News
Bad Taxidermy and Scattered Human Bones – A Ritual from the Iron Age Steppes
Check out the latest Antiquity blog, in which Antiquity author Dr Gino Caspari from the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology and the University of Bern explores the power of horses in the Iron Age Eurasian steppe and the origins of the elusive Scythians.
Volunteers help identify hundreds of undiscovered prehistoric barrows
A citizen science project has doubled the number of known prehistoric barrows in the central Netherlands in just four months, showing the value of crowd-sourced data to professional archaeologists, local government and the volunteers themselves.
Sacrificial burial confirms Scythians’ eastern origins
Excavation of a ~2800-year-old burial mound in southern Siberia reveals evidence for the sacrifice of humans and horses in honour of an elite person. It is one of the earliest examples of Scythian funerary practices, confirming the origins of Scythian culture lie far to the east of their later heartland in Eastern Europe.
The Indigenous artists keeping ancient rock art traditions alive
A new project explores how Indigenous artists incorporate archaeological rock art motifs into their art, investigating how rock art is a key aspect of reclaiming Indigenous identities for colonised peoples.
Sweet potato power: American crops supported colonisation of cooler southern Pacific islands
Advanced radiocarbon dating points to American sweet potato cultivation in New Zealand’s temperate-climate South Island before AD 1400, suggesting sweet potatoes contributed to the first settlement of Polynesia’s southernmost habitable islands.
Neolithic society in Morocco shines light on North Africa's role in Mediterranean prehistory
Archaeological survey at the site of Oued Beht, Morocco, reveals a previously unknown 3400–2900 BC farming society, suggesting the Maghreb was instrumental to the shaping of the western Mediterranean during the fourth and third millennia BC.
Southern army fought at ‘Europe’s oldest battle’
Analysis of Bronze Age arrowheads from the Tollense Valley, Germany, reveals some of them were not produced locally, indicating that the battle involved both local groups and warriors from the south. As such, the Tollense Valley battle is the earliest example of interregional conflict in Europe.
1000-year-old textiles reveal cultural resilience in the ancient Andes
Analysis of preserved textiles suggests that the weaving traditions of the pre-Columbian Moche culture of Peru persisted despite the influence of the powerful Wari empire, showing how cultural identities can survive even as the world around them changes.
European Archaeology Collection
The annual meeting of the European Association of Archaeologists takes place in Rome from Wednesday 28th-Saturday 31st August. In recognition, we have put together a collection containing the latest research on the archaeology of Europe.
Come and see us at the EAA Annual Meeting
Come along to the 30th Annual Meeting of the EAA to chat with our editor Dr Robert Witcher and incoming editor Prof Robin Skeates, and get your hands on some Antiquity swag!
Unexpected past customs at Paquimé, Mexico, uncovered by ancient DNA
Check out the latest Antiquity blog, in which Antiquity author Dr Jakob Sedig from Harvard University writes about how ancient DNA shed light on past customs in pre-contact Mexico, revealing close-relative mating and child sacrifice amongst elites.
The discovery and investigation of a thirteenth-century shipwreck
Antiquity author and Diving and Maritime Archaeology Officer at Bournemouth University Tom Cousins explores the exciting discovery of a rare example of a medieval shipwreck in English waters.
Jamestown DNA helps solve a 400-year-old mystery and unexpectedly reveals a family secret
Ancient DNA evidence supports the identification of two early colonists buried at the first permanent English settlement in North America, revealing a family secret that was never recorded: one was illegitimate.
Shipwreck highlights medieval England's lucrative trade in valuable stone
Examination of England’s only 13th-century shipwreck finds it was transporting Purbeck Marble, a valuable stone used in many of England’s most iconic religious monuments, presenting a snapshot into medieval England’s complex and flourishing trade networks.
Child sacrifice and close relative mating among elites in precontact Mexico
DNA analysis reveals that a child sacrificed and buried in a ritually-important building at the AD 1200-1450 Mogollon-culture site of Paquimé, Mexico, had closely-related parents. Close relative mating was uncommon in most ancient societies, suggesting it only occurred amongst elites, possibly exclusively for specific rituals.
WHO came to America and WHY? Ancient DNA may hold the answers
Check out the latest Antiquity blog on how ancient DNA revealed a 400-year-old family secret at Jamestown, the first permanent Enlglish settlement in North America, written by Karin Bruwelheide.
Surviving the Apocalypse: Catastrophe Archaeology in Japan
Check out the latest Antiquity blog on the impact of a super-volcano's eruption on prehistoric life in Japan, written by Junzo Uchiyama and Peter Jordan.
Ask an Archaeologist Day
Antiquity is sponsoring the CBA Festival of Archaeology #AskAnArchaeologist Day on Friday 19 July!
The day is a chance for people from all over the world to ask archaeology questions, and for archaeologists to share their knowledge. Follow @AskAnArchDay on Twitter (X) to stay up to date with the day's top tweets.
Festival of Archaeology
It's the Council for British Archaeology Festival of Archaeology! We have made several articles free to access for the festival, check them out here.
Southern African Archaeology Collection
The biennial meeting of the Association of Southern African Professional Archaeologists took place in Lesotho from Monday 24th-Friday 28 June. In recognition, we put together a collection containing the latest research on the archaeology of Southern Africa.