• helen-atkinson

    Ashmolean’s New Block is Bright and Welcoming

    I got a jump on the Queen of England the other day, and visited the newly-opened wing of the Ashmolean Museum of Art & Archaeology in Oxford a full week before she officially opens it Dec. 2. My parents live in Oxford, and I was visiting them unexpectedly (death in my husband’s family). They had tried to visit the Museum at the weekend, but queues that snaked round the block drove them back, so my father and I took a secondwalk over there on a quieter Wed. afternoonto see what all the fuss was about. First off, I should confess…

  • sean-williams

    Lost Pictish Throne Brought to Life by National Museum of Scotland Team

    Scottish history lovers can get a unique view of their country’s heritage at the National Museum of Scotland (NMS) – a team of experts has rebuilt a Pictish throne. The wooden giant was created by master furniture maker Adrian McCurdy, who took his lines from ancient stone carvings. Picts ruled Scotland north of the Firth of Clyde from the 4th to 9th century AD. But they are best known for their mysterious rock art, which still baffles experts today. The throne was commissioned by the museum alongside distillers Glenmorangie. It will go on display next Tuesday (December 1st) at the…

  • images

    Satellite Image: The Tombs and Monuments at Luxor, Egypt

    Luxor, Egypt is one of the most culturally rich parts of the world and is often described as the “World’s Greatest Open Air Museum” for all the various tombs, temples and monuments in the area. Luxor is close to the site of the ancient city of Thebes, the capital of the New Kingdom and famed for its luxurious standards of living and high social order. The city served as an important trading route, and the base of political power in Egypt which made it a favourable destination for Pharaohs and nobles to be buried in tombs. The vastness of the…

  • prad

    Google Earth Tour: Great Cities of the Ancient World

    After Heritage Key’s recent video interview with John Julius Norwich on his new book “The Great Cities in History” (which you should definately watch here) I wrote an article looking at the greatest ancient cities that Lord Norwich selected. With cities across the globe and ranging from the Greeks and Romans, to the Egyptians and Muslims, as far as the Indus Valley and Chinese to the Mayan Civilisation. The city is very much an ancient concept, but one which our society relies upon today in order to maintain a place of power, culture and trade. The earliest cities were based…

  • sean-williams

    Zahi Hawass on the SCA’s Projects at Saqqara’s Step Pyramid of Djoser

    might be one of Egypt’s oldest archaeological sites, but it’s certainly one of the hottest right now. And the omnipresent Zahi Hawass has been enlightening fans on the latest breakthroughs and theories circulating the ancient necropolis. The first of these centres on the giant Step Pyramid of Djoser, Egypt’s first pyramid. Eleven burial shafts have been excavated, homes to each of the Old Kingdom pharaoh’s daughters. As such it was the only Old Kingdom pyramid built for the king’s family. Yet there’s another shaft, soon to be studied, which Dr Hawass (coming to London soon!) feels may be the final…

  • lyn

    Horrible Histories Coming Soon on Nintendo DS, PC and Wii

    Think youd make a ruthless Roman? Find out when Terry Dearys Horrible Histories books make it on to the games market in North America on January 26, 2010. Graffiti Entertainment has secured the rights to publish Wii, Nintendo DS and PC versions of Horrible Histories: Ruthless Romans in North America. It has been developed by Slitherine, which released the game in the UK and Europe in August. Slitherine is also the company behind the Field of Glory and Legion Gold games. Ruthless Romans features a series of mini-games about a young boy, Rassimus, who is captured and forced into slavery…

  • lyn

    Light Up! Light Up! Hadrian’s Wall to get Spectacular Light Show

    Hadrians Wall all 84 miles of it will be bathed in light for one night only in March. A spectacular line of light will run along the entire coast-to-coast Hadrians Wall Path National Trail on Saturday, March 13. Lights will be placed at 250m intervals along the route thats around 500 illuminated spots stretching from Wallsend to Bowness-on-Solway in Cumbria. The Romans built fortlets, known as milecastles, along the Wall at intervals of one Roman mile. Between each milecastle, and spaced one third of a Roman mile apart, were a series of turrets. The plan is to create a point…

  • site

    Tell el-Borg

    Sinai Desert Egypt Located in the North Sinai desert, just east of the Suez Canal, this site contains two ancient Egyptian fortresses. One of them dates to the Amarna Period (18th dynasty) and was used continuously throughout this time-frame. This fort was 120 meters east-west by 80 meters north-south. It contained a dry-moat that may not have been completed. Its purpose would have been to serve as a barrier to attackers trying to destroy the fort. There would have been more than 250 men serving in its garrison, including a chariot unit. Wine and other supplies were sent by the…

  • site

    The Unfinished Obelisk

    Attribution: GabeD Aswan Egypt Key Dates Work is believed to have begun on the Unfinished Obelisk around 1492 BC. Key People No one can be certain who commissioned the Unfinished Obelisk, but it’s widely believed it was built to mark the 16th anniversary of Queen Hatshepsut coming to the throne. Thutmose III is another possibility. Hatshepsut Thutmose III The Unfinished Obelisk is an enormous chunk of carved granite that lies in situ – still attached to the bedrock – at a quarry near Aswan, in Southern Egypt. It was commissioned as a spectacular monument by an Egyptian ruler in the…

  • meral-crifasi

    Spotting Synagogues Amongst the Minarets: A Tour of Jewish Istanbul

    I am planning a week-long trip to Istanbul with my husband and two young boys for Christmas holidays and the New Year. The main focus of the holiday will be visiting my family who live in Istanbul and catching up with friends. Each time we are back home my French husband gets restless in a family environment with too much Turkish language around him that he understands very little of, and wants to be the sightseeing tourist wondering the streets. He would rather be watching a belly dancing show in Galata Tower or relaxing in a TurkishBath – typical tourist…