Antiquity Journal

Machu Picchu with text overlaid reading 'South American Archaeology: Antiquity'.

Check out our South American Archaeology collection, with FREE and #OpenAccess #archaeology such as:

⛰️ A new interpretation of an iconic Andean monument
🦙 Hunting traps in the Chilean highlands
🗺️ The expansion of the pre-Inca Tiwanaku state

& more! 🏺
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

Wall relief depicting two offering-bearers wearing wigs. One wig is very fine, whilst the other appears more simplistic.

Can you spot the differences between these ancient Egyptian wig depictions? #InternationalWigDay
Variation in their levels of detail indicates they were made by artists of differing skill, suggesting masters and apprentices worked side-by-side.

🆓 doi.org/10.15184/aqy...

🏺 #Archaeology

That is why projects such as this are so important, but fortunately not all have disappeared. Into the 21st century, the enclosure of several sites persisted, and the walls continued to function through restoration work.

3D reconstruction depicting a vast desert with a large area of greenery in the centre, surrounded by a wall.

Reconstruction of a Walled Oasis Complex in Iron Age Arabia.

Monumental walls protected settlements, water sources, livestock and crops in the desert, and the complexes played a crucial role in the rise of north-Arabian caravan kingdoms.

🔗 from 2025 🆓 doi.org/10.15184/aqy...

🏺 #Archaeology

Oblong stone with a hole bored in its top. It is made from local limestone, indicating the individual's local ties.

Limestone anchor, found being used as a headrest in a burial at the post-Roman cemetery of Worth Matravers, Dorset #TombTuesday 🏺
An extremely rare find, it suggests the individual had connections to the sea, perhaps through fishing or trade.

Learn more 🆓 doi.org/10.15184/aqy...

📷 Lilian Ladle

The Chinese identity of St Mark’s bronze ‘Lion’ and its place in the history of medieval Venice | Antiquity There are no known written records pertaining to the origins of the enigmatic bronze ‘Lion’ that stands atop one of the two large columns of the Piazzetta in St Mark’s Square, Venice (Italy). Representing the Venetian Winged Lion, a powerful symbol of statehood, the sculpture was installed during a time of political uncertainty in medieval Mediterranean Europe, yet its features do not reflect local artistic conventions. Here, the authors argue that stylistic parallels are found in Tang Dynasty China (AD 618–907); employing lead isotope analysis, they further show that the figure was cast with copper isotopically consistent with ore from the Lower Yangzi River basin.

Somehow, we also published research on remodelling an ancient lion sculpture! The iconic Winged Lion in Venice's Piazza San Marco likely began life as a Chinese tomb guardian of the Tang Dynasty, sent to Venice via the Silk Roads.

Learn more 🆓 doi.org/10.15184/aqy...

Marble lion unearthed during excavations in Philippi Archaeologists working at the ancient city of Philippi uncovered a series of significant finds during the 2025 summer excavation season, including a large marble lion sculpture and fragments of Latin…

📰 Marble lion sculpture unearthed at Roman imperial period Philippi, Greece is stylistically different from other statues found at the site, suggesting it was remodelled during the Middle Byzantine era

🏺 #ArchaeologyNews via @heritagedaily.bsky.social

www.heritagedaily.com/2026/03/marb...

Flat, arid area of desert with stones scattered across.

NEW Later Stone Age (c. 3000–2000 BP) open-air site in South Africa's arid Karoo.

Many new sites have been found in the semi-desert region, indicating it was a favoured locality, repeatedly occupied despite the harsh environment.

🆓 doi.org/10.15184/aqy...

🏺 #Archaeology

@thearchaeologist.bsky.social

Urns, plates and vases of the Amazonian Polychrome Tradition, decorated with red, brown and black anthropomorphic and snakelike motifs.

NEW These striking Polychrome ceramics have been found across an estimated 1.7million sq km of the Central and Western Amazon. New computational modelling sheds light on how this 'Polychrome Expansion' took place, reshaping Amazonia over 1500 years.

(£) doi.org/10.15184/aqy...

🏺 #Archaeology

Covers of the two books reviewed with the text 'Review Article'.

📕 How was domestic and urban space structured in #Pompeii?

The latest Antiquity #ReviewArticle investigates two publications that move beyond the study of elite buildings to observe how houses, small businesses and neighbourhoods shaped Pompeian life

🆓 doi.org/10.15184/aqy...

🏺 #Archaeology

Dog sat on a sofa with its paws on the armrest, looking forward inquisitively.

Ember is waiting patiently to paw review exciting new research 🐾 ✍️

Don't want to leave her hanging? Submit your article at antiquity.ac.uk/submit

#AntiquityPets #Barkaeologist #Archaeology 🏺

Detail from the 4th century ‘Charioteer Mosaic’ featuring a victorious charioteer and quadriga (4 horse chariot). The mosaic decorated one of the rooms at Rudston Roman Villa in East Yorkshire; now part of the collections at Hull and East Riding Museum. 📸 My own #MosaicMonday

A corroded iron pin and three teeth that would have surrounded it.

Is this the earliest dental implant in western Europe? An individual from an Iron Age burial at Le Chêne in northern France had an iron pin in place of a missing tooth #NationalFalseTeethDay 🦷 #Archaeology 🏺

🔗 from 2014 (£) doi.org/10.1017/S000...

Authors Anke Hein and Andrew Womack analysing a ceramic pot.

Authors Katherine Brunson and Jada Ko studying animal bones.

In the 1920s, a Swedish-Chinese team excavated over 50 prehistoric sites in north China, housing many finds in the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities in Stockholm. Now, 100 years later, researchers re-examine these "forgotten treasures" #MuseumMonday 🏛️ #Archaeology 🏺

🆓 doi.org/10.15184/aqy...

Assessing the impact of Roman occupation on England through the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) hypothesis | Antiquity The Roman occupation of England (AD 43–410), characterised by urbanisation and militarisation, is generally understood to have had a negative impact on population health. Yet our understanding of associated socioeconomic changes is hindered by the comparatively limited analysis of inhumations from the preceding Iron Age. Deploying the DOHaD hypothesis, this study examines negative health markers in the skeletons of 274 adult females of childbearing age and 372 non-adults aged below 3.5 years from Iron Age and Roman contexts, revealing the long-lasting negative influence of urbanisation but with a more limited impact in rural communities implying continuation of cultural norms.

Happy #InternationalWomensDay! 🏺

Antiquity publishes amazing #archaeology by and about women, like the work of Rebecca Pitt, who examined adult female and infant skeletons to explore the multi-generational impact of the Roman occupation of England on health.

doi.org/10.15184/aqy...

A round stone plaque engraved with a sun motif.

How did prehistoric people respond to natural disasters? Some of 2025's most-read research suggested a volcanic eruption that blocked out the sun caused people in Neolithic Denmark to ritually sacrifice 'sun stones' to ensure a good harvest.

Read it 🆓 doi.org/10.15184/aqy...

🏺 #Archaeology

Cave wall with a bright red handprint on its surface.

Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan sighted Guam #OnThisDay in AD 1521, becoming the first European to do so. The island has been occupied since 1500 BC, with #RockArt in caves showing how cultural traditions changed over time.

🔗 from 2017 (£) doi.org/10.15184/aqy...

🏺 #Archaeology

Polished green stone ornament, appearing to depict a frog-like creature in the birth-giving position. There are two perforations at the top and close-up inserts show evidence for wear on the perforations, indicating it was worn on soft straps. Other macroscopic close-ups indicate general use-wear traces.

Nephrite (aka jade) pendant from Neolithic Svinjarička Čuka, Serbia, depicting a frog-like creature giving birth.
It is similar to contemporary examples from across the Balkans, indicating shared symbolic imagery throughout the region.

🔗 from 2025 🆓 doi.org/10.15184/aqy...

🏺 #Archaeology

Citation of the book reviewed and name of the reviewer (Sarah Kerr).

"An interesting and energising read for those doing any archaeological research because it stimulates connections and engenders alignment throughout our diverse discipline which, it seems, may be a crucial stepping stone to achieving the future of archaeology" 2/2

✍️ @sarahkerr.bsky.social

Cover of the book reviewed with the text 'Book Review, Antiquity'.

📕 #BookReview 🏺

Gary M. Feinman & T. Douglas Price (ed.)'s 'The future of archaeology' explores the challenges facing #archaeology and suggests how we could shape the discipline’s future 1/2

(£) doi.org/10.15184/aqy...

Cooking in caves: Palaeolithic carbonised plant food remains from Franchthi and Shanidar | Antiquity Research on Palaeolithic hunter-gatherer diet has focused on the consumption of animals. Evidence for the use of plant foods is comparatively limited but is rapidly expanding. The authors present an analysis of carbonised macro-remains of processed plants from Franchthi Cave in the Aegean Basin and Shanidar Cave in the north-west Zagros Mountains. Microscopic examination of the charred food remains reveals the use of pounded pulses as a common ingredient in cooked plant foods. The results are discussed in the context of the regional archaeobotanical literature, leading the authors to argue that plants with bitter and astringent tastes were key ingredients of Palaeolithic cuisines in South-west Asia and the Eastern Mediterranean.

Long before the Neolithic, even #Neanderthals were eating more than just meat! Analysis of charred plant remains from Franchthi and Shanidar Caves indicates pounded pulses were common components of Neanderthal diets.

🔗 from 2023 🆓 doi.org/10.15184/aqy...

The Last European Hunter-Gatherers Were Already Cooking Complex Stew Recipes That Included Fish and All Kinds of Plants The image that traditional archaeology has offered for decades about the eating habits of ancient Europeans may be facing a profound revision. A team of researchers led by Lara González Carretero,…

📰 Multidisciplinary study of Neolithic pottery finds European hunter-gatherers were cooking complex recipes with meat, fish, and plants, questioning the central role of animal resources in prehistoric diets.

🏺 #ArchaeologyNews via @labrujulaverde.bsky.social

www.labrujulaverde.com/en/2026/03/t...

Stone axehead with a polished blade. A black box overlaid indicates one trace of use wear identified during analysis.

Is this one of West Africa's first multi-tools? #FlintFriday
Analysis of Ground Stone Axes from Later #StoneAge (c.13,000–12,000 years ago) Nigeria indicates they were used for many different tasks, such as wood working, butchery/bone working and digging.

🆓 doi.org/10.15184/aqy...

🏺 #Archaeology

Wool dress, the top half made from red and pale yellow square patches, the bottom one brown-black piece.

Woollen dress from the 6th century BC-1st century AD cemetery of Zaghunluq, Xinjiang #NationalDressDay

Exotic grave goods such as this indicate Central Asian communities were involved in long-distance trade before the establishment of the Silk Roads.

(£) doi.org/10.15184/aqy...

🏺 #Archaeology

Viking warrior women? Reassessing Birka chamber grave Bj.581 | Antiquity | Cambridge Core Viking warrior women? Reassessing Birka chamber grave Bj.581 - Volume 93 Issue 367

Thank you for sharing! The authors of the 2017 study published, in 2019, their interpretation of the results in Antiquity, exploring their implications for both archaeology and general perceptions of the past.

Read it 🆓 doi.org/10.15184/aqy...

The production of tools from bones was a major component of subsistence in prehistoric China too!

Initially a household industry, it became more specialised and standardised over time, underpinning (see what we did there 😉) the formation of complex societies.

Learn more 🆓 doi.org/10.15184/aqy...

Side-view of Petra, with the text 'Middle East & North Africa, Antiquity' overlaid.

Check out our collection on the #archaeology of the Middle East and North Africa, with FREE and #OpenAccess research on:

✍️ The origins of the world's first writing
🥂 Roman glass trade in the Levant
⛓️‍💥 The legacy of Early Islamic slavery

& more:

🏺 www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

The Roman Frontier in Britain | Antiquity | Cambridge Core The Roman Frontier in Britain - Volume 1 Issue 1

Because we love you so much, here's a special #RomanFortThursday and #ThrowbackThursday in one!
It's an examination of the Roman frontier in Britain by R. G. Collingwood, in our first ever issue from March 1927:

(£) doi.org/10.1017/S000...

Covers of the four books reviewed (Ancient Egypt in 50 Discoveries, Uist Unearthed, Picture Worlds and Readers of the Lost Ark).

This #WorldBookDay read about the power of storytelling in archaeology in our latest #NewBookChronicle, exploring how people told stories in the past and how archaeologists can continue to tell their stories in the present 🏺

🆓 doi.org/10.15184/aqy...