Heritage Key enters the Petrie Museum in London to talk to the curator Dr Stephen Quirke, who explains the importance of one of the co-founders of the Egypt Exploration Society - Amelia Edwards. She was dedicated to protecting the Ancient Egyptian heritage from growing tourism by bringing artefacts to Britain, and creating a museum where students could learn from the discoveries. Named after its first professor, William Flinders Petrie, the museum was set up near the only university at the time which awarded degrees to women - the University College London.
Submitted by Bija Knowles on Thu, 10/15/2009 - 17:30
Who hasn't watched Gladiatorand then wondered why you don't meet men like that down the local pub? The same goes for those bulging muscles of antiquity that we see in classical art galleries – they've often made me think that, well, they don't make 'em like they used to. Now it turns out that what we thought all along – that men in ancient times were a darn sight fitter than their modern descendants - is actually true. What's more, it seems that ancient man was also better looking and more intelligent. This is the controversial argument that Australian author Peter McAllister sets out to prove in his latest book: Manthropology - The Science of the Inadequate Modern Male.
Submitted by veigapaula on Mon, 09/14/2009 - 16:01
Staying healthy in ancient Egypt was about much more than just avoiding illness (although they certainly had a hearty arsenal of cures and treatments for anything that did go wrong). The Egyptians went to great lengths (burning cone on the head, anyone?) in order to look, and smell, great. In terms of fashion, jewellery, make-up, and seductive beauty they were streets ahead of their contemporaries, and wouldn't look out of place on today's catwalks (or dancefloors).
Submitted by veigapaula on Wed, 08/19/2009 - 15:59
Highlighted Quote:
Medical papyri of the time suggest mixing honey with ochre black eye paint that a father asks from his son. Honey has antiseptic properties, and ochre cools down the eyelids and reduces swellings, so the recipe is based on good research.
Submitted by Bija Knowles on Fri, 07/17/2009 - 11:20
Resins from pine and cashew trees, and Egyptian moringa oil: these are the essential ingredients of a rich woman's beauty routine in Italy before the dawn of the Roman empire. The solid, yellow cream was found in an Egyptian alabaster vase belonging to an aristocratic Etruscan lady and is thought to be more than 2,000 years old. The results of a scientific analysis have just been published in July's edition of Journal of Archaeological Science.
Though unfinished, this exquisite sculpture provides a unique look into both the beauty of Nefertiti and the craft of the artist. Nefertiti's features are sharply carved into brown quartzite, and her beauty radiates in spite of -- or perhaps because of -- the lack of paint.
This head was to be assembled with other pieces in order to compose a larger sculpture -- a technique common among Akhenaten's workshops.
The Capitoline Venus occupies the centre of a small octagonal room in Palazzo Nuovo. The statue is splendidly preserved - it shows a beautiful female figure who has possibily just finished bathing. She seems to have been caught unawares and is modestly covering her body with her arms. The statue is based on the prototype model of the Cnidian Aphrodite by Praxiteles. It dates from the fourth century BC and was found in Rome in the Viminale between 1667-1670. It was donated by Pope Benedict 14th to the Capitoline Museums in 1752.
Who hasn't watched 
Staying healthy in ancient Egypt was about much more than just avoiding illness (although they certainly had a hearty arsenal of 
Resins from pine and cashew trees, and Egyptian moringa oil: these are the essential ingredients of a rich woman's beauty routine in Italy before the dawn of the 
