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From the 16th-18th centuries AD, the coastal city of Mokha, Yemen was a centre of the international coffee trade #NationalCoffeeDay Threatened by land reclamation and shoreline modification, aerial photography helps record the city's lost archaeology. 🆓 doi.org/10.15184/aqy... 🏺 #Archaeology

Aerial photograph (left) and satellite imagery analysis (right) of a coastline, annotated with changes to the shoreline between 1967 and 2016. The shore extends much further into the sea as of 2016 than in 1967, and much of the city's coastal heritage was lost in this development.

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Cave in Gran Canaria, used for burial by the island's Indigenous people #TombTuesday Analysis of insect remains indicates it began life as a granary, shedding light on life in the Canary Islands before Spanish colonisation. 🆓 doi.org/10.15184/aqy... 🏺 #Archaeology

Archaeologist crouched in the mouth of a cave, looking out over a mountainous landscape.

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NEW How did Nazi archaeologists try to prove a mythical Germanic past? New research explores the Ahnenerbe’s meticulous casts of Nordic rock art, used in attempts to legitimise racist origin myths and construct a fabricated Germanic prehistory. 🆓 doi.org/10.15184/aqy... 🏺 #Archaeology

Person brushing a rock art carving with soapy water in preparation for its casting in plaster.

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Cambridge University Press - Archaeology @cambup-archaeology.cambridge.org · 28/09/2026

Wu Weishan’s "Socrates and Confucius: an encounter" imagines the two philosophers in dialogue. Whilst Confucius died a decade before Socrates was born and the worlds in which the two men lived were separated by 7500km, it is striking to imagine their conversation #ConfuciusDay

Statue of two robed men in conversation, with an ancient Greek temple (the Temple of Hephaestus) in the background.

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Reposted by Antiquity Journal

🆕 DISCOVER the new #openaccess #research from #Cambridge shaping #archaeology right now! Free to read. Free to share. 🔗 cup.org/4w5nczT 📲 Download the research, explore the journals - and perhaps discover a home for your own work. 📸 Courtesy of @antiquity.ac.uk.

A promotional graphic for Cambridge Open Access, featuring the text "New open access research in Archaeology." The background includes an image of an archaeological site with exposed stone layers.

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The Roman province of Hispania Baetica (modern southern Spain) was a major centre of olive oil production. Analysis of over 1000 potsherds from oil amphorae shed light on how olive oil shaped the Roman economy. 🔗 from 2023 🆓 doi.org/10.15184/aqy... 🏺 #Archaeology

Fragment of an amphora rim with a sketch reconstructing the complete amphora.

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Don't miss out on your chance to access our #EuropeanArchaeology collection free before the end of the month! 🏺 Explore the latest in the #archaeology of Europe, from Palaeolithic art to Second World War graves and everything in between: www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

Classical building with many pillars lining its walls, with the text 'European Archaeology, Antiquity' overlaid.

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How did family ties shape ancient nomadic societies? #NationalFamilyDay DNA analysis of people from the Xiongnu Empire of the Eurasian steppe suggests factors such as political alliances were just as important to social status as biological kinship. 🆓 doi.org/10.15184/aqy... 🏺 #Archaeology

Diagrams depicting genetic ties between individuals buried at the Tamir necropolis, Mongolia in relation to where in the cemetery they were buried. There are two family lineages all descending from a common ancestor and spousal pairs are consistently interred side by side, but members of the same lineage are not necessarily interred near to each other.

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How can we ensure access to heritage in the face of conflict? The Sudan Virtual Museum offers virtual access to the Sudan National Museum, displaying the artefacts that were exhibited there before the war #MuseumMonday 🏺 #Archaeology 🆓 doi.org/10.15184/aqy...

View through broken windows from the inside of a building, looking towards another damaged building.

3D reconstruction of the interior of a museum. On a doorway is written 'welcome to the Virtual Sudan National Museum'. The doorway leads into a room with a museum display depicting a timeline of Sudanese history.

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Bronze hand from the Iron Age site of Irulegi, Navarre (🇪🇸). One of the words inscribed is similar to the modern Basque word for 'good fortune', suggesting it is a prehistoric luck charm. 🆓 doi.org/10.15184/aqy... 🏺 #Archaeology

Above: bronze hand engraved with Palaeohispanic writing. Below: sketch of the same hand, making the writing clearer.

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Antiquity Journal @antiquity.ac.uk · 27/09/2026

NEW Sherd of terra sigillata pottery from Roman Tuscany, stamped with a large, ornate image of an altar. Stamps on terra sigillata were typically small and standardised, making this design completely unique. Was this vessel part of a limited series? 🆓 doi.org/10.15184/aqy... 🏺 #Archaeology

Illustration, photograph and 3D model of a fragment of pottery. On its surface is stamped an image of a rectangular altar with a projecting cornice and base, which both appear to be decorated. Across the main body of the altar runs a horizontal garland with perhaps a left-facing songbird perched on top of a twig, and possibly a piece of fruit to its immediate right. Underneath this are stamped initials reading 'AV(in ligature)IL'.

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#OnThisDay in AD 1066, William the Conqueror's troops set sail to England, beginning the Norman conquest. The Welsh hillfort of Dinas Powys was thought to have been built to defend against them, but dating found it pre-dates the conquest by 300 years! 🆓 doi.org/10.15184/aqy... 🏺 #Archaeology

Laser scan of an earthwork monument, made up of multiple ridges.

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Antiquity Journal @antiquity.ac.uk · 26/09/2026

Today is #NationalAlpacaDay! 🦙 Vicuña are a wild relative of the alpaca, and have been hunted in the Andes for millennia. V-shaped traps have been found widely distributed across the highlands, possibly used for both hunting and herding vicuña. 🆓 doi.org/10.15184/aqy... 🏺 #Archaeology

Vicuña stood on a highland plain, with a mountain in the background.

Illustration of a chacu hunting trap, indicating how they funneled wildlife into pits. People chase vicuña downhill into the mouth of a V-shaped trap, which funnels them down into a circular enclosure.

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Historical sources suggest tobacco was used ancient Mesoamerican rituals, but archaeological evidence for this is rare. Analysis of ceramic vases from Guatemala indicate tobacco infusions were drunk to induce visions and deep sleep #WorldDreamDay 🆓 doi.org/10.15184/aqy... 🏺 #Archaeology

Seven ceramic vases of different shapes, colours and sizes, predominantly cylindrical.

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The settlement of Madagascar has a history of at least 1500 years, with occupants constantly facing challenges like climate change, warfare and slave raiding. 2023 research in Antiquity revealed how they adapted to these difficulties. 🆓 doi.org/10.15184/aqy... 🏺 #Archaeology

Timeline of pottery styles in Madagascar from 1150-50 years ago, complete with visual descriptions and photographs of the styles.

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NEW How large were ancient ports? New methods reveal the true sizes of Mediterranean harbours, finding their capacities were much greater than we imagined and uncovering the reality of extensive maritime trade in the past. A seaworthy #AntiquityThread 1/11 🧵 🏺 #Archaeology

Vehicle with treads on the seashore. A coring device on its front takes a sediment core from the sand at the water's edge.

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Liubo game piece and stick-shaped token from Han Dynasty Qianzhongzitou #FindsFriday Liubo was a board game played in ancient China, and depictions of Liubo in Han tombs indicate the game was associated with supernatural beliefs. 🆓 doi.org/10.15184/aqy... 🏺 #Archaeology

Small, rectangular game piece and a thin cylinder.

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#OnThisDay in AD 1237, the Treaty of York established the Anglo-Scottish border that remains almost unchanged to this day. Historic borders can have significant effects on modern politics. Explore how Hadrian's Wall has influenced the USA/Mexico border 🆓 doi.org/10.15184/aqy... 🏺 #Archaeology

Part of Hadrian's Wall. A relatively low stone wall snakes across a hilly green landscape under a grey, clouded sky.

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Stove tile from 16th-century-AD Lüneburg, Germany depicting a cardinal and a fool. The cardinal-fool motif was popular during the Reformation, intended to ridicule the Catholic Church. 🆓 doi.org/10.15184/aqy... 🏺 #Archaeology

Two pieces of a rectangular tile, broken across the centre. In the top half is depicted a smiling fool or jester wearing a cap with bells. In the bottom half is depicted a frowning cardinal with an austere countenance.

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Rui Gomes Coelho @ruigomescoelho.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Our very own resident #barkaeologist Ember can't wait to dig up the next ground-breaking archaeological discovery, but in the meantime, we want to hear from you! Find out how you can publish your own #archaeology research and submit an article at antiquity.ac.uk/submit 🏺

Dog sat in a garden, looking at the camera with an expectant expression.

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Reposted by Antiquity Journal

Being a mentor in the @antiquity.ac.uk Rewriting World Archaeology workshops has been a very rewarding experience. It's an opportunity to meet early career archaeologists and work with them on their publication projects. 1/2

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Reposted by Antiquity Journal

School of Archaeology @unioxarchaeology.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Great work by our Practical Mariner project team! #maps #maritime #archaeology

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Rare Anglo-Saxon coin unearthed in Shetland

📰 The northernmost Anglo-Saxon coin found in the UK has been unearthed in Shetland, suggesting trading links between Viking-controlled Shetland and Anglo-Saxon England. 🏺 #ArchaeologyNews via BBC News www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

bbc.co.uk

Archaeologists say the discovery suggests possible trading links between Viking and Anglo-Saxons.

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It's #WorldMaritimeDay! ⚓️ Land visibility was vital to ancient mariners, who relied on the coast to navigate around the seas. A new map of coastal visibility around the Mediterranean helps explore nuanced questions about past seafaring. 🆓 doi.org/10.15184/aqy... 🏺 #Archaeology

Map of the Mediterranean Sea, coloured with a spectrum of visibility around the coasts based on land elevation over the horizon.

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NEW The city of Zadar, Croatia has been occupied for c.3000 years, but underwent rapid expansion in the 20th century. Uncovering the historic green spaces hidden under and within the urban sprawl sheds light on the city's millennia of 'green heritage'. 🆓 doi.org/10.15184/aqy... 🏺 #Archaeology

City on the coast. One one side of a road, many homogenous buildings with white walls and red roofs cluster together. On the other side, a green field with the remains of drystone walls sits unkempt and overgrown.

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Weapons from the Achaemenid cemetery of Mersin, Iran including iron blades and a bronze spearhead #IronworkThursday The weapons may have been symbols of authority, showing the influence of imperial institutions far from the empire's heartland. 🆓 doi.org/10.15184/aqy... 🏺 #Archaeology

Illustrations of two fragmented, straight blades and photographs of a fragmented, curved blade and an intact spearhead.

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📕 #BookReview 🏺 #Archaeology Placing people with disabilities at the centre of historical archaeology, Laurie A. Wilkie & Katherine M. Kinkopf's 'An introduction to crip archaeology' explores how disability studies can transform how we think about the past 1/2 (£) doi.org/10.15184/aqy...

Cover of the book reviewed, depicting various metal spoons with diverse shapes and decorations, with the text 'Book Review, Antiquity'.

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Stone pounder from c.9030–6741 BP southern China. It was possibly used to mash taro into poi, a paste which remains a traditional staple in Polynesian diets to this day. Before the cultivation of rice, taro was likely also a staple in the Chinese diet. 🆓 doi.org/10.15184/aqy... 🏺 #Archaeology

Pestle-shaped stone object that is narrow at the top, widening towards the base.

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Marta Diaz-Guardamino @martaguardamino.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Does economic growth always lead to greater inequality? #WednesdayWisdom Research at the major Indus Civilisation city of Mohenjo-Daro found inequality declined as it expanded, indicating governance helped maintain a relatively egalitarian society. 🆓 doi.org/10.15184/aqy... 🏺 #Archaeology

Graph of Gini coefficients (a quantitative proxy of economic inequality) from 2500-2100 BC at Mohenjo-Daro, showing a decrease over time.

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Reposted by Antiquity Journal

Paper alert!! We used OSL dating to establish the age of the foundation of the mound supporting two monumental #StandingStones at Hagbard's Galge in southern #Sweden. Dating to 1400-1200 BCE, the mound appears to be slightly older than previously thought...🙂

cambridge.org

Hagbard’s Gallows in context: dating a Bronze Age monument in south-western Sweden | Antiquity | Cambridge Core

Hagbard’s Gallows in context: dating a Bronze Age monument in south-western Sweden

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Icelandic historian, poet and politician Snorri Sturluson died #OnThisDay in AD 1241. His writings have been a major source of knowledge on Norse mythology and early medieval Scandinavian history, even prompting some early archaeological excavations in Scandinavia 1/2 🏺 #Archaeology

Black-and-white photograph of several monumental burial mounds next to a path.

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Today is the #AutumnEquinox: the end of the growing cycle and the beginning of the harvest. In Neolithic Ireland, some burial monuments are aligned with the equinox. Did they symbolise the transition from growth and renewal towards death and decline? 🆓 doi.org/10.15184/aqy... 🏺 #Archaeology

Topographic map of part of the Baltinglass landscape, County Wicklow, overlaid with illustrations of prehistoric features in the landscape, such as the Sruhaun cursus and associated barrows, aligned with the autumn equinox sunrise.

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Can keeping a diary make you a better archaeologist? #DearDiaryDay The latest #AntiquityDebate that taking a slower, more reflective approach to archaeological landscapes help us engage more deeply with the lived experiences of past peoples. 🆓 doi.org/10.15184/aqy... 🏺 #Archaeology

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In Polynesia, marae are rectangular clearings that acted as ritual spaces. The first clear materialisation of ritual in Polynesia, the earliest marae are found in Rapa Nui (Easter Island), suggesting ritual developments spread from east to west. 🆓 doi.org/10.15184/aqy... 🏺 #Archaeology

Forest clearing surrounded by a stone wall, in the centre of which a stone platform stands.

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Changing environments and climates have had significant effects on people in the past, and climate change continues to shape #archaeology to this day 🏺 Explore the latest research on past climate change and its ongoing impact in our collection: www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

Sheep bones revealed by a melting glacier, with the text 'Climate Archaeology, Antiquity'.

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Simulated visit to the tomb of Djehutyhotep in the Sudan Virtual Museum #TombTuesday Through digital reconstruction, the museum enables access to the tomb at a moment when the physical site remains inaccessible due to the ongoing conflict. 🆓 doi.org/10.15184/aqy... 🏺 #Archaeology

3D model of the interior of a tomb, showcasing decorated and inscribed monumental features and coffins

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