News Round Up

SCOTLAND: In the 18th and early 19th centuries, a well-traveled drover’s road made the Wilkhouse Inn near Brora a hive of activity. Archaeologists have uncovered a trove of objects, including glass fragments, coins, and personal items left behind by…

CHILE: The enormous carved heads known as moai are the most recognizable monuments created by the Polynesian civilization that settled Rapa Nui (Easter Island) around A.D. 1000. It turns out the sculptures were also instrumental in boosting…

SOUTH CAROLINA: After the Confederate submarine Hunley attacked USS Housatonic in 1864, the sub sank mysteriously, killing all eight of its crew. Experts have long wondered why the vessel went down, and some now believe it may have been due to a…

In the aftermath of World War I, as a result of the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, several new countries were created in Central Europe. In a quest to define themselves, they sought new national stories. However, such narratives are often…

The town of Malinalco, just over two hours southwest of Mexico City by car, is home to two historic sites that may seem to represent distinct worlds. The first is a complex built by the Aztecs between 1476, when they conquered the region, and 1519,…

Their boats with which they carry cargoes are made of the acacia, of which the form is most like that of the Cyrenean lotus, and its sap is gum. From this acacia, then, they cut planks two cubits long and arrange them like bricks, building their…

While excavating a mound in southeastern Bulgaria, archaeologists uncovered the third-century A.D. brick grave of a man aged 35 to 40. Among the objects buried with him were a tool used to scrape oil from the skin known as a strigil and a finely…

In archaeology the ability to measure the location of a site, artefact, or earthwork is essential. Nowadays many archaeological sites use either GPS or Total Station for site survey. Differential GPS can record points of circa 1cm accuracy levels in…

As well as offering the best in archaeological training and support, the 2020 Field School is tailored towards enabling attendees to fulfil the requirements of the Archaeological Skills Passport. This training school is designed to provide training…

This latest column from Joe Flatman continues to look at CA's coverage of Roman villas. He explores their presence in the magazine, with examples ranging from the well-known to the more obscure. The post Excavating the CA archive: Roman villas –…

Why was the monumental Roman bathhouse at Silchester demolished in the 1st century AD, only to be rebuilt on an even grander scale? Mike Fulford guides us through the latest excavations at the Roman town. The post Silchester’s Roman baths appeared…

Our cover feature explores a significant change of heart: why were Silchester’s Roman baths demolished in the 1st century, just as the lavish complex was nearing completion, only to be rebuilt on an even grander scale? We visit the latest…

JESSAMINE COUNTY, KENTUCKY—The Lexington Herald Leader reports that Stephen McBride, director of interpretation at Camp Nelson, a 4,000-acre Union Army supply depot established in central Kentucky in 1863, has identified bottles that held hair dye…

ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND—Environmental historians Lee Mordechai and Merle Eisenberg of the University of Maryland argue that the outbreak of bubonic plague during the reign of Roman Emperor Justinian in the mid-sixth century A.D. was not a catastrophic…

A full view 3-D model of Stela 1 from Wiztna created by University of Alabama archaeologist Alexandre Tokovinine: Stela 1, Witzna by Alexandre Tokovinine on Sketchfab   A 3-D model of Stela 2: Stela 2, Witzna by Alexandre Tokovinine on…

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA—The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that archaeologists from the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology have handed over another batch of clay tablets to officials at the Iraqi Embassy in…

For this month’s Science Notes we turn to two papers that recently made the headlines for their surprising findings, which have changed the ways in which we look at traditional archaeological contextual interpretations. The post Science Notes –…

The earliest example of a house with surviving timbers to be found in the United Kingdom is thought to have been identified in North Yorkshire. Archaeological Research Services (ARS) discovered the remains of two timber structures preserved in peat…

In the 1920s and early 1930s, French archaeologists at Girsu excavated a monumental brick structure measuring up to 130 feet long by 33 feet wide, with 11-foot-high walls, that resembled a pair of parentheses. Unsure of its purpose, they termed it…

SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND—BBC News reports that volunteers and researchers from the Maritime Archaeology Trust created a digital record of eroded graffiti left on a brick wall on Southampton’s Western Esplanade by American soldiers waiting to board ships…