News

In the latest Antiquity blog, Antiquity author Charlotta Hillerdal from the University of Aberdeen discusses the devastating effects of climate-change-related disasters on the communities of Southwestern Alaska. Alongside the destruction of villages, storms such as Typhoon Halong have eroded the coastal archaeological sites of the Indigenous Yup'ik people, but steps are being taken to ensure this rich heritage is not lost beneath the waves.

Microbotanical analysis and aerial photography support a new theory for the purpose of Monte Sierpe (Band of Holes) - thousands of aligned holes stretching across the Peruvian Andes - suggesting it was a barter marketplace that developed into a system of accounting under Inca rule.

Come along to the Theoretical Archaeology Group meeting at the University of York from 15th-17th December 2025 to meet out editor, grab some Antiquity swag and explore how archaeological theory can make an impact on the world.

Excavations at the site of the historic royal palace of Benin City, ahead of construction of the new Museum of West African Art, reveal the most comprehensive picture of the West African capital to date, providing an unprecedented glimpse into pre-colonial West African urban development and artisanal crafts and helping carry West African heritage into the future.

Discovery of 76 hunting traps and hundreds of undiscovered settlements in the Andean highlands indicate hunting and foraging were still major aspects of life long after researchers believed people had transitioned to agropastoralist farming, perhaps coexisting with herding and pastoralism.

Analysis of animal-style bronze artefacts at the securely dated, late 9^th century BC site of Tunnug 1, Siberia offers a rare glimpse into the emergence of this aesthetic tradition alongside the formation of nomadic cultures.

Archaeologists find the earliest evidence for blue mineral pigment use in Europe, dating back 13,000 years and indicating early humans accessed a wider colour palette than previously believed and were selective in how they used certain colours.

Examination of a sediment core from Aldborough, Yorkshire provides an unbroken timeline of British metal production from the Roman period to the present day, indicating metal production did not decline as soon as the Romans left Britain and Britain did not experience an economic collapse in the post-Roman period, as was previously believed.

Isotope analysis finds the copper ore used to make the ‘Venetian Winged Lion’ sculpture in the Piazza San Marco was mined in the Yangzi River basin, suggesting it was originally a Tang Dynasty sculpture, possibly sent back along the Silk Road by Niccolò and Maffeo Polo before being modified to resemble the Venetian emblem.

Dr Lamine Badji writes about his exciting research and his experience on the Rewriting World Archaeology: Africa programme, which helped him gain the skills needed to publish in international journals.

Come along to the 10th Society for East Asian Archaeology conference to chat with our editor Prof. Robin Skeates and get your hands on some Antiquity swag!

Ancient DNA analysis at two 7th-century-AD cemeteries in southern England reveals two unrelated individuals, one from each cemetery, had a grandparent from sub-Saharan West Africa.

Analysis of first millennium AD silver coins in Southeast Asia reveals economic connections from Bangladesh to Vietnam, indicating Southeast Asia's understudied economies were just as complex as those of other, contemporary ancient civilisations.

How did ancient tattooers learn their craft? Near-infrared photography and collaboration with modern tattooers reveals the process behind prehistoric tattooing on the ice mummies of the Altai mountains, preserved in permafrost.

Archaeological analysis of horse remains from medieval Hungary questions the historical narrative that people stopped eating horsemeat as a result of their conversion to Christianity, showing the value of archaeology for evaluating historical sources that have gone unquestioned.

Analysis of a rock engraving near Aswan, Egypt suggests it may depict an early Ancient Egyptian elite individual from the dawn of the First Dynasty, coinciding with the formation of the Egyptian State.

Radiocarbon fating of ritual structures across East Polynesia indicates distant Rapa Nui was the source of many several new ideas that spread from east to west, questioning the narrative that, following its initial colonisation from the west, Rapa Nui remained isolated from the wider Polynesian world.

The first ever sequencing of DNA from Roman fish salting vats used to produce the condiment garum sheds light on Roman diets and provides a new means to analyse archaeological fish remains, even when they are too fragmented to identify.

Congratulations to the winners of this year’s Ben Cullen Prize, who uncovered the earliest known evidence for human dispersal into the Pacific more than 55,000–50,000 years ago, shedding light on Homo sapiens' first foray out of the Afro-Eurasian landmass.

Female Pharaoh Hatshepsut's statuary was thought to have been destroyed as an act of retribution by her nephew and successor, Thutmose III. Examination of unpublished documents indicates the damage is in line with practices applied to many pharaohs when they died, possibly as a ritual ‘deactivation’ of the statues’ inherent power.