World Archaeology

Nero’s lost theatre found

Excavations in Rome have discovered a theatre that was built by Emperor Nero in the 1st century AD. Several Classical historians refer to a theatre built for the infamous emperor – and known lover of the arts – where he…

Fragrant finds in Vietnam

A recent study of food preparation tools from Vietnam has identified the remains of a variety of spices used c.2,000 years ago. The researchers analysed microscopic plant remains from 12 grinding stone tools found at the site of Óc Eo…

Earliest Neanderthal cave engravings?

A set of marks in a cave in central France may be the earliest example of Neanderthal cave-wall engravings found to date. Tens of thousands of years ago, the entrance of La Roche-Cotard cave, which sits on the north bank…

World news in brief: Palaeolithic cooking practices, an Etrsucan temple, and re-examining Ötzi

A glance at some of the latest exciting archaeological stories from across the globe.

Left This spectacular necklace, found in a female burial in Northamptonshire, is the richest of its kind ever discovered in Britain.

Remarkable early medieval burial found in Northamptonshire

The collection of grave goods – dubbed the ‘Harpole Treasure’ after the name of the local parish – has been dated to AD 630-670.

Left Genetic analysis of Neanderthal remains from Chagyrskaya Cave revealed that several of these individuals were closely related. below Among the familial relationships identified was a father and daughter: the first documented example of such a pair among known Neanderthal populations.

Genetic analysis shines new light on Neanderthal communities

Researchers conducted genetic analysis of bone and tooth remains from 13 Neanderthals from two sites in the foothills of the Altai Mountains in southern Siberia.

World new in brief: Spain, Beirut, and the USA

A round-up of some recent archaeological news stories from across the globe.

OPPOSITE The Great Wall of China can be truly spectacular. Here we see an iconic stretch of the Ming Great Wall, constructed of fired brick, at Jinshanling in Hebei Province. This, though, is just one of the most celebrated stretches of an incredibly long and complex monument. ABOVE Great Walls. A map showing the course of the various Chinese walls. BELOW Remains of the Han Dynasty Great Wall, constructed of rammed earth, roughly 85km north west of Jiayuguan, Gansu Province. Comparing this to the Ming Great Wall at Jinshanling illustrates how varied the appearance of different stretches could be.

Long division: measuring the Chinese and Roman frontiers

What steps did the Chinese and the Romans take to control their empires? Peter J Brown and David J Breeze have been examining the extraordinary resources emperors were willing to expend in the name of security.

Above Some of the small gold boats from Bronze Age Nors, which represent the ship that carried the sun through the darkness of the underworld at night. below There are a large number of amber artefacts on display at the museum, including Mesolithic and Neolithic pendants and figurines, like this bear.

National Museum of Denmark

The National Museum of Denmark has one of the oldest established collections of prehistoric artefacts in the world. It dates back to King Frederik VI, who set up The Royal Commission for the Preservation of Antiquities in 1807. More than 200 years after the Commission’s founding, the ground floor of the Prince’s Palace (where the collection moved in 1855) beautifully presents artefacts from across Denmark, which offer a detailed look at the people who lived there, as well as further objects from the land that once connected Denmark to Britain.

Ruins on Rapa Nui

This is the ruined ahu complex of the Akahanga, which is but one of dozens dotted around the coastline of the tiny island.

BELOW The compitum, showing the platform with round altar and pedestal of Aulus Granius, honorific bench, and water basin looking north east. The excavation photograph from 1966 (inset) shows the marble semi circular base for the honorific seat as discovered in situ, in front of Granius’ two monuments.

Albania and the Death of Pan

Devil or pastoral sprite and mischief-maker, Pan’s presence in the form of the lost sanctuary on Mount Mile lends a new dimension to the god’s story

ABOVE An early example from Nepal of a ‘Tantra’ that is, a religious text. BELOW A 13th century temple sculpture showing Bhairava. His impassive expression is undercut by the pair of fangs projecting from his mouth and the severed head clutched in his hand. Members of the demonic dead stand to Bhairava’s left and right.

Tantra: an archaeology of enlightenment

Tantra’s appeal has proven remarkably broad. What began on the margins of Indian society went on to command the patronage of royalty and transform Hinduism and Buddhism as it spread across Asia. Along the way, it created a rich archaeological legacy, capable of provoking radically different reactions from its audiences, as Imma Ramos told World Archaeology.

ABOVE The location of Cedrocucho. This photograph shows the steep sided and heavily vegetated mountain where ruins were recently encountered during forest clearance work (location circled in red). BELOW This 1m wide wall seems to mark the lower eastern boundary of the site. At one end, it connects to a cliff, while at the other it reportedly reaches a ravine.

Cedrocucho: a pre-Inca tropical rainforest site?

The Incas had an eye for exotic rainforest produce, but many questions remain about how and when such goods were exploited by peoples living in the Peruvian highlands. Now a major archaeological complex, discovered during deforestation, promises to shed new light on the subject. Lidio M Valdez ponders who was farming the forest.

Right The Viking round fortress at Trelleborg, in western Zealand, was excavated in the 1930s when it was threatened with redevelopment as a motor racing circuit. Today, it is one of Europe’s iconic archaeological monuments. What lessons do Denmark’s approaches to site presentation hold for Tuscany?

Denmark’s Viking fortresses: a Tuscan challenge

Richard Hodges explores the Viking fortresses at Trelleborg and Borgring.

The Trundholm Sun Chariot

What is it? This unique Nordic bronze piece was discovered in Denmark and dates to the Early Bronze Age, c.1400 BC. It illustrates the eternal journey of the sun, as depicted by a divine horse pulling an ornate golden disc,…

Left The skulls of fallen warriors. inset One of the weapons discovered, a Germanic style axe with a preserved handle made from ash wood.

The bare bones: ritual violence in Denmark’s Holy Valley

Are the macabre remains at an Iron Age sanctuary evidence of sacrificed enemy warriors? CWA talks to Mads Kähler Holst, who made the grim finds.

Above The southern desert frontier: Lambaesis in Algeria. The legionary fortress at the site represents the main strategic reserve for the garrisons spread out along the frontier facing the Sahara Desert. Here we see the headquarters building (principia).

Roman frontiers: on the edges of empire

The former frontiers of the Roman Empire are set to become the world’s biggest single archaeological site. UNESCO World Heritage Site status is now in prospect for the frontiers as a whole. Historic Scotland’s David Breeze is a leading advocate of the move. Neil Faulkner asked him to explain why the Roman imperial frontiers deserve such special treatment.