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…
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When you come across an ancient Egyptian woman in Heritage Key Virtual, you will notice that there is one very popular style of fashion: a pale belted kilt or kalasiris (simple dress) brightened with gold and lapis collars, bracelets and belts, and finished off with a chic slash of kohl to each eye. Its an iconic image that was universal for ladies of early Egypt and, as with most areas of ancient Egyptian life, there was a reason behind every facet of the look. The types and colours of fabrics were very limited in the earlier dynasties. The linen flax…
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Dating work at Uluru Australias most famous ancient landmark is at risk following the revelation that tourists have been scattering the ashes of dead loved ones at the site. Mick Starkey, a spokesman for the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Uluru Kata-Tjuta National Park, told ABCNews that human ashes had been discovered at two separate rock art sites over the past month. He said the practice could contaminate the sites and hinder efforts to date and record ancient art. “Obviously some people (have) been bringing and dropping their ashes off here,” he said, “and it’s going to cause a bit of problem…
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Three ancient settlements, dating back at least 2,000 years ago, have been found on Jaffna Peninsula, an area on the northern tip of Sri Lanka. The settlements were discovered three weeks ago said Dr. Senarath Disanayake, the director general for the countrys archaeology department. Together, the sites cover a piece of barren land about 5 square kilometers. So far, only the black and red ware pottery found on the surface of the site has been studied. Disanayake said the artifacts date back to the Iron Age, putting the settlements roughly around 900 BC and up to the 1st century AD.…
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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…
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Heritage Key is offering free guided tours of King Tut Virtual. You can join me for a guided tour of the virtual experience any weekday at 11am and 5pm London UKtime (GMT). Each tour lasts for an hour and is meant as a casual introduction to get you started on the right foot for your virtual experience. If you have never been in the virtual world before this a great opportunity as I will be there to answer any of your questions and help you with any problems you might come across. The tours will cover everything from virtual navigation…
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The West Semitic Research Project in cooperation with the Oriental Institute are producing very high-quality electronic images of nearly 700 Aramaic administrative documents discovered in Iran. These clay tablets – in which the Aramaic texts were incised in the surface with styluses or inked on the tablets with brushes or pen – form one of the largest groups of ancient Aramaic records ever found. They are part of the Persepolis Fortification Archive, an immense group of administrative documents written and compiled about 500 B.C. at Persepolis, one of the capitals of the Achaemenid Persian Empire. Archaeologists from the Oriental Institute…
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Attribution: Informatique Dublin Ireland Key Dates The Museum of Science and Art, Dublin was founded on 14 August 1877. It became The National Museum of Ireland in 1921. The Kildare Street building, which houses the museum’s archaeology collection, was opened in 1890. Key People The current Director of the National Museum is Dr Pat Wallace. The Kildare Street building was designed by Thomas Newenham Deane and his son Thomas Manly Deane. The National Museum of Ireland is Ireland’s state museum. It holds a large collection of artefacts, divided under the areas of archaeology, decorative arts and history, country life and…
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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…
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The Tomb of King Tutankhamun (KV62) contained many calcite jars and vases, but most were located in the antechamber and the annexe. However, the Cosmetic Jar with Recumbent Lion was found between the walls of the first and secondshrine of King Tut, in the burial chamber, suggesting it may have had more significance. Perhaps used in the funeral ceremony, the jar was found with residues of a costmetic inside – a blend of vegetable resin and animal fats.The Cosmetic Jar was one of the many artefacts from KV62 originally discovered by famous explorer Howard Carter, and photographed at the Egyptian…