• sean-williams

    Abbasid Gold Coin Haul Discovered in Lost Egyptian Monastery

    A Polish archaeological team has discovered a decorated clay vessel containing dozens of gold coins at a lost monastery in Egypt. The find was made in a room of the Archangel Gabriel monastery (Deir Malek Gubrail) in Naqlun, in the Fayum Oasis, by the Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology of Warsaw University. SCA chief Zahi Hawass says the hoard’s 18 coins and 62 coin fragments are dated to Egypt’s Abbasid Period, which ruled northern regions between 750 and 1258 AD. Team leader Wlodzimierz Godlewski says the monastic complex of Naqlun was built at the beginning of the 6th century AD.…

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    Experts Reveal Secret Lost Caribbean City

    Researchers have announced the discovery of a huge ancient city, lost beneath the Caribbean Sea. Yet despite possibly predating the pyramids at Giza, its finders insist their breakthrough is not the legendary city of Atlantis. Satellite images of the city – which is not the same as the underwater site off the coast of Cuba proposed by Russian experts in 2001 – appear to show a pyramid, platforms and ruined buildings. And the project’s leader, who wishes to remain anonymous, is conviced they’re no fluke of nature. “We’ve found structure: what appears to be a tall, narrow pyramid; large platform…

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    “We are not Pirates!” Zahi Hawass Anger at British Museum Rosetta Stone Loan Letter

    Does Zahi Hawass want the Rosetta Stone on loan or not? It’s hard to know if you read the news often enough. Last night saw Egypt’s antiquities boss come to the British Museum in London to promote his new book A Secret Voyage. Yet among the niceties between Dr Hawass and BM director Neil MacGregor, trouble was already brewing behind the scenes. And while Dr Hawass, who has stepped up his quest to bring Egypt’s greatest treasures home, insisted he wasn’t in London for the Rosetta Stone, he couldn’t help stepping in front of BBC cameras to stake his country’s…

  • sean-williams

    Zahi Hawass Visits London’s British Museum (and ‘Doesn’t’ Mention Rosetta Stone)

    The British Museum’s Egyptian Sculpture Gallery was packed last night, as hundreds of dignitaries flocked to see The World’s Most Famous Archaeologist (copyright all bloggers) Dr Zahi Hawass, speaking ahead of the release of his latest book A Secret Voyage. Cameras in hand, Heritage Key was there to witness Dr Hawass’ appearance, heralded more like the second coming than a book signing. Stood in front of the museum’s colossal head of Ramesses the Great, Dr Hawass boomed out at his fans like an emissary from the pharaoh himself. But as he spoke, you could sense he was looking longingly above…

  • sean-williams

    Guardian Reader Poll: Majority Wants Rosetta Stone to Stay in England

    Dr Zahi Hawass’ quest for the Rosetta Stone is gathering pace. And with the SCA chief set to visit the British Museum tonight to promote his latest book and holding a repatriation conference next March, it’s an issue which could become a lot more incendiary in the coming weeks. Hot on the tail of Heritage Key’s own survey to decide whether the BM should return some of its highest-prized artefacts, national newspaper the Guardian has probed its own readership on the Rosetta Stone’s repatriation. That’s not to say the Guardian’s poll is particularly far-reaching. Readers are simply given two options…

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    Dust, Damp and Doters Damaging King Tut’s Tomb, Say Getty Institute

    The tomb of Tutankhamun is one of the world’s most famous ancient spots. Yet spots are precisely what are causing the decay of its beautiful wall paintings. The US-based Getty Conservation Institute have been drafted in to help mend the murals, but have been finding it an uphill struggle in the face of fierce desert weather and the onslaught of eager tourists. Dr Zahi Hawass, Egypt’s antiquities chief, has long bemoaned the damage tourists are doing to tombs at the Valley of theKings; the necropolis of ancient Thebes near modern Luxor. Dr Hawass has even mooted the idea of a…

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    Interview: Troy Collins of the Franklin Institute on its Upcoming Cleopatra Exhibition

    Next June, Cleopatra comes to Philadelphia. Not content with staging the most attended exhibition in American history, Tutankhamun And The Golden Age of The Pharaohs, the city’s Franklin Institute will play host to a world of treasures from the palaces, cities and monuments of the last queen of Egypt, entitled Cleopatra: The Search for the Last Queen of Egypt. One of the biggest characters of the ancient world, Cleopatra stole the hearts and minds of leaders, and oversaw her 3000-year-old empire’s destruction. With excavations for her tomb (watch the video) ongoing at Taposiris Magna, can Cleopatra capture the American public…

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    Have a Roman Christmas at the British Museum

    Did you know Christmas dates back to Roman times? Want to find out more? You could do worse than head down to the British Museum this Sunday (Dec 6) then, where popular children’s writer Caroline Lawrence will head up a day of Roman fun based around the ancient festival of Saturnalia, aptly named ‘A Roman Christmas‘. Visitors can get stuck into music, quizzes and prizes – and enjoy a talk and book signing from the author of Roman Mysteries, which has also been made into a CBBC series. Tickets are priced at 5 for the event which starts at 1pm…

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    Stonehenge tops Google Street View Poll

    This summer marked a number of triumphs for Stonehenge: not only did it gain a nextdoor neighbour in newly-discovered Bluestonehenge, but the stone circle topped a poll of British landmarks to be inaugurated in Google’s Street View campaign. The July poll saw 35,000 Brits cast their votes for the nation’s favourite spots. And Stonehenge came out on top of a final shortlist of six that includes: the Millennium Stadium; Angel of the North; Loch Ness; Eden Project; and Warwick Castle. Northumberland’s Bamburgh Castle was picked as a ‘wildcard entry’ by co-organisers Visit Britain. It’s not even the first poll Stonehenge…

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    Making Megalithic Music: Malta’s Ancient Temples

    Remember the story we reported about three months ago, about the Mayan pyramids being giant musical instruments? The idea seems to have struck a chord with experts based in Malta, who – either by design or jealousy – have heralded the acoustic talents of their own megalithic landmarks. The tiny Mediterranean island was once home to a highly developed civilisation, who between the fourth and third millennia BC created some of the world’s most striking ancient architecture. Listed as a UNESCOWorld Heritage Site, the huge temple complex is a majestic wonder which predates Stonehenge by up to a thousand years.…