Sometime in the 1st century AD, a crass graffiti artist carved a 2m-long graffito into the wall of a stairwell within the House of Julia Felix at Pompeii. The mudslinger didn’t mince words. In it, they mocked a man who…
Every new book about Alexander the Great needs to have its own unique selling point if it is to fight its way successfully into public consciousness. In the case of Edmund Richardson’s Alexander: god, king, man that USP is the…
In Travels through Prehistoric Spain, Jude Brown and Gary Lock provide a richly rewarding and deeply engaging exploration of Spain’s prehistoric heritage. Written with enthusiasm, knowledge, and genuine affection for both archaeology and the Spanish landscape, their book succeeds not only…
Across 7 Daughter of King Minos and wife of Theseus in Greek mythology (7)9 Legendary island where King Arthur was taken after his final battle (6)10 Roman poet whose major works include the Eclogues and the Georgics (6)11 Welsh island,…
Analysis of two votive offering vessels from Pompeii is enhancing our understanding of Roman domestic rituals.
Analysis of two votive offering vessels from Pompeii is enhancing our understanding of Roman domestic rituals.
Analysis of two votive offering vessels from Pompeii is enhancing our understanding of Roman domestic rituals.
Analysis of two votive offering vessels from Pompeii is enhancing our understanding of Roman domestic rituals.
Analysis of two votive offering vessels from Pompeii is enhancing our understanding of Roman domestic rituals.
Recent research at several heritage sites in Tanzania suggests that they may
be under threat from the very organisations tasked with protecting them.
Beheaded, bound, or partially burnt – Leif Inselmann examines irregular burials from the ancient Near East.
Silent guardians The original mud-plaster sealings that secured the burial chambers of King Tutankhamun’s tomb have been placed on public display for the first time. The sealings are made of a Theban plaster material traditionally known as habiya – a…
Why is Ramses II considered to be ‘the Great’? An exhibition focusing on his life and times sheds light on how Ramses earned this accolade. Matthew Symonds shares what he learnt.
Study of ivory use in the early medieval world is revealing fresh insights into how this material was viewed. The results have important implications for our understanding of the scale of the trade, and its impact on the elephants it exploited, as Rowan S English and Julia Steding explain.
An exhibition exploring ancient Egyptian funerary texts and traditions returns to the Getty Villa Museum.
Across 8 Mexican state, location of Mitla archaeological site (6)9 Ancient stringed musical instrument (8)10 People conquered by the Assyrians in 1157 BC (8)11 Central European Neolithic culture (6)12 Roman name for York (8)15 Visigoth king who captured Rome in…
Rock Art and its Legacy in Myth and Art is an illuminating and deeply engaging exploration of humanity’s earliest artistic expressions, brought vividly to life by Christoph Baumer and Therese Weber. From the very first lines, the book establishes rock…
This volume examines the later phases of the Early Bronze Age and the Middle Bronze Age in the central Balkans, offering a comprehensive review of the archaeological evidence from the region. The book is organised into five chapters: an introductory…
A new synopsis of the history of Nubia is needed given the increase in new research in recent years; Freed’s focus on the art of the region is a refreshing take that rightfully emphasises the unique material produced across Sudanese…
Study of the monuments at Jelling has revealed much about an extraordinary royal complex in 10th-century Denmark. Olympia Bobou, Ilaria Bucci, Rowan S English, and Rubina Raja explore the evolution of the site.
Evidence of Iron Age ritual activity has been discovered at the Bruchhauser Steine, a prominent rock formation in the hilly Sauerland region of western Germany. This natural landmark, which comprises four main rocks that can be seen for miles around,…
Excavations at the ancient Egyptian port city of Pelusium have identified a unique 2,000-year-old temple believed to be dedicated to the local deity Pelusius. In 2019, archaeologists from Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities working at the site of Tell el-Farama…
A remarkable Roman cup discovered in central Spain is revealing links between Hadrian’s Wall and the Hispanic soldiers who served there. The object was uncovered by chance in farmland in Berlanga de Duero, in the province of Soria. Despite being…
Analysis of an Iron Age mass grave in northern Serbia reveals surprising new information about the group of individuals buried here. Gomolava is a tell site in the Pannonian Plain that was first occupied in the 6th millennium BC and…
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…
Analysis of two votive offering vessels from Pompeii is enhancing our understanding of Roman domestic rituals.
Iron from the stars Experts reveal that an axe-like object found in a sacrificial pit at the Bronze Age site of Sanxingdui (2800-600 BC) in south-west China was made of iron from a meteor. Only a handful of other meteoric…
Firsts. I first went to Inis Cealtra – Holy Island in County Clare – with my first girlfriend, Leigh, in 1973. From County Antrim, a northerner, she had an esprit de vie that I always associate, like the constant drizzle,…
Roman sieges could come with serious consequences for besieged and besiegers alike. Mike Dobson examines the evidence for such warfare in Hispania and Gaul.
A new study is investigating the architecture of a Pacific society after European colonialisation.
A 19th-century photograph sheds light on a forgotten part of Pompeii, as Janice Kinory describes.
This kind of trumpet is rare in Germany. What is it? This ceramic trumpet, found in Bavaria, is more than 200 years old. Measuring 44cm long, the instrument comprises a coiled clay tube that was probably pressed using a ring-shaped…
Recent excavations at the ancient city of Savatra, in the Karatay district of Konya, central Turkey, have uncovered an impressive altar in the site’s theatre complex, which is believed to date to the Roman period. The altar is decorated with…
CWA Photo of the Year Competition 2026 – winners announced
A study of human remains from two cemeteries in Bulgaria, all buried with distinctively ‘Gothic’ jewellery, brooches, and belt buckles, suggests that the ancient Goths were ethnically diverse and not a single homogeneous community.
Ritual practices have been part of human life for almost as long as we can trace archaeological remains. The supernatural and inexplicable attract, excite, and worry people, with religion and its associated rituals being one of the main ways through which humans try to make sense of the world, create structure, and seek support