A medieval cemetery unearthed near Cardiff Airport is continuing to confound archaeologists, as the mysteries surrounding it are multiplying.

The discovery of the site, dating to the 6th or 7th Century, was announced last year, with dozens of skeletons found lying in unusual positions with unexpected artefacts.

Now researchers have learned nearly all of those buried in the cemetery are women, and while their bones show signs of wear and tear - indicating they carried out heavy manual work - there are also surprising signs of wealth and luxury.

Another unexpected find has been a woman tossed in a ditch, in stark contrast to all the other people who were buried with great care.

"Every time we think we understand something, something else crops up and the picture gets more intriguing," said Andy Seaman from Cardiff University, who is leading the project.

Jewelry in a Roman treasure hoard found in Thetford Forest, East Anglia, indicates that Thetford was Pagan until the fifth century, which is longer than previously believed, reveals a new paper in the Journal of Roman Archaeology.

The Thetford treasure was first found by a metal detectorist trespassing on a construction site at Fison's Way on Gallows Hill, Thetford in 1979. It consisted of 81 objects, including 22 gold finger-rings, other gold jewelry, and 36 silver spoons or strainers. It is now in the collections of the British Museum and can be seen on display there.

The author of the research, Professor Ellen Swift of the University of Kent, argues that there is compelling evidence that the treasure was buried in the fifth century rather than the late fourth.

Swift says, "Since wider evidence found at the site confirms the religious context previously established by inscriptions o

Perched high above the cliffs of South Ronaldsay, one of Scotland’s most remarkable ancient sites offers a window into life and death thousands of years ago.

Known as the Tomb of the Eagles, the Neolithic chambered cairn has fascinated visitors since its discovery in the 1950s, and is now set to reopen after a major funding boost.

Discovered by local farmer Ronnie Simison, the 5,000-year-old tomb revealed a treasure trove of human bones and artefacts, with the remains of some 300 individuals found buried alongside sea eagles. The striking find gave the site its dramatic name and cemented its place as one of Orkney’s most important archaeological landmarks.

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And now, thanks to almost £358,000 in fresh funding, a community trust on the island is set to become the first in Scotland to purchase an ancient monument. The move will secure the Tomb of the Eagles' long-term future as a key piece of local and national history.

The Tomb of the Eagles, a protected site tha

New archaeological research is revealing that, more than a thousand years before Britain became part of the Roman Empire, it was part of an extraordinary Mediterranean-based trading network.

Investigations being carried out by archaeologists from five European countries suggest that around 3,300 years ago, the western Mediterranean island of Sardinia started to become a powerful trading centre, eventually linking Britain, Scandinavia, Spain and Portugal in the West to what are now Turkey, Syria, Israel, Cyprus and Crete in the east.

A series of ground-breaking discoveries are revealing, for the first time, the remarkable role played by the island - one of the world's least known ancient civilizations, known to archaeologists as the Nuragic culture.

And it is showing the remarkable way in which Britain seems to have contributed to that civilization's development.

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The island (a series of chiefdoms) was rich in copper ore - which helped turn it into a Bronze Age me

A remarkable Iron Age hoard, unearthed in a Yorkshire field, is prompting archaeologists to reassess the wealth and power dynamics of northern Britain two millennia ago.

The discovery, dubbed the Melsonby Hoard, contains more than 800 items, including remnants of wagons, ceremonial spears, and pony harnesses, offering a glimpse into the lives of the elite in the 1st century AD.

Unearthed in 2021 near the village of Melsonby, North Yorkshire, by metal detectorist Peter Heads, the hoard lay undisturbed in two ditches.

Its sheer scale and the nature of the artefacts suggest a deliberate disposal, a practice laden with symbolic meaning for the people of that era.

Experts believe the Melsonby Hoard could be one of the UK's most significant archaeological finds, requiring years of meticulous study.

The discovery challenges previous assumptions about the distribution of wealth and power in pre-Roman Britain. While some believed such opulence was confined to the south, the

Geography mattered on the Bloomberg site in the heart of the City, close to the Bank of England. The Walbrook, a lost river of London, had carved a deep valley into the landscape and the Romans constantly tried to reclaim the banks as the city grew and prospered. They did this by packing the ground with rubbish, building on it, then packing it again, three more times, so there is a stratigraphical layer cake of Roman trash going almost all the way back to London’s creation, in AD47 or 48. The river also waterlogged the ground, protecting the material from oxygen: leather, brooches, shoes, writing tablets, wood, animal bones and ceramics were all phenomenally well preserved. There are sandals that look fresher than last year’s Birkenstocks.

Site B2Y10 – to give it its academic name – was previously occupied by Legal and General, which dug deep in the 1950s, to create the biggest post-blitz rebuild in the City. Excavating archaeologists found the third-century Temple of Mithras, an

Archaeologists have discovered that what was thought to be a single standing stone in a forest is part of a larger ceremonial site dating back 3,700 years to the Bronze Age.

The discovery in Farley Wood, near Matlock in Derbyshire, was made after excavations by Forestry England in partnership with archaeology series Time Team.

At 2m (6.6ft) tall, the Farley Moor standing stone was previously believed to be an isolated monument.

But Forestry England said excavations uncovered evidence of a ceremonial platform beside it and identified that five other nearby stones would once have been standing, creating a circle.

Dr Lawrence Shaw, Forestry England's lead historic environment adviser, said the discovery, which will feature in an episode aired on Time Team’s YouTube channel on Saturday, was "hugely significant and transforms our understanding" of the site.

According to Forestry England, the main stone was intentionally placed above a natural spring.

"What we've uncover

Experts are investigating the discovery of a mysterious Roman artefact uncovered in an Iron Age settlement under an Ayrshire distillery.

Archaeologists believe the enamelled bronze brooch may have been placed in the foundations of the fortified roundhouse as a sacrifice during its construction to grant "protection" to the household.

The item, thought to have dated from about the second century AD, was found during an excavation at the William Grant and Sons Girvan Distillery at the Curragh in South Ayrshire in 2020.

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The brooch was thought to be a popular design among Roman military personnel, but examples of the artefacts have been more commonly discovered in present-day central Europe, the Rhineland and Switzerland.

It would have arrived in Scotland at about the time the Roman Empire was losing its grip on the south of the country.

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Jordan Barbour, who co-authored a report into the find, said it was unclear how the brooch passed from Roman hands to th

A prehistoric burial site in Dorset is now thought to be the earliest known large circular enclosure in Britain prompting researchers to question whether current dating of Stonehenge may need revising.

The Flagstones monument, near Dorchester in Dorset, has been re-dated to about 3200BC, approximately two centuries earlier than previously thought, following analysis by the University of Exeter and Historic England.

The archaeologists used advanced radiocarbon analysis to examine some of the finds, including human remains, red deer antlers and charcoal.

Dr Susan Greaney, archaeologist from the University of Exeter and author of the study published in the Antiquity journal, said: “The chronology of Flagstones is essential for understanding the changing sequence of ceremonial and funeral monuments in Britain.

“The ‘sister’ monument to Flagstones is Stonehenge, whose first phase is almost identical, but it dates to around 2900BC.

“Could Stonehenge have been a copy of Flag

A unique bronze spoon from 2,000 years ago, thought to have played a role in divination rituals, has been uncovered on the Isle of Man. Rob Middleton, a metal detectorist, found this object on David Anderson’s farm in Patrick. This spoon stands out as the first of its type to surface on the island. While similar items have been found in Britain, Ireland, and France, only 28 such spoons exist in the world.

Allison Fox, the Curator for Archaeology at Manx National Heritage, called the discovery “one of the most intriguing objects ever discovered on the island.” She also stated that Iron Age finds are relatively scarce in the region. This rarity makes the spoon an especially valuable piece of evidence for prehistoric activity on the Isle of Man.

The spoon has a broad, strawberry-shaped bowl with a circular handle decorated with spiral patterns. Two finely engraved lines create a cross at the bottom of the bowl, dividing it into four quadrants. While its function remains unclear,

Ancient human remains discovered in an Irish bog in October 2023 don't belong to a teenage boy as originally assumed but rather a young woman, making them an exceptionally rare find.

Over the past year, several museums and universities have collaborated to reveal new information about the individual, now known as the Ballymacombs More Woman, including her sex, age, height and manner of death.

"As is the case for so many Iron Age bog bodies, the young woman suffered a highly violent death which involved the flow of blood from her throat followed by decapitation," Eileen Murphy, an archaeologist at Queen's University Belfast who studied the body, said in a statement on Thursday (Feb. 20).

The body first came to light when police were alerted to human remains on the surface of a peat bog in the village of Bellaghy in Northern Ireland. Initial examination of the body showed that it was at least 2,000 years old, and a forensic anthropologist suggested the person was male and bet

Two metal detectorists have unearthed a hoard of 15th Century coins in the Scottish Borders.

Keith Young and Lisa Stephenson discovered 30 gold and silver coins in close proximity in the Cappercleuch area which is near St Mary's Loch.

The coins are a mix of Scottish and English coins, comprising English silver groats minted by Henry V (1413-1422) to Edward IV (1461-1483), and Scottish gold demy and half-demys of James I (1406-1437) and James II (1437-1460).

Lisa described the discovery - likely deposited at the site in the early to mid-1460s - as the "find of a lifetime".

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The discovery has been reported to the Treasure Trove Unit, which assesses all Scottish archaeological finds.

It will then be referred to the Scottish Archaeological Finds Allocation Panel (SAFAP), an independent panel, where it will be assigned a monetary value to be paid to the finders in the form of an ex-gratia reward.

Accredited museums who wish to acquire the find can apply to SAFAP

Even after 5,000 years in a sarcophagus, mummified bodies from ancient Egypt still smell quite nice, scientists have discovered.

Researchers who examined nine mummies found that though there was some difference in the intensity of their odours, all could be described as "woody", "spicy" and "sweet".

They say recreating the composition of the smells chemically will allow others to experience a mummy's whiff - and help to tell when the bodies inside may be starting to rot.

"We want to share the experience we had smelling the mummified bodies, so we're reconstructing the smell to be presented in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo," Cecilia Bembibre, one of the researchers, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

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"In films and books, terrible things happen to those who smell mummified bodies," said Dr Bembibre said.

"We were surprised at the pleasantness of them."

Archaeologists have unearthed what they believe to be a Viking-age building in a recent dig.

Teams of volunteers dug up High Tarns Farm in Silloth, Cumbria, in July after crop marks indicated a structure had previously been on the land.

Carbon dating of a timber building they discovered suggested it was a "large hall of the late-Viking age", archaeologist Mark Graham of Grampus Heritage told volunteers.

Mr Graham added the significance of the discovery in shedding light on the early medieval period and social structure in rural Cumbria was "hard to overstate".

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"It seems most likely that the hall is the focus of an early medieval manor farm," Mr Graham said.

He explained the site appeared similar to high status Viking age farms in Denmark, because it encompassed not only the hall but also the social structure and broader agricultural activity associated with them.

Mr Graham said it was a remarkable discovery.

"You really do not find much archaeology from

A discovery underneath the basement of an office block has been described as one of the most important pieces of Roman history unearthed in the city of London.

Archaeologists have found a substantial piece of the ancient city's first basilica - a 2,000 year old public building where major political, economic and administrative decisions were made.

The excavation has so far revealed sections of stone wall that formed the base of the basilica, which would have been two-and-a-half storeys high.

The site, which will eventually be opened to the public, sheds light on the city's beginnings.

"This is so significant - this is the heart of Roman London," said Sophie Jackson, from the Museum of London Archaeology (Mola), who revealed the new find exclusively to BBC News.

"This building will tell us so much about the origins of London, why London grew and why it was chosen as the capital of Britain. It's just amazing."

Women were at the centre of early Iron Age British communities, a new analysis of 2,000-year-old DNA reveals.

The research, published in the journal Nature on Wednesday, found that British Celtic societies were matrilocal with married women staying in their ancestral communities.

Human societies have often been shaped by where married couples choose to reside culturally.

For instance, in patrilocal communities partners mainly reside with or near the families of the male, whereas in matrilocal societies, couples live near the female’s parents.

Previous studies confirm that patrilocality was widely followed in the European Neolithic, Copper and Bronze ages.

However, earlier research hinted that in the case of Celtic societies, women had higher status.

Romans documented their astonishment at finding women occupying positions of power, writing about queens – Boudica and Cartimandua – who commanded armies and finding the empowerment of Celtic women remarkable.

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A 17th Century mourning ring discovered by a metal detectorist in Dorset is to go under the hammer.

Anthony Woolmington, who has been metal detecting for eight years, found the ring on a farm near Shillingstone in 2021.

Unaware of its significance, he handed it to the farmer, whose son began looking in to its origins.

Research by Dorset History Centre, British Museum and Hansons Auctioneers revealed the ring commemorated a death more than 300 years ago.

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The inside of the band bears a maker's mark - a Gothic capital "B" - which dates it to 1692, along with the initials "ML" and date of death "23rd April 1692".

Helen Smith, head of jewellery at Hansons, described the discovery as "truly remarkable".

"Mourning rings were often crafted to commemorate significant losses, particularly during times of turmoil such as the English Civil War, the execution of Charles I, and the subsequent political upheaval.

"This ring is an extraordinary example of both craftsman

Two community archaeology projects in Scotland have been nominated for an award for their work helping to discover a key detail towards the myth of Merlin and for shedding new light on whisky production in the Highlands.

The two projects have been nominated for the Archaeological Research Project of the Year Award for involving local communities in helping to link traditional tales and myths with physical sites across Scotland.

The Drumelzier’s Hidden Heritage project led by the Arthur Trail Association and GUARD Archaeology, with help from volunteers and local heritage groups, investigated the archaeological roots of Drumelzier’s Merlin legend and has been nominated for the award by Current Archaeology.

The Pioneering Spirit Project, led by the National Trust for Scotland and The Glenlivet, revealed the story of the industrialisation of whisky production in the Highlands during the nineteenth century and was also nominated for an award.

The village of Drumelzier in t

A bio-archaeologist with the University of Reading, in the U.K., has found an ancient dog's red-painted penis bone along with a trove of other bones, in an ancient Roman era quarry shaft. In her paper published in the Oxford Journal of Archaeology, Ellen Green describes where the bone was found, its condition, and possible reasons for it being painted red.

In her paper, Green notes that in 2015, a group of archaeologists digging at a site called Nescot, located near the modern town of Ewell, came upon a 4-meter-deep shaft that had been dug into the rock. Subsequent work revealed that the shaft had been used as a grave of sorts; it held hundreds of human and animal bones. In this new effort, Green focuses her efforts on one particular bone—a canine baculum (penis bone) that had been painted using red ochre.

Green notes that the remains of more than 280 domestic animals had been found in the shaft, 70% of which were dogs. None showed signs of butchering, disease or burning, whic

A "significant" collection of silver coins dating back to the 11th century have been discovered at the site of the new Sizewell C nuclear power station taking shape on the Suffolk coast.

An archaeologist involved in a pre-construction dig saw the sliver of a coin edge peeping out and started shaking as he realised the importance of his discovery.

It was a "perfect archaeological time capsule" said Andrew Pegg of Oxford Cotswold Archaeology (OCA) which was tasked with carrying out the dig.

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The discovery of the 321 mint-condition silver coins feature on BBC2’s Digging for Britain today (Tuesday, January 7) at 8pm and on BBC iplayer.

Historians think that the hoard - wrapped in a lead and cloth bundle about the size of a pasty - was probably a savings pot for a local figure worried about political instability following the coronation of Edward the Confessor in 1042.

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Experts think that it would have belonged to someone of middling status and of local in