Mike Pitts
@pittsmike.bsky.social
Award-winning writer/broadcaster
Editor British Archaeology magazine 2003–23
Editor Society of Antiquaries of London e-newsletter 2015–20
President Sussex Archaeological Society https://mikepitts.wordpress.com/
Editor British Archaeology magazine 2003–23
Editor Society of Antiquaries of London e-newsletter 2015–20
President Sussex Archaeological Society https://mikepitts.wordpress.com/
Pinned
Mike Pitts
@pittsmike.bsky.social
· Oct 20
“Bold & convincing revision of Rapa Nui’s history”
KIRKUS REVIEWS
“Detailed, intelligent, humane” LITERARY REVIEW
“Gripping” SPECTATOR
“Revelatory… fascinating… wholly convincing”
MAIL ON SUNDAY
“Striking… stunning unraveling of many layers of hidden history” PUBLISHERS WEEKLY * review
KIRKUS REVIEWS
“Detailed, intelligent, humane” LITERARY REVIEW
“Gripping” SPECTATOR
“Revelatory… fascinating… wholly convincing”
MAIL ON SUNDAY
“Striking… stunning unraveling of many layers of hidden history” PUBLISHERS WEEKLY * review
How can archaeologists share power & challenge hierarchies, & not push pseudoarchaeology? Archaeologist/C4-C5 broadcaster/writer Raksha Dave, CBA president etc, is the 2026 Sussex Archaeological Society Long Man speaker. Join us on March 26 at Sussex University!
sussexpast.co.uk/event/long-m...
sussexpast.co.uk/event/long-m...
Long Man Lecture 2026: Raksha Dave - A Conscious Uncoupling: Public Archaeology and Disrupting the Status Quo - Sussex Past
Join the Sussex Archaeological Society for the 2026 Long Man Lecture with renowned archaeologist and broadcaster Raksha Dave at the University of Sussex on Thursday 26th March.
sussexpast.co.uk
January 30, 2026 at 10:57 AM
How can archaeologists share power & challenge hierarchies, & not push pseudoarchaeology? Archaeologist/C4-C5 broadcaster/writer Raksha Dave, CBA president etc, is the 2026 Sussex Archaeological Society Long Man speaker. Join us on March 26 at Sussex University!
sussexpast.co.uk/event/long-m...
sussexpast.co.uk/event/long-m...
Here is why you should try to see the exhibition at the British Museum, Hawaiʻi: a kingdom crossing oceans. Closes May 25
mikepitts.wordpress.com/2026/01/29/h...
mikepitts.wordpress.com/2026/01/29/h...
Hawai‘i in the British Museum
The new British Museum exhibition about Hawai‘i stands out for several reasons, of which the sheer wonder of the items on display is only one. It’s a blast to see. But if you peer behind the cases …
mikepitts.wordpress.com
January 29, 2026 at 2:32 PM
Here is why you should try to see the exhibition at the British Museum, Hawaiʻi: a kingdom crossing oceans. Closes May 25
mikepitts.wordpress.com/2026/01/29/h...
mikepitts.wordpress.com/2026/01/29/h...
Wondering what Island at the Edge of the World is about? This is for you! An extract from the book on Lit Hub, the moment when Polynesians and Europeans met for the first time on Rapa Nui
lithub.com/author/mikep...
lithub.com/author/mikep...
Mike Pitts
Mike Pitts is a writer and broadcaster (a frequent voice on BBC radio), archaeologist (directing excavations at Stonehenge), and one-time museum curator. He has written for <em>The Times</em>, <em>…
lithub.com
January 28, 2026 at 7:03 PM
Wondering what Island at the Edge of the World is about? This is for you! An extract from the book on Lit Hub, the moment when Polynesians and Europeans met for the first time on Rapa Nui
lithub.com/author/mikep...
lithub.com/author/mikep...
US & Canada publication day, & now here is a great review of Island at the Edge of the World in the New York Times:
“Compelling… magisterial history... Pitts’s wonder comes through on nearly every page”
Thanks everyone at @harpercollins.bsky.social for getting here!
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/27/b...
“Compelling… magisterial history... Pitts’s wonder comes through on nearly every page”
Thanks everyone at @harpercollins.bsky.social for getting here!
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/27/b...
A Definitive History of the Mysteries of Easter Island
www.nytimes.com
January 27, 2026 at 2:30 PM
US & Canada publication day, & now here is a great review of Island at the Edge of the World in the New York Times:
“Compelling… magisterial history... Pitts’s wonder comes through on nearly every page”
Thanks everyone at @harpercollins.bsky.social for getting here!
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/27/b...
“Compelling… magisterial history... Pitts’s wonder comes through on nearly every page”
Thanks everyone at @harpercollins.bsky.social for getting here!
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/27/b...
Very excited! My sixth book but first one reviewed in the New Yorker, out now
"A crisp, confident, and convincing new account of the place and its chroniclers.. reflects a broader shift in the consensus, one that many readers will find persuasive, as this one did"
www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
"A crisp, confident, and convincing new account of the place and its chroniclers.. reflects a broader shift in the consensus, one that many readers will find persuasive, as this one did"
www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
Easter Island and the Allure of “Lost Civilizations”
Why Western writers have shrouded the history of Rapa Nui in myth and mystery.
www.newyorker.com
January 26, 2026 at 5:16 PM
Very excited! My sixth book but first one reviewed in the New Yorker, out now
"A crisp, confident, and convincing new account of the place and its chroniclers.. reflects a broader shift in the consensus, one that many readers will find persuasive, as this one did"
www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
"A crisp, confident, and convincing new account of the place and its chroniclers.. reflects a broader shift in the consensus, one that many readers will find persuasive, as this one did"
www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
My review of the BM’s fab show (& its wider achievements), this weekend’s Spectator.
Dazzling: Hawaii, at the British Museum, reviewed spectator.com/article/dazz...
Dazzling: Hawaii, at the British Museum, reviewed spectator.com/article/dazz...
Dazzling: Hawaii, at the British Museum, reviewed
Climb the Reading Room steps to reach the British Museum’s dazzling Hawaii exhibition, and you perform an obeisance. At the top is a representation of Ku, a larger-than-human god of war and chiefly po...
spectator.com
January 23, 2026 at 10:48 AM
My review of the BM’s fab show (& its wider achievements), this weekend’s Spectator.
Dazzling: Hawaii, at the British Museum, reviewed spectator.com/article/dazz...
Dazzling: Hawaii, at the British Museum, reviewed spectator.com/article/dazz...
Great paper! Boxgrove still going strong
Here's a link to the original Science article www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
January 22, 2026 at 2:09 PM
Great paper! Boxgrove still going strong
I didn’t expect to be posting about Stonehenge now but a new paper with yet more against the case for Salisbury Plain glaciers has been published. It prompted me to look at a discussion about sarsen last year which I missed. So here’s a thread about Stonehenge megalith sources /1
January 22, 2026 at 1:59 PM
I didn’t expect to be posting about Stonehenge now but a new paper with yet more against the case for Salisbury Plain glaciers has been published. It prompted me to look at a discussion about sarsen last year which I missed. So here’s a thread about Stonehenge megalith sources /1
This (no kidding) is from today's Telegraph
January 21, 2026 at 10:10 AM
This (no kidding) is from today's Telegraph
We're used to hearing of new tool-using animals, but this is wild! Though my dad may not have been so surprised, the farm cows were not stupid. When they came out of winter housing onto fresh spring pasture for the first time they very clearly jumped & skipped for joy
www.cell.com/current-biol...
www.cell.com/current-biol...
Flexible use of a multi-purpose tool by a cow
Osuna-Mascaró and Auersperg report flexible, multipurpose tool use in a cow, expanding
the known range of mammalian tool users and underscoring overlooked cognitive capacities
in livestock.
www.cell.com
January 19, 2026 at 5:34 PM
We're used to hearing of new tool-using animals, but this is wild! Though my dad may not have been so surprised, the farm cows were not stupid. When they came out of winter housing onto fresh spring pasture for the first time they very clearly jumped & skipped for joy
www.cell.com/current-biol...
www.cell.com/current-biol...
I learn from Salon @antiquaries.bsky.social that Andy Mudd died late last year. He was a busy field archaeologist, publishing large excavations for Oxford Archaeology, Northamptonshire Archaeology & most recently Cotswold Archaeology (including Hinkley Point C), also working in South America. RIP
January 19, 2026 at 10:45 AM
I learn from Salon @antiquaries.bsky.social that Andy Mudd died late last year. He was a busy field archaeologist, publishing large excavations for Oxford Archaeology, Northamptonshire Archaeology & most recently Cotswold Archaeology (including Hinkley Point C), also working in South America. RIP
Exciting moment! My copies of Island at the Edge of the World have arrived from New York. It's published in the US on January 27, with media engagements starting with a podcast I'm recording tomorrow.
A “riveting real-life mystery… a feat of research”
Publishers Weekly starred review
A “riveting real-life mystery… a feat of research”
Publishers Weekly starred review
January 14, 2026 at 5:40 PM
Exciting moment! My copies of Island at the Edge of the World have arrived from New York. It's published in the US on January 27, with media engagements starting with a podcast I'm recording tomorrow.
A “riveting real-life mystery… a feat of research”
Publishers Weekly starred review
A “riveting real-life mystery… a feat of research”
Publishers Weekly starred review
Hawai‘i in the British Museum
The new British Museum exhibition about Hawai‘i stands out for several reasons, of which the sheer wonder of the items on display is only one. It’s a blast to see. But if you peer behind the cases there’s also much to be excited about. It’s a small but magnificent…
The new British Museum exhibition about Hawai‘i stands out for several reasons, of which the sheer wonder of the items on display is only one. It’s a blast to see. But if you peer behind the cases there’s also much to be excited about. It’s a small but magnificent…
Hawai‘i in the British Museum
The new British Museum exhibition about Hawai‘i stands out for several reasons, of which the sheer wonder of the items on display is only one. It’s a blast to see. But if you peer behind the cases there’s also much to be excited about. It’s a small but magnificent show. (All photos here are mine.) First, what can you see? The exhibition’s subtitle, A Kingdom Crossing Oceans, gives the theme, which explores historic connections between Hawai‘i and the UK.
mikepitts.wordpress.com
January 14, 2026 at 5:24 PM
Hawai‘i in the British Museum
The new British Museum exhibition about Hawai‘i stands out for several reasons, of which the sheer wonder of the items on display is only one. It’s a blast to see. But if you peer behind the cases there’s also much to be excited about. It’s a small but magnificent…
The new British Museum exhibition about Hawai‘i stands out for several reasons, of which the sheer wonder of the items on display is only one. It’s a blast to see. But if you peer behind the cases there’s also much to be excited about. It’s a small but magnificent…
Press view of the small but quite magnificent Hawai’i exhibition at the British Museum. I’ll say more in a blog when I get home
January 12, 2026 at 12:45 PM
Press view of the small but quite magnificent Hawai’i exhibition at the British Museum. I’ll say more in a blog when I get home
RIP Erich von Däniken. The author of Chariots of the Gods, “former hotel waiter [who] had a troubled relationship with money throughout his life,” has left this Earth
www.coastreporter.net/the-mix/eric...
www.coastreporter.net/the-mix/eric...
Erich von Däniken, Swiss writer who spawned alien archaeology, dies at 90
BERLIN (AP) — Erich von Däniken, the Swiss author whose bestselling books about the extraterrestrial origins of ancient civilizations brought him fame among paranormal enthusiasts and scorn from the s...
www.coastreporter.net
January 11, 2026 at 3:19 PM
RIP Erich von Däniken. The author of Chariots of the Gods, “former hotel waiter [who] had a troubled relationship with money throughout his life,” has left this Earth
www.coastreporter.net/the-mix/eric...
www.coastreporter.net/the-mix/eric...
Thank you @publisherswkly.bsky.social !
Coming in the US January 27, a "riveting real-life mystery"
9 Books That Should Be On Your Radar in 2026
www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...
Coming in the US January 27, a "riveting real-life mystery"
9 Books That Should Be On Your Radar in 2026
www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...
January 9, 2026 at 4:22 PM
Thank you @publisherswkly.bsky.social !
Coming in the US January 27, a "riveting real-life mystery"
9 Books That Should Be On Your Radar in 2026
www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...
Coming in the US January 27, a "riveting real-life mystery"
9 Books That Should Be On Your Radar in 2026
www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...
The BEST modern carnyx performance (stick with it)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNVK...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNVK...
January 9, 2026 at 1:27 PM
The BEST modern carnyx performance (stick with it)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNVK...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNVK...
My column on the extraordinary metalwork cache from Norfolk. And why this may be the best chance yet to know what a carnyx really sounded like
spectator.com/article/why-...
spectator.com/article/why-...
Why the Norfolk carnyx matters
What happens next? Who owns the hoard? When will it be displayed? What was a carnyx?
spectator.com
January 9, 2026 at 8:25 AM
My column on the extraordinary metalwork cache from Norfolk. And why this may be the best chance yet to know what a carnyx really sounded like
spectator.com/article/why-...
spectator.com/article/why-...
Another dawn, another day. Happy new year everyone
December 31, 2025 at 12:33 PM
Another dawn, another day. Happy new year everyone
Really good piece on the real world challenges of restitutions and a new museum in Benin City
Violent protests marred the opening of the first exhibition at Museum of West African Art in Benin City last month. Hopes for the institution have been high, but too many people seem to have ignored the warning signs that have been there all along, writes @barnabyphillips.bsky.social
What has gone wrong at the Museum of West African Art?
With protests marring the opening of the first exhibition at the new museum in Benin City, Barnaby Phillips asks what went wrong
buff.ly
December 21, 2025 at 6:40 AM
Really good piece on the real world challenges of restitutions and a new museum in Benin City
My thoughts on the journeys of Beachy Head Woman
spectator.com/article/why-...
spectator.com/article/why-...
Why did scientists think the Beachy Head Lady was African?
A human skeleton found in a box in the basement of Eastbourne town hall in 2012, has, not for the first time, caused some controversy. Known as the ‘Beachy Head Lady’, her remains were discovered duri...
spectator.com
December 18, 2025 at 11:33 AM
My thoughts on the journeys of Beachy Head Woman
spectator.com/article/why-...
spectator.com/article/why-...
Me on Rebecca Pitt's new research published in Antiquity
Were the Romans good for Britain? www.spectator.co.uk/article/were...
Were the Romans good for Britain? www.spectator.co.uk/article/were...
Were the Romans good for Britain?
Since the Romans themselves wrote about the subject, we have a clear idea of the good things they did for Britain. Roads, towns, stone and brick buildings, plumbing, writing (IOUs), vineyards and leat...
www.spectator.co.uk
December 12, 2025 at 5:09 PM
Me on Rebecca Pitt's new research published in Antiquity
Were the Romans good for Britain? www.spectator.co.uk/article/were...
Were the Romans good for Britain? www.spectator.co.uk/article/were...