The mummy of a young Nazca priestess has been discovered in the ancient city of Cahuachi, Peru. Italian archaeologist Giuseppe Orefici, director of the Nazca Project, made the startling find in a mini-temple between the mysterious metropolis’ Great and Orange Pyramids.
The 300-450 AD woman had been buried beneath ropes and reeds, and covered in finely-woven fabrics with killer whale pattern. Several obsidian arrow heads had also been worked into the weave.
The young woman’s face had been painted, and an extra vertebra added to her back. Her arms were also deformed – possibly as a result of having had them outstretched in prayer for prolonged periods.
An Embarrassment of Riches
Yet there is much more to the mummy than her bodily peculiarities. An array of spectacular jewels was also found in the burial, including a still-attached gold and silver nose ring.
Other highlights from the haul include spondylus shell bracelets and necklaces, and ceramics – which many believe to have been integral to Nazca culture.
Orefici and his team have no small task ahead of them deciphering the burial’s myriad meaning. And thanks to a lack of funding, he will have to pay guardian fees personally, to ensure the site does not fall prey to treasure hunters – and continues his work at the Cahuachi without funding from any Italian or Peruvian sources.
The adobe city of Cahuachi was once the cultural capital of the mysterious Nazca; probably best known for their giant geoglyphs or, ‘Nazca Lines‘, etched across the Nazca River Valley. Cahuachi itself stretches for up to 24km over the hills above the valley – larger than the famous Chim city of Chan Chan some 700 miles north.
Founded in 400 BC, the city flourished at the turn of the 1st century AD. Yet it was mysteriously and meticulously abandoned around 450 AD, as its inhabitants reduced it to nothing more than a ceremonial site. Their Nazca Lines would stay a secret until 1927, when archaeologist Toribio Majia Xesspe spied them from the top of a hill.
Ancient Peru is top of the agenda this week at Heritage Key, as we speak to renowned Inca expert and author John Hemming about one of the world’s most cryptic cultures, in a special video interview! Got any questions you want answered? Send them to us either via the comments box below, our contact page or by emailing me direct.
An Italian duo have revealed what they claim is the ‘real’ face of Queen Nefertiti. Ethnologist Franco Crevatin, from the University of Trieste, and cosmetics expert Stefano Anselmo, started with a recent CAT scan of the famous queen’s bust, held in Berlin’s newly-reopened Neues Museum. The scan of ‘Nonofret‘ as she’s known in Germany, appeared to show a second face, made of stone, buried beneath the stucco top layer the world has come to adore. Using computer imaging, Crevatin and Anselmo have made what they feel is a faithful reproduction of the hidden face. And though differences are subtle – shallower eye sockets, lines around the mouth and a tiny bump on the bridge of the nose – the duo claim their version is closer to the real Nefertiti.
Image of the bust of Nefertiti on the left courtesy the Neues Museum. The image on the right is the reconstruction made by Franco Crevatin and Stefano Anselmo.
As you can see from our comparison, it’s a close call between the ‘hidden face’ and the one which remains one of Ancient Egypt’s biggest icons. “I worked mainly on the complexion,” Anselmo tells Focus Storia, “replacing the greys of the CAT scan with a biscuit-amber tone, which was presumably the skin colour of Nefertiti.
“To reconstruct the face I studied the art of the 18th Dynasty, the epoque of Akhenaten: masterpieces which depict persons physically related to the queen,” Anselmo adds. “The artists preferred curved lines for the faces. Taking account of the imperfections revealed by the CAT scan I created slight hints of sagging around the lips, similar to lines, and the first signs of circles under the eyes.”
“Reproducing the face of a queen who is surrounded by such mystery required months of painstaking work.”
“Reproducing the face of a queen who is surrounded by such mystery required months of painstaking, detailed work,” admits Crevatin. Nefertiti has long been one of Egypt’s greatest characters. Married to heretic king Akhenaten, she is thought to have instigated her husband’s radical Amarna Period, and may even have ruled as king after his death. Her bust is one of the ancient world’s greatest artefacts, having been found in the workshop of renowned ancient Egyptian sculptor Thutmose. It is rare among Egyptian artefacts, showing the queen complete with aged face including wrinkles and slightly sunken features – going against the traditional Egyptian concept of the ‘nefer’ or ‘limit’ synonymous with beauty.
Heritage Key takes a trip to explore the British spirit of adventure, where we’ll be meeting with Lord and Lady Carnarvon at Highclere Castle . We are shooting some new video that will dig deeper into information about the man who funded Howard Carter’s work as well as the history of the incredible castle itself. We hope to be able to share new images and more insight into the tomb paintings and key artefacts of King Tut.
Let us know if you have any questions – You might get them onto the video. You can use the comments box below, our contact page – or you can email me direct.
It’s an archaeovideo journey to the heart of one of the nation’s great explorers – from his very own descendents. But there’s much more to our trip to Hampshire than the life story of Lord Carnarvon. We’ll be speaking to Lady Carnarvon on Tutankhamun‘s mysterious wall paintings – available
Was Carnarvon struck by the mummy’s curse?
in stunning detail in King Tut Virtual. We’ll also be heading out and about in the castle in its grounds, showing you the magnificent headquarters for the ancient world’s greatest discovery.
Lord Carnarvon is one of the Era of Discovery’s biggest names, and our special series of videos will show you the story behind his intrepid journeys into Egypt, and the myriad issues which befell his and Howard Carter‘s fateful mission to locate KV62, the richest tomb in Ancient Egypt.
Carnarvon was a true explorer with a passion for history, photography and motor car racing. Was he the victim of the mummy’s curse? And how close were the pair to ending their Theban odyssey? Whose discovery was it? And why was the Lord buried in a remote corner of the Highclere Castle grounds? We’ll be answering all these questions and much, much more right here at Heritage Key!
Don’t forget we’ve got a whole host of archaeovideos out nearly every day – from the perils of Venice to the riddle of the Sphinx. This week’s highlights include an interview with Petrie Museum curator Stephen Quirke on the museum’s origins under founder Amelia Edwards. Heritage Key – Unlock the Wonders.
The collection certainly has an esteemed pedigree, having been added to by archaeological greats like Arthur Evans, discoverer of the Palace of Knossos in Crete. So on the eve of one of its biggest days, what are the Ashmolean’s best objects?
1. The Jericho Skull
This skull, from 7,000 BC Jericho – one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities on the planet – embodies (or enheads) everything great about the mystery and macabre of early civilisation. This particular example was discovered in 1953, after which others have been found as far flung as the Ukraine. Were they the world’s first portraits?
The morbidity of its cowrie shell-inlaid eyes certainly hum with the dark fascination early cultures had for turning death into art. After all, this guy was walking, talking and living just the same as you and I once.
2. King Scorpion’s Macehead
The Ashmolean is home to the largest pre-Dynastic Egyptian collection outside Egypt itself, so no surprise the empire’s earliest leaders are accounted for well. This intricate piece is one of the era’s most important objects, effectively bringing into existence King Scorpion, for whom there is no other material evidence. The item’s ostensible use was as the bludgeoning attachment for a mace. Yet this one is so big it would probably need two men – kings or not – to cause a decent amount of damage.
Made from limestone, it was found in 1897/98 by Brit explorers James E. Quibell and Frederick W. Green in Hierakonopolis. Some experts believe that Scorpion, thought to have ruled around 3,200 BC, and his successor Narmer (owner of the renowned Narmer Palette) were one and the same; others that this was a gift from Narmer to Scorpion. It’d probably take you too long to gather enough evidence for yourself, so just enjoy the macehead. Oh, and did I mention this was the inspiration for the film The Scorpion King, starring The Rock? Avoid the temptation to smash it to pieces on your next visit.
3. Mycenaean Linear B Tablets
A bit of a cheat picking multiple artefacts, but it’s my list so there. Not only could you spend all day staring at these pre-Hellenistic masterpieces, they’re also incredibly important in deciphering the Minoan culture and their Linear B language.
Discovered by Arthur Evans on one of his many missions to Crete at the turn of the 20th century, these formed the basis for his long-running efforts to decode the earliest writing of an almost mythical Bronze Age nation, which would go on to spawn one of the world’s greatest cultures.
4. Alfred Jewel
This amazing 9th century AD Saxon ornament was first discovered in 1693, just ten years after the Ashmolean was built. Thus it is one of the museum’s longest-standing objects, and still one of its most spectacular. It is fashioned from gold with quartz crystal and the cloisonn enamel image of a man, and was found in the Somerset town of North Petherton, the site of a once-great monastery founded by King Arthur.
The ornamentis inscribed with the words ‘Alfred Ordered Me Made’ – so there’s no mistaking who it belongs to. Bit better than the labels sewn into your school clothes, eh?
The Ashmolean houses the largest collection of pre-Dynastic Egyptian treasures outside Egypt itself.
5. Fired Clay Hippopotamus
It may look innocuous enough, but this small hippo is one of the Ashmolean’s showcase pre-Dynastic Egyptian artefacts. Though they may not have carried divine qualities at the time (around 3,500 BC) hippos went on to become the hippo fertility goddess Taweret – ‘The Great One’ – in later dynasties.
They would definitely have been respected, mind – they’re still the deadliest animal in Africa today. Found in Hu, Upper Egypt, this model was found at the end of a grave; implying hippos helped early Egyptians reach their version of the afterlife over 5,000 years ago.
The oldest museum in the world reopens its doors tomorrow, after a mammoth five-year revamp. Oxford’s Ashmolean Museum has enjoyed a 61million cash injection into its ageing building, recasting all but its Victorian Cockerell building facade. Rick Mather’s new creation allows the museum’s myriad treasures much more space, adding 39 galleries and 10,000sq metres of exhibition space.
The museum, founded in 1683, has been closed to the public since December last year, as the final pieces have been put in place. Funding has come from a number of high-profile sources, including the Heritage Lottery Fund, Linbury Trust (Lord Sainsbury’s charity) and Oxford Thinking; a campaign for the University of Oxford. Fans can have their name inscribed on the museum’s ‘Benefactor Bridge’ for 50 each, and some galleries have already been sponsored: Saudi Prince Sultan bin Abdul-Aziz Al-Saud is patron of the Islamic Arts collection.
“Rick Mather made very good use of space,” says museum director Dr Christopher Brown. “Such a large undertaking meant that we could think anew about how to display the collection.”
Three thousand object mounts have been created, lit by 1,370 new spotlights. The museum’s curators hope its cutting-edge design will allow visitors to see its many wonderful objects in the context of the culture to which they belonged. The Ashmolean strives to show the progression through human history. Visitors can walk through Greece and Rome through to the Near East and India. The museum’s ancient highlights include Egyptian mummy portraits, a 9,000 year-old skull from Jericho and the Anglo-Saxon Alfred Jewel. The museum has endured some
The Ashmolean was founded 326 years ago by revered antiquary Elias Ashmole, after its first five-year construction. It is the world’s oldest public museum, beating Florence’s Uffizi (built in 1581 but not then publicly open) by 82 years. Its last development came in 1845, when its much-loved main building was commissioned by Charles Cockerell. Much of the museum’s celebrated Minoan and Greek collection came from the expeditions of archaeologistArthur Evans, famous for his discovery of Crete’s Palace of Knossos. The Ashmolean houses some of the world’s greatest ancient treasures. Only time can tell if its latest chapter proves as successful as its past.
Look out for an interview with Ashmolean curator Dr Jack Green on Heritage Key – coming soon!
The rest house of Howard Carter, discoverer of King Tutankhamun‘s tomb, has reopened to the public today as a museum. The mud-brick building, near the Valley of the Kings on Luxor‘s West Bank, was one of the projects earmarked by Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities three months ago, as costly facelifts to Luxor were undertaken – including renovations to Luxor Temple and the Deir el-Bahritemple of Queen Hatshepsut. The house, from where Carter made his greatest discovery in 1922 with the backing of Lord Carnarvon, allows visitors to see the office and tools which made Carter an overnight celebrity 87 years ago when he unearthed KV62, the tomb of Egypt’s boy-king.
The opening of the house is an homage to the man who thrust Ancient Egypt into the world’s limelight during the era of discovery. And Valley of the Kings director Mustapha Al-Wazeri tells the BBC the house will allow tourists an insight into one of Egypt’s greatest explorers. “It was time to take good care of his house,” he says. “We have thousands of tourists coming every day and all their guides point to the Carter house. Many people asked us if they could take a look.”
The Home of Discovery
“It was time to take good care of his house.”
The unassuming building was Carter’s home, as he and his millionaire backer searched for the elusive tomb, which would be the richest in Egyptian history.
“This is where the two men spent long winter months over many years,” says today’s Lord Carnarvon, who still resides at his family’s Highclere Castle. “It is poignant to come back. My great-grandfather was so persistent and determined to find objects of beauty and Howard Carter was such a great organiser, draughtsman and scholar.”
Stuart Carter, first cousin twice-removed of the famous archaeologist, paid homage to his forebear’s persistence and professionalism. “Howard had a dedication to applying scientific techniques of the day to the discovery,” he says. “He spent from 1922 when the tomb was discovered to 1931 or so unlocking the secrets of the tomb.” The museum’s many exhibits show Carter’s passion for meticulous recording and cataloguing of archaeological data at the Theban Necropolis.
As blogged earlier today, the Staffordshire Hoard made its way to London’s British Museum this week, to feverish public interest. And not wanting to miss out on the party, Heritage Key took a trip to Bloomsbury today, to give you a first-hand look at how it has been laid out for the capital’s history lovers. As you can see, there weren’t queues tailed back hundreds of yards outside the building – as was the case at earlier displays in Birmingham – but interest was high, with HK struggling to burst through the crowd for some decent shots.
Only a handful of treasures makes the display, but the headline pieces are all there
There may only be a handful of the magnificent gold on show at the makeshift exhibition, but what’s there ranks among the find’s most astonishing pieces. The twisted gold cross that has become the hoard’s emblem is there, as is the Latin-inscribed band, and helmet fragments. Info is laid out on three handy wall displays – and that’s about it! No fancy hall or lavish branding, just a trio of glass cases with scant decoration. Perhaps the recently-found Stirling Iron Age gold will find more copious surroundings when its fate is decided a year from now.
A Success?
Maybe the display will prompt more to venture north when the hoard is purchased by a syndicate of midlands museums, as is widely expected. Or perhaps the spartan layout will disappoint those used to the BM’s traditionally OTT exhibitions. Either way, it’s good for Britain’s biggest Saxon haul to see the capital, before it heads back to its Mercian homeland.
Do you have any news or comments about the Staffordshire Hoard’s new home? Don’t hesitate to get in touch with us, either via the comments box below, our contact page or by emailing me direct!
The Staffordshire Hoard has arrived on display at the British Museum in London, as the farmer on whose land it was found has described his experience as ‘incredible’. Heritage Key will be heading there to see the maginficent treasure today – look out for the pictures right here! The gold pieces, thought to be part of a Saxon war bounty, were found in a field in the midlands county this July. They have since gone on show at Birmingham’sMuseum and Art Gallery, where up to 100,000 people flocked to see them still encrusted with the mud which had hidden them for 1,400 years.
Yesterday the hoard made its arrival in the capital, and has already been drawing thousands of fans eager to catch a glimpse at the still-unwashed treasures. Highlights include a twisted cross, and an inscribed band. Fred Johnson is the farmer on whose land all hell broke loose, after metal detecting enthusiast Terry Herbert stumbled across the find four months ago.
Yet Mr Johnson’s lifestyle is worlds away from the millionaire status he stands to inherit once the hoard is valued by a select panel. “It’s been an incredible experience. I’m overwhelmed by it all,” he tells the Guardian. “They say this will change the history books; it’s a strange thought that came from something lying in my field all this time. I’m trying to keep a level head about it. I’m trying not to think at all about the value of it.”
Yet Mr Johnson, a life-long country boy, isn’t about to let his new-found stardom change his life. He has only ever been to London once, and donned a new suit as he came face-to-face with the hoard in its new temporary home for the first time yesterday. “You dont go anywhere you dont have to,” he says. “But I couldnt miss this, could I? Its once in a lifetime. Its the first time I havent slept. It was the thought of coming down to London, to the big city.”
But unlike the Vale of York Hoard, the treasure won’t be making a permanent home in the capital. A group of midlands museums, including Birmingham Museum and Stoke’s Potteries Museum and Art Gallery, are expected to bid unopposed for the hoard after valuation, so it can be returned to its Mercian homeland. “There’s the element of local pride because this is royal Mercia,” says Simmonds. “We’ll certainly be going all-out to keep the material in the West Midlands region.”
Heritage Key will be heading to the British Museum today to get a closer look at the Staffordshire Hoard – check out the photos right here! We’ll also be profiling other highlights from the UK’s largest museum in the future. If you’ve got any comments or questions about the Staffordshire Hoard, Stirling Hoard or anything else, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us either in the comments box below or at our contact page. You can also keep track of our latest news, views and videos via Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Flickr and iTunes – not to mention subscribing to our feeds. Exploring the planet’s ancient past has never been easier with Heritage Key: Unlocking the Wonders.
Archaeologists exploring the lost Maya city of El Mirador claim they’ve found the world’s biggest pyramid. The massive structure, called La Danta (The Tapir), may have its summit hidden beneath Guatemala’s jungle canopy. Yet its volume is reckoned to be larger than that of the Great Pyramid of Khufu in Egypt’s Giza Plateau. The city itself, dubbed the ‘Maya Cradle of Civilization‘, is the size of a modern metropolis; bigger than downtown Los Angeles. And experts believe there are thousands more pyramids yet to be found.
Yet there is more to El Mirador, tucked in Guatemala’s northern wilderness just a few miles from the Mexican border, than its headline-grabbing pyramid. Also unearthed is a 300-200 BC stone frieze depicting the Maya creation story, the Popol Vuh – the only one of its kind in the world. Nearly all written Maya history and religious material was destroyed by the Spanish Conquistadors in the 15th and 16th centuries, tainting anything recorded since.
Dr Richard Hansen, Director of the Mirador Project, has spent his life studying the enigmatic ancient city. He tells CNN La Danta shows a staggering level of people power: “The pyramid La Danta is a structure the world should know because it represents an investment in labour unprecedented in world history. Every single stone in that building, from the bottom to the top, was carried by human labour.”
Yet Dr Hansen’s team are increasingly having to defend El Mirador from a number of human dangers. Cattle ranchers, loggers and illegal traffickers operate in the region, and armed guards are needed to warn off potential looters. El Mirador may succumb to these perils if it does not receive the international recognition it desperately needs. Yet for now Dr Hansen and his experts are in awe of the city’s unending surprises. “This is the summit of the Maya world,” he says proudly.
Legendary history writer John Julius Norwich knows Venice better than most, if not all. Having recently edited The Great Cities in History (Thames & Hudson; see more info here), an epic ramble through the pioneering places in human history, he has also penned A History of Venice: The Rise to Empire and Venice: A Traveller’s Companion – and was, until recently, on the board of the Venice in Peril Fund. No surprises, then, that Venice occupies its own page in Great Cities, at the pinnacle of renaissance culture.
Yet Lord Norwich, speaking to Heritage Key in this exclusive video, confides his worry for Venice’s future. And while no-one can fully predict the tempestuous seas around the city, Venice’s tourism troubles are all too apparent. “Venice is now becoming a very uncomfortable city,” he says, “largely because there are so many tourists in the summer. They outnumber the natives by about five or six to one.” This is an understatement: just 60,000 Veneziani still live in the lagoon, down from around 150,000 just 50 years ago. Conversely, in 2007 over 20 million tourists stepped off giant cruise liners into Venice, which crowd around the city like overbearing school bullies.
Centuries of history and beauty
Woven into a shimmering lagoon at the brow of the Adriatic, no city on earth can claim to be as unique as Venice. Dubbed La Serenissima (The Serene One), the city is a thing of immeasurable beauty: its myriad waterways, streets and squares mashed together in a vibrant tangle of energy and enigma. Yet Venice is in danger, and not just from the acqua alta (high water) which encroaches higher and higher each year. Many say a sea of tourists is sinking the city, robbing its culture and leaving it a hollow mirror image of the greatness it once achieved.
Inhabited since Roman times, Venice flourished in the 9th century AD, and ruled seas and trade routes from east to west for centuries thanks to its invaluable geography. An epic 13th to 15th century renaissance brought much of the stunning scenery still standing today, but the discovery of alternative trade routes to India, and costly wars with the Ottomans in the 1400s brought the once-mighty Republic of Venice to its knees. Independence was finally pillaged by Napoleon in 1797, before the city became part of the fledgling Kingdom of Italy in 1866 – and has stayed Italian ever since. But a modern foreign legion is wrecking Venice more than ever before, and they’re armed not with swords and guns, but cameras and clipboards.
Poorer for wealth
Venice’s hirsuit mayor Massimo Cacciari, an internationally respected philosopher, frets for his beloved home town’s future. “(Venice) cannot be reduced to a postcard,” he tells National Geographic. Strangely, this is a view echoed by the city’s chief of tourism Augusto Salvadori. “The city is consumed by tourism,” he moans. “What do Venetians get in exchange? Services are strained…the price of living (rises). “
This is an odd view to the outsider – you’d assume the one thing Venice could claw back from its hoards of invading sightseers is piles of cash. Yet Lord Norwich shares Salvadori’s grim view. “Apart from buying some little souvenir and a bottle of hugely priced Coca-Cola, and more and more birdseed for those revoltingly overfed pigeons, they spend very little money” he says, visibly saddened. “And Venice just gets worn away, and gets no compensation virtually at all.”
Yet Venice still has something for the traveller wanting some authenticity from a city which ruled world trade for around 500 years, from the ninth century AD onwards. “You only have to walk five minutes in any direction from Mark’s Square and you’ve got the place practically to yourself,” says Lord Norwich, who insists that in more spritely times he’d never sleep without walking the streets for up to two hours; getting lost in the lagoon’s labyrinthine lanes. But there’s no doubt the city needs help. Any suggestions? Some residents want to see taxes levied on tourists, but this is always an issue wrapped in reams of red tape. Cacciari moots the idea of closing Venice completely – “or perhaps, on reflection…a little fee.”
Is Venice doomed to become nothing more than a shell of glories past? Lord Norwich is skeptical: “In another 20 or 30 years it will actually be the thinking man’s Disneyland, a millionaire’s playground,” he says. “There won’t be any people there: it will just be a museum city.” Rising tides may yet claim Venice, but unless she gets help soon the city as we know her will have long since disappeared.
More Lord Norwich videos to come!
Lord Norwich is one of Britain’s greatest storytellers, and he told us much more than the history of his beloved Venice. Watch out for two more videos coming soon to Heritage Key: about the world’s great cities, as explored in his latest book; and on some of history’s lesser-known tales – including the fall of empires and female Popes! Of course, we’re always releasing videos here at HK – keep checking in for the latest from the ancient world. You can also keep track of our latest news, views and videos via Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Flickr and iTunes – not to mention subscribing to our feeds. Exploring the planet’s ancient past has never been easier with Heritage Key: Unlocking the Wonders.
