#AntiquityThread
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antiquity.ac.uk
Pigeons have been an important part of human life for millennia. Now, new analysis of pigeon bones from Bronze Age Cyprus highlights just how ancient that bond truly is.

A friendly #AntiquityThread 1/14 🧵

🏺 #Archaeology
Limestone sculpture of a pigeon.
June 17, 2026 at 9:35 AM
antiquity.ac.uk
For the first time, archaeologists have analysed ash residue from incense burners preserved at Pompeii, revealing the substances burnt as offerings to the gods in Roman households and the long-distance trade undertaken to acquire them.

A fragrant #AntiquityThread 1/10 🧵

🏺 #Archaeology
April 1, 2026 at 7:13 AM
antiquity.ac.uk
Archaeologists have uncovered one of the first instances of interaction between #Neolithic farmers and #Mesolithic hunter-gatherers in central Europe, indicating a level of technology transfer not observed before.

🏺A communicative #AntiquityThread 1/10 🧵
Smooth, Neolithic stone axes, knapped flint tools and two awls made from bone.
January 21, 2026 at 9:04 AM
antiquity.ac.uk
NEW Analysis of over 3000 human bones from Charterhouse Warren, England, indicates they were massacred, butchered, and likely partly consumed by enemies as a means to dehumanise them, questioning the idea that Early Bronze Age Britain was peaceful.

#AntiquityThread 1/18 🧵
Map showing the location of Charterhouse Warren, Mendip, Somerset.
December 16, 2024 at 10:57 AM
antiquity.ac.uk
From father to son: ancient DNA indicates Neolithic chambered tombs in northern Scotland were physical embodiments of prehistoric kinship, tracing lineages over centuries.

🏺 #AntiquityThread 1/11 🧵
Remains of a stone chambered tomb on the coast, credited to Vicki Cummings.
April 30, 2026 at 12:25 PM
antiquity.ac.uk
NEW Were the Picts of northern Scotland wiped out by Viking conquest? New radiocarbon dates from the 1st millennium AD settlement of Buckquoy, Orkney paint a more complex picture of cultural interaction in the Northern Isles.

#AntiquityThread 1/15 🧵

@northernpicts.bsky.social🏺 #Archaeology
Double-sided comb made from bone.
November 7, 2025 at 8:13 AM
antiquity.ac.uk
NEW Examination of trees in northern Europe threatened by deforestation finds rare examples of those engraved by the Sámi, the Indigenous people of Arctic Europe, highlighting the cultural importance of preventing deforestation in Fennoscandia.

#AntiquityThread 1/15 🧵

#archaeology 🏺
Tree marked with four X-marks made with an axe, damaged by chainsaw.
November 21, 2024 at 11:23 AM
antiquity.ac.uk
Archaeologists have discovered 7000-year-old fishing traps in the inland mountains of southern Norway. Predating the introduction of farming, they indicate Mesolithic hunter-gatherers were already actively managing their environments.

🏺 #AntiquityThread 1/13 🧵
Above: 3D model of a wooden pole, broken and split in multiple places. Below: several partially excavated wooden poles, held upright by sediment.
August 3, 2026 at 7:13 AM
antiquity.ac.uk
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.
September 25, 2026 at 1:40 PM
antiquity.ac.uk
NEW The Melsonby Hoards, one of Britain's largest #IronAge metalwork deposits, made the news last year when their discovery was announced, and now the analysis is published in Antiquity!

Learn how they change our understanding of Iron Age Britain in this #AntiquityThread 1/10 🧵

🏺 #Archaeology
Archaeologists excavating in a trench filled with iron objects.
March 17, 2026 at 1:15 PM
antiquity.ac.uk
NEW Britain's economy did not collapse after the #Romans left

A new, unbroken timeline of British metal production from the 5th century AD to the present day questions the idea of a post-Roman 'Dark Age'.

Strap in for an industrious #AntiquityThread 1/12 🧵

🏺 #Archaeology
Two archaeologists excavating in a trench.
September 11, 2025 at 7:45 AM
antiquity.ac.uk
NEW West African ancestry in #medieval England? 🏺 #Archaeology
DNA analysis of two unrelated individuals from two seventh-century-AD cemeteries uncovers the first evidence for genetic connections between Britain and Africa during the Early Middle Ages.

#AntiquityThread 1/10 🧵

📷 Lilian Ladle
Several archaeologists wearing high-vis vests excavating graves. In the background an excavator stands amongst piles of earth. Excavation at the post-Roman cemetery at Worth Matravers cemetery (credit: Lilian Ladle).
August 13, 2025 at 9:35 AM
antiquity.ac.uk
NEW Analysis and CT scanning of Roman mail armour from the Empire’s northern frontier provides the first solid evidence of armour repair outside a military installation, revealing civilian craftworkers were essential to the Roman army.

A sustainable #AntiquityThread 1/12 🧵
A block of mail, clumped and rusted.
December 10, 2024 at 2:34 PM
antiquity.ac.uk
Discovery of 4,500-year-old Paleo-Inuit settlement on the Kitsissut Islands, north of Greenland, shows the first people in the High Arctic were skilled seafarers, deeply entangled with Arctic ecosystems from the beginning of glacial retreat.

#AntiquityThread 1/13 🧵

🏺 #Archaeology
Dr. Mari Kleist (Associate Professor, Ilisimatusarfik/University of Greenland) documents an Early Paleo-Inuit tent ring at Isbjørne Island, Kitsissut.
February 12, 2026 at 5:31 PM
antiquity.ac.uk
NEW Did the #Romans harm our health? Analysis of skeletal remains from England before and during Roman occupation confirms theories that the population’s health declined under Roman occupation, but only in the urban centres.

#AntiquityThread 1/13 🧵

TW: human remains

🏺 #Archaeology
Reconstruction of Roman Londinium. Aerial view of a miniature city. Buildings have white walls and red-orange, sloped, tiled roofs.
December 11, 2025 at 8:45 AM
antiquity.ac.uk
NEW Excavation at Benin City's historic palace, looted and destroyed by the British in 1897, provides an unprecedented glimpse into pre-colonial West African urban development and artisanal crafts, including the famous Benin Bronzes.

#AntiquityThread 1/16 🧵

🏺 #Archaeology
Archaeologists excavating in a trench in Area 5 of the MOWAA excavations.
October 30, 2025 at 8:45 AM
antiquity.ac.uk
NEW Advanced dating establishes the first precise construction timeline for coral buildings in French Polynesia, revealing previously hidden patterns of architectural development and cultural life in Pacific societies 🪸

#AntiquityThread 1/10 🧵

📷 James Flexner @sydney.edu.au

🏺 #Archaeology
Watchtower made from coral, on a hill overlooking the sea.
March 27, 2026 at 9:46 AM
antiquity.ac.uk
NEW Two 2200-2000 BC copper cymbals excavated at Dahwa, Oman, share similarities with examples from the Indus Valley civilisation, indicating shared musical, and possibly ritual, practices likely connected communities during the Bronze Age. 🏺

A groovy #AntiquityThread 1/15 🧵
Archaeologist carefully excavating a pair of copper alloy cymbals, green from oxidation, using a dustpan and brush.
April 8, 2025 at 12:15 PM
antiquity.ac.uk
For years, researchers believed Rapa Nui (aka Easter Island) was isolated from the wider Polynesian world, developing independently following its initial colonisation.

New radiocarbon dates of Pacific monuments cast doubt on this interpretation.

A well-connected #AntiquityThread 1/13 🧵🏺
A person (Professor Paul Wallin) stood in front of four of the famous moai statues of Rapa Nui (credit: H. Martinsson-Wallin).
July 7, 2025 at 12:25 PM
antiquity.ac.uk
NEW Analysis of two surviving textile fragments from Bronze Age Beycesultan Höyük, Anatolia, finds they were made with unique techniques and dyed blue, providing a rare example of the textile industry and luxury fabrics in ancient Türkiye.

A stylish #AntiquityThread 1/14 🧵
Close-up image of a preserved, burnt textile fragment, highlighting the weave.
November 27, 2024 at 12:30 PM
antiquity.ac.uk
Feeling a little worse for wear this #NationalHangoverDay? Just think of it as continuing one of humanity's oldest traditions. To prove it, here's a mini #AntiquityThread on the production and consumption of alcohol in the past 🥂 1/6 🧵

🏺 #Archaeology
January 1, 2026 at 1:25 PM
antiquity.ac.uk
Archaeologists have uncovered 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.

A well-organised #AntiquityThread 1/8 🧵

🏺 #Archaeology
Six pieces of clay with impressions of various designs imprinted onto them.
January 12, 2026 at 8:13 AM
antiquity.ac.uk
NEW Archaeologists find the earliest evidence for blue pigment use in Europe, dating back ~13,000 years and questioning the long-held belief that Palaeolithic artists only used red or black.

Strap in for a colourful #AntiquityThread 1/10 🧵

🏺 #Archaeology
Close-up image of a stone with traces of blue pigment on its surface.
September 29, 2025 at 9:01 AM
antiquity.ac.uk
NEW Charred timbers and plant fibres at the Bronze Age site of Cabezo Redondo, south-east Spain enable researchers to partially reconstruct a prehistoric loom, providing an unprecedented glimpse into the development of textile technology.

An #AntiquityThread (literally!) 1/10 🧵

🏺 #Archaeology
Ring-shaped clay loom weights and a piece of charred wood in situ.
March 16, 2026 at 10:15 AM
antiquity.ac.uk
NEW How did ancient tattooers learn their craft?

High-res, near infrared photography and collaboration with modern tattooers reveals the complex process behind tattoos on Siberia's 'ice mummies'.

#AntiquityThread 1/14 🧵

Warning: this thread contains images of human remains
Illustrations of a tattoo depicting a deer being attacked by a griffin, showing it: A) in its current state; B) recreated to fill in missing elements and account for skin desiccation; and C) an idealised rendering (credit: D. Riday).
July 31, 2025 at 9:45 AM