Understanding Scottish Graveyards
This is the fourth edition of a book that was first published by Betty Willsher (1915-2012) in 1985, with subsequent updates in 1995 and 2005. The original publication came about due to
The comprehensive website for archaeology, history, heritage and the ancient world. Find out more about us here
Things We Found in the Ground
Cousins Ellie and Lucie were reunited – and introduced to metal-detecting – during the COVID-19 lockdown. The result is this absorbing account, tracing their adventures in the past, from their first back-garden
The Bamburgh Bowl Hole Anglian-period Cemetery: a bioarchaeological study ofa Northumbrian royal site
In 1815, Mount Tambora erupted, producing one of the largest volcanic eruptions in modern history, and causing extreme weather events for several years. Violent storms in winter 1816-1817 eroded a series of
Personal Religion in Domestic Contexts during the New Kingdom: The Impact of the Amarna Period
REVIEW BY ANNA GARNETT The site of Tell el-Amarna presents a unique opportunity to understand aspects of the daily lives of ancient Egyptian people more than 3,000 years ago. The high level
The treasure of Tanis: A discovery rivalling that of Tutankhamun’s tomb.
Situated in the north-eastern part of the Nile Delta, ancient Djanet (Tanis) was the residence and burial place of the kings of the Twenty-first and Twenty-second Dynasties. In the late 1930s and
Dwarf lamp stand
Dr Campbell Price describes an unusual lamp stand from the collection of the Petrie Museum in London.
Current Archaeology Live! 2024
This year’s CA Live! conference was our biggest yet, with more than 500 people coming together at UCL’s Institute of Education in London to share the latest news about the past. Here is a round-up of what went on.
Smallhythe Place: Romans, royal ships, and a rural retreat
Smallhythe Place, a National Trust property in Kent, is home to a picturesque timber-framed house with enigmatic origins, while the surrounding landscape preserves unique traces of a medieval shipbuilding centre that served several kings. Over the last three years, a team of more than 100 archaeologists have excavated 21 trenches to help bring the site’s story to light once more.
Documenting a sacred landscape: Rock art and monuments of the South Wales uplands
Over the last three decades, archaeologists and amateur enthusiasts alike have been greatly expanding our understanding of how the upland areas of Glamorgan were used in the late Neolithic and early Bronze Age. George Nash, Kim Allen, and Dewi Bowen are our guides to a series of recent discoveries hinting at a significant and complex symbolic landscape almost 100km wide.
Between the salt water and the sea strand: Excavating the Hornsea Project One Cable Route in Lincolnshire
A 40km trench dug to accommodate cables linking an offshore windfarm to the National Grid sparked eight years of archaeological excavations along its route. With the results of Wessex Archaeology’s wide-ranging work now published in a new monograph, Ashley Tuck summarises key findings from the heavy clay marshes of northern Lincolnshire.
Visualising Venta Belgarum: Touring prehistoric, Roman, and post-Roman Winchester
Pioneering excavations in Winchester in the 1960s and 1970s made a major contribution to the development of modern archaeological practice and trained many of those who subsequently became the leading professional and academic archaeologists of our day. So the publication of the latest Winchester Studies volume – a concise synthesis of the city’s prehistoric, Roman, and post-Roman development – is a landmark event, as Chris Catling reports.
Secret Tunnels
Secret tunnels are a trope of local folklore – many a town in the UK has its story about long-lost underground passages, doubtless providing the inhabitants of a monastery or castle an escape route from their confinement.
Excavating Wiltshire
I have now examined the archaeology of every county in Britain bar one – Wiltshire. This was no accident, for I have a confession to make: Wiltshire’s archaeology terrifies me.
Finds Tray – Bridle boss
This is a bridle boss made of copper-alloy and dating to c.1620-1680. It was recently found by a metal-detectorist near Ringmer in Lewes, East Sussex. While heavily corroded, it is unusual in
A tale of three giants? New evidence for the evolution of Cerne Abbas’ chalk colossus
The 55m-tall hill-figure that towers above the village of Cerne Abbas in Dorset has long been the subject of debate, in terms of both its date and whom it represents. Mike Allen reports on fieldwork undertaken in 2020-2024 which revealed new clues – and surprises – about the Giant.
Historic Buildings & Places
Historic Buildings & Places (HBAP) is the working name of the Ancient Monuments Society (AMS), founded in 1924 and thus celebrating its centenary this year. Giles Quarme, Chair of HBAP, explains in
Excavations at Redhouse, Adwick Le Street, Doncaster: Bronze Age, Iron Age, and Roman occupation
REVIEW BY PATRICK DANIEL This book summarises 17 years of work by MOLA Northampton/Northamptonshire Archaeology at a 70ha development by the Roman road north of Doncaster. The earliest remains comprised a ring
The Palace: From the Tudors to the Windsors, 500 years of history at Hampton Court
REVIEW BY DANIEL JACKSON Hampton Court Palace, nestled within a bend of the Thames 13 miles from the centre of London, has a fascinating history, during which it grew from a medieval
The Archaeology of Worcester in 20 Digs
REVIEW BY AB The archaeological exploration of Worcester began with antiquarian works several hundred years ago, but the bulk of the research has been carried out since the mid-20th century. These excavations
Derrycarhoon: A later Bronze Age copper mine in south-west Ireland
REVIEW BY ROB IXER Over the decades, O’Brien has recorded, in intense detail, the earliest prehistoric copper mining in south-west Ireland, namely Beaker People’s Chalcolithic to early Bronze Age exploitation at Ross
The Archaeology of the Hornsea Project One Offshore Windfarm Cable Route
REVIEW BY CH Infrastructure projects often offer exciting archaeological opportunities to explore an area’s past on a large scale. The construction of a windfarm off the Yorkshire coast was one such case:
Warriors of Rome: From soldiers to citizens in service of the Empire
Rome’s military is renowned as one of the finest fighting forces of the ancient world. But what was life really like for the individuals who became career soldiers, and how much do we know about the tools of their trade? Richard Abdy told Matthew Symonds about the people who fought for Rome.