Combining religion and science is impossible unless you’re willing to get err… creative? Not quite true: although they might quarrel about the details, archaeologists and the scriptures do quite agree on major historical facts such as the destruction of Jericho, the rule of Herod the Great as well as King David’s. Archaeology can help determine the lifestyle and practices of people living in biblical times and such shed light upon the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament. The biblical archaeology school focusses on doing exactly this, and Professor Don Benjamin in his book ‘Stones and Stories: An Introduction to Archaeology…
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Somerset is getting ready for a Roman Invasion this saturday, thanks to a free archaeological open day organised by Bath and Camerton Archaeological Society (BACAS). Ceri Lambdin from BACAS told This is Somerset: Its not every day that Roman soldiers appear in Somerset and children and adults will be amazed by the weight of the armour and the amount of kit a soldier had to carry every day. With only the remains of Roman civilisation left in Somerset, we aim to bring to life this exciting period of history and give children and adults an opportunity to experience what life…
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China’s media will be scratching its collective head this week, as a cache of 100 new Terracotta Warriors it claimed to have been unearthed may be ten at best. The embarrassing shortfall comes two months into excavations of ‘pit three’ of the First Qin Emperor‘s Mausoleum in Xi’an. And while officials at the (officially named) Xi’an Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum are keeping tight-lipped about their discoveries, they admit the haul is nowhere near state-controlled Xinhua’s predictions. “It is impossible, the pit is only 200sq m,” says Chao Wei. “If you were here and saw the site you would see…
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Bringing to mind an old adage about buses and waiting, almost 1,900 years since the Roman Ninth Legion, Legio IX Hispana, is said to have last invaded Scotland, the big screen is set to witness its return, twice in the space of just a few months. Two very different major movies based on the tale of the legendary, hitherto all-conquering Roman army that marched north across the border from England on a campaign against the Picts and legend has it never returned are in advanced stages of production, and slated for release in 2009/2010. Centurion, directed by Englishman Neil Marshall…
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Although it seems that museums no longer have any kind of dress code these days, a young woman recently fell foul of the requirement to at least be wearing, like, something. A story in the UK’s Guardian newspaper tells the tale of woe of Kathleen “KC” Neill, who was arrested and charged with public lewdness for posing nude for photographer Zach Hyman in New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. Hyman is making a collection of photographs of nudity in New York’s public spaces (check out images of gob-smacked commuters gazing at gorgeous naked models on the New York subway, captured…
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While Heritage Key’s virtual engineers and construction team are still building away on our Nile Villa – a virtual, avatar-accessible reconstruction of an ancient Egyptian villa from the city of Akhetaten, Amarna – Flickr user Higdon took a more physical approach, and resurrected an ancient Egyptian nobleman’s villa using Lego blocks. IMGP6481, originally uploaded by d-higdon. We’ve already encountered Legohenge – a Stonehenge build with Lego blocks, protesting druids included – in our Top 10 Stonehenge Replicas, there is an official ‘Lego Egyptian Mummy’ on sale (1183 in the Adventurers Egypt series) as well as a ‘Treasure Tomb’ (3722), a…
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Egypt’s oldest church will finally reopen its doors this December, after Antiquities chief Zahi Hawass announced that a project to save it from harmful air is coming to an end. The 3rd century AD Hanging Church has been decaying sharply over the past few hundred years, with much of its ornate imagery and wooden iconography in danger of disappearing forever. The plan first involved installing security and fire alarms, and redecorating much of the famous building’s exterior. An Italian team has since been drafted in to relieve the church from the pressures of hot air with precise cooling equipment. The…
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As this is being written, New Yorkers and out of town visitors are taking in,Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures from the National Museum, Kabul, now on display at the Met. As Heritage Keys Helen Atkinson writes,the exhibit isa real treat. But, while youre looking at the artefacts, heres an ancient mystery you may want to consider. The crown on the top is on display at the show. As the caption notes its from Afghanistan and dates from the 1st century AD. Now, take a look at the second photo. This crown dates from between the 3rd and 5th centuries AD but was…
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First they perfected chocolate, then the penknife. Now the Swiss are seeking to unlock the mysteries of mummification. According to a recent article in The Journal of Turkish Weekly (“Swiss Research Unlocks Mummy Secrets”), A leading Swiss anatomy expert has managed to mummify a body part using the same salt drying process the ancient Egyptians employed. Frank Rhli, head of the Zurich University Institute of Anatomy, is attempting to mummify a human leg. Having participated in the CT scan analysis of Tutankhamun and the tzi iceman, Rhli is no stranger to mummies. So far the Swiss team has met with…
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Try if you can to imagine this scenario: you are in the Roman town of Pompeii and the date is mid August, 79 AD. There is one week to go before Vesuvius spews its molten lava everywhere and obliterates the place. Sulphur is in the air and the earth is creaking and trembling. There are no two ways about it: you are facing an environmental disaster and the ‘world’ as you know it is about to end. Well, in the face of such certain doom, what would you do? Run or hide? Remember that the bodies of both those who…