  The importance of studying old elliptical galaxies at redshift z ~ 1.5 is
reviewed, considering both what can be learned by extending studies of the
evolution of cluster galaxy scaling relations to earlier cosmic epochs, and the
age-dating of old elliptical galaxies at high redshifts. Following this, the
first results are provided of an on-going project to find such distant
elliptical galaxies, through an investigation of the cluster environments of
powerful radio sources with redshifts 1.44 < z < 1.7. These studies show a
considerable excess of red galaxies in the radio sources fields, with the
magnitudes (K >~ 17.5) and colours (R-K > 4) expected of old passively evolving
galaxies at the radio source redshift. The red galaxy overdensities are found
on two different scales around the radio sources; a pronounced small-scale peak
at radial distances of <~ 150 kpc, and a weaker large-scale excess extending
out to 1 - 1.5 Mpc. The presence and richness of these red galaxy excesses
varies considerably from source to source. An interpretation of these results
is provided.
