Naked Archaeology

This month on Naked Archaeology: the discovery of a possible link between genus Homo and Australopithecus - Aus. sediba; we find out how people first made it to Cyprus; which is the oldest building still in use and if Icelandic eruptions are a good thing. Plus, in Backyard Archaeology Tom and Duncan look through some wafer-thin slices of pot and meet Aegina's finest jug-maker!

How is it that the first farms, cities and writing all originated in Mesopotamia, now Iraq? We explore the so-called 'fertile crescent' and fanatical record-keeping in the ancient Near East. We find out how DNA from the body of Tutankhamun hints at his numerous illnesses and we also look at who paddled across the Mediterranean first. Plus, in Backyard Archaeology Tom Birch smelts his own iron!

This month we divest the darker world of black market archaeology. We find out how illicit antiquities can be tracked down after being lost for decades and how they can be returned to their country of origin. We explore the problems faced by curators in spotting artefacts with dubious histories. Plus, in Backyard Archaeology we visit a graveyard for a bit of typologising!

Neanderthals wore make-up too! We explore the cosmetics worn by early humans and Egyptians. Naked Archaeology this month also explores the discovery of Cleopatra's unfinished mausoleum and the curious orientation of Sicilian temples. Plus, in Backyard Archaeology we discover how medieval kings were also into their pre-history.

Mummified foetuses found in Tutankhamun's tomb go under the genetic spotlight to find out who they were and where they came from, we dig up the history of the domestication of the first crops, and have scientists discovered King Solomon's mines? Plus, in this month's Backyard Archaeology Tom Birch explores what a hole in the road can reveal...

This month in divested archaeology we cover the archaeology that just happened to turn up in the legends of Homer. We find out about the man who discovered Troy, Heinrich Schliemann, and uncover the most recent finds from the site. We also speak to the team currently searching for Odysseus' Ithaca and it sounds like they're close! Also, does Britain owe its farming to the French? And in Backyard Archaeology we find out why hedges might be the best place to find a Viking.

This month's edition of Naked Archaeology hails from Poseidon's Realm: we find out how synchrotrons can help in the preservation of the famous raised wreck, the Mary Rose and how diving diggers investigate entire ancient landscapes hidden beneath the seas. Plus, in Backyard Archaeology Tom Birch puts his mic to the anvil to find out about the deep dominion of archaeometallurgy.

This month has seen an archaeological spoil heap the size of Nero's party leftovers. And it's been quite a month for Roman archaeologists who've just announced the positive identification of a very rare portrait of young Nero from the site of Fishbourne (the interview was recorded the day before 3D scans confirmed his identity). Also announced was the discovery of a very likely candidate for Nero's great banqueting hall. Our Anglo Saxon man, Tom Birch, discusses the incredible Staffordshire hoard and in Backyard Archaeology we find out about the Aberdeen database of ships with contributors from across the globe.

We find out how the Romans got to grips with building a 73.5 mile-long wall, why humans were bejewelled 82,000 years ago and how a disease called brucellosis indicates our ancestors were eating meat 2.6 million years ago. Plus, in Backyard Archaeology we find out how to spot an archaeological fake!

Sometimes archaeologists know there's a site worth digging but don't quite know where to find it! We join the search for the original city of Venice, otherwise known as Altinum, the tomb of King Herod and the lost naval ship: HMS Diana. Plus, in Backyard Archaeology Duncan Howitt-Marshall discovers a hidden message on an Egyptian coffin.

We dive into the underwater traps at Lake Huron, explore the origins of hunting and play a tune on the world's oldest flute. Plus, in Backyard Archaeology Tom explores the depths of UCL's museum. Flute music kindly provided by W. Hein, University of Tbingen.

2009 is The University of Cambridge's 800th birthday and what better way to celebrate than by digging an archaeological trench? We take a trip to the local Cambridgeshire village of Cottenham where volunteers with the Fen Edge Archaeology Group and the Higher Education Field Academy (HEFA) are digging up their gardens. Will they turn up a pile of Victorian bone china or some Anglo-Saxon pottery?

We strip down the science of dating this month by taking a look at rehydroxylation. We unearth some of the oldest pottery in the world, find out why Minoan pottery was so fashion-conscious and discuss a very famous piece of fired clay: the Phaistos Disk. Plus, in Backyard Archaeology Tom takes a trip to Scandinavia to find out about modern-day Norwegians. Are they really all Vikings?

Archaeology bared this month includes the 'long sleep' of human innovation, a technological accomplishment in the form of a 2000 year-old millefiori bowl and we explore the origins of iron metallurgy. Plus, ourBackyard Archaeologist finds out all about slag.

This month we explore the mysterious anchors buried off the shores of Cyprus, the unusual burial practices in Malta and the highly decorative shipsheds of the Romans. Plus, in Backyard Archaeology Tom Birch explains the tell-tale signs of a Roman road, otherwise hidden in a field.