This further comment on Geoffrey Wainwright's retrospective ‘Time please’ (ANTIQUITY 74: (2000): 909–43) is written from the perspective of someone who has been actively involved in professional archaeology since the creation of the first county ‘units’ in 1973, who helped to promote a professional institute and its codes of contractual behaviour, and who has directed an independent Trust through the transition from state funding to private funding.

The Amarna Royal Tombs Project (ARTP) initiated its programme of archaeological survey and excavation in the central part of Egypt’s Valley of the Kings in November 1998, and has now completed three successive seasons of work under the joint field-direction of Nicholas Reeves and Geoffrey T. Martin. The emphasis to date has been on the documentation and investigation of the ancient settlements which once occupied much of the central Valley — those neglected ‘workmen’s huts’ which previous excavators have occasionally noted, sometimes ‘cleared’, and more rarely planned. A particular focus of ARTP’s work has been that area of settlement located between tombs KV 56 (‘The Gold Tomb’) and KV 9 (Ramesses VI), which in the early years of the 20th century was partially explored both by Theodore Davis (who left little record: cf. Davis 1908: 31) and by Howard Carter (Carter & Mace 1923: 87; cf. Reeves 1990a: plate XIV Reeves & Wilkinson 1996: 84). The greater part of this restricted site — a good deal of its archaeology still intact, despite earlier sondages — has now been excavated down to bedrock, with intriguing results.

Shuidonggou is unique within the Chinese Palaeolithic sequence and its assemblage is reminiscent of Upper Palaeolithic core-and-blade technologies in Mongolia and southern Siberia. Limited chronological controls have prevented evaluation of this technology in both the Chinese and greater Eurasian Palaeolithic. Dating of recently discovered hearths at Locality 2 places Shuidonggou firmly at 29,000–24,000 BP, and suggests the spread of the Eurasian large blade technology was primarily from north to south. The concurrent production of small microblade-like bipolar bladelets at the site may also presage the development of a microlithic industry.

The archaeology of complex societies in western Sicily has traditionally focused upon Greek and Phoenician colonization rather than the development of the indigenous peoples of the interior. The Salemi regional survey project in western Sicily was conceived as a means to track long-term landscape change of this interior ‘indigenous’ landscape. From 1998 to 2000, this survey has conducted an extensive survey of 150 sq. km of the Salemi region, an intensive survey of 8 sq. km around a nearby Late Bronze Age (LBA) hilltop settlement of Mokarta (Mannino & Spatafora 1995; Spatafora & Mannino 1992; Tusa 1992), and an intensive survey of 25 sq. km around the Early Iron Age (EIA) hilltop settlement of Monte Polizzo (FIGURE 1). Survey work is part ofthe Sicilian–Scandinavian archaeological project (Morris et al. in press; http://dig.anthro.niu.edu/sicily), an international team of scholars who are undertaking large-scale excavations at Monte Polizzo (FIGURE 2). Preliminary survey results reveal that these LBA and EIA peoples relied on an intricate valley hinterland around their hilltop residences. Moreover, marked differences exist between the LBA and EIA valley hinterlands.

Nearly three decades ago, Woodbury & Neely (1972) published the first analysis of the extensive and complex system of Prehispanic Canals found in the northern portion of the Tehuacan Valley of Puebla, Mexico. These springfed canals, functioning to supply waters for irrigation and domestic uses, were uniquely preserved in near entirety by natural processes. The canals have been ‘fossilized’ in place through a process of mineral deposition. They are clearly visible on the landscape for many kilometres and have aggraded in height, now standing 2 to 3 m high in several places. Time, funding and the archaeological methodology of the mid 1960s limited Woodbury & Neely’s fieldwork, and therefore the study did not fully investigate the system. Although a basic description and discussion of the technology and functioning of the system was accomplished, a detailed analysis of these aspects remained to be done. A schematic mapping of the system was accomplished, but an accurate mapping of the canals and associated habitation and administrative sites was lacking. The chronological placement of these canals was attempted by means of the cross-dating of ceramics on archaeological sites found bordering the channels, but an accurate chronological sequence of the system’s development was not attainable. A general climatic reconstruction of the valley was generated, but since the emphasis placed by the Tehuacan Archaeological and Botanical Project was on the earlier periods of habitation that focused on the development of maize domestication, the climatic contexts into which the canals were later constructed was not known.

A recent series of accelerator mass spectrometry dates from the earliest excavated deposits at Çatalhöyük has allowed the origins of the site to be more precisely dated. These dates also provide a reliable basis for the construction of an overall intra-site chronological sequence.

Recent excavations at the Roman fort in Carlisle, Cumbria, have yielded a large number of pieces of articulated Roman armour and other items. This is the most important such find in Britain since the Corbridge hoard was excavated in 1964 (Allason-Jones & Bishop 1988).

On the north side of the via principalis adjacent to the headquarters building (principia), the corner of a timber building was uncovered (FIGURE 2). On the floor was a quantity of articulated and disarticulated fragments of predominantly ferrous Roman armour, including as many as three crushed, but complete, laminated arm defences. Although first used by Hellenistic cavalry and referred to in Xenophon’s Art of horsemanship (XI.13-XII.5), and later used by gladiators, this type of armour was adopted by Roman legionaries. It was once thought that armguards (manicae) were very rare and only employed under special circumstances, such as Trajan’s wars in Dacia where they were used to counter the deadly scythe-like falx (Richmond 1982: 49–50). A number of similar finds have been made, as at Newstead (Curle 1911: plate XXIII) and Richborough, Kent (M. Lyne pers. comm.), but they are often isolated and the pieces crushed, making reconstruction difficult and speculative. A graffito from Dura-Europos (FIGURE 1) shows a mounted soldier with a tall helmet and a mail or scale neck-guard, with similar limb and abdominal defences (Robinson 1975: figure 190). The Carlisle assemblage is important for the retrieval of articulated pieces, with associated copper-alloy rivets and leather.

A new series of radiocarbon measurements on three sewn-plank boats from North Ferriby, Yorkshire, has provided consistent new dating for these craft, which suggests that the appearance of such boats may fall in the early Bronze Age.

The author draws attention to Gustave Chauvet's belief, 90 years ago, in Magdalenian weaving on the basis of ethnography, interpretation of Palaeolithic tools and motifs in portable art of the period.

The authors present preliminary results of geophysical and palynological reconnaissance at the Tell El Dabaa, eastern Nile Delta. The geophysical survey reveals the presence of floodbasins, levees and channel deposits. Low palynomorph concentrations probably result from the high sedimentation rate and mean that further work is needed on the methods for palynological study in the region.

Middle Palaeolithic tool assemblages have a long history of controversy. This new analysis employing principal components addresses the recurrent issues of comparing tool assemblages from different sites, whilst retaining support from the seminal study of Bordes.

The Limestone Massif of northwest Syria has the largest concentration of late antique churches in the world. All date from between the second half of the 4th century and the first decade of the 7th century and are remarkably consistent in their conformity to a recognizably ‘Syrian’ architectural style. Almost without exception they are apsed basilicas varying only in terms of size and the quality of decoration.

This region was extensively surveyed in the 1950s by Georges Tchalenko, whose monumental three-volume study Villages antiques de la Syrie du nord remains the definitive work on the area. Of the many ecclesiastical buildings included in this survey Tchalenko identified a group of approximately 45 churches possessing a bema. The bema is a horseshoe-shaped structure in the nave that mirrors the curve of the apse. Entered via steps at the east end, it provided benches for the clergy and a pulpit at the west end that was used for scriptural expositions and homilies.

Rare information is presented on Bronze Age burials from Burma. Skeletal remains of 43 individuals are placed in a broader southeast Asian context.