All Archaeology articles
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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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Research
Residues from embalming vessels cast new light on ancient Egyptian mummification
Chemists reveal the compounds and sources of embalming treatments
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Feature
The smell of history
Nina Notman sniffs out chemistry’s role in uncovering, documenting and recreating the scents of the past
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Opinion
The incredible legacy of Tutankhamun
Three-thousand-year-old treasures can still enthral and inspire
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Feature
Unwrapping ancient Egyptian chemistry
From mummification to metallurgy, Rachel Brazil looks at the impressive chemistry used by this ancient civilisation
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News
Sequencing 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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Research
Controversy over ancient Chinese bronze chemistry
Study suggests bronze was made from alloys rather than pure metals, but experts remain unconvinced
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Feature
The 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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Research
Archaeometric 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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Research
Simple campfire chemistry hints how ancient humans produced pigments
Process to make red ochre didn’t require close control of temperature
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Research
Prehistoric Iberians poisoned by cinnabar almost 5000 years ago
Analyses of mercury levels in bones reveal ancient artists suffered for their craft
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Research
Isotope analysis of Vesuvius victims reveals how ancient Romans dined
Herculaneum’s men had greater access to fish, while women relied more on terrestrial animal products
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Research
Tooth isotope analysis proves ancient Greek historians wrong
Analysis of ancient soldiers’ 2500-year-old remains suggests they were foreign mercenaries rather than the locals contemporary historians described
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Research
Thriving wine trade in Islamic Sicily revealed by the chemistry of its pottery
A new method for determining if pottery containers held wine or other grape products could help archaeologist chart the use of the ancient drink
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Research
Ancient Maya communities were first to use zeolite to purify water
2000 years ago, people in Tikal were using the world’s most advanced water purification systems
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Research
Pompeii’s paintings imperilled by precipitates
Volcanic ash protected the city’s frescos for centuries, now it might hasten their decline
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News
Recalibration is the biggest shake-up in the carbon dating world for seven years
Overhaul will improve accuracy and push back how far samples can be dated by 5000 years
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Research
Londinium Romans’ blood lead levels so high they may have lowered birth rates
Heavy metal’s levels were more than 70 times higher than pre-Roman populations
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Research
Bronze age tin from Israeli shipwrecks was mined in Britain
Isotope analysis matches metal to mines in Devon and Cornwall suggesting ancient trade route existed
