Attribution: MANNOVER Supe Valley Peru Key Dates Inhabited between 3000 BC and 2000 BC. Discovered in 1948; excavations began in the latter part of the 20th century, and continue to this day. Key People Paul Kosok discovered Caral in 1948. Peruvian archaeologist Ruth Shady has carried out the most extensive research of the site. At over 5000 years of age, Caral is the oldest civilization in the Americas – an elaborate complex of pre-Inca pyramids, temples and houses as old as the Pyramids of Egypt. Many believe it to be a “missing link” or archaeological “mother city”. It is in…
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According to a recent article in the Smithsonian magazine, parts of southern France’s Roman heritage are disappearing fast. Worse still, they are being lost to new building sites, motorways and developments west of the busy tourist area of the Cte d’Azur. Of particular concern is the gradual disappearance of one of the Roman empire’s artery roads the via Aurelia, which once stretched all the way from Rome to France. The section of it in question lies in Provence between Nice and Arles and was originally built by Augustus as a means of dominating the province of Gallia Narbonensis in the…
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You’ve just finished a Calippo, had a lunchtime cider and staggered towards the tube in shorts and flip flops – and not a green leaf in site. You stumble onto a packed train and instantly lose ten pints of water, face buried in the pungent pits of a Bulgarian banker. You could go to the city’s myriad museums this weekend to grab a piece of the ancient world – but why not escape the madness of the metropolis, and get your fix outside the city limits? Three beautiful Roman villas are waiting for you with open arms, and stunning scenery.…
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Nowhere in the international arts does the classic meet the modern quite as head on as at the Epidaurus Festival – Athens’ annual celebration of contemporary creativity and performance, which has undergone a radical rebirth in recent years. Once a stuffy institution revolving exclusively around classic Greek dramas staged in ancient venues, under the stewardship of director Yorgos Loukos since 2005, Epidaurus has been dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st century, and now showcases the cutting edge of fresh and vibrant theatre, music, literature, dance and performing arts – both national and international – in the Greek capital throughout…
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Schools out for summer – it’s playtime now. And while there are plenty of computer games to whet your appetite for the ancient world, there’s also still a lot of fun out there to be had with a bit of glue and some decent instructions. From projects for big kids to those with slightly less nimble fingers, there’s something it seems in the ancient world for everyone. Build Your Own Stonehenge from Running Press may not come with the more than 150 rocks that feature in the life-size version, but it does come with a good two dozen that you…
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jojofotografia‘s capture of the Pont du Gard in the South of France boasts a great HDR shot full of vibrancy and colour, reflecting the beauty of this ancient Roman aqueduct. The strong lines of the structure against the natural features of the water and green banks represent a strong contrast, and the lighting shows the richness of the stone. High dynamic range (HDR) imaging shots are ideal for bringing the colour out in an image, and jojofotografia has really done a stunning job in this photograph. The Pont du Gard was originally thought to have been built by Augustus’s son-in-law,…
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Summer‘s here – and if you hadn’t noticed from the lighter nights, sunny days and relaxed morals, the Council for British Archaeology are ready to officially launch the barbeque season with a festival on a truly mind-boggling scale: The Festival of British Arachaeology 2009. From Saturday 18 July, the nation will become a hotbed of heritage fun, games and erudition as hundreds of venues the length and bredth of Britain lay on over 615 events celebrating archaeology and history in this country and many more. Maybe you want to join in on an excavation project? Or be taken on guided…
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The Colonnade Terrace forms part of the Temple of Ba’al in the ancient Palmyra, an ancient oasis city which boasted great prominence back in ancient times. Julian Kaesler’s photograph of the Terrace caught my eye for the subtle lighting of the stone on a dusk scene. The rich colour reflected in the masonry emphasises the beauty in the relics, and the slight tilt of the camera looking upwards gives this scene the perfect touch. The city has an interesting past, being influenced under Roman control, but a temple in the city was there a good 2000 years before the Romans…
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(Mostly) fictional English rock band Spinal Tap made a much-anticipated come back at the Glastonbury music festival last weekend, followed swiftly by their 25th anniversary One Night Only World Tour show at Londons Wembley Arena on Tuesday. The bands magnum opus remains Stonehenge, their mystical hard rock mini-opera tribute to Salisburys millennia-old Neolithic masterpiece, “Where a man’s a man, and the children dance to the pipes of pan.” A performance of the song made for a memorable scene in the movie This Is Spinal Tap, featuring midgets dancing around – and threatening to crush – an 18 inch high megalith,…
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The air around the Elgin Marbles has turned blue many a time – but few would’ve pictured any of the magnificent sculptures the same colour. Yet this is exactly what a physicist at the British Museum claims to have discovered today. Giovanni Verri claims that by using red light he has found traces of an ancient hue, known as Egyptian Blue, painted on many of the priceless pieces. In fact, Verri says that 17 of the 56 marbles have revealed traces of the pigment, which was first used in Egypt and Mesopotamia as early as 2,500 BC. The colour certainly…