is Britain’s best-loved and most prolific pop historian. She has appeared in no fewer than 11 television programmes in the past four months, with hotly-anticipated The Hemlock Cup, a major new book on legendary philosopher Socrates, out this October. With Hughes’ formidable CV in mind here’s a handy list of…
- Part 16
Roman Mystery Woman Discovered Near Hereford: Not a Female Gladiator
An unusual Roman burial has been uncovered at a site near Hereford. The female, buried in the first or second century AD, was unusually strong and is buried in a well made coffin. Robin Jackson, senior project manager from Worcestershire council’s Historic Environment and Archaeology Service, was excavating at the…
Excavations at the Mamertine Prison Find Evidence of Pre-Christian Cult and the Cult of Saint Peter
On Tuesday this week public offices in Rome shut down as the city celebrated the feast-day of two of its patron saints, Peter and Paul. So it was an appropriate time for Rome’s archaeological superintendency to announce some of the findings of an archaeological investigation at the Mamertine prison, in…
Roman Ships and Amphorae Found off Sardinia and Panarea
Roman ship-discovery season is in full flow, with several finds and explorations announced in the past week. Yesterday Ansa ran a story about the discovery of a 25-metre merchant ship from the first century AD with its cargo of 500 amphorae containing fruit and vegetables still on board. The ship…
Work Begins on Ancient Stone Circle ‘Ten-Times Bigger that Stonehenge’
Archaeologists began working on one of Britain’s most mysterious ancient landmarks this Monday, as they aim to unravel its many hidden secrets (UPDATE: Click here to read about some of the finds). And while Marden Henge in Wiltshire may be almost unknown alongside its neighbour at Stonehenge, it is at…
Did Cleopatra Prefer Poison to Suicide by Snake?
Alexandria, 30BC. When Cleopatra, the last Queen of Egypt, is forced to surrender to Octavian, she decides she’d rather die than fall in enemy hands. She locks herself in the temple, and manages to deceive her Roman captors: by inducing an Egyptian cobra to bite her on the arm, she…
‘Rock Drawings were Prehistoric Movies’ – Most Obvious Archaeology Ever?
My award for archaeology’s equivalent of an IgNoble prize goes to boffins at Cambridge University and Austria’s Sankt Poelten University, who have triumphantly announced that rock engravings from the Copper Age in Europe were ancient movies (as opposed to doodles). Was this not a hopelessly obvious conclusion? Not to Cambridge’s…
Lost Town ‘that Launched Ships to Troy’ Discovered in Greece
An ancient town that once may have launched ships to Troy has been discovered in a town in Greece. Archaeologists at the site in Kyparissia, on the western Pelopennese, have unearthed the outlines of buildings and ancient tiling ahead of roadworks, reports Hamara. The discovery will also be a boost…
King Tut’s Penis ‘Swapped for Being Too Small’
Tutankhamun’s penis was swapped because it was too small, according to a media report. New Scientist writer Jo Marchant believes the young pharaoh may have suffered from a rare genetic defect which, among other issues, causes under-developed genitalia. Antley-Bixler syndrome also results in elongated skulls, which could account for stylistic…
Youths Arrested over Amesbury Summer Solstice Bus Joyride
A troublemaking trio have filmed a trail of destruction, as they stole a double-decker bus and crashed it causing 30,000 damage in the Stonehenge town of Amesbury. The three, two 16-year-old girls and a man, 21, have been arrested and released on bail after shooting ‘stolen bus solstice 2010 hoodies…