conservation

This week a group of archaeologists and volunteers from Colchester Archaeological Trust and Destination Colchester  attained their goal to raise £200,000 to buy a plot of land that covers the remains of part of what was once the only known Roman Circus in Britain. The appeal started as recently as December 2009, and was quickly won, with the help of celebrity endorsements and public goodwill. We spoke to Philip Crummy, Director of the Colchester Archaeological Trust about the achievement.

I got a jump on the Queen of England the other day, and visited the newly-opened wing of the Ashmolean Museum of Art & Archaeology in Oxford a full week before she officially opens it Dec. 2. My parents live in Oxford, and I was visiting them unexpectedly (death in my husband's family). They had tried to visit the Museum at the weekend, but queues that snaked round the block drove them back, so my father and I took a second walk over there on a quieter Wed. afternoon to see what all the fuss was about.

In the small town of Casola di Napoli, about three miles south of the archaeological site of Pompeii, sheer chance has brought to light an archaeological discovery – as well as some unanswered questions. A lorry driver was manoeuvring his van when he managed to cause some subsidence in part of a car park between two residential buildings. A hole opened in the ground – revealing a stone arch and some walls.

Saqqara might be one of Egypt's oldest archaeological sites, but it's certainly one of the hottest right now. And the omnipresent Zahi Hawass has been enlightening fans on the latest breakthroughs and theories circulating the ancient necropolis. The first of these centres on the giant Step Pyramid of Djoser, Egypt's first pyramid. Eleven burial shafts have been excavated, homes to each of the Old Kingdom pharaoh's daughters. As such it was the only Old Kingdom pyramid built for the king's family.

With the UN's Climate Change summit taking place in Copenhagen next month, it seems everyone's minds are adjusted to the environment. Zahi Hawass is no different. The sands of time and weather pose a serious threat to many of his famous Egyptian landmarks, and the antiquities chief has set up several projects to combat the forces of nature on some of man's greatest achievements.

One of Israel's leading archaeologists has publicly condemned the Israel Antiquities Authority's failure to object to a plan to construct a part of the Western Wall Heritage Center over a site where a well-preserved ancient Roman road was recently excavated. The construction area has been designated for religious purposes since Israel took control of the Western Wall in 1967. The building would include a 4,800-square meter, three-story museum and educational institute that would display the Roman road on the ground floor, but Yoram Tsafir told Haaretz.com even the most amazing architect will not be able to avoid damaging the find and visitors need to be able to see the entire road - not just a fragment - to appreciate it.

Having been a tour leader for an adventure travel company, I was interested to read the recently published World Monuments Fund (WMF) guidelines for sustainable tourism, all of which have been inadvertently followed for years by conscientious tourists and tour companies.

Heritage Key has premiered a new video with Dr. Zahi Hawass—The Riddle of KV63.  Again we are treated to the film work of Nico Piazza and Heritage Key’s exclusive access to the one person who has unfettered access to all of Egypt’s mysteries, Dr. Zahi Hawass.