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Analysis of use-wear and chemical composition of five early Bronze Age halberds from Muszkowo reveals that they were crafted over several casting events and meticulously finished, then subjected to use before their final deposition.

Xiangranggounan is an intensively occupied settlement associated with the Kayue culture on the north-eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Excavations in 2022 and 2023 revealed five house types with clear stratigraphic relationships that help to expand current understanding of the evolution of prehistoric settlement patterns in harsh plateau environments.

Somló Hill (Veszprém County, Hungary) is a prominent Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age hilltop settlement. Six new hoards present the unparalleled opportunity to study hoarding traditions and depositional practices, and to evaluate the changing roles and functions of the hilltop site.

Analysis of the particulate and chemical composition of a red pigment discovered in grave 155 (burial 2) at Chervony Mayak in the Kherson Region of Ukraine identified the substance as cinnabar. This is the first definitive identification of this mineral in a Late Scythian context.

Since 1994, the French Archaeological Mission at the Eastern Desert has excavated more than 20 sites in Egypt, focusing on Roman forts and Ptolemaic mining sites. Rich in natural resources, the region was heavily exploited in the Hellenistic Period (332–30 BC). Recent excavations at Ghozza reveal the harsh reality of mining.

The North Caesarea 1 shipwreck, briefly explored in the 1980s, is one of the few hulls of the Hellenistic and early Imperial periods excavated in the Eastern Mediterranean. This investigation relies on the meticulous re-examination of primary excavation data to help answer some questions regarding this hull that probably belonged to a large vessel.

A total of 2848 denarii from the Nietulisko Małe Hoard, one of the largest hoards of Roman coins found in Poland, were digitised and documented using reflectance transformation imaging, highlighting the potential for this technology in numismatic research.

Emerging from a shift in the relationship between archaeology and museums, the ‘Making the Museum’ project investigates the makers of the archaeological and ethnographic collections of the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford, positioning archaeological theory and method as essential tools for uncovering the ‘hidden histories’ of these makers.

During the excavation of Tol-e Sangi in southern Iran, tokens and a sealing were discovered in Pre-Pottery Neolithic (PPN, c. 7050–6900 BC) layers. As the oldest sealing found in Iran, this artefact suggests that storage and sealing practices were used during the PPN period in South-west Asia.

A re-examination of animal tooth pendants from Mesolithic (c. 9000–5000 BC in Lithuania) graves at Donkalnis (western Lithuania) revealed one engraved specimen. Among the hundreds of pendants reported for this period in the eastern Baltic, engravings are rare. The discovery offers new insights into the human-animal relationships reflected in northern forager burial traditions.

A newly discovered Neolithic site at Al-Khashbah KHS-A (Oman) reveals local adaptations to climate change in the Holocene. Results from radiocarbon dating show repeated occupations over 1000 years and key artefacts indicate coastal connections. KHS-A served as a short-term camp, enhancing our understanding of Neolithic lifeways in Arabia.

The Eridu region in southern Mesopotamia was occupied from the sixth until the early first millennium BC, and its archaeological landscape remains well preserved. The present study has identified and mapped a vast, intensive, well-developed network of artificial irrigation canals in this region.

Although the site was supposedly founded in the Hellenistic period (332–31 BC), excavations at Kom el-Nugus/Plinthine have revealed a large town from the seventh century BC. The recent discovery of a major New Kingdom (c. 1550–1069 BC) settlement at the site is contributing to re-evaluation of the ancient history of northern Egypt.

Extraordinary finds from the Store Frigård cremation cemetery on the Danish island of Bornholm suggest that the society that used the site played a key role in supra-regional contacts and in the distribution of goods and people across the Baltic Sea between the Continent and Southern Scandinavia during the Iron Age.

Bronze mou vessels appear in Shu tombs in south-west China during the Eastern Zhou period (c. 771–256 BC). Examination of these vessels reveals major changes in the supply of metal and alloying technology in the Shu State, throwing new light on the social impact of the Qin conquest and later unification of China.

The capacocha was one of the most important types of Inca sacrifices. Road stations (tambos) were built for the pilgrims who travelled to mountain peaks with the sacrifices. Spatial analysis of two tambos on the slopes of the Pichu Pichu and Chachani volcanoes in Peru reveals segregation in the sacred landscape.

Historic sites of lawful execution are now largely consigned to archival records, including hand-drawn maps. Using these records to identify potential locations, this project deploys non-invasive geophysical surveys and targeted excavation to uncover execution sites and historic gallows in Silesia.

Digital technology facilitates remote access to archaeological collections and offers an accessible platform for knowledge sharing and innovative storytelling. Here, the authors present a newly developed online museum resource co-curated by archaeologists and the descendant community in Quinhagak, Alaska.