• event

    Stonehenge Spring Equinox 2011

    The exact time for the Spring (or Vernal) equinox 2011 is March 20th, 23.21 UCT. The sunset on the 20th is at 6.13pm and the sunrise on the 21th of March at 6.02am. English Heritage did not confirm the date for Open Access for Stonehenge for the Spring Equinox 2011 yet, but most likely this will be dawn on the 21th of March. Expect a short period of access, from approximately 5.45am to 8.00am. Event Details Event Dates: Monday 21 March 2011 to Monday 21 February 2011 – ended ERROR – end date before start date Event Start Time: 5am Event Length:…

  • General

    Jon Cannon

    Jon Cannon Expert and writer on British heritage Jon Cannon writes about old places in general and teaches medieval architectural history in particular. He teaches at the University of Bristol and frequently gives talks and leads tours on the subject. He has also published several articles on Avebury, and contributes a regular profile of a historic area – from ancient prehistory to 20th century heritage – to British Archaeology magazine. He has worked in the heritage industry for nearly 15 years, including working for the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England, and English Heritage. He went freelance in…

  • review

    Roman Roads in Britain

    by Hugh Davies Shire Publications (2008) 8/10 This is superb introduction to Roman roads in Britain. It is 72 pages long (including indices) and has plenty of colour photographs, diagrams and several aerial shots to illustrate Hugh Davies’ concise discussion of our Roman roads. Hugh Davies spent his working life as a highway engineer with the Transport Research Laboratory. He retired in 1994 and gained a PhD in 2001 from the Archaeology and Classics Departments of Reading University. He has since written extensively on Roman roads using his expert knowledge of road building and design. He is also the author…

  • world

    A Sumerian Library Catalogue

    A clay tablet dating from the start of the second millennium BC is actually a list of literary texts from a Sumerian library. It originates from Nippur (in ancient Mesopotamia, modern-day lower Iraq), which was one of the most important Sumerian cities. It is on display at the Department of Oriental Antiquities at the Louvre. Origin & Collection On display at: The Louvre Reference Number: AO 5393 Physical properties Materials: Clay

  • review

    The Past from Above

    by Charlotte Trümpler, Georg Gerster Frances Lincoln (2006) 10/10 The first thing that strikes you when you click on to Georg Gerster’s website is the following quote: “Height provides an overview. And an overview facilitates insight, while insight generates consideration – perhaps.” Georg Gerster says this conviction is “both the premise and the result of” his work as a journalist and aerial photographer. And he should know. By following this line of reasoning, Gerster took aerial photography and progressed it, transformed it, challenged it, pushed it to its limits. He took a scientific and artistic pursuit and combined the two…

  • britain

    William the Conqueror

    1027 – 9 Sep 1087 King of England William the Conqueror otherwise known as William I, was the King of England  from 1066 until his death in 1087. His reign largely impacted the course of England in the Middle Ages. William was already a successful figure, and was known as ‘the Conqueror’ before 1066 due to his military success in Brittany. William invaded England in 1066, leading an army of Normans, Bretons, Flemish people and Frenchmen, he rose to victory over the English forces of King Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings. He further suppressed all other English revolts…

  • greece

    Mask of Agamemnon

    Key Dates 1500 BC The Mask of Agamemnon is an artifact discovered at Mycenae. The mask is one of ten discovered in the shaft graves at Mycenae, three in Grave V and two in Grave V. It is now housed in the National Archaeological Museum in Athens. Key People The mask was discovered in 1876 by Heinrich Schliemann a German archaeologist, an advocate of the historical reality of places mentioned in the works of Homer, and an important excavator of Troy and of the Mycenaean sites Mycenae and Tiryns. Schliemann believed that he had discovered the body of the legendary…

  • egypt

    Tutankhamun’s Ivory Senet Board

    Key Dates 1333 BC 18th Dynasty Key People Tutankhamun and his wife Ankhesenamun There were four senet sets in the tomb of Tutankhamun, some ceremonial and others for day-to-day use. One such daily set was made of solid ivory and was found in a wooden chest with many compartments. Howard Carter comments: ‘From the contents… that were found in the chest it becomes obvious that the chest was made for the knick knacks of a boy’ which could be indicative that this set was probably played with by Tutankhamun. This gaming box is particularly small and therefore portable. On the…

  • egypt

    Ritual Figures of King Tut Astride a Panther

    Key Dates 1324 BC The figures date from around the time of the death of Tutankhamun, in 1324 BC. They were discovered, along with the rest of the treasures of Tut’s tomb, in 1922. Key People The figure depicted is 18th Dynasty Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun himself. They were found by Howard Carter, who located King Tut’s tomb. Key People: Tutankhamun Howard Carter These small statuettes of the famous boy king Tutankhamun astride a panther came in a pair and were located along with 32 other ritual figures inside a black resined wooden box in the treasury section of Tut’s tomb,…

  • blogs

    New Pyramid Theory: Khufu’s Great Pyramid, its Building Grid, the Number 7 and the ‘Diamond Matrix’

    For thousands of years, scientists from around the world have tried to understand how the Egyptians designed and built the Great Pyramid of Giza – the last remaining of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Now, an architect and researcher at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) says he has the answer to this ancient puzzle. According to Ole Bryn, the Great Pyramid’s building grid was developed based on the prime number seven – and the core of Khufu’s 146.6 meters high monument is likely a step pyramid. Khufu’s Great Pyramid, located on the Giza Plateau, was…