Finn Cresswell: MA Student placement at Salisbury

I am an Integrated Masters student at the University of Southampton, specialising in the role of social media and public engagement in shaping contemporary archaeology. Having a background in drama and screen media from the age of 12, and maintaining a constant interest in archaeology and heritage throughout my life, I am passionate about telling the story of archaeology from initial survey through to post-excavation. Continue reading →

Earliest cave paintings were made by Neanderthals, Southampton scientists discover

Scientists have found the first major evidence that Neanderthals made cave paintings, indicating they may have had an artistic sense similar to our own. A new study led by the University of Southampton and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology shows that paintings in three caves in Spain were created more than 64,000 years ago ā€“ 20,000 years before …

Our Avebury Excavation features on BBC Digging for Britain

Tonight our summer excavation at the foot of Avebury Down features on the BBC’s Digging for BritainĀ (Wed 22nd Nov, 9pm BBC4). The Excavation is part of the Living with MonumentsĀ  research project run by the Universities of Southampton, Leicester, Cambridge and Ghent with Allen Environmental Archaeology and the National Trust. It aims to characterize Neolithic and Early Bronze Age settlement …

Analysis of animal teeth suggests Neolithic cattle grazed at home and away

An international team of researchers has shown in unprecedented detail that prehistoric farmers took their animals away from permanent settlements to graze in more fertile areas ā€“ probably because of high demand for land locally. Analysis of strontium isotopes in teeth of Neolithic cattle suggests that early Europeans used specialised strategies to manage herding, according to a study by the …

New archaeological evidence throws light on efforts to resist ā€˜the living deadā€™

A new scientific study of medieval human bones, excavated from a deserted English village, suggests the corpses they came from were burnt and mutilated.Ā  Researchers from the University of Southampton and Historic England believe this was carried out by villagers who believed that it would stop the corpses arising from their graves and menacing the living. The team found that …

Geophysical Survey at Baelo Claudia, Andalucia, Spain May 2016

As part of the ERC funded RoMP/Portuslimen project a season of geophysical survey was undertaken at the city of Baelo Claudia, in Andalusia, Spain. Work was undertaken by a team of surveyors from the Department of Archaeology at the University of Southampton in collaboration with staff from the Junta de Andalucia and the University of Cadiz. The survey team comprised the author, Peter Wheeler, Stephen Guy-Gibbens, Christopher Oakes, Ferreol Salomon, Quentin Drillat and Nicolas Carayon. Continue reading →

THaWS 2016. A Late Start and Sediments Beyond the Temple of Ay and Horemheb

So another season of survey and augering is under way at Thebes. The Theban Harbours and Waterscapes Survey has, for the past 5 years, been using geoarchaeological and geophysical survey to study the changing floodplain of the river Nile, and the dynamics between the ancient harbours and waterways and the Theban temple complexes on the West Bank and Luxor and Karnak temples. Continue reading →