The Central Mediterranean Penal Heritage Project (CMPHP) employs remote-sensing techniques to study and preserve archaeological remains of human confinement. Within this larger project, digital photogrammetry was used to document part of the castle prison in Noto Antica to identify and digitally preserve graffiti depicting galleys and gameboards.

Ancient geographers and travellers of the early nineteenth and twentieth centuries described localities on the northern coast of Egypt, including the Hellenistic-Roman town ruins known today as Darazya. Impressive Second World War structures are also scattered there. Research initiated in 2021 will broaden insights into the history of the region.

This project employs a geoarchaeological approach to explore human occupation of the highland wetlands (bofedales) and salt flats of the Dry Puna of northern Chile (>2500m above sea level) during the Holocene. Differences in the archaeological record of each ecosystem are tentatively suggested to relate to settlement patterns and the history of the landscape.

Limited research exists on preceramic sites in south-central coastal Peru. Systematic survey and excavations at Pampa Lechuza, Ica, now confirm a Late Pleistocene–Early Holocene Paiján (13 000–9000 cal BP) occupation and identify Quispisisa-sourced obsidian Paiján points, which are the only examples currently known to use this raw material.

Debate surrounds the early peopling of the Arabian Peninsula. The first evidence of the Levallois lithic technology in the Huqf area of south-eastern Arabia now extends the Middle Palaeolithic record of hominin activity into central Oman and helps to diversify the picture of Arabian prehistory.

An exceptional Late Neolithic burial discovered at Puisserguier, southern France, contains a skeleton buried with its head deposited on its torso; the disposal of the rest of the body follows a standard pattern for individual burials of this period. The authors discuss the nature of this deposit in terms of its funerary status.

Post-excavation analysis of individual Ghz-1-002, an adult probable male interred in a medieval cemetery at Ghazali, Sudan, identified tattoos on the right foot. Visualisation under different spectrums of light allowed a reconstruction of the marks, which are only the second instance of tattooing identified from medieval Nubia.

Large-scale field research is providing extensive data on the prehistoric settlement history of the Bayuda Desert in Sudan. The authors briefly examine notable outputs from the project, including some of the more than 100 radiocarbon dates that permit a more nuanced understanding of the chronology of settlement pattern changes.

The Battle of al-Qadisiyyah (c. AD 637/8) was a crucial victory by the Arab Muslims over the forces of the Sasanian Empire during the early Islamic conquests. Analysis of satellite imagery of south-west Iraq has now revealed the likely location of this important historic battle.

This project documents the current archaeological record of the Qaraçay River Basin in western Azerbaijan. Integrating intensive pedestrian survey, satellite imagery analysis and topographic mapping, the study identified 85 kurgans, six necropolises and nine sites from the Chalcolithic or medieval periods. The authors believe this demonstrates the potential for further archaeological studies in the region.

The ethical treatment of human remains after excavation is a core debate in archaeology. This project explores the treatment of human remains in some European museums with an aim to support open discussion of complex ethical issues among research and heritage professionals involved in the care of human remains.

The Chengba site is the only city site dated from the late Warring States Period in eastern Sichuan Province, China. New discoveries of artefacts and structures at the site enable exploration of the regional role and management of counties that were established at this time by the central government.

Stratified Middle and Upper Palaeolithic sites in Central Asia are rare. The recently discovered Soii Havzak rockshelter, in the Zeravshan Valley in northern Tajikistan, is a stratified site that contains several phases of Palaeolithic occupation rich in lithic, faunal and charcoal remains that help establish chronology of the region.

The ‘Gandhāra still’ has been an influential element in the archaeology of south-central Asia for decades. This project combines archival research, material synthesis and experimental evaluation to reappraise this eminent and pervasive reconstruction, and to systematically dismiss an assumed component in the history of distillation.

Since the mid-twentieth century, the study of designs on seals has often focused on exotica and elite items. The PLOMAT project investigates visual and material communication outside of elite exchange networks during the Late Bronze Age in western Eurasia. The authors present results from plotting flows of ‘commonplace’ cylinder seals and those classified as ‘Common-Style Mittani’.

Rock art can be useful as a factor in reclaiming Indigenous identities. One example of this phenomenon is work by contemporary artists who explore and integrate rock art in their creations. The author considers how and why a selection of artists in Siberia/Central Asia and Canada use these ancient images.

Collation of satellite imagery and new fieldwork in Şanlıurfa (south-east Türkiye) has revealed large numbers of stone-walled desert kites, some of which may date to the Pre-Pottery Neolithic (c. 9500–7000 BC). The authors briefly explore the potential role of these structures in the processes of early sedentism and monumentality.

This Andean coast research has identified 113-plus geoglyphs spanning the Formative (1800–100 BC) to the Inka period (AD 1470–1532). The project combined digital technology and Remotely Piloted Airborne Systems to locate the sites. The authors also documented examples of ceramics and intricate road systems and suggest that the finds represent meticulously ritualised landscapes.

After colonising the loess uplands of Bohemia, Moravia and Poland, c. 5500 cal BC, the earliest farming societies (LBK) spread northwest along the Oder valley; then expansion ended at Uckermark, where 119 findspots are located. Newly found sites indicate changes to housing and livestock-farming techniques, in particular the specialised production of dairy products.

Combining non- and minimally invasive archaeological survey, geomorphological methods and linguistic studies enables a better understanding of the dynamic use of the Daugava waterway from the Bronze to the Viking ages. Results indicate a common origin period of many fortified settlements and also identify research questions about cultural fluctuations in the Baltic-Slavic–Scandinavian contact area.