All Archaeology articles
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NewsUK launches £37m programme to uncover cultural heritage through chemistry
Funding will aid analysis of archaeological materials and preservation of artwork
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ResearchStonehenge Altar stone likely came from Scotland, not Wales
Mineral analysis matches sandstones from over 750km away
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NewsArchaeological dig at Tycho Brahe’s island lab reveals some of his alchemical secrets
Analysis of what appears to be laboratory vessels shows elements Danish astronomer was working with
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ResearchPioneering preservative removal from ancient Greek ship allows accurate dating
Extraction of polyethylene glycol from ship’s wood enables radiocarbon recalibration
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NewsColourant chemistry identifies ancient Greek workshop for Tyrian purple
Dye favoured by royalty was produced at site 3600 years ago
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ResearchChemical analysis reveals origins of early English silver coins
Byzantine silver plates were melted down to make many of the first Anglo-Saxon coins
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ResearchStriking reptilian fossil discovered in 1931 found to be fake
280-million-year-old lizard ‘fossil’ was mostly painted on
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FeatureThe archaeologists saving Africa’s ironworking heritage
The fires of traditional African iron smelters burned out a century ago and now the researchers dedicated to uncovering their stories are disappearing from the continent too, writes Hayley Bennett
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ResearchPeptide analysis reveals truth of Seville’s ‘Ivory Lady’
Ancient human remains entombed with an array of treasures, originally believed to be a young male, revealed to be those of a woman
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ResearchBenin bronzes are made of German brass
Discovery casts new light on the west African artworks, which Nigeria has asked colonial countries to return
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ResearchResidues from embalming vessels cast new light on ancient Egyptian mummification
Chemists reveal the compounds and sources of embalming treatments
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FeatureThe smell of history
Nina Notman sniffs out chemistry’s role in uncovering, documenting and recreating the scents of the past
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OpinionThe incredible legacy of Tutankhamun
Three-thousand-year-old treasures can still enthral and inspire
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FeatureUnwrapping ancient Egyptian chemistry
From mummification to metallurgy, Rachel Brazil looks at the impressive chemistry used by this ancient civilisation
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NewsSequencing of genomes of ancient human relatives takes medicine Nobel prize
Svante Pääbo’s team sequenced the Neanderthal genome and discovered a previously unknown hominin
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ResearchControversy over ancient Chinese bronze chemistry
Study suggests bronze was made from alloys rather than pure metals, but experts remain unconvinced
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FeatureThe curious case of the ancient brain
A 2000 year old decapitated Yorkshire man and the ancient proteins in his preserved brain might provide clues to modern diseases, as Hayley Bennett discovers
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ResearchArchaeometric study confirms ancient Greeks used gypsum in white Attic vases
Analysis of the Perseus crater from Agrigento identifies key constituents used in its decoration
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ResearchSimple campfire chemistry hints how ancient humans produced pigments
Process to make red ochre didn’t require close control of temperature
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ResearchPrehistoric Iberians poisoned by cinnabar almost 5000 years ago
Analyses of mercury levels in bones reveal ancient artists suffered for their craft