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    Chief Archaeologist: New discoveries show First Emperor’s Mausoleum influenced by foreign ideas

    Acrobats from Burma, workers from Central or West Asia, and a mausoleum design inspired by work in the Middle East – the Mauseoleum of China’s First Emperor was a cosmopolitan place says Dr. Duan Qingbo, the man in charge of excavating it. The mausoleum was created about 2,200 year ago and served as a tomb for Qin Shi Huang – the first emperor of China. While the emperor’s tomb is largely unexcavated, archaeologists have found thousands of life-size terracotta figures nearby. It’s believed that this army was created to serve the emperor in the afterlife. Dr. Duan (Duan is his…

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    Chief Archaeologist: New discoveries show First Emperor’s Mausoleum influenced by foreign ideas

    Acrobats from Burma, workers from Central or West Asia, and a mausoleum design inspired by work in the Middle East the Mauseoleum of Chinas First Emperor was a cosmopolitan place says Dr. Duan Qingbo, the man in charge of excavating it. The mausoleum was created about 2,200 year ago and served as a tomb for Qin Shi Huang the first emperor of China. While the emperors tomb is largely unexcavated, archaeologists have found thousands of life-size terracotta figures nearby. Its believed that this army was created to serve the emperor in the afterlife. Dr. Duan (Duan is his family name)…

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    The oath on the platform – 2,700 year old temple at Tayinat had royal loyalty oath prominently displayed

    A team of researchers – excavating a 2,700 year old temple at the ancient city of Tayinat in southeastern Turkey – have discovered evidence that its inhabitants prominently displayed a tablet which bore a pledge of loyalty to the heir of an Assyrian king. At their height the Assyrians controlled an empire that stretched from southern Iraq to the Mediterranean coast. In their art and writing, “the Assyrian king was portrayed as supreme ruler of the known world and viewed with absolute authority as the earthly representative and human embodiment of (the Assyrian god) Ashur,” said Professor Tim Harrison of…

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    Top 10 Socrates Quotes to Reflect Upon

    In 399 BC the Greek philosopher Socrates, by then around the age of 70, was executed in his home state of Athens. He was prosecuted for the rather dubious crimes of “not acknowledging the gods the city acknowledges” and “subverting the youth of the city”. His case was brought to court and prosecuted by a man named Meletus Meletou. After a one day long trial (the norm back then) he was found guilty by a jury of 501 peers – and sentenced to death. Modern day historians suspect that this trial was politically motivated. Indeed Socrates is said to have referred…

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    Terracotta Warriors tour curtailed – won’t be stopping in Victoria and Calgary

    Bad news today for ancient history fans in Western Canada. The Terracotta Warriors show now on at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) will not be coming to Victoria and Calgary. It had previously been announced that the Terracotta Warriors would visit the RoyalBC and Glenbow Museums, respectively,in 2011/2012. The ROM is the lead partner in organizing the exhibit. A release says that out-of-country loan of Terracotta artefacts from China is unable to be extended beyond one year to Canada. As a result, the museums that planned to exhibit the artifacts during the second year of the tour, Calgary’s Glenbow Museum…

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    The Sphinx is sexy? New video by Marina Orlova highlights the ancient monument

    What do you get when you combine the Sphinx with cleavage? You get a video that looks something like this (Watch the Video). YouTube phenomenon Marina Orlova, a former teacher who presents facts with a slightly risqu twist, gives a lesson on the famous monument. According to her bio she holds two degrees in philology (that’s historical linguistics), has just under 400,000 YouTube subscribers and yes she did teach high school, back in Russia. She uses the tag line intelligence is sexy. To be fair to her, the video is informative and while her attire is – eye-catching – it…

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    2,000 year old burial complex discovered on Jacob’s island, Kawartha Lakes Canada

    A team of archaeologists has discovered a 2,000 year old burial mound complex on Jacob’s Island in Kawartha Lakes Canada. So far the team has discovered 35 burials, although there could be nearly double that at the site. The deceased include a mix of adult men, women, teenagers and young children. “These are community burials, we’re getting a selection of the community being buried here,” said Professor James Conolly of Trent University, who is leading the team. The mound indicates that people in Ontario were living an egalitarian lifestyle at this time – even though they were constructing more elaborate…

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    Oldest house in Ontario discovered at 4,500 year old settlement near Lake Huron, Canada

    Archaeologists have discovered a 4,500 year old settlement, on the Ausable River, near the shore of Lake Huron in Canada. The find rewrites the history of the Canadian province of Ontario, proving that people were living a sedentary lifestyle at that time, even though they lacked agriculture and pottery. Among the discoveries is a 4,500 year old house – the oldest ever found in the province. “It’s semi-subterranean – it’s dug partially down into the ground,” said Professor Chris Ellis of the University of Western Ontario. He led the team that made the find. “It’s as old as the pyramids…

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    Accessing the Terracotta Warriors by Touch – ROM Creates Braille Replica Warriors

    The Royal Ontario Museum, in Toronto Canada, has brought ina number offeatures to make theirTerracotta Warriors show more accessible. They have installed four replica artefacts, along with Braille markings, that peoplecan touch. These include a ding ritual vessel, a kneeling archer, a cavalry soldier and horse, and a dancer. The kneeling archer is of particular interest. The example on display at the ROM has some surviving color – information that will presumably be included in Braille. His armor is also quite detailed as seen in this close-up shot. Each of the warriors has a unique look (scholars believe they were…

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    ‘Huge’ structure discovered near Snefru’s Bent Pyramid in Egypt may be an ancient harbour

    Archaeologists have discovered a large structure to the northeast of the 4,600 year old Bent Pyramid which may be the remains of an ancient harbour. It connects to one of the pyramids temples by way of a 140 meter long causeway. The discoveries were made by a team from the Cairo department of the German Archaeological Institute, and the Free University of Berlin. The team used magnetic survey and drill cores soundings to make the finds. The structure is mostly unexcavated and only a portion of the causeway has been unearthed. The structure itself is U-shaped, 90 meters by 145…