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…
First discovered nearly 30 years ago, the wreck of a ship that sank in Salcombe Bay, Devon, in 1633 has now been comprehensively re-examined in this new British Museum volume. On its discovery, the ship was found to be carrying…
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…
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…
Carved stone head found at Skaill Farm dig An excavation at Skaill Farm on Rousay, Orkney, has uncovered an unusual carved stone head. Found by Katie Joss, an undergraduate from the UHI Archaeology Institute, which is leading the investigation, the…
Underwater archaeological investigations have located the missing bow of the USS New Orleans in the Solomon Islands’ Iron Bottom Sound. The US Navy cruiser was heavily damaged during the Battle of Tassafaronga on 30 November 1942 when it was hit…
More than 250 years after she was sunk, the final resting place of the vessel commanded by Captain James Cook on his first voyage of discovery has been confirmed. HMS Endeavour, which Cook used to map the Pacific Ocean and…
A project has begun to preserve the 400-year-old Swedish warship Vasa, which notoriously sank on her maiden voyage. A new metal structure is being installed to support the hull of the ship, which has its own museum in Stockholm and…
A Second World War bomber which lay at the bottom of the Aegean Sea for more than 80 years has been rediscovered. The wreck was found last year by specialist divers off the Greek island of Antikythera, more than 60…
When skeletal timbers emerged from intertidal deposits at Sand o’Erraby beach on Sanday, Orkney, earlier this year, they were soon identified as part of a shipwreck – specifically, the midships section of a vessel’s lower hull. Current thinking is that…
An anonymous shipwreck discovered off St Alban’s Head in Dorset more than 30 years ago has finally been identified by marine archaeologists from Bournemouth University. Found in 1990 at a depth of c.27m, the 24m-long vessel was nicknamed the ‘Pin…
A British troopship sunk during the First World War has been located off the coast of Greece. Nearly 300 men were lost after SS Arcadian was torpedoed by a U-boat in spring 1917, although one former Titanic passenger who was…
Ireland’s new UNESCO World Heritage Site Northern Ireland has gained a second UNESCO World Heritage Site, after the Gracehill Moravian Church Settlement in County Antrim was awarded the status in July. The site is the best-preserved example of such a…
Two medieval slabs have been raised from Studland Bay by a team of maritime archaeologists from Bournemouth University. The slabs had been lying at a depth of 7m before they were raised in a two-hour operation, led by Diving and…
The discovery of an anonymous shipwreck off the coast of Sussex set archaeologists on the trail of a 350 year-old mystery. Mark Beattie Edwards reports on efforts to identify the sunken vessel and to protect its historic remains, sharing a story of bravery in battle, acts of ‘piracy’, and tragic loss of life.
Archaeologists have discovered the remains of a ship that sank in the Mediterranean Sea, approximately 650 metres off the coast of el-Alamein. Dating to the 3rd century BC, the ship was carrying a cargo of wine amphorae imported from Rhodes.…
Europe’s first commercial steamship scheduled The wreck of the Comet – a wooden paddle steamer, created by Henry Bell in the early 19th century – has recently been designated as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland. It was built…
Carly Hilts reviews the latest outing of cinema’s most celebrated archaeologist.
The cargo comprises around 44 tonnes of marble architectural elements, including Corinthian capitals and marble columns
A new exhibition at Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery features artefacts recovered from the wreck of the Gloucester, which sank off Norfolk in 1682. Carly Hilts visited and spoke to curators Professor Claire Jowitt and Dr Francesca Vanke to find out more.
This January, conservation of the roughly 2,500 timbers recovered from the wreck was completed – a process that took 14 years
The discovery was made by the underwater archaeology team of Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC).
A powerful iron-clad battleship, HMS Captain sank off Cape Finisterre in Spain in 1870.
A round-up of some of the latest archaeology news in the UK.
Since the excavation, the team from Wessex has laser-scanned and digitally recorded the entirety of the ship.
Both wrecks had been crafted outside of Sweden in the mid-14th century.
In this photograph, a diver explores the wreck of Södermanland, an 18th-century Swedish ship of the line now resting in the waters off Karlskrona, on the country’s southern coast. Built in Stockholm and launched in 1749, the 42-metre ship could…
The garment comes from the Palmwood Wreck, which was discovered in 2014 off the Texel coastline.
Researchers have successfully traced the origin of tin ingots found aboard the shipwreck to ore deposits in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
A team of specialist divers secretly traced the final resting place of U-111.
A round-up of some of the latest archaeology news from around the UK.
Leading historians and marine archaeologists will deliver talks on the history of Henry VIII's warship as part of a commemoration programme hosted by the Mary Rose Trust
With the 40th anniversary of the raising of the wrecked Tudor flagship Mary Rose approaching this autumn, the Portsmouth-based museum dedicated to the vessel is trialling immersive new approaches to illuminating its archaeology. Carly Hilts visited to find out more.