World news
‘Sacrificial’ burial uncovered in Ecuador The remains of a woman who suffered a violent death between AD 771 and AD 953 have been excavated in Buen Suceso, a site in coastal Ecuador. The woman was aged 17-20, and was between…
News
‘Britain’s largest Viking Age hall’ discovered in Cumbria
Structural remains believed to represent the largest Viking Age hall yet found in Britain have been uncovered at High Tarns farm in Silloth, Cumbria. The site lies close to Holme Cultram Abbey, a Cistercian monastery founded in 1150, and cropmarks…
UK news in brief
New project to investigate Roman gypsum burials A three-year, £1 million project, supported by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, is set to explore the Roman practice of coating bodies within coffins in liquid gypsum before burial. (A burial of…
The human race: New research is discovering how fast our ancient ancestors could run.
The emergence of bipedal walking has long been recognised as a central aspect of hominid evolution, but much less is known about the development of running. Recently, a team of researchers from the UK and the Netherlands set out to…
A bishop’s palace in Bahrain?
Excavations on the northern coast of the island of Muharraq have identified the first early Christian building ever found in Bahrain. Amy Brunskill spoke to project leader Timothy Insoll to find out more.
An unusual female burial in Ecuador
Excavations in coastal Ecuador have uncovered an intriguing burial belonging to a woman who appears to have died under violent circumstances before being interred with a striking selection of grave goods. Buen Suceso is a site primarily from the Valdivia…
Lost pharaoh’s tomb discovered
Excavations in Egypt have identified the long-lost tomb of King Thutmose II, the fourth pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty. Thutmose II is believed to have ruled for just a few years around 1493-1479 BC, and is perhaps best known as…
Private baths at Pompeii
Ongoing excavations in Insula 10, Regio IX, at Pompeii have uncovered a luxurious private bathhouse, one of the biggest ever found in a domestic context in the ancient city. The thermal complex is the latest remarkable discovery inside the grand…
Bring me sunshine
Recent research suggests that engraved stones discovered on the Danish island of Bornholm may have been ritual offerings in response to climatic change caused by a huge volcanic eruption almost 5,000 years ago. Over the past few decades, hundreds of…
Reading a new Herculaneum scroll
Another advance has been made in the efforts to decipher a collection of ancient papyrus scrolls from Herculaneum that were burnt during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. Remarkable progress has been made in recent years thanks to…
CWA news in brief
Neanderthal fossil hunters? Excavations of Prado Vargas cave in northern Spain have uncovered 15 marine fossils in a Neanderthal assemblage dating to 39,800-54,600 years ago. With the exception of one, which had been used as a hammer, none of these…
Site of King Harold’s lost palace identified by archaeologists
Archaeologists have confirmed ‘beyond all reasonable doubt’ the site of the long-lost home of Harold Godwinson, the last Anglo-Saxon king of England – thanks in part to a medieval toilet. Harold ruled as the English monarch for only nine months…
Veterans uncover Iron Age treasures at RAF airfield in Anglesey
Iron Age artefacts that were discovered beneath an airfield in Wales have been declared national treasure. Parts of a Celtic chariot, believed to be around 2,000 years old, were found on the site of RAF Valley in Anglesey in April…
Memorial commemorating South African war dead inaugurated in Cape Town
A new memorial honouring the contribution of South African military labourers in the First World War has been inaugurated in Cape Town. The monument, which was funded by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) and is called the Labour Corps…
Researchers turn to AI to investigate lives of Civil War sailors
A new research project is using artificial intelligence to uncover the stories of Union sailors, or ‘bluejackets’, during the American Civil War. The study is the result of a collaboration between the universities of Sheffield and Northumbria. It aims to…
WWII German U-boat to find new home in Birkenhead
Construction has begun on a new home for a rare German U-boat from the Second World War. The new Battle of the Atlantic U-boat Museum, which will house the vessel U-534, is expected to open in Birkenhead in 2026. The…
Cathedral dig reveals traces of early medieval and Roman Exeter
Excavations close to Exeter Cathedral have uncovered echoes of the city’s medieval and Roman past. Archaeologists from Devon-based AC Archaeology were excavating in Cathedral Close ahead of the installation of a replacement substation and associated infrastructure by the National Grid,…
Mum’s the word: tracing a matrilocal society in Iron Age Dorset
Analysis of human remains from Winterborne Kingston in Dorset (see CA 281) has revealed evidence of female-centred societal structures in this area of Iron Age Britain, as well as genetic links to Continental Europe. Matrilocality, a societal pattern whereby marriage…
Britain’s largest Neronian coin hoard on display
Britain’s largest-known coin hoard from the reign of Emperor Nero (AD 54-68) has gone on display at Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum for the first time since its discovery. Known as the Worcestershire Conquest Hoard, the collection of 1,368…
Galloway Hoard runic inscription translated
Over a decade after its discovery, the Viking Age Galloway Hoard continues to give up its secrets, following the translation of a runic inscription on one of its arm-rings, offering new insights into the assemblage’s early medieval ownership. Buried c.AD…
Tudor kiln discovered at Bedfordshire school
An exceptionally well-preserved example of a 15th-/16th-century pottery kiln has been excavated at Sutton V.A. Primary School in Bedfordshire. The large, well-built kiln was discovered by Albion Archaeology. It retains its stoke-hole, floor, and flues, offering a rare opportunity to…
New insights into Strata Florida’s medieval monastery
The latest phase of excavations at Strata Florida, a former Cistercian abbey near Tregaron, Ceredigion, has uncovered a wealth of new features, some of which pre-date the abbey’s 12th-century origins. Strata Florida was established by Cistercian monks in 1184, and…
Historical birds of prey outed as scavengers
Recently published research focused on the bones of birds of prey spanning the early Bronze Age to the medieval period has revealed striking differences between their eating habits and those of modern raptors. Researchers at the University of Reading analysed…
World news
Earliest archaeological evidence of silk in China Mineralised fabric remnants found in pits at a Bronze Age burial site in the Sichuan Basin, south-western China, have undergone specialist analysis which has identified them as silk. The Sanxingdui settlement is believed…
UK news in brief
Historic England continues to explore working-class heritage Historic England has announced the funding of 30 new projects through its Everyday Heritage grants programme, which will explore rural and coastal communities and celebrate working-class histories from across the country. The projects…
Iron Age offerings: New elements of the Llyn Cerrig Bach assemblage identified
A recent metal-detector survey undertaken ahead of maintenance work at the RAF Valley airfield in Anglesey has recovered artefacts thought to belong to one of the most significant Iron Age collections in Europe. Carly Hilts spoke to Adam Gwilt and Richard Osgood to learn more.
Ancient Egypt in brief
• Twelve 5-metre-high subterranean cisterns, part of an extensive Ptolemaic water supply system, have been excavated at Darazya (ancient Derhis). • TT39, the Tomb of Puyemra (Second Priest of Amun in the reign of Thutmose III), has been reopened to…
Deir el-Bahri treasures
A joint Egyptian mission (from the Zahi Hawass Foundation for Heritage and Antiquities and the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities) has revealed a large number of finds made at Deir el-Bahri over the last three years. An intact part of…
King Pepy II’s doctor
The beautifully painted tomb of the Chief Palace Physician Tetinebfu from the Old Kingdom reign of Pepy II (c.2278-2184 BC) has been discovered at Saqqara by a joint French–Swiss mission. The mud-brick-lined mastaba was looted in antiquity, but the walls…
Old and New Kingdom tombs at Saqqara
In another area of Saqqara, a joint Egyptian–Japanese mission, led by Kanazawa University, has discovered a further four Old Kingdom tombs. The two mud-brick mastabas and two rock-cut tombs date to the late Second and early Third Dynasties. One of…
Golden tongues
Thirteen mummies with golden tongues in their mouths have been discovered at el-Bahansa (Minya) by the Oxyrhynchus Archaeological Mission, a joint Spanish–Egyptian team led by the Institute of Ancient Near East Studies of the University of Barcelona. The mummies were…
Taposiris Magna finds
A small white marble head of a Ptolemaic princess or queen has been discovered in a foundation deposit at the Taposiris Magna Temple by an Egyptian–Dominican mission. The team believes the queen, shown with a ‘melon’ hairstyle and wearing a…
Branching out: New genetic analysis illuminates Iron Age and early medieval migrations
A new, more precise way of analysing historic ancestries has revealed previously unknown waves of human movement during the 1st millennium AD. Carly Hilts and Rebecca Preedy report.
A sticky subject: Exploring ancient adhesives in museum collections
Recent research has shed invaluable light on the use of adhesives on ancient metalwork, and how these substances can be identified and analysed in curated artefacts. Carly Hilts spoke to Tabea Koch, Sophia Adams, and Rebecca Stacey to learn more.
World News
Neolithic site uncovered in Sweden Archaeologists working in the Swedish village of Hammar have excavated the remains of a unique ceremonial site associated with the Funnel Beaker Culture. A large number of finds from the site, which is located on…
Painted dog penis bone linked to Roman fertility rituals
Analysis of hundreds of human and animal bones recovered from a Roman quarry shaft at Ewell, Surrey, has revealed the presence of a red-painted dog baculum (penis bone), which may have had some religious significance. The Nescot shaft, as the…