Submitted by Sean Williams on Mon, 02/22/2010 - 16:36
Want to star in an Ancient World in London video, and learn about the stars at the same time? Then join Heritage Key and famed astronomy writer Paul Murdin at a cool London restaurant this Wednesday at 6:30pm, as the Secrets of the Universe author gives a special presentation on how ancient civilisations and British astronomers have discovered the cosmos.
The talk, entitled 'Unlocking the Wonders of Astronomy', will show how man's obsession with the heavens has endured for thousands of years, from the first cities of Sumer to the technological breakthroughs of today's most powerful nations. The presentation will be held at Cicada, a hip restaurant in the heart of the City of London.
No Christmas would be the same without many a wasted hour spent buried in the couch – wiped-out on a bellyful of turkey and stuffing, or nursing a hangover after a Herculean night’s mulled wine consumption – flicking the channels in a dozy haze. It's a Christmas tradition (although we can't guarentee that it dates back as far as some other ancient seasonal rituals)
This year you can spare yourself all those awful festive films and Christmas music videos you’ve seen a million times, by keeping Heritage Key’s handy guide to ancient world-themed Christmas TV close at hand.
All the old-school three-hours plus historical epics are being dusted down again for the season of good will – among them many of the biggest ancient world blockbusters of all time – as well as a raft of comedy and family-orientated ancient world-related movies, and even a few interesting-sounding documentaries.
One of the most fascinating cities in history (and you can watch our video interview with John Julius Norwich to find out about other great cities in history) is Chichen Itza, which was built by the Mayans between the 7th and 10th centuries AD. The settlement here in what is a dry and arid region is down to the discovery of two cenotes - large, natural sinkholes which lead to an abundant supply of freshwater. This laid the basis for agricultural development, and in time the city would grow to become a political, cultural and trading powerhouse which dominated the region.
We, sitting comfortably in front of our computers here in the 21st century, a mocha-choca-frappe-latte possibly close at hand, like to complain a lot about stress.
Balancing the demands of work, family, health and the full range of entertainment offered our by multi-channel digital TV package, is – after all – a trying daily endeavour. It’s blissful to believe that life was somehow calmer and simpler in the quaint days of ancient history. But the findings of some new studies have suggested that that firmly was not the case.
High levels of the stress hormone cortisol have been detected in the hair of ancient Peruvians – considerably higher levels, it should be noted, than those detected in the hair of humans today.
No Christmas would be the same without many a wasted hour spent buried in the couch – wiped-out on a bellyful of turkey and stuffing, or nursing a hangover after a Herculean night’s mulled wine consumption – flicking the channels in a dozy haze. It's a Christmas tradition (although we can't guarentee that it dates back as far as some other 
