Digging pre-European lives on the balmy ‘desert island’ of Carriacou
Category: Issue 38
We think of chemical weapons as one of the horrifying features of modern warfare. We might assume that it all started with the First World War. But did it?
Our cover feature investigates the gruesome evidence of a stack of bodies discovered inside a siege tunnel at the ancient Syrian frontier city of Dura-Europos. How did they come to be here? Using ‘CSI’ techniques, Simon James’ stunning conclusion is that around 20 Roman soldiers were gassed to death by their Persian enemies. Turn to page 20 for the full and unexpected story of Romans versus Persians.
From the terrifying we then move to the sublime with an article on the archaeology of the beatific Caribbean island of Carriacou. The excavators describe it as an
Crete, the Island that Tipped
Crete lies in an earthquake zone. This has affected the island over the centuries, but how? In the 1850’s Captain Spratt, RN, worked it out
Gas Warfare at Dura-Europos
Romans versus Persians – a gruesome story of gas warfare at the ancient siege site of Dura-Europos
Equestrian Statue of Augustus Proves Rome’s Germanic Ambitions
2,000 year old equestrian staute discovered at Waldgrimes, central Germany
Tell Tayinat, Turkey: ‘Dark Age’ Temple
CWA catches up with excavations at the temple site of Tell Tayinat which is throwing light on the ‘Dark Age’ in the Near East
Terracotta Army
archaeologists conducting excavations at the site in Xian are hoping to ascertain the success of conservation measures
Korea, Grave of Ancient Warrior Found
Grave of 5th century AD warrior discovered with surviving armour
Iran’s Tehran Plain, Landlord Villages
Project aims to study development of mud-brick enclosures dating to the Early Islamic Period
Staffordshire Hoard
An Anglo-Saxon hoard containg over 1,346 gold and silver items has been discovered by a metal detectorist in Staffordshire, England
Digging Deeper
In Brian Fagan’s latest instalment he fights to the death with the Maya, goes underground with the Fed, and excavates Cecil B DeMile (almost)
The Art of Kate Whiteford
To say Kate Whiteford, the Scottish artist, is fascinated by archaeology is an understatement. Land drawings/ installations/excavations, her newly published, and sumptuously illustrated book, which describes much of her career as an artist, is essentially a peon to the belief in place-making. Central to this, in Kate’s view, is the process of archaeological enquiry, including […]
Baia, the Underworld
Just west of the entrance to the underworld, lies the site of Baia. Mike Cless takes us there, tells of a divine discovery, then ventures underground