Attribution: Gusmah Rome Italy Key Dates The museum concept began in 1471 when Pope Sixtus IV donated a collection of bronzes to the Roman people. A collection of important sculptures were set out on the Capitoline Hill in the mid-16th century. The Palazzo Nuovo was built in 1654. The Capitoline Museum was inaugurated in 1734. The Museo Nouvo was built in 1925. The Braccio Nuovo was constructed in 1952. The Capitoline Museums are a group of art and archaeological museums which sit astride Rome’s famous Capitoline Hill. It comprises three main buildings; the Palazzo Senatorio, Palazzo dei Conservatori and the…
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When reading books, and especially when browsing ‘the interwebz’, one comes across the most hilarious, flabbergasting and ‘OMG, the pills you are taking, are those legal?!‘ pyramid theories. Sadly enough, the thrill is soon gone, as all those ‘pyramidiot’1 stories fall back on the same basic protagonists aliens and the inhabitants of Atlantis and the same story lines ‘way older’, special vibrations, immortality with an occasional twist freemasonry, numerology and Supreme Council of Egyptian Antiquities conspiracy theories. Composing a Pyramidiot Theory Hence the challenge, write up your very best Pyramidiot Theory without using any of the stereotypes mentioned below. As…
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Stonehenge‘s use may have been debated for millennia – but one expert now thinks the Neolithic site was the venue for some of prehistory’s wildest raves. Professor Rupert Till, an expert in acoustics and music technology at Huddersfield University, insists the megalithic structure would have worked perfectly to resonate sound – creating trance-like music which would have aided rituals and worship at the site. To prove his theories, Dr Till used a computer model to simulate the acoustics of Stonehenge when it was in perfect shape (many of the huge stones have fallen down over time). The expert also visited…
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On a recent trip to watch the sun rise from behind the spectacular structure of Stonehenge, I was lucky enough to meet Druid couple Kim and Andrea (right). It was a couple of days before the Easter Solstice, and the pair were preparing to protest against the lack of free access to what they see as a place of worship. Normally, the stones are only open during the visiting hours dictated by the National Trust. Visitors need to buy a ticket to get anywhere near the site; a ticket that forces them to walk the wrong way around the stones…
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For 150 years, scientists have debated the course of our evolutionary journey from tree-dwelling primate to modern Homo sapiens. Today, Google joins the debate.The search engine is focussing on evolution’s ‘missing link’, showcasing ‘Ida’ in today’s Google logo. ‘Ida’ is also known as Darwinius masillae, a 47-million-year-old fossil from the Eocene era. Scientists found Ida in Messel Pit, Germany and soon found out that she is about twenty times older than most fossils related to human evolution. What makes Ida so special is that despite her classification as an early prosimian (lemurs), she has certain undeniable human characteristics such as…
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Any amateur archeologists with too much time on their hands who are finding Where On Google Earth tough, such as me, might find Escape from the Mummys Tomb on the World Museum in Liverpools website slightly closer to their level. You get to guide a small, bug-eyed adventurer around the tomb of Beni Hasan in Egypt searching for ancient treasures (theres a rampaging mummy on the prowl, obviously, so look out) then place them in an appropriate display case in the museum. While fully aware that this is aimed at younger visitors, Im not too proud to confess that I…
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It was much colder than Ihad expected.It was icy, damp and windy and of course dark at 04:30 when we made our way over to Stonehenge to see the sun rise at 06:05am. There was a crunchy frost on the ground. It is kind of hard to imagine the ancient days when standing on a motorway and staring at a chainlink fence. It seems more like a golf course that you can’t play. At first we could see the moon over the stones. It was starting to get light and there was a light violet color washing over them. We…
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24 Oct 51 – 96 Emperor Titus Flavius Domitian was a Roman Emperor who reigned from 81-96 AD. He was the last emperor of the Flavian Dynasty and the son of former emperor Vespasian (69-79). He inherited the throne form his brother Titus, who ruled the Roman Empire from 79-81 AD. Domitian was known primarily for his attempt to strengthen the economy by revaluing Roman coinage. He also expanded the border control of the Empire and sought to rebuild Rome. Domitian saw himself in the great tradition of Augustus, and he hoped to help inaugurate the empire into a new…
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Most likely it was not (just) supreme architectural skills and good fortune that made the Trajan Forum last for almost 20 centuries, but volcanic ashes in the mortar used by the ancient Roman builders. X-ray analysis of a wall sample from the Trajan’s Market ruins in Rome showed that the mortars used by ancient Romans contained stratlingite, a mineral known to strengthen modern cements. The cement used by Apollodorus of Damuscus’ builders to construct the huge ancient roman complex contained sandy ash of a volcano that erupted 456,000 years ago. To find the ash they turned to the material erupted…
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The Ashmolean Museum in Oxford have a campaign entitled My Ashmolean My Museum to raise the final part of its 61 million modernisation and expansion. Award-winning architect Rick Mather has designed a new building to replace all but the Grade I listed Cockerell building. His design will double the existing gallery space, allow environmental control, and create a dedicated Education Centre and conservation facilities. Working in partnership with designers Metaphor, the Ashmolean’s curatorial staff are planning a number of innovative new approaches to the display of the Museum’s objects. Rick Mather has been the creative force behind a number of…