The extraordinary diversity of modern dog types is often attributed to Victorian breeding practices, which led to a major increase in the number of dog breeds. A recent study looking into canine skull forms, however, has found that there was…
The skeletal remains of a wildcat, found in the Burren, Co. Clare, have been radiocarbon dated to c.3600 BC, providing the first concrete evidence that this species, now-extinct in Ireland, was present during the Neolithic period. A total of 39…
This copper-alloy mount or strap link was discovered by a metal- detectorist in June 2025, near Snape in Suffolk. It has few parallels, and most other similar items come from antiquarian stray finds. Based on its design, however, and comparisons…
A recent field-walking and metal-detecting event in coastal Cornwall has added new details to our knowledge of the area, from prehistory to the present day. Laura Miucci reports.
The long-delayed official opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum finally took place on 1 November, after a decade of announcements and postponements. The lavishly staged opening ceremony featured music and dance, speeches by top officials and cultural figures, and was…
A newly published statue found at Gisr el-Mudir (Saqqara) in 2021 has revealed an unusual family portrait. The 100cm-high limestone figure depicts a nobleman standing in a typical Old Kingdom stance with his left foot forward, but also includes images…
A well-preserved military fortress dating to the New Kingdom has been discovered by an Egyptian team at the site of Tell el-Kharouba, near to the coast in Sinai. Constructed close to the ancient ‘Way of Horus’ military road (connecting Egypt…
A large-scale geoarchaeological study of the Temple of Karnak has just been published, revealing new insights into the foundation of the complex and its relationship with the changing movements of the Nile. The international study, published in Antiquity (October 2025),…
A new study published in the American Journal of Archaeology casts doubt on the theory that Akhenaten’s city Akhetaten (Amarna) was abandoned due to plague. The researchers drew on textual, archaeological, and bioarchaeological data from Amarna, and compared this to…
Two decades of restoration work has finally been completed in the Tomb of Amenhotep III (WV22). The preservation of the tomb scenes was carried out by a Japanese-Egyptian team under the sponsorship of the UNESCO Japan Trust Fund. Restoration work…
• A German-Egyptian ScanPyramids team has discovered two previously unknown air-filled cavities in the Pyramid of Menkaura at Giza, which might suggest the presence of a second entrance on the eastern side of the monument. • Research published in the…
Archaeologists are increasingly revisiting long-held theories about the past and highlighting how these ideas need to be updated in light of evolving evidence. This is especially the case with many artefact types that were first described by antiquarians or early…
Excavations on Culloden Battlefield, near Inverness, this past October have recovered more than 100 projectiles in an area of the site that had not previously yielded any archaeological discoveries. The battle – the last to take place on British soil…
Excavations at Drumburgh, 10 miles (16km) from Carlisle, have unearthed a section of Hadrian’s Wall – the best-preserved part of the frontier fortification to be revealed west of the city. At the instigation of the landowners, who wanted to learn…
Further news from the frontier zone comes from Bremenium Fort – at High Rochester, north of Hadrian’s Wall – where recent excavations have revealed a wealth of finds to add to our understanding of how the fort sustained itself during…
A community excavation exploring the remains of Derrygonnelly Castle, a 17th-century fortification in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, has revealed unexpected evidence of extensive prehistoric settlement, pushing back the known habitation of this site by more than 8,000 years. Led by…
For more than 15 years, archaeologists from Bournemouth University have been excavating a number of sites around Winterborne Kingston, near Bere Regis in Dorset. This long-running project has revolutionised our understanding of the Iron Age in this region, with discoveries…
Excavations just north of Perth have revealed the remains of an Iron Age hillfort that appears to have been inhabited for close to 600 years before it was finally abandoned around the time that the first Roman armies appeared in…
Mass graves and migration in Neolithic France Recent isotopic analysis of human remains from Neolithic mass graves found at Bergheim and Achenheim in Alsace, France, have shed new light on the life histories of these individuals. Each pit was found…
Blue plaque unveiled for Reverend Wilbert Awdry Historic England has unveiled a National Blue Plaque honouring children’s author and creator of Thomas the Tank Engine, the Reverend Wilbert Awdry. The plaque is located at 30 Rodborough Avenue in Stroud, on…
A recent study has successfully carried out full genome sequencing of a person from ancient Egypt for the first time.
Iván Ghezzi, Alcides Alvarez, and Cecilia Camargo discuss the unique site of Chankillo in Peru.
Recent analysis has shed new light on the circumstances surrounding a pair of unusual Neolithic mass graves in north-east France. Around a decade ago, two late Middle Neolithic burial pits were discovered at the sites of Bergheim and Achenheim in…
Excavations by an Egyptian archaeological mission at the site of Tell el-Kharouba in North Sinai have discovered a large military fortress dating to the New Kingdom period, c.1550-1070 BC. Initial archaeological work has revealed part of the fortification’s southern wall,…
A c.12,000-year-old stone pillar decorated with a human face has been found at the archaeological site of Karahan Tepe in Turkey. Karahan Tepe is a Pre-pottery Neolithic ritual complex that forms part of the Taş Tepeler group of prehistoric sites…
Earthen platforms uncovered at a site in eastern China are believed to reflect efforts by early states to use ritual events as a way to unify their expanding territories. The three large platforms were discovered during excavations of the site…
A large silver hoard dating to the medieval period has been discovered near Stockholm, Sweden. The treasure was unearthed by a member of the public digging for worms near his summer house, and reported to the County Administrative Board in…
Culture vultures A new study, recently published in Ecology (), reveals that the nests of bearded vultures can contain objects dating back hundreds of years. Examination of more than 50 historical bearded vulture nests in southern Spain, where the species…
In March 2025, the owners of a house in the Carrollton neighbourhood of New Orleans came across a flat marble slab while clearing undergrowth in their backyard. The unusual object bore an engraved Latin inscription, leading the couple to fear…
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,…
A routine inspection of the famous Tiger 131 German tank on show at the Tank Museum in Dorset has unearthed a piece of shrapnel that has remained hidden inside one of its wheels for more than 80 years. The shrapnel…
Plans have recently been announced for a new museum of military intelligence inside an underground tunnel complex in central London, dating to the Second World War. The Kingsway Exchange Tunnels were built in Holborn between 1940 and 1942 as deep-level…
The British Museum has launched a £3.5 million fundraising campaign to acquire a unique pendant associated with Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon, and with the wider political ambitions of 16th-century Europe. Carly Hilts reports.
When excavating human remains, archaeologists are sometimes able to identify a pregnant woman if the bones of her unborn child are still present in her pelvic area. There are many reasons why this might be missed, however, such as if…
Ongoing conservation efforts on the Peebles Hoard – a collection of rare Bronze Age artefacts dating to c.1000-800 BC (see CA 417 and CA 418) – have revealed new details about its composition. The hoard was discovered by a metal-detectorist…