Howard M.R. Williams's Blog

The Empire has taken over large parts of the galaxy and only a few remnants of the Jedi Order persist who escaped assassination through Order 66. The remainder are being hunted by the Inquisitors operating on the orders of Darth Vader. But across the galaxy, pockets of resistance form from those disaffected by, and/or marginalised […]

How does the Jorvik Viking Centre mediate mortuary archaeology for the public? Having recently reviewed the representation of the archaeology of death, burial and commemoration at Dublinia, this post presents reflections on the inclusion of human remains within the premier heritage attraction for Viking archaeology: the Jorvik Viking Centre exhibition. I focus here on first-hand […]

For my latest academic conference, I was honoured to be invited to present the plenary presentation at the Viking Society for Northern Research Student Conference on Saturday 11 April 2026 at the Institute of Irish Studies, University of Liverpool. I want to sincerely thank the organiser – Professor Clare Downham – for the invitation and […]

Each year, I dedicate at least one blog-post to the contemporary archaeology of death focused on the microtopographies of gardens of remembrance and cremation burial plots in English and Welsh churchyards. I have argued that each constitutes a variation on a national and international theme of extending or incorporating, and thus revitalising the commemorative use […]

Archaeological research continues to reveal the deep-time story of the complex relationship of people and dogs. The latest research has pushed back dog domestication in morphological terms to 14,200 BP, from Kesslerloch, Switzerland, and the beast’s DNA showed it must have been the result of far older domestication processes to ‘several millennia before 14.2ka’, likely […]

The fascist Galactic Empire takes over from the Republic and the mutant clones of Clone Force 99 seek to evade their grasp and fight back. In the storyline and multi-world landscapes of Star Wars: The Bad Batch, archaeology (albeit in a universe without an explicitly identified archaeologist, archaeological discipline or practices) is pivotal to envisioning […]

In the UK, public debates on the ethics and cultural significance of displaying and curating human remains in museum contexts rumble on. A recent news story in The Guardian prompts further reflections on this topic. Titled ‘Vast scale of overseas human remains held in UK museums decried by MPs and experts’ (Batty 2026), the story […]

I’m pleased to announce a forthcoming new academic book project. As a co-editor/editor of a substantial number of – 12 to be precise – academic books (and author of one monograph), as well as a range of – 6 to be precise – journal special issues (and long-term editor of two journals, and now a […]

Occupying the Synod Hall adjacent to Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, the historical recreation museum known as Dublinia was opened in 1993 and redeveloped in 2010 (Clarke et al. 2018). Run by the Medieval Trust not-for-profit independent charity, it occupies a 19th-century construction around the surviving tower of St Michael’s the Archangel’s church dating from the […]

Are we ready to tell the hitherto untold story of cremation’s prehistoric origins? In two recent public talks, I asked this very question. Here I outline my thoughts. Background I would begin with a clear qualification that archaeologists should be wary of dedicating themselves to seeking, and expecting to find, a single point of origin […]