The Past

Ramses the Great: how a pharaoh built his legacy Roman siege warfare: republican strategies in Hispania and Gaul Ancient ivory trade: rethinking its scope and impact Monuments of kingship: power, memory, and belief at Jelling Constructing coral cottages: a new study of Pacific architecture Richard Hodges revisits a monastic settlement on Holy Island in County Clare

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A nalysis 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

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

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

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

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.