March 2012
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SAFE (Saving Antiquities for Everyone) is an organization dedicated to raising public awareness about the irreversible damage to the study of history and culture that results from looting, smuggling, and trading illicit antiques. Advocating cultural preservation and educational outreach, SAFE is on the vanguard of delineating the necessity of ethical practices... [continue reading]
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Luxurious antique silver utensils dating back to the 4th century AD have been found by archaeologists during recent archaeological excavations in the eastern Croatian city of Vinkovci. Over 50 items of antique silver utensils including plates, saucers... [continue reading]
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A team of Italian archaeologists have found a third millennium BC tomb in southern Iraq, which was the cradle of Sumerian civilization during the Bronze Age. Italian archaeologists working at Tal Abu Tbeirah in southern Iraq recently excavated... [continue reading]
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The archaeology of a vampire or digging up ancient Lesbos Lecture by Hector Williams Give on October 3, 1992 at the University of British Columbia Examining the archaeological discoveries on the Greek island... [continue reading]
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We just wanted to invite (and reiterate) to all of our contributors and users that we are on LinkedIn! Follow us and keep up to date with the latest news and events regarding our growing community. Also, please be sure to join or visit the Ancient History Group. Here you can network, read more articles, and interact with other ancient history enthusiasts... [continue reading]
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The name "Lucius Septimius Flavianus Flavillianus," probably does not mean anything to you but it certainly did to the inhabitants of Oinoanda, a Roman city located in present-day southwest Turkey, around the year 200 CE. A recent translation from Greek reveals that he was something of a superstar in the world of sports; apparently, Flavillianus excelled... [continue reading]
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The Greek Reporter has published an interesting article about the town of "Empúries" (in Catalan) or "Emporion" (in Ancient Greek). For those of you that know Spain well, please be aware that the town had also been called "Ampurias" (in Castilian Spanish) until recent times. Established by Greek fisherman, merchants, and settlers from Phocaea in c. 575... [continue reading]
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A team working at Konya’s Catalhoyuk district’s archaeological site has revealed temples from the ancient Neolithic (new stone) and Chalcolithic (copper) eras. The Trakya excavation team has unearthed a temple from the ancient era There are... [continue reading]
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Harvard University educated archaeologist and president of the Paleontological Research Corporation, Dr. Joel Klenck, conducted an ethnoarchaeological study of modern Bedouin sacrificial practices in the Levant to provide insight on the deposition of remains at ancient... [continue reading]
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If you should find yourself in Prague, Czech Republic, later this year, you might be interested in attending a planned exhibition on ancient Thrace. Although the details have been kept to a minimum, you can find more information by reading this article from the Prague Daily Monitor. When we have more details, we promise to pass them along to you.
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We wanted to alert our readers and users in the United States about a very interesting documentary: "Quest for the Lost Maya." It aired on PBS last night (in most locations) and is available online as a streaming video. This documentary follows three archaeologists--George Bey, Bill Ringle, and Tomás Gallareta Negrón--exploring the remains of a forgotten... [continue reading]
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For those of you who visit our site from Scandinavia, please be aware that the gilded treasures of Tutankhamen are heading your way this fall. From September 15, 2012 to January 1, 2013, the "Tutankhamun" exhibition will be on view at the Malmö Expo Center, in Malmö, Sweden. This international show has already delighted crowds in Oceania, Europe, Asia... [continue reading]
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Carvilius Ruga v Uxor: a famous Roman divorce By Annalize Jacobs Fundamina, Vol.15:2 (2009) Introduction: It was the third century BC in early Rome – republican Rome. The city of Rome, which looked like a village... [continue reading]
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Archaeologists believe they have uncovered the remains of the earliest stringed instrument to be found so far in western Europe. The notched wood is believed to be the bridge of an ancient lyre The small burnt and broken piece of carved piece of wood... [continue reading]
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A pair of first century bronze statues about to be sold on the black market have been recovered by police in Jaen. The Roman bronze statues seized by Spanish police The Roman figures, valued at six million euros each, were taken from the ancient Roman site... [continue reading]
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Greek police recovered an ancient statue that was illegally excavated and hidden in a goat pen near Athens, and arrested the goat herder and another man who were allegedly trying to sell the work for €500,000 ($667,000). Greek police arrested two... [continue reading]
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Excavation of 19,000-year-old hunter-gatherer remains, including a vast camp site, is fuelling a reinterpretation of the greatest fundamental shift in human civilisation – the origins of agriculture. Kharaneh shells The moment when the hunter-gatherers... [continue reading]
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Researchers at the Nottingham Trent University have gathered new evidence that a 4000-year-old monolith was aligned to be an astronomical marker. The 2.2 meter high monument, located in the Peak District National Park, has a striking, right-angled triangular shape... [continue reading]
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A Roman sarcophagus, believed to have been excavated illegally from an archaeological site close to the southern Turkish province of Antalya, has been seized from a Swiss warehouse by authorities, a customs official said March 26. File photo shows... [continue reading]
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All cattle are descended from as few as 80 animals that were domesticated from wild ox in the Near East some 10,500 years ago, according to a new genetic study. Aurouchs reconstructed- Heck Cattle An international team of scientists from the CNRS... [continue reading]
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A team of scientists has announced the discovery of a 3.4 million-year-old partial foot from the Woranso-Mille area of the Afar region of Ethiopia. The fossil foot did not belong to a member of "Lucy's" species, Australopithecus afarensis, the famous early human ancestor. ... [continue reading]
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Western Europe has long been held to be the "cradle" of Neanderthal evolution since many of the earliest discoveries were from sites in this region. But when Neanderthals started disappearing around 30,000 years ago, anthropologists figured that climactic factors... [continue reading]
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Archaeologists in Greece have stumbled upon the remains of a sanctuary to Asclepios, the ancient god of healing, during the construction of a highway in central Greece, a project official said on Monday. The vestiges of an unknown Greek sanctuary of Asclépios... [continue reading]
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Culture and Power in Ptolemaic Egypt: The Museum and Library of Alexandria By Andrew Erskine Greece and Rome, 2nd Ser., Vol. 42, No. 1. (1995) Introduction: Within the palace complex in Alexandria... [continue reading]
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“Rulers Ruled By Women”: An Economic Analysis of the Rise and Fall of Women’s Rights in Ancient Sparta By Robert K. Fleck and F. Andrew Hanssen Published... [continue reading]
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In Jerusalem around 2,000 years ago a Jew named Yehohanan, who was in his mid-twenties, committed a crime against Roman authority. The nature of his transgression has been lost to time, but his punishment is known — he was crucified. The heel bone... [continue reading]
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The ancient Celts were known for their fierce warriors, their druids, and their art. They were also quite fashionable--in some sense--and keen on parties. Science Daily recently featured an article on recent excavations in Germany, which have revealed the "partying" culture of the Pre-Roman Celts. To read more, please click here to access the article.
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French archaeologists arrived in Bulgaria to work jointly with local counterparts on fresh discoveries in Sozopol on the Black Sea, site of the ancient town of Apollonia. Excavations at Sozopol Tzonya Drazheva and Dimitar Nedev, main archaeologists... [continue reading]
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Since its establishment in 1821, the Greek state has declared its intentions to return to Athens the sculptures from the Parthenon held by the British Museum. This is what twenty-one documents, under the title “The Acropolis of Athens”, revealing... [continue reading]
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The excavations at the Ancient Agora of Athens, which began in 1931, represent without question the greatest contribution made by the American School of Classical Studies (ASCS) to Greek archaeology. With the majority of the expanse uncovered thanks... [continue reading]
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A British scholar, Barbara Watterson, has just written a book on the varied experiences of women in ancient Egypt: Women in Ancient Egypt, published by Amberley Press, traces the experiences of women from the very high (Nefertiti and Nefertari) to the very low (peasants and prostitutes). Along the way, Watterson peppers her work with little known facts and portraits... [continue reading]
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Defining Ancient Magic: A Brief Historiography and Exploration By Colleen Marie Bradley EX POST FACTO: Journal of the History Students at San Francisco State University, Vol.19 (2010) Introduction: One of... [continue reading]
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Shedding Light on Roman Social Life: An Integrative Approach to Domestic Space at Pompeii and Karanis By Megan Elizabeth Shuler Bachelor of Arts Thesis, College of William... [continue reading]
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Ethnicity and Cultural Policy at Alexander’s Court By Eugene Borza Makedonika (1995) Introduction: In the more than half a century since William Woodthorpe Tarn proclaimed the “Brotherhood of Mankind,”... [continue reading]
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At the Western Cemetery on the Giza Plateau are located six Old Kingdom tombs of nobles and top officials of the Fourth Dynasty, waiting for their official opening after restoration. Tomb of Nefer Although these tombs may be sparse in decoration... [continue reading]
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Archaeologists here recently unearthed an ancient dwelling -- just one of thousands of artifacts found here that date back as far as 3,000 B.C. Archaeologists excavate land Feb. 9 at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., in order to make way for a solar array... [continue reading]
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A Tamil-Brahmi inscription that pushes back the association of Samanamalai (“Jaina Hill”), 15 km from Madurai, with Jainism to 2,200 years, has been discovered on the hill. Although scholars in Jainism in Tamil Nadu know the existence of bas-relief sculptures... [continue reading]
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Slavic influences in the ancient Gaul By Pavel Serafimov and Giancarlo Tomezzoli Proceedings of the Eighth International Topical Conference: Origins of Europeans (Ljubljana, 2010) Introduction: It is common opinion between the scholars... [continue reading]
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A Tamil-Brahmi inscription that pushes back the association of Samanamalai (“Jaina Hill”), 15 km from Madurai, with Jainism to 2,200 years, has been discovered on the hill. Although scholars in Jainism in Tamil Nadu know the existence of bas-relief sculptures... [continue reading]
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How did the ancient Hawaiians catch their fish? Better question: how many did they catch on average? Blessed with natural resources, it might be assumed that the ancient inhabitants of the Hawaiian islands would have over-fished the pristine waters of the Pacific Ocean. This article, recently published in the New York Times, challenges that assessment. Please click here to access and read it.
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Since its establishment in 1821, the Greek state has declared its intentions to return to Athens the sculptures from the Parthenon held by the British Museum. This is what twenty-one documents, under the title “The Acropolis of Athens”, revealing... [continue reading]
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For decades, working as an archaeologist meant being, as Jason Ur, the John L. Loeb Associate Professor of the Social Sciences, puts it, "the guy with the muddy boots." A comparison of the results of the ASTER classification (left) and the distribution... [continue reading]
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Humans hunted Australia's giant vertebrates to extinction about 40,000 years ago, the latest research published in Science has concluded. Scientists have linked a dramatic decrease in spores found in herbivore dung to the arrival of humans in Australia... [continue reading]
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While Teotihuacán, Tikal, Chaco Canyon, and Machu Picchu are the cities most commonly conjured in the minds of millions when the phrase "Pre-Columbian metropolis" is uttered, one ought to be aware of the grandeur and importance of Cahokia, located near the present-day city of St. Louis, MO in the Midwestern United States. Cahokia: Ancient America's Great... [continue reading]
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Ancient Ballgames of Mesoamerica By Melissa Ortiz Historia,Vol.18 (2009) Introduction: When the Spanish first sailed to Latin America they found several large, well organized civilizations occupying the land. In the late 1500s several... [continue reading]
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Maclean's of Canada has just published a review of a new book by Egyptologist Joyce Tyldesley--Tutankhamen: The search for an Egyptian King, traces the life and modern reception of this most ancient of celebrities. Looming larger in death than he ever did in life, Tyldesley's work attempts to analyze the boy-king from an entirely new perspective. Please click here to access the review.
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Hypatia of Alexandria By Cara Minardi Paper given at the Graduate English Association New Voices Conference (2008) Introduction: The forthcoming text entitled The Present State of Scholarship in Historical Rhetoric edited by Lynée Lewis Gaillet... [continue reading]
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A leading archaeologist has described the discovery of what is a likely “prehistoric” antler hammerhead at a Burren cave as hugely exciting. Dr Marion Dowd of IT Sligo said a 10-day excavation at a small cave on Moneen Mountain outside Ballyvaughan, Co Clare... [continue reading]
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More than 30,000 Roman coins were found by archaeologists working in Bath in 2007, it has been revealed. The hoard of Roman silver coins The silver coins are believed to date from 270AD and have been described as the fifth largest UK hoard ever found. ... [continue reading]
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Biography of Titus Labienus, Caesar’s Lieutenant in Gaul By William. Blake Tyrrell PhD Dissertation, University of Washington, 1970 Abstract: The primary interest that scholars have in the life... [continue reading]
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Light and self-representation in the rural residence of western elite during the Late Antiquity By Carrié Jean-Philippe Alétheia – Revista de estudos sobre Antigüidade... [continue reading]
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The Ancient History Encyclopedia wishes to share resources which contribute to a better understanding and appreciation for the ancient world to user, visitor, and researcher alike. With that being said, we wanted to alert you to another great documentary film website where you can watch select titles for free. In the past, we informed you of the usefulness... [continue reading]
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A wind farm developer has paid for archaeologists to scan a cluster of seven Neolithic horned cairns near to where 21 turbines will be erected. The LiDAR survey is one of the first large-scale landscape archaeological surveys using LiDAR undertaken... [continue reading]
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Artefacts that date from around 40,000 years ago have been discovered recently in a scenic spot in Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan Province. Archaeologists from the School of Archaeology and Museology of Peking University and Zhengzhou Institute... [continue reading]
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The Empire’s Muse: Roman Interpretations of the Amazons through Literature and Art By Erin W. Leal Master’s Thesis, San Diego State University, 2010 Abstract: Modern... [continue reading]
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A Canadian scientist's analysis of ancient animal remains found in Ohio — including the leg bone of an extinct giant sloth believed to have been butchered by an Ice Age hunter more than 13,000 years ago — has added weight to a once-controversial argument that humans... [continue reading]
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Archaeologists led by Professor Eliezer Oren from Ben Gurion University excavated an equid burial at Tel-Haror, an archaeological site located in the Levant with strata dating to the Middle Bronze IIB Period (1,750-1,650 B.C.). Cranium, mandible and... [continue reading]
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We wanted to alert our readers and contributors to a phenomenal resource filled with unique articles and research from a variety of perspectives. UNESCO Courier Magazine is the bimonthly publication of UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization). By accessing the archive section, you can find articles and research on just... [continue reading]
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New findings from an international team of researchers show that most neanderthals in Europe died off around 50,000 years ago. The previously held view of a Europe populated by a stable neanderthal population... [continue reading]
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USAToday is reporting that archaeologists are an increasingly common presence in Iraq. After nearly thirty years of war, rebellion, and governmental transition, archaeologists from the United States and Europe are returning to Iraq in droves. Now with new technologies and scientific advances at their disposal, archaeologists expect a great wave of new discoveries... [continue reading]
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A US archaeologist has used satellite images and a computer program to uncover thousands of ancient human settlements in Syria, according to a research study published Monday. A US archaeologist used satellite images and a computer to uncover ancient... [continue reading]
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The royal cemetery in Meidum developed continuously at least until the late New Kingdom period, the end of the second millennium BC, determined Dr. Teodozja Rzeuska, archaeologist at the Institute of Mediterranean and Oriental Culture PAS. Until now, Egyptologists believed... [continue reading]
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If you wanted to get ahead in Iron-Age Central Europe you would use a strategy that still works today -- dress to impress and throw parties with free alcohol. Collaborating with the State Monuments Office in Tübingen, Germany, UW-Milwaukee Professor Bettina... [continue reading]
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Scholars have revealed that artwork and tons of pillars and winch barrels that were discovered by underwater archaeologist and researcher Can Pulak in 1993 close to the Aegean district of Çeşme originally came from Apollon Temple in Claros. This photo... [continue reading]
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What pays What? Cashless Payment in Ancient Mesopotamia ( 626-331 BC) By António Ramos dos Santos Paper given at IEHC 2006: XIV International Economic History Congress – Helsinki, Finland (2006) Introduction: This... [continue reading]
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‘Which of the Gods is this?’ Dionysus in the Homeric Hymns By Leanne Grech Iris: Journal of the Classical Association of Victoria, Vol.20 (2007) Introduction: Of all the gods in the Greek Pantheon, Dionysus... [continue reading]
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Harvard University educated archaeologist and president of the Paleontological Research Corporation, Dr. Joel Klenck, states that recent archaeological discoveries are revealing new aspects of cult practices of ancient inhabitants in the Levant. ... [continue reading]
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A fascinating discovery is shedding light upon pre-Christian Scandinavian religion and early Christian inroads into Norway. In the Norwegian press, this highly important find is being called "unparalleled," "first of its kind" and "unique," said to have been "deliberately... [continue reading]
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Bulgarian archaeologists have uncovered what they believe is the oldest Christian monastery in Europea near the village of Zlatna Livada in southern Bulgaria. The ancient shrine at the St. Athanasius monastery in Bulgaria's Stara Zagora region... [continue reading]
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A Roman burial site, an ancient parish boundary and Iron Age artefacts have been discovered on the site soon to house the world’s biggest dairy. Arla site dig near Aston Clinton Archaeologists have now completed a 12-week study at the site of Arla’s new... [continue reading]
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The unique “treasures” from the land of Cyprus – every artifact comes from the great collection of Thanos Zintilis – are of significant historical value for the Mediterranean island. The public of Athens is now about to welcome them in the reconstructed... [continue reading]
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The unique “treasures” from the land of Cyprus – every artifact comes from the great collection of Thanos Zintilis – are of significant historical value for the Mediterranean island. The public of Athens is now about to welcome them in the reconstructed... [continue reading]
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CT scanners are being used to help unlock the secrets of five Roman burial urns that were discovered at a housing development in Hertfordshire. Conservators have excavated the urns on a microscopic scale and detailed their contents Conservators... [continue reading]
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An internal Syrian government memo claims that “professional international gangs” are setting up shop inside Syria to mass loot the country’s antiquity treasures, a scenario eerily reminiscent of Iraq’s fate under US occupation. A recently discovered 1,500-year-old... [continue reading]
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Experiencing ritual: Shamanic elements in Minoan religion By Christine Morris and Alan Peatfield Papers of the Norwegian Institute at Athens, No.6: Celebrations: sanctuaries and the vestiges of cult activity (2004) Introduction: Ritual... [continue reading]
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For centuries, the forests of Guatemala have hidden an impressive Mayan city until recently: "El Mirador." In its day, it was the rival of the famous city of Tikal and one of the most powerful Mayan-city states in the Yucatan. Dating back more than 2.500 years, it is also one of the oldest Mayan cities ever found. Now, scholars and archaeologists are just beginning... [continue reading]
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Rhetoric of Myth, Magic, and Conversion: Ancient Irish Rhetoric By Richard Johnson-Sheehan and Paul Lynch Rhetoric Review, Vol.26:3 (2007) Ancient Ireland presents an interesting case for rhetorical study. While... [continue reading]
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The Hellenistic Royal Court: Court Culture, Ceremonial and Ideology in Greece, Egypt and the Near East, 336-30 BCE By Rudolf Strootman PhD Dissertation, University... [continue reading]
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Harvard University educated archaeologist and president of the Paleontological Research Corporation, Dr. Joel Klenck, states an array of archaeological discoveries evidence a crisis during the reign of the Egyptian Pharaoh Thutmose II (ca. 1,492-1,479 B.C... [continue reading]
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Neolithic pottery excavated ahead of work on a £16m flood scheme has added to archaeologists' understanding of a city's past. Grooved Neolithic pottery found at the flood relief site Pits containing fragments of ceramics were recovered from the site... [continue reading]
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Archaeologists from Vinkovci City Museum (Vukovar-Syrmia County), whilst carrying out archaeological research work on the building site of business and residential premises, have found four graves dating back to the Roman period, confirmed the head of archaeological research... [continue reading]
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Holes in the head and more: surgery in the Aegean Bronze Age By Robert Arnott Medical Historian: The Bulletin of the Liverpool Medical History Society, Number 9 (1997) Introduction: Recently Vivian Nutton wrote... [continue reading]
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Le Musée d'Arles, in Arles, France, is the site of an unprecedented exhibition, exploring the submerged wonders of Roman antiquity from beneath the Rhône River. From March 9 to June 25, 2012, Le Musée d'Arles will bring Roman Arles ("Arelate") alive through the presentation of reconstructed models, artifacts, bronzes and silvers, and architectural pieces... [continue reading]
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While ancient sites around Greece have suffered because of the protracted economic crisis, ANSAmed reports that one major site has recently been given funds for restoration and protection. Yesterday, the Central Archaeological Council of Greece approved a measure to restore the famed theatre of ancient Delos. Built originally of marble and completed in... [continue reading]
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One of the earliest Anglo-Saxon Christian burial sites in Britain has been discovered in a village outside Cambridge. The grave of a teenage girl from the mid 7th century AD has an extraordinary combination of two extremely rare finds: a ‘bed burial’ and... [continue reading]
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Google has just sent me an email to let me know that Ancient History Encyclopedia is now a featured education app in the Chrome Web Store! For all those Chrome users who haven't got our app yet, go ahead and install our app, to always have it easily accessible in your browser! And for those who aren't using Chrome yet... you should! ;-)
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The Central Archaeological Council (KAS) of the Greek ministry for culture and tourism has given green light to the restoration of the ancient theatre of Delos, one of the most important religious centres of ancient Greece, an islands of the Cyclades where Apollo... [continue reading]
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The plague of Athens, 430-427 BC By Robert Arnott Medical Historian: The Bulletin of the Liverpool Medical History Society, Number 14 (2002-2003) Introduction: One of the earliest, and perhaps better known of the epidemics that... [continue reading]
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On 14 March 2012, the French national institute for archaeological conservation (INRAP) announced the start of a new excavation in alongside a renovation project for the Mas-d’Azil caves in south-west France. The caves have been recognised as an historic monument... [continue reading]
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A fundamental shift in the Indian monsoon has occurred over the last few millennia, from a steady humid monsoon that favored lush vegetation to extended periods of drought, reports a new study led by researchers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI... [continue reading]
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One the largest and best preserved ancient Greek theatres, able to accommodate about 18,000 spectators, the Theatre of Dodoni has been on the top of the reconstruction list of the Greek Ministry of Culture for years due to the natural damage and human interventions... [continue reading]
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From the French Revolution and Nazi Germany, through the Cold War USA, and onwards to 21st century cinema screens and YouTube, ancient Sparta continues to resonate through Western thought, more than 2,000 years after the peak... [continue reading]
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Human and animal fossilised footprints that may be from the Bronze Age have been exposed on a Ceredigion beach. The footprints have been found in an area of exposed peat, along with holes which could have supported a causeway across ancient salt marshes... [continue reading]
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Anyone who saw the TV coverage of floods in the Cockermouth area in 2009 would find it hard to image any good could have come from it for archaeologists. A section of the Roman fort and its civilian village at Papcastle, near Cockermouth However... [continue reading]
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Australia has more than 100.000 rock art sites with more being discovered every year. Not surprisingly, Australia has the most rock art in the world. Academics and archaeologists face the daunting task of preserving and recording these ancient treasures--some of which date back more than 9.000 years! The Australian recently ran this article about a new initiative... [continue reading]
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The authenticity of a burial box purported to have been for the "brother" of Jesus Christ remained shrouded in mystery on Wednesday after a Jerusalem court acquitted an Israeli private collector of charges he forged the artifact. The James Ossuary... [continue reading]
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A wooden statue of a king, a private offering chapel, a monumental building and remains of over 80 animal mummies found by a University of Toronto-led team in Abydos, Egypt reveal intriguing information about ritual activity associated with... [continue reading]
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Japanese archaeologists have uncovered more than six terracotta figures dating from c. 400 CE in city of Matsue in Chogoku region of Japan. The figures include warriors, sumo wrestlers, and finely crafted horses. The clay figures or "haniwa," in Japanese, were used for burial rites and as funerary pieces. This particular discovery has caused quite a stir... [continue reading]
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Greek Tragedy: A Rape Culture? By Nancy Sorkin Rabinowitz EuGeStA: Journal on Gender Studies in Antiquity, Vol.1 (2011) Abstract: This essay looks at rape in Greek tragedy through the lens of several moments of feminist theorizing and activism... [continue reading]
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The free-to-play browsergame Remanum has launched in English. In this massively multiplayer game the player takes the role of a Roman merchant who accumulates wealth and power, with the goal of becoming Roman Emperor. The game features a simulation of supply and demand in 20 historically important cities around the Mediterranean. Jan van der Crabben (the founder... [continue reading]
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The Taíno were the first people in the Americas to greet Christopher Columbus and yet, within only two generations, they all but disappeared from Hispaniola, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Cuba, and the Bahamas. Or did they? New evidence has emerged suggesting that the Taíno survived the Spanish conquest and maintained a sophisticated and self-sufficient... [continue reading]
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Last Fall, Smithsonian Magazine featured this article on the Incan civilization of Pre-Columbian South America. Although the Incas inhabited one of the harshest and most unpredictable climes in the world, they proved to be not only masterful architects--their roads and cities still exist--but exceptionally adroit in matters pertaining to agriculture: complicated... [continue reading]
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Should you find yourself in Washington D.C., in the United States, be sure not to miss "Feast Your Eyes: A Taste for Luxury in Ancient Iran," at the Smithsonian's Freer-Sackler Museum of Asian Art. Exhibiting the wealth and splendor of ancient Persian metalworking from the Achaemenid period (550-330 BCE) to the Islamic conquests of the Iranian plateau (633-644... [continue reading]
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Fancy a trip to Rome c. 320 CE? In 3D? Scientists and scholars from Rome Reborn enable you to just do that. Please click here to read an article from thestar.com about the project and be sure to check out the accompanying video. We promise that you won't regret it!
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And so it begins. For years, evolutionary biologists have predicted that new human species would start popping up in Asia as we begin to look closely at fossilised bones found there. A new analysis of bones from south-west China suggests there's truth to the forecast. ... [continue reading]
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The New York Times has published an article about recent discoveries on the cultures of ancient nomads in the Eurasian steppes. The recent findings show that nomadic societies were no less developed than their sedentary counterparts, and that they simply developed a different und no less successful strategy for survival. Also, there is an exhibition on this... [continue reading]
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Ancient Greeks had a word for the people who lived on the wild, arid Eurasian steppes stretching from the Black Sea to the border of China. They were nomads, which meant "roaming about for pasture". They were wanderers and, not infrequently, fierce mounted warriors. Essentially... [continue reading]
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Massive looting of archaeological sites in Egypt continues as security forces turn a blind eye to thugs plundering Egypt’s cultural heritage. Tomb with a beautiful uraeus frieze opened by looters and all contents destroyed After Egypt’s revolution... [continue reading]
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Graves from a Roman cemetery and buried prehistoric artefacts are among the discoveries identified in the latest searches by theSouth Yorkshire Archaeological Service. Excavation of a cremation urn in Doncaster Experts from the service carry out examinations... [continue reading]
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Researchers from the city-based Deccan College Post-Graduate and Research Institute recently unearthed four megalithic burials at Hirapur in Chandrapur district, which, the researchers say, were used for more than just burying the dead. The dolmen... [continue reading]
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How Prosperous were the Romans? Evidence from Diocletian’s Price Edict (301 AD) By Robert C. Allen Working Paper, Oxford University, 2007 Abstract: The paper compares the standard... [continue reading]
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A wooden statue of a king, a private offering chapel, a monumental building and remains of over 80 animal mummies found by a University of Toronto-led team in Abydos, Egypt reveal intriguing information about ritual activity associated with the great gods. ... [continue reading]
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Comparing Strategies of the Second Punic War: Rome’s Strategic Victory Over the Tactical/Operational Genius, Hannibal Barca By James Parker Research... [continue reading]
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Goliath and the Exodus Giants: How Tall Were They? By Clyde E. Billington Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, Vol.50:3 (2007) Introduction: Professor Daniel Hays, in his article Reconsidering the Height... [continue reading]
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The British Museum (London) is hosting the lecture Anglo-Saxon Art: Tradition and Transformation by Leslie Webster on Fri 20 Apr 2012 at 18:30. The lecture will trace this fascinating era of art and its recurring ideas and themes, as it changed from 5th-century metalwork to the magnificient illuminated manuscripts, ivories and sculpure of the 7th to 11th centuries... [continue reading]
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Technical terminology in Greco-Roman treatises on artillery construction By Mark J. Schiefsky Proceedings of the XVI. Internationales Kolloquium des Studienkreises “Geschichte der Sprachwissenschaft“... [continue reading]
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Weavers of Fate: Symbolism in the Costume of Roman Women. Sebesta, Judith... [continue reading]
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The Ancient Library of Alexandria: A Model for Classical Scholarship in the Age of Million Book Libraries Paper given at: The International Symposium on the Scaife Digital library... [continue reading]
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Written in the Stars: Poetry and Philosophy in Aratus’ Phaenomena By Richard L. Hunter Arachnion, Vol. 2 (1995) Introduction: The Phainomena of Aratus, probably composed in the period c. 280-260... [continue reading]
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Heirs and Rivals to Nero By Robert Samuel Rogers Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association... [continue reading]
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Three ancient marble fragments from the collections of the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles have been repatriated to Greece following a deal last year. An inscribed ancient Greek marble slab returned to Greece by the J. Paul Getty Museum is seen... [continue reading]
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The 2-year restoration of the Lycian League Parliament building in the ancient city of Patara in the southern province of Antalya’s Kaş district has been completed. Nearly 7.5 million Turkish Liras were spent by the Turkish Parliament for the biggest restoration... [continue reading]
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On the wall of a limestone cave above the Rio Grande, at about the time the pyramids were rising in ancient Egypt, a nomadic people painted fantastic scenes of human and animal figures, leaving a story that resists modern interpretation. Detail... [continue reading]
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Some of the most interesting finds in archaeology are discovered by amateurs. Jarrod Barker, publisher of www.thesilo.ca, licensed prospector, artist/musician, and antiquarian, stumbled upon evidence of the Equus scotti- Ice Age horse on the shore of Lake Erie... [continue reading]
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All conservation works at the House of Dionysos, at the archaeological site of Kato Paphos, have been completed, the Antiquities Department said yesterday. The House of Dionysos, Paphos The project on the conservation of the mosaics and the upgrade... [continue reading]
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This summer, Tel Aviv University’s Sonia and Marco Nadler Institute of Archaeology is adding another excavation to their already expansive list of seven active digs. Azekah, a city of the ancient kingdom of Judah... [continue reading]
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The head of an Iron Age man who died almost 2,000 years ago has been scanned in a Manchester hospital to shed light on how he died. Worsley Man is thought to have lived around 100 AD when Romans occupied much of Britain. Bryan Sitch, curator of archaeology... [continue reading]
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History is often shaped by the stories of kings and religious... [continue reading]
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History is often shaped by the stories of kings and religious and military leaders, and much of what we know about the past derives from official sources like military records and governmental decrees. Now an international project is gaining invaluable insights... [continue reading]
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An ancient Greek road has just been uncovered outside the city of Thessaloniki, in northeast Greece. Archaeologists and scholars date the marble road--"Via Egnatia"--from c. 300 BCE. Curiously, Roman tombs, containing jewels and tablets were also uncovered very close to the road. Please click here to read about this surprising "double discovery" from the South African Independent Online.
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Shankari Patel, an anthropology graduate student at the University of California--Riverside, is causing quite a stir amongst her fellow Mayanists. In a recent, provocative paper, Patel claims to show that ancient Mayan women held multifaceted and important roles within Mayan civilization. Women, Patel contends, were not only wives and domestic workers, but... [continue reading]
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Was the Wealth of Nations Determined in 1000 BC? By Diego Comin, William... [continue reading]
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The feature article in National Geographic Magazine, this month, is on the travels and lives of the Christian Apostles. Written by Andrew Todhunter, the article takes you from the mountains of northern Italy to the seaside ports of western India, imparting fresh perspectives on the ancient Mediterranean and early Christianity along the way. Please click here to read this article.
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Carthage: The Lost Mediterranean Civilisation By Richard Miles History Today, Vol.60:2 (2010) Introduction: In the spring of 146 BC the North African city-state of Carthage finally fell. After three years of embarrassing setbacks... [continue reading]
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Sand and spice: Roman Arabia in world historical context from the Third Century BCE to the Seventh Century CE By Isaiah F. Moose Master’s Thesis, San Diego State University, 2010... [continue reading]
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Whose Music is it Anyway? How we Came to View Musical Expression as a Form of Property By Michael W. Carroll University of Cincinnati Law Review, Vol. 72 (2004) Abstract: Many participants... [continue reading]
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A new study reports that the disintegration of the Maya civilization may have been related to relatively modest reductions in rainfall. The study was led by Professors Martín Medina-Elizalde of the Yucatan Center for Scientific... [continue reading]
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Coin hoards speak of population declines in Ancient Rome By Peter Turchin and Walter Scheidel Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol.106, No.41 (2009) Abstract: In times of violence, people tend to hide their valuables... [continue reading]
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During routine excavations on the northern side of the Amun-Re Temple in Luxor’s famous Karnak temple complex, a team from the French-Egyptian Centre for the Study of the Karnak Temples this week unearthed a gate that they say has led to a significant breakthrough... [continue reading]
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A rare Second Century silver Roman ring has been discovered by a metal detectorist in a farmer’s field near Alford, a treasure inquest heard. The ring, which has been reworked from a silver denarius coin featuring an image of the Roman Emperor Julia... [continue reading]
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Play and childhood in ancient Greece By Eliseo Andreu Cabrera, Mar Cepero, Fco. Javier Rojas, Juan J Chinchilla-Mira Journal of Human Sport and Exercise, Vol 5, No 3 (2010) Abstract: The traditional games of children are the maximum exponent of... [continue reading]
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The Economic History of Roman Britain: the Olive Oil Contribution to the Debate By Pedro Paulo Funari Interdisciplinary Journal ‘História e Economia’, Vol.1 (2005) Introduction: Archaeology... [continue reading]
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The Roman bridge-builder: some aspects of his work By N. A. F. Smith The Structural Engineer, Volume 71 No 914 (1993) Introduction: To judge from the literature on Roman engineering, there was a time when the history... [continue reading]
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Sports Sites in Ancient Anatolia: Stadiums Erdoğan Ş., Atalay M., Yoruç Çotuk M. Journal of Olympic History, Vol: 12, No: 3 (2004) Introduction: Today we have much evidence that modern Sports Culture has its roots in Ancient Olympic... [continue reading]
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The Eleusinian Mysteries and the Bee By Julie Sanchez-Parodi Rosicrucian Digest, No. 2 (2009) Introduction: The fifth century BCE Greek historian Herodotus relates the importance of bees in ancient Greece, pointing out that the honey of neighboring... [continue reading]
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No Happy Ending for Esther By Berel Dov Lerner. Jewish Bible Quarterly, Vol. 29:1 (2001) Introduction: Jews often view the Book of Esther (to which I shall refer by the single Hebrew word Megillah, or “scroll”) as a light, almost comical, biblical... [continue reading]
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The palace of Vergina-Aegae has been preserved and reconstructed since 2010. Despite the fact that the reconstruction works concern the ground level of the palace, architectural parts of the first floor of the palace were found. Aerial view of ancient Vergina... [continue reading]
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A quartzite colossus of 18th Dynasty King Amenhotep III is to be raised on Luxor's west bank on Saturday . Attempt to lift the colossus The colossus was unearthed in 2004 by an Egyptian-European archaeological mission led by Horig Sourouzian during routine excavation... [continue reading]
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A series of Roman artefacts has been found during works to install a water main through a former fort site. A range of Roman artefacts have been uncovered during the water works in southern Scotland The discovery was made as work was carried out... [continue reading]
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The first complete genome-sequencing of 'Otzi', Italy's prehistoric iceman, is revealing a wealth of details about the man who roamed the Alps 5300 years ago and could unleash a frenzy of activity among scientists thanks to open data. Dr. Eduard Egarter-Vigl... [continue reading]
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An archaeological site possibly linked to the Gandhara civilisation has been discovered near a village in Mansehra. The monastery’s walls, built from rugged stones, approximately 3.5 feet wide, feature a specific style of construction commonly found in Buddhist... [continue reading]
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Cut marks found on Ice Age bones indicate that humans in what is now Ohio hunted or scavenged animal meat earlier than previously known. Top view of the left femur (thigh bone) of an Ice Age Jefferson's Ground Sloth. Microscopic analyses of marks on... [continue reading]
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Archaeology Magazine just posted this link about Rome's lost Aqua Traiana aqueduct. Two filmmakers and two archeologists try to ascertain in this ancient Roman wonder was dissembled and reused elsewhere in the city. The results are surprising! Please click here to watch this brief video.
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When the crew of the Virginia scallop trawler Cinmar hauled a mastodon tusk onto the deck in 1970, another oddity dropped out of the net: a dark, tapered stone blade, nearly eight inches long and still sharp. Bonnie Jo Mount/Post - Smithsonian Institute anthropologist... [continue reading]
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As part of the second phase of excavation of the Megalithic sites in the district, more earthen burial urns (nannagadis) have been unearthed near Ramakkalmedu. The megalithic urn excavated from Thovalappady near Ramakkalmedu in Idukki district on Saturday... [continue reading]
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Beer, Barbarism, and the Church from Late Antiquity to the Early Middle Ages By Joseph Wayne Strickland PhD Dissertation, University of Tennessee – Knoxville, 2007 Abstract: At the height of the Roman Empire... [continue reading]
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A Greek bronze helmet, covered with gold leaf and decorated with snakes, lions and a peacock's tail (or palmette), has been discovered in the waters of Haifa Bay in Israel. But how this helmet ended up at the bottom of the bay is a mystery. Covered... [continue reading]
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The archaeological examination by robotic camera of an intact first century tomb in Jerusalem has revealed a set of limestone Jewish ossuaries or "bone boxes" that are engraved with a rare Greek inscription and a unique iconographic image that the scholars involved identify... [continue reading]
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Last week, the Israeli daily Haaretz printed this article about the remains of Aelia Capitolina--the Roman city built directly on top of the ruins of Jerusalem after the destruction of the Second Jewish Temple in 70 CE. In order to uncover some surprising secrets, please click here to read the article.
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