Archaeology has long been the handmaiden of classical historians, but as some recent articles by Rudy Kousbroek in the Dutch newspaper, N.R.C.-Handelsblad have shown, colonial water towers built only 50 years ago n i Sumatra now look as if they might have fed the Baths of Caracalla. Hence, the time has obviously come for the classicists to share their maiden with us. Some of our readers are already engaged in archaeology, both on land and on the sea, and we expect to bring you frequent articles on the subject. The first three follow.