The Past

The Past is a fresh online platform that curates fascinating narratives and top-notch articles from history, archaeology, ancient art, and cultural heritage. Our site is backed by a collection of specialized magazines that are highly regarded in their respective areas, along with a worldwide team of writers and editors. Each day, we commit to delivering timely news and the newest findings, alongside detailed features, exclusive interviews, guest articles, an engaging weekly podcast, and our challenging Friday quiz that you won't want to miss.

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Seventy years of tiddlywinks | The Past

3 weeks ago | the-past.com | Chris Catling

This article is from Current Archaeology issue 422Subscribe now for full access and no advertsSherds adopts a very broad definition of ‘heritage’, so no apologies for beginning this month’s column by drawing attention to the 70th anniversary of the establishment of tiddlywinks as a competitive university-based sport.
Offa’s Dyke: Excavating the CA archive | The Past

3 weeks ago | the-past.com | Joe Flatman

This article is from Current Archaeology issue 422Subscribe now for full access and no advertsMy column this month is on one of the least-known ‘great sites’ of all: Offa’s Dyke, the linear earthwork that stretches along the Welsh/English border.
Mobility in mortuary contexts | The Past

1 month ago | the-past.com | Chris Catling

This article is from World Archaeology issue 130Subscribe now for full access and no advertsHe accuses her of pride, duplicity, savagery, adultery, and lust, but… she, too, is a powerful leader. Tacitus, in his book on the life and character of his father-in-law Julius Agricola, the Roman Governor of Britain from c.AD 77 to 84, makes the often-quoted observation that ‘Britons make no distinction of sex in their leaders’.
Splendours of Sanxingdui | The Past

1 month ago | the-past.com | Charles Higham

This article is from World Archaeology issue 130Subscribe now for full access and no advertsOne pit held nearly 400 tusks, one of which came from… a superb elephant with tusks 1.85m long. I have already described here the new discoveries at Sanxingdui, the great city that commanded the Sichuan Plain in China from 1200 BC (CWA 110). However, I cannot refrain from returning to it, because a couple of months ago a most welcome and unexpected email arrived.
Poetic portents of spring | The Past

1 month ago | the-past.com | Chris Catling

This article is from Current Archaeology issue 421Subscribe now for full access and no advertsBy the time you read this, February fill dyke will be over for another year and March will (perhaps) have come in like a lion.
Tintagel: Excavating the CA archive | The Past

1 month ago | the-past.com | Joe Flatman

This article is from Current Archaeology issue 421Subscribe now for full access and no advertsTintagel in Cornwall can be considered a ‘great site’ for a number of reasons, depending on personal perspective. For some, the draw is its rich archaeology; for others, its links to King Arthur, or its dramatic coastal settings. Perhaps it is a combination of all of these, alongside the inevitable controversies that come with being one of the most visited historic sites in the UK.
Dover boat and Newport Ship: Excavating the CA archive | The Past

2 months ago | the-past.com | Joe Flatman

This article is from Current Archaeology issue 420Subscribe now for full access and no advertsMy ‘great’ site this month comprises two sites – actually, two ships – linked by common stories of survival against the odds. In September 1992, the remains of a boat dating to the Middle Bronze Age were discovered in central Dover by workers constructing part of the A20 link road leading to Folkestone.
Novel words - The Past

2 months ago | the-past.com | Chris Catling

This article is from Current Archaeology issue 420Subscribe now for full access and no advertsDictionary publishers like to end the year by announcing the new words that that they have added to the lexicon based on the frequency with which they have appeared in print during the preceding 12 months. Not all of these words are new, and this year’s crop consists mainly of familiar words that have undergone shifts in meaning.
Smelling the past | The Past

Jan 22, 2025 | the-past.com | Chris Catling

This article is from World Archaeology issue 129Subscribe now for full access and no advertsScented candles… claim to smell of old library or the works of William Shakespeare…Even those who have never ploughed through Proust’s Remembrance of Things Past will know that the French author’s multi-volume reminiscences were sparked by the taste and smell of madeleine cake crumbs combined with lime-flower tea.
Oasis of archaeology | The Past

Jan 22, 2025 | the-past.com | Charles Higham

This article is from World Archaeology issue 129Subscribe now for full access and no advertsAlUla is an oasis town in northwestern Saudi Arabia with a deep historic past as a major stepping stone for the traders who brought frankincense and myrrh north into Egypt and the Levant.