About the Journal
Ex Novo is a fully peer reviewed open access international journal that promotes interdisciplinary research focusing on the multiple relations between archaeology and society. It engages with contemporary perspectives on antiquity linking past and present, and encourages archaeology’s engagement with theoretical developments from other related disciplines such as history, anthropology, political sciences, philosophy, social sciences and colonial studies. Ex Novo encompasses prehistory to modern period, and by exploring interconnections between archaeological practice and the importance of the past in current society it encourages an exploration of current theoretical, political and heritage issues connected to the discipline.
Areas and topics of interest include: politics and archaeology, public archaeology, the legacies of colonialism and nationalism within the discipline, the articulation between local and global archaeological traditions, the discipline’s involvement in memory and identity, museum studies and restitution issues. Ex Novo encourages dialogue between disciplines concerned with the past and its relevance, uses and interpretations in the present
Current Issue
Vol. 9 (2024): Learning, Teaching, Changing African Archaeology
Ex Novo Issue 9 explores the diverse, dynamic, and often contested landscapes of African archaeology. Moving beyond long-standing colonial and Eurocentric frames, this volume highlights how African pasts are interpreted, represented, and sustained today. From the Sebou Basin in Morocco—where natural and cultural heritage intertwine—to the lived experiences of early-career African archaeologists navigating structural inequalities, the thematic core addresses both the material and institutional conditions shaping the field. A study of Roman Africa on screen interrogates enduring orientalist stereotypes, while reflections on the ATLAS project and the “Invisible Cities” exhibition showcase collaborative approaches to connectivity and urbanism across North Africa and southern Spain.
Complementing the African focus, our Off-Topic section tackles broader disciplinary concerns: the limits of citation metrics, academic responsibility amid political crisis, and the epistemological foundations of archaeology. Together, these contributions reaffirm archaeology’s entanglement with the ethical and political urgencies of the present.
Published:
14/11/2025
