• ellie

    Long-lost Bones Belong to Saxon Queen Eadgyth

    This is the most exciting archaeological story of 2010. Once again the University of Bristol is leading the world in research. And I am lucky enough to be going back to my favorite university today to hear this groundbreaking new evidence of Princess Edith’s legend. Scientists will announce that bones excavated in Magdeburg Cathedral in 2008 are those of SaxonQueen Eadgyth (‘Edith of England’) who died in AD 946. Crucial scientific evidence came from teeth preserved in the upper jaw. The bones are the oldest surviving remains of an English royal burial. The original excavations (view the 2006-2009 excavation here)…

  • site

    Portchester Castle

    Attribution: Air Frame Photography Key Dates ca 375 AD – construction 1396 – Richard II transformed part of the castle into a palace Portchester United Kingdom Portchester Castle is the best-preserved of the Roman ‘Saxon Shore’ forts. It coveres an area of nearly ten acres and was originally built in the late 3rd century.  Its walls still stand to their full 6 metre height. Originally constructed as a Roman fort, it saw continued use over the next sixteen centuries:  it housed a Saxon settlement, became a Norman castle, was transformed into a palace by Richard II and housed troops during the Civil war, and…

  • owenjarus

    Calling all west-coast Egypt fans – King Tut event to take place in Vancouver!

    While the golden kings exhibition has left Canada for southern climes, those in Vancouver will have an opportunity to learn more about him and more specifically how his artefacts reinforced his position as pharaoh. Professor Katja Goebs research looks at Egyptian pharaohs and the artefacts that cement their hold on power. Her most recent book Crowns in early Egyptian Funerary Literature: Royalty, Rebirth, and Destruction, examines the white and red crowns ofUpper and Lower Egypt. They possess a wide-ranging symbolism that transcends the terrestrial sphere to encompass the divine and the cosmos, death and rebirth, she wrote in the book…

  • malcolmj

    Caves of Altamira Reopen: Spanish Culture Ministry to Defy Scientists’ Warnings

    The Spanish Culture Ministry have announced that the Caves of Altamira the so-called Sistine Chapel of Paleolithic art are to reopen after eight years of closure, despite serious warnings from scientists that the world-famous ancient drawings and polychrome rock paintings within may suffer irrevocable damage from moisture generated by visitors. In a statement to reporters on Tuesday, Spanish Culture Minister Angeles Gonzalez-Sinde and the sites board of directors announced that public access will resume before the end of this year, albeit on an unspecified, restricted basis. The cave complex located in the Cantabria region of northern Spain, and first discovered…

  • owenjarus

    ROM set to announce new CEO… but what should his or her goal be?

    In a matter of weeks, or even days, the Royal Ontario Museum, in Toronto Canada,will be announcing who their next CEO is going to be. I dont have any knowledge as to who it is, but, can certainly say that the new leader has an almost impossible act to follow. William Thorsell, the museums current leader, will be retiring in August. His ten year termat the museum was one of unprecedented growth. Under his leadership the ROM built an expansion that saw its Bloor Street frontage turned quite literally into a giant crystal. Collections that had been in storage from…

  • Ann

    Return of the Parthenon Marbles: Reunification, Not Repatriation Says Pandermalis

    In an interview for Toronto-based ‘The Agenda’, journalist Steve Paikin questioned Dimitrios Pandermalis, president of the New Acropolis Museum in Athens, on why Greece believes the famous Elgin Marbles should be returned to their homeland. And if the British Museum were to return the marbles would it not set a precedent for a myriad other claims for reparation, from all over the world?Pandermalis sees the return of the Parthenon Marbles not as a ‘repatriation’ of artefacts, but rather as re-unification, reinstating the ancient monument’s integrity. Pandermalis is right to say that the Parthenon sculptures and friezes do not belong to…

  • egypt

    Papyrus Signed by Cleopatra

    Key Dates 50 BC The item dates from the reign of Cleopatra, around 50 BC. Key People Cleopatra, the last queen of Egypt who signed the document. Mark Antony, Cleopatra’s lover and friend of Publius. Key People: Cleopatra Mark Antony At first glance this papyrus document may seem a nondescript artefact, albeit one from the Ptolemaic period of ancient Egypt. On closer inspection it may be one of the most significant artefacts relating to Cleopatra, the enigmatic last queen of Egypt. The papyrus is essentially a tax exemption, granting freedom from payment on the import of Roman wine to Egypt.…

  • sean-williams

    Cleopatra: The Search for the Last Queen of Egypt Opens at Franklin Institute, Philadelphia

    Philadelphia’s Franklin Institute plays host to the world premiere of Cleopatra: The Search for the Last Queen of Egypt this Saturday (June 5). The exhibition, which runs until January 2 2011, promises to be a spectacular affair, combining over 150 artefacts relating to the famous queen, and visits the archaeology that is unearthing her amazing world day by day (click here for an interview with the Institute’s Troy Collins). The show is organised by National Geographic, the same brains behind the Terracotta Warriors’ recent trip across North America. The exhibition’s showcase treasures include statues, jewellery and everyday items from Cleopatra’s…

  • sean-williams

    Colchester Shooting for UNESCO World Heritage List

    The Pyramids of Giza, Great Wall of China, Stonehenge and…Colchester? The Essex town is preparing an audacious bid to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site – and it’s not as unlikely as it sounds. Destination Colchester, a group of local business owners and heritage enthusiasts, is preparing a bid to be entered onto a tentative list of the UK’s heritage sites. If the bid, due next Friday (11 June), is successful Colchester could find itself rubbing shoulders with the likes of Bath Spa, Hadrian’s Wall and the Tower of London. On a personal note I’d also like to mention I…

  • Ann

    Bring Them Back Campaign Takes Big Ben Clock Hostage in Exchange for Elgin Marbles

    I you go sightseeing in London after a night out, stare up at Big Ben to find its clock missing, you might conclude you’ve overdone it on the Metaxa. But no: according to the new campaign video from bringthemback.org, Britain’s best-known clock was taken by Greek multi-millionaire Aristotle Elginiadis. In a month’s time the video – a call for the return of the Elgin Marbles (what else) –  has amassed nearly half a million YouTube views, with little sign of its popularity waning. The campaign video kicks off with a breaking news report: Big Ben’s clock has been stolen! Avid…