The recession isnt being kind to the ancient world. Two leading publishers of history titles have just gone bust, and there are fears that more will follow. Italian publishers White Star have become the latest victim, following British publisher Thalamus into receivership last month. White Star, which opened in 1984,…
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Refurb for Turin’s Museo Egizio: New Features to Include ‘Journey up the Nile’
The Museo delle Antichit Egizie (Museo Egizio) in Turin is currently undergoing a makeover that is set to change the layout and design of the venue that is home to the biggest collection of Egyptian artefacts outside Egypt. In an interview yesterday, Alain Elkann, president of the Fondazione Museo delle…
How to Unroll a Papyrus – Video Release From the ROM
Unrolling a papyrus (without destroying it) is an expensive and complicated process. How do you do it without causing the whole thing to crumble into unintelligable flakes? Well, last year the Royal Ontario Museum unrolled a Book of the Dead that had long been in their collection, which dated back…
Maya Pyramids were Giant Musical Instruments
New research suggests the giant step pyramids of the ancient Mayas may in fact have been used to make music on a colossal scale. Experts were already aware of the ‘raindrop’ sounds made by the footsteps of those ascending Chichen Itza‘s famous El Castillo pyramid. Yet the comparison of El…
Visualizing the Aztecs – Digital model used in British Museum exhibition ‘Moctezuma: Aztec Ruler’
Anyone who has visited the ancient ruins of great civilizations can appreciate the difficulty of visualizing the buildings at their peak. Today’s visitor to the British Museum can see structures of the Aztecs, thanks to one professor’s research into the ancient architecture that served as the center stage of Aztec…
Sandro Vannini’s Photography: Tomb KV63 – Storage Room?
For many years, people said the Valley of the Kings had revealed all its secrets.. but then came KV63. In 2006, a team from the University of Memphis, headed by Dr Otto Schaden, were excavating the Tomb of King Amenmesse (KV10) when they accidentally uncovered something new. Noticing white stone…
Dan Brown’s Lost Symbol – Circumpunct, Ra, or Circle With a Dot in the Middle?
As any true seeker of ancient wisdom knows, it ain’t found in a Dan Brown novel. This is despite the bold claim in the preface to his latest epic, The Lost Symbol: “FACT: In 1991, a document was locked in the safe of the director of the CIA. The document…
Race is On to Preserve Underwater Relics in Solent Strait
An incredible ancient settlement off Britain‘s south coast that could ‘rewrite the history books’ is in danger of being swept away, unless archaeologists secure enough funding to launch full-scale excavations by next year. Experts have been astounded by the discovery of 24 worked timber fragments found on underwater diving expeditions…
Highland Archaeology Festival Returns In October
Hot on the heels of Scottish Archaeology Month comes the Highland Archaeology Festival, from October 3-18 a fortnight of over 100 events, activities and open days, most of them free, giving the public a great chance to get hands on with the picturesque northern regions abundant heritage. As well as…
Supervolcano Ash Crushed Early Europeans’ Teeth
Crushed teeth, sore eyes and itchy skin. Sound bad? This was the fate that befell central Europeans 13,000 years ago, according to new research. A study released by Aarhus University’s Felix Riede and Jeffrey Wheeler of the University of Cambridge suggests that particles shot into the sky by a huge…