quartz sphinx bearing the cartouches of Ramesses II. The team…