News

Mesolithic artefacts at the Early Neolithic site of Eilsleben indicate a never-before-seen level of contact and technology transfer between hunter-gatherers and farmers on Europe's Neolithic frontier.

Archaeologists uncover the largest known corpus of late prehistoric administrative artefacts in the ancient world in western Iran, prompting us to reconsider our understanding of early bureaucratic institutions.

Analysis of mother and infant skeletons from Iron Age and Roman England shows how health was impacted across generations, finding that, whilst health did decline, this was only in urban centres. The new diseases, class divides, and infrastructure introduced to cities by the Roman administration had a long-term, negative impact on the health of ordinary people.

Analysing and, for the first time, playing conch shell trumpets from Neolithic Catalonia indicates they were useful for long-distance communication and could even have been musical instruments, making them powerful prehistoric forces of economic and social connection.

Following their discovery of a major Bronze Age settlement, possibly an early urban centre, in the heart of the Kazakh steppe, the authors write on their recent excavations at the site and next steps for the research in the latest Antiquity Blog.

Archaeologists have uncovered a vast 1600 BC settlement in the heart of Kazakhstan’s grasslands: an early Bronze Age city that shows that the settlements of Bronze Age polities in the steppe were just as sophisticated as those of contemporary, more traditionally ‘urban’ civilisations.

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.