• sean-williams

    Stonehenge is Best British Site, Say UK Kids

    You might expect the youth of today to be more interested in Britain’s modern icons – but what happens when you ask the kids about their favourite sites? A survey of the nation’s youngsters, compiled by budget hotel chain Travelodge, has revealed Stonehenge to be the country’s top tourist spot, closely followed by Hadrian’s Wall. The prehistoric Salisbury stone circle predates contemporary entries on the top ten list, such as the London Eye, by over 5,000 years. The capital’s giant ferris wheel could only muster third place, while Antony Gormley’s Angel of the North made eighth. Edinburgh Castle is the…

  • sean-williams

    Early Man Did Have Sex with Neanderthals

    One of the world’s leading geneticists claims modern man and Neanderthals were more than mere neighbours thousands of years ago. Swedish expert Professor Svante Paabo, of the Max Planck Institution for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, is sure the two species had sex during their 10-12,000-year coexistence some 30,000 years ago. Yet Paabo, who made the claim during a conference in New York, is unsure as yet whether the cross-copulating led to children – and whether those children would have been infertile, as is the case in the offspring of lions and tigers, or horses and zebras. Prof. Paabo, named among…

  • sean-williams

    ‘Atlantis and Mini-Stonehenge’ found in Devon

    Archaeologists have discovered the remains of a prehistoric city, buried beneath a reservoir in southern England. The ‘mini-Atlantis’ was unearthed after water levels were lowered at the old Tottiford Reservoir, near Moretonhampstead – and comes complete with a Stonehenge-esque ceremonial site. Archaeologists observing the city are justifiably astonished at its existence. Jane Marchand, of Dartmoor National Park Authority, describes the find and its Avebury-like credentials: “It’s a proper ceremonial site – we’ve also got ten burial cairns there. It was probably a real community centre. There are a lot of earlier recordings in this area of polished stone axes and…

  • sean-williams

    The Sun Rises on Stonehenge Virtual

    Here are the stunning first pictures of our exciting Stonehenge Virtual, as it reached the early stages of its development. You can see from these pictures how quickly work is moving forward on our own famous stones, where you’ll be able to explore the wonder of Britain’s best-loved ancient landmark. Our builders are certainly putting Stonehenge Virtual together a lot faster than their Neolithic counterparts! Thanks to some serendipidous virtual weather, you can see the midsummer sun weave its way across Stonehenge Virtual’s horizon. Maybe we’ll have 36,500 people flocking to our stones in celebration soon! But there’s much more…

  • sean-williams

    Interview: Legendary History Writer John Julius Norwich

    Heritage Key has just returned from a blustery, biting morning trip to legendary writer John Julius Norwich‘s house, beside the pretty canals of London’s Little Venice. It was a great interview, and one which we’ll be following up with articles, videos and photos right here – see below for tips on how to keep up with our content! A brisk wind whips up dervishes of crooked caramel and crimson leaves; whistling cold signals the city’s slide from autumn to winter. Yet a firm handshake and sincere smile minutes later leaves HK as warm as ever, as we enter Lord Norwich’s…

  • sean-williams

    Interview: Dave Simmonds of Birmingham Museum on the Staffordshire Hoard

    The Staffordshire Hoard has been one of the most staggering and inspirational discoveries in British history. Hundreds of stunning gold Saxon artefacts, all bundled into one stash and found over a thousand years later by a lone metal detecting enthusiast – it’s a story that could have come straight out of an archaeological thriller. While the necessary steps are taken to secure their future, the treasures are being housed in Birmingham’s Museum and Art Gallery. Heritage Key talks to the museum’s resident scholar Dave Simmonds about his thoughts on a momentous breakthrough in British heritage. HK: The Staffordshire Hoard is…

  • sean-williams

    Minotaur Labyrinth Could be in Crete Quarry, Not Knossos

    An unheralded Cretan quarry could be the site of the legendary labyrinth in which Theseus killed the Minotaur, says an Anglo-Greek team of experts. The group claims the stone quarry, located just outside the tiny town of Gortyn, is just as likey to be the scene for one of Greek mythology‘s most famous tales as the better-known Palace of Knossos 20 miles away. 600,000 people pass through the palace ruins each year; nearly all of whom are told it is the place where King Minos built his fabled maze to house the fearsome Minotaur, a half-man, half-bull creature who feasted…

  • sean-williams

    The Egypt Exploration Society Archives Need Your Help!

    The event Heritage Key attended on Saturday may not have been one of the most glamorous occasions in the archaeological circuit, but it was certainly one of the most important. Hob-nobbing over wine, beer and crisps, some of Britain’s best known Egyptologists gathered in the swanky surroundings of London’s Birlington House, to mark the Egypt Exploration Society’s plans to protect and digitise the Lucy Gura archives. And they need your help! “The most important value of archives is making fun of our colleagues.” Think Egypt and you might imagine great personalities, incredible images and fierce politics. But the excesses, eccentricities…

  • sean-williams

    Stonehenge Visitor Centre Design Unveiled

    English Heritage has unveiled the design for its proposed new Stonehenge visitor centre, after months of anticipation. The plans were revealed as a planning application for the complex was sent to Wiltshire Council for approval. Located at Airman’s Corner some 1.5 miles west of the landmark, the new centre will include exhibition space, a caf, shop and toilet facilities for the million-or-so people who flock to the ancient stones each year. It will comprise two single-storey buildings, one made from wood, the other glass, and a transit system will allow visitors to move to and from the centre. Loraine Knowles,…

  • sean-williams

    Goth Pirate Puzzle Solved in Gloucestershire

    A longstanding mystery has been laid to rest this week, as experts finally solved the riddle of a 1,600-year-old body discovered in Gloucestershire 37 years ago. The identity of the 25-30-year-old man, unearthed in a mausoleum in Kingsholm Square in 1972, had long evaded archaeologists. Yet now thanks to chemical testing, a team has revealed him to have been an eastern European Goth warrior from around 400 AD. The man’s lavish burial includes a silver belt buckle and inlaid knife from the Balkans and southern Russia, which show him to have been someone of high rank – experts believe he…