• scott-shields

    Fields of Gold

    A massive haul of 824 gold coins from the Iron Age have been discovered in the United Kingdom. The coins were found using a metal detector buried in a field near Wickham Market in Suffolk. They were enclosed within a broken pottery jar and had a value when in circulation estimated at todays value of between 500,000 and 1m. The coins dated from 40BC to AD15 according to the Suffolk County Council Archaeological Service and is the largest find of Iron Age coins since 1849. It is thought that the majority of the coins were produced by the tribe of…

  • scott-shields

    Archaeology and Tourism – in synergy or conflict?

    Interesting conference debating the inter-relationship between archaeology and the tourism industry. Details below: Organizer: Dr. Noel B. Salazar (University of Leuven) In a bid to obtain a piece of the lucrative global tourism pie, destinations worldwide are trying to play up their local distinctiveness. This is sometimes done by borrowing from traditional ethnology an ontological and essentialist vision of exotic cultures, conceived as static entities with clearly defined characteristics. Ideas of old-style colonial anthropology and archaeology objectifying, reifying, homogenizing, and naturalizing peoples are widely (mis)used in international tourism by individuals and organizations staking claims of identity and cultural belonging on…

  • scott-shields

    Head of Amenhotep III returns to Egypt

    A 14th Century BC Egyptian sculpture, the Head of Amenhotep III smuggled out in the early 1990s has finally been returned to Egypt. The head was smuggled out by Jonathan Tokeley-Perry who was convicted to a six year custodial sentence in 1997 of illegal smuggling. It is known that the head was diguised as a reproduction before being shipped to the US via Switzerland and the UK. Dr Zahi Hawass was instrumental in bringing the head back to Egypt in a complex case involving two separate criminal proceedings in the UK and US. Karen Sanig, Head of Art Law at…

  • Ann

    Ancient Hockey Shrine discovered at Terracotta Warriors Site

    The game of Hockey has been around from the time of early civilization. Some of the reports find the earliest origin of the game 4000 years back. Field hockey was reportedly played even before the birth of Christ. Basically known as the ball and stick game, it was played since ancient times in places diverse as Rome, Scotland, Egypt and South America. The game was referred to in different names but the basic idea of playing the game was the same. The most apt used term was Hockie by the Irish. Though the term was coined centuries ago, the word…

  • scott-shields

    Egypt Yesterday

    Not been to Egypt and looking to go away somewhere…. After 2 weeks of freezing cold weather here in London and it seems everyone either having a cold or flu this photo should point you in the right direction. Thanks Sandro!

  • Ann

    The Shimizu Project – A giant, modern day pyramid for the living

    More than 12 million people make urban Tokyo one of the most crowded places in the world.Another 2,5 million flood in from the suburbs each morning.The city is packed to the breaking point.If a bold engineering proposal by Japan’s Shimizu Cooperation becomes reality, there may be some surprising new real estate, right in the middle of Tokyo bay.In a ‘mega city pyramid‘.It’s shape is familiar, but this pyramid is unlike anything on earth. The Shimizu Pyramid is not a building, it is a revolutionary urban environment.It squeezes 2 dozen 80 stories skyscrapers into a 3-dimensional frame.It’s footprint would cover an…