Last weekend I went to Hadrian’s Wall to document what turned out to be a remarkable event. The plan was to shoot as many great photos as I could. But when your subject stretches across 84 miles, and includes 20,000 people, not to mention millennia of history… where does a…
- Part 41
The Secret of Kells – An Illuminated Animation Film
In these times, who would make an animated movie that was intentionally two-dimensional? Deflated and only minorly shaded, but visually ravishing. Flat, but filled with ancient swirls and Celtic knots. And who would have thought such a film would become a major hit? ‘The Secret of Kells’, a spirited retelling…
Arbil, Iraq Discovery Could be Earliest Evidence of Humans in the Near East
Czech archaeologists have excavated remains of a prehistoric settlement in Arbil, north Iraq, which could date back as far back 200,000 years, placing it among the earliest evidence of hominid activity in the region. The expedition, led by Dr. Karel Novacek from the University of West Bohemia in Plzen, unearthed clusters of…
Will Virtual Reconstruction of Çatalhöyük be Abandoned Due to High Rent Rates in Second Life?
Virtual atalhyk is one of the most well-researched and painstakingly executed ancient world reconstructions in Second Life. But with the rent due, and funding tight, can the researchers keep the environment alive? I spoke to creator Colleen Morgan about the problems of creating reconstructions for high-rent platforms. Model Town Over…
University of Sussex Cutbacks: Protests, Riot Police and Strike Action
Students and staff at the University of Sussex have united in angry protest against proposed cutbacks at the Brighton and Hove institution. The cutbacks will include a complete scrapping of the study of English history before 1700, a move leading historians have warned puts in peril the public function of…
Tutankhamun’s Funeral – A New King Tut Exhibition at New York’s Met
In 1908, more than a decade before the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb, American retired lawyer and archaeologist Theodore Davis made a remarkable discovery. While excavating in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt, he unearthed about a dozen large storage jars. Their contents included broken pottery, bags of natron, bags…
How to Look Ten Years Older: Photos From the Scanning of a Mummy in Porto
A couple of weeks ago I was lucky enough to take part in the scanning of a female mummy from ancient Egypt, and to take photos to document the experience. This young girl was only around 25 at the age of death, and survived in relative peace for thousands of…
Celebrate St. Patrick’s by Visiting Loughcrew for Spring Equinox
Some of you, like us, may be visiting Stonehenge for this Saturday’s Spring Equinox celebrations (see event listing here). Yet I suspect a fair few more of you will be sinking pints of Guinness in homage to Saint Patrick tonight, staggering home wearing a green top hat which looked oh-so-cool…
Anglo-Saxon CSI: Archaeologists Stumped by Mystery Saxon Find
Reminding us that archaeologists for all their undoubted intelligence, ingenuity, industry and general egg headedness dont always have the answers, experts from the Canterbury Archaeological Trust (CAT) have this week been forced to put up their hands and admit they remain unsure as to the purpose of a Saxon artefact…
Ancient Chinese Mummies Originated in Europe and Siberia
A group of ancient Chinese mummies found in China have long fascinated experts and the public, largely because the bodies look more distinctly European (or even Celtic) than Asian. Now a new scientific report published last month says the oldest of these mummies dating back almost 4,000 years likely originated…