You have to see new British Museum show, even if that means travelling the world

“Celts: art & identity” opens at the British Museum tomorrow. After a quick press tour today, I can only say, wow. Wow! I will go again and look more closely when I can, but my immediate reaction was sheer joy. This is really worth going out of the way to see. Why? First, there’s a …

What has the mesolithic got to do with Stonehenge? Not a lot

I’m editing Greg Bailey’s column for the next British Archaeology, and one of the broadcasts he reviews is BBC2’s Horizon film, First Britons. I enjoyed it, some nice film at interesting sites with a strong narrative. As a specialist in British prehistory, I’d take issue with a few details (and one or two larger points), …

Ai Weiwei in London is the most exciting thing since Sensation. Here’s why

Eighteen years ago the Royal Academy held “Sensation”. It showcased the work of young British artists, many of them then little known outside specialist circles. They had, argued the RA’s then president, Sir Philip Dowson, contributed to turning London “into the capital city of contemporary art”. The exhibition was controversial and very popular, and changed …

Are we rewriting the history of Stonehenge – again?

Let's see what we've got. I can’t claim to know much more about the newest Stonehenge story than any other journalist. The discovery of a stone row at Durrington Walls was first announced a year ago, almost to the day. We were given little data then, however, and I seemed to be the only one who noticed! …

Digging for Richard III now in paperback

It's revised and extended too. While the king’s remains were being prepared for reburial earlier this year, I was updating my book about their excavation. With the help of those involved, I made many changes and clarifications throughout the text. Apart from the full excavation report, all the scientific research is now published in peer-reviewed journals, which allowed …