Elite leaders, pfff. Same as it ever was. See Cleopatra, issue # 3. Here we see The Meeting of Antony and Cleopatra, 41 BC, as painted in 1885 by Lawrence Alma-Tadema. An apprehensive and innocent-looking Antony climbs aboard the Egyptian queen’s barque as she passes a sly, knowing glance towards the viewer. But who was Cleopatra, really? The Augustan court poets fed the tabloid frenzy around her. Porpertius dubbed her a ‘whore queen’. Horace considered her ‘a deranged queen plotting the destruction of the Capitol and the Empire’, her followers ‘a decadent, diseased mob’. A few decades later ..read more

The archaeology of cinema, in AWW #5 Oh the drama! Director David Lean and his production crew battle with the elements during the filing of Ryan’s Daughter on the Dingle Peninsula, Ireland, 1970. But what remains on the ground? Archaeology Worldwide’s Neil Faulkner (RIP) and Gary Rossin decided to find out, as they explain in their page-turning feature on the archaeology of cinema. Click the button below to read their feature in full – it’s completely open-access! Like what you see? Please support our (independent, advert-free!) magazine and get your copy of Issue 5, which also unpicks the l ..read more

Stuart Prior on his Life in Archaeology in AWW #7 How did Digging for Britain's brilliant Stuart Prior go from council gravedigger to Bristol University academic and TV presenter? Each issue we feature the life story of one of our favourite archaeologists, and this time it's the turn of Stuart Prior. He tells of his unconventional start in archaeology, how he cheated death – twice, and how archaeology pulled him through. He also offers advice on getting into archaeology for prospective students, drawing special attention to CIfA. For the full story, please support our independent, advert-free ..read more

David Miles writes in Archaeology Worldwide #7 Reflecting on the legacy of the Great War, and its lessons for today's world, David Miles (author of The Tribes of Britain and former chief archaeologist at English Heritage) travels to northern France to pay homage to some of the most significant war monuments. Click the button below to read his insightful piece – it’s fully open-access. Image: French poilus (soldiers) pose for the camera in a trench at Haut-Rhin, France, 16 June 1917. Credit: Paul Castelnau ..read more

As featured in Archaeology Worldwide #7 Egyptology tends to be characterised by an endless fascination with the gold and glamour, and obsessive fixations with the identity of royal mummies. Most of us are beguiled by Ancient Egypt, and few can deny the magnificence of its temples or monumental statues. But, in his latest book and in the current issue of AWW, Guy de la Bédoyère looks beyond all of this and argues that the main point is that Ancient Egypt was a place of Bronze Age despotism. Its rulers, he observes, grew rich on the systematic exploitation of their people, and their neighbours ..read more

As featured in Archaeology Worldwide magazine issue #7 Çatalhöyük in Central Turkey, arguably the earliest town in the world, was occupied from around 1700 BC- 5700. Its people lived through dramatically changing times, harnessing strong ancestorial ties and complex spiritual beliefs. Composed entirely of domestic buildings. Its inhabitants never built large public buildings, ceremonial centres, or specialised production areas. Nor did they bury their dead in cemeteries. Every aspect of daily life unfolded in their houses, whether domestic or ritual. We know quite a lot about the inhabitants ..read more

Ancient dung study from Abu Hureya, Syria, reveals new insights. The village mound of Abu Hureyra in Syria is one of the earliest and most important early farming settlements in the world. It was excavated by archaeologist Andrew Moore in 1972 and 1973, before it was flooded by a nearby hydroelectric scheme. Occupied by hunter-gatherers as early as 13,000 years ago, its earliest inhabitants subsisted off plant foods and seasonal migrations of gazelle antelope that were hunted in game drives that involved the efforts of several communities. They were unusual people in that they carefully store ..read more

Research at 11,500-year-old monumental site in Turkey set to rewrite (pre)history. Turkey has been in the forefront of research into the origins of farming and animal husbandry for several generations, starting with the discovery and excavation of Çatalhöyük (see the latest issue of Archaeology Worldwide, #7). This site, with its remarkable art and shrines, was excavated by James Mellaart, and more recently, investigated brilliantly by an international team led by Ian Hodder. Then followed the late Klaus Schmidt’s dig at Göbekli Tepe, with its monoliths and shrines dating to about 9600 BC. Th ..read more

Zanzibar on the East African coast was long assumed to have been an 18th century Omani stone town, a major focus of the Indian Ocean dhow trade. The community became rich on an international trade in ivory, ebony wood, and slaves. The city was also famous for its cloves. In the 19th century, it became the powerful capital of the Omani Empire. The Zanzibar Stone Town's Old Fort was built during the Omani era, becoming the centre of military and political power, as well as an important customs house. But back in the 1980s, a test pit revealed possible traces of earlier occupation. An excavation ..read more

How Australia’s wild rabbits can be traced to one shipment from England in 1859. In Australia today, European wild rabbits eat through pastures and crops, threatening around 300 kinds of plants and animals, and costing the economy around $200 million in agricultural damage each year. But how did it all begin? Historical records document that five domestic rabbits arrived with the First Fleet that brought convicts to Botany Bay in 1788. At least 90 separate importations followed before 1859. Then, on October 6th, 1859, Englishman William Austin sent a consignment of domestic and wild rabbits f ..read more