Trojan War: the archaeology of a story
The archaeological legacy of the Trojan war is immense. Key scenes from the conflict and its aftermath play out across ancient sarcophagi, wall paintings, and even fine tableware. Yet there is a strong chance that none of these events ever really happened. How did this story become so important in the Greek, Roman, and medieval worlds?
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The gods of Palermo: the Antonino Salinas Museum
Selinunte, a major Greek colony on Sicily’s south coast, is home to a number of temples whose metopes and pediments are on display in the ...
Object Lesson: Venus of Renancourt
What is it? This statuette, dating from around 21,000 BC, has the familiar form of a Palaeolithic ‘Venus’ figurine. Carved out of chalk and standing ...
Trojan War: the archaeology of a story
The archaeological legacy of the Trojan war is immense. Key scenes from the conflict and its aftermath play out across ancient sarcophagi, wall paintings, and ...
Return to Huaca El Pueblo
Discovering Peruvian pyramid tombs Recent excavations at Huaca El Pueblo have revealed three elite Moche tombs. This one contained a male who appears to have ...
Bringing a pharaoh’s tomb to Bolton
The refurbished Bolton Museum is now home to an exact 3D copy of the burial chamber of Thutmose III and its remarkable papyrus-like walls. In ...
Object Lesson: Selden Map of China
The Selden Map of China. (Image: Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford) What is it? This late Ming dynasty map depicts China, the South China Sea, ...
Tutankhamun: a teenager’s journey to the afterlife
As the centenary of Howard Carter’s discovery looms, the largest collection of Tutankhamun’s grave goods ever to leave Egypt has embarked on a world tour ...
Richard Hodges: Homage to Dhaskalio
Sailing to a remote maritime sanctuary brings Richard Hodges to Europe’s earliest central place Colin Renfrew (left) and Michael Boyd (right), on the summit of ...
Review: Last Supper in Pompeii
The enjoyment of food and drink, the essence of life, was deeply ingrained in Roman society. Beyond mere nutrition, food and wine played vital roles ...
7 Wonders
7 discoveries that changed the archaeological world
One of the most exciting things about archaeology is that it is an ever-changing landscape, constantly causing us to reconsider our most firmly-held beliefs about ...
7 skeletal sites
What happens to us after we die? Prepare to get shivers down your spine as we look more closely at seven sites that dance closely ...
7 wonders – Editor’s choice
It is hard to narrow down your favourite archaeological sites to just 7 place names when you have the whole world from which to choose, ...
7 Fashionable Finds
Throughout history people have been keen to keep up with the latest trends and fashions. Whether used to display wealth or indicate membership of a ...
7 facts about the 7 Wonders of the World
Herodotus was the first to create a list of the seven most spectacular monuments in the world - or at least, in the world known ...
7 spectacular temples
Dominating the forum of Ostia Antica, the main harbour town supplying ancient Rome, the brick-built Capitolium can be seen from almost every part of the 2,500-year-old ...
7 facts you might not know about Howard Carter
Today (May 9) is Howard Carter's birthday, so we thought we would share some of our favourite facts about the discoverer of Tutankhamun's tomb. 1. Family ...
7 ship-shape sites
We're in a maritime mood today. Read on for seven of our favourite ship-related archaeological sites. Bon Voyage! 1. The Oseberg ship, Norway In 1904, ...
7 revolutionary writings
We often think of archaeology as being all about objects, but written sources are just as fundamental to our understanding of the past. Official inscriptions, ...
Richard Hodges: Homage to Dhaskalio
Sailing to a remote maritime sanctuary brings Richard Hodges to Europe’s earliest central place Colin Renfrew (left) and Michael Boyd (right), on the summit of Dhaskalio. Their excavations on this rocky islet have revealed an extraordinary Bronze Age settlement, which appears to have grown out of a maritime sanctuary on ...
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Ulpiana: The Romans in Kosovo
Ruins of the Roman city of Ulpiana, with the plains and hills of Kosovo beyond. The site was only discovered in the early 20th century, and today excavations are unearthing Ulpiana’s secrets. (Image: OSCE summer school) Excavations in a once-forgotten city are bringing its inhabitants’ stories to light, as Oliver ...
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Travel: Secrets from the Byzantine city of Shivta
Six Byzantine cities once flourished in the Negev Desert, but then the climate changed and these settlements were abandoned, leaving spectacular ruins for future generations to explore. At Shivta, the most impressive surviving structure is the Northern Church, which was once part of a wealthy monastery. How did cities come ...
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Richard Hodges: In the city of Aphrodite
A view across the ruins of the ancient city of Knidos. Claims and counter-claims about a sculptural fragment held by the British Museum brought a touch of trepidation to a celebrity visit during excavations at Knidos, the Turkish city of Aphrodite, in 1971, as Richard Hodges remembers in this exclusive ...
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Richard Hodges: Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands
Today, Grace Bay on Providenciales is a Caribbean paradise. But just how easy was life on this island for those who arrived before the advent of modern tourism? As we set off down Philadelphia’s runway, the pilot drolly piped up to say, ‘at least we didn’t have to de-ice [the ...
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Travel: Roman Algeria
Algeria offers a wealth of extraordinary Roman-era sites for tourists to explore. Here is a view over what must be the most famous: Timgad. This veterans’ colony was founded by the emperor Trajan in AD 100. Here, we are looking westwards over the central part of the town, from the ...
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Travel: Discovering Spain
Launching the Palarq Award Such a beautiful horizon! This panorama greets visitors on the terrace in front of the National Art Museum of Catalonia. From there, you gain a clear sense of how Barcelona lies on a fertile plain, surrounded by a ring of hills. CWA’s editor-in-chief Andrew Selkirk takes ...
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Richard Hodges: The Battle of Monte Cassino
The great Benedictine monastery at Monte Cassino, as seen today Driving past Monte Cassino many years ago with the late Mark Pluciennik, professor at Leicester University and one of the most cerebral archaeologists I have known, I pointed out the Benedictine monastery. Mark replied with words I’ve never forgotten: My ...
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Travel: Richard Hodges’ Homage to Apalirou
More than a decade ago I took a holiday on Naxos. This Cycladic island is a paradise for walkers and those who find pleasure in old high-walled mule tracks that connect miniature Byzantine churches. A German guidebook led me from village to village through this blessed landscape. One day, to ...
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Travel: Raffles and Java
The 200th anniversary of Raffles’ arrival in Singapore has galvanised debate about the legacy of this controversial figure. His modern profile owes much to his interest in heritage, which restored his reputation after a debacle in Java. Tom St John Gray has been following in Raffles’ footsteps. Nestled among the ...
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