Archaeological sites in Northwest Africa are rich in human fossils and artefacts providing proxies for behavioural and evolutionary studies. However, these records are difficult to underpin on a precise chronology, which can prevent robust assessments of the drivers of cultural/behavioural transitions. Past investigations have revealed that numerous volcanic ash (tephra) layers are interbedded within the Palaeolithic sequences and likely originate from large volcanic eruptions in the North Atlantic (e.g. the Azores, Canary Islands, Cape Verde). Critically, these ash layers offer a unique opportunity to provide new relative and absolute dating constraints (via tephrochronology) to synchronise key archaeological and palaeoenvironmental records in this region. Here, we provide an overview of the known eruptive histories of the potential source volcanoes capable of widespread ashfall in the region during the last ~300,000 years, and discuss the diagnostic glass compositions essential for robust tephra correlations. To investigate the eruption source parameters and weather patterns required for ash dispersal towards NW Africa, we simulate plausible ashfall distributions using the Ash3D model. This work constitutes the first step in developing a more robust tephrostratigraphic framework for distal ash layers in NW Africa and highlights how tephrochronology may be used to reliably synchronise and date key climatic and cultural transitions during the Palaeolithic.

This article discusses how the acclaimed twentieth-century author Rosemary Sutcliff drew upon the archaeological record to advance the didactic aspects of her narratives. Sutcliff was aware that she had a platform to instil certain values in her young readership, and these values were repeatedly exhibited by her protagonists, particularly bravery and fortitude in the face of adversity. In many cases, certain objects are passed down through the generations as a symbol of these values. Usually, these items were drawn either directly from the archaeological record or display close parallels with real-world objects. Subsequently, for the readers of Sutcliff's narratives, the real-world version of the artefact, or a similar item, become encoded with these values and serve to inspire them to emulate her heroes.

New research in the microregion of Musti (El Krib) in N Tunisia in 2019–2023 has revealed unpublished 2nd–3rd-century AD funerary monuments featuring rich iconography, including a female figure beside the altar and two pigs. These items and other published epigraphic and anepigraphic monuments from the fertile microregion stand out from other tombstones in Roman Africa. Both the type of monument and its relief decoration distinguish these objects. A rare holistic approach, combining historical, epigraphic and iconographic analyses with the results of archaeobotanical and archaeozoological research, will enhance our understanding of the history and agriculture of the Musti microregion and this part of Proconsular Africa during the early Roman Empire.

This paper uses a case study of a shaft in Surrey, England, to illustrate the potential of traditionally overlooked material for increasing understanding of Romano-British minority mortuary rituals. Taphonomic analysis of a substantial assemblage of disarticulated human remains from a first-century a.d. quarry from the Nescot Former Animal Husbandry Centre in Ewell, Surrey, showed evidence of multi-stage post-mortem processing. This included decomposition of the remains within a protected environment followed by removal of certain skeletal elements. The assemblage is then contextualised against the treatment of human remains in other Romano-British shaft and well deposits. Finally, the material is compared to Iron Age examples of post-mortem processing, revealing the Nescot shaft is unlikely to be a direct continuation of pre-conquest practices.

Meyer, Mullen, and Vanhala analysed the inscription SECVNDINVS CACOR accompanying the carving of a phallus on a stone excavated at Vindolanda and explained CACOR as the present passive of the verb cacare ‘to shit out’. I suggest that CACOR may have been intended in abbreviation of CACORVM, the neuter genitive plural of the adjective cacus, a transliteration of the Greek κακός ‘evil’, and that the phallus is depicted ejaculating over this word to symbolise its apotropaic power over evil.

In terms of foreign relations, ancient Libya is regularly tied to Egypt and Egyptology. It is rarely linked to Mesopotamia, the other great river-based civilization of the region. Nevertheless, there are a number of people with Libyan names mentioned in Assyrian-Babylonian texts. Proceeding from the premise that it is relevant to talk of a Libyan ethnicity also in this period of intermingling of Egyptians and Libyans and that personal names are meaningful and express identity on the part of the name giver, the people with Libyan names in question are presented and discussed from various biographic and demographic viewpoints in the present article.

In this paper, we document the current research activities surrounding the mapping of cultural heritage on the web by contextualizing examples from Greek projects and applications within the broader international research landscape. We highlight the benefits of digital mapping for the preservation and promotion of cultural heritage and address specific challenges that call for ongoing and future research. Mapping cultural heritage involves considerable effort from professionals with different backgrounds and can be extensive, as there are no limits to building up digital content. Several opportunities are opening up for expanding the scope of these efforts, foregrounding new questions and research avenues, and creating spin-off applications for diverse audiences. However, there are limitations to the durability of web GIS infrastructures, and their aging in a rapidly changing technological environment can significantly impact the associated content. It is crucial to understand that datafication and content curation go together, and that implementing open data provisions at an early stage can benefit dissemination, support preservation, and create surplus value by enabling third-party and broader audience participation in reusing or repurposing the mapped content.

This article is a commentary on a recently discovered testimony to Onesicritus, in which the writer speaks about his role as participant in the expedition of Alexander. It will be argued that the ideological backdrop of the testimony was Alexander’s claim to universalism, which was intended to be a response to the ancient Near Eastern discourse on empire. Alexander adopted ideological concepts of successful rulership used by the Achaemenids in order to stabilize control in Asia. For this purpose, he claimed to have carried his conquest to the Ocean, which implied universalism. That claim was the main theme in Onesicritus’ account and established the literary atmosphere in which the writer determined his role during the navigation of the Indian Ocean.

In the last 10 years, the archaeological landscape of South Italy has continued to thrive, especially thanks to research led by Italian and foreign universities. This report provides an overview of some of the archaeological discoveries and new data from the prehistoric to the Classical period, paying attention to the identification of possible patterns in the investigations conducted across the regions considered.

Decorated en barbotine with arena scenes and with an inscription cut pre-firing, the Colchester Vase is a late-second-century product of the local pottery industry. Of exceptional quality, it may have come from the workshop to which the named potter Acceptus iii belonged. It appears to record a performance in the town, and was used as the cremation urn for a non-local male of 40+ years.