• owenjarus

    Oldest house in Ontario discovered at 4,500 year old settlement near Lake Huron, Canada

    Archaeologists have discovered a 4,500 year old settlement, on the Ausable River, near the shore of Lake Huron in Canada. The find rewrites the history of the Canadian province of Ontario, proving that people were living a sedentary lifestyle at that time, even though they lacked agriculture and pottery. Among the discoveries is a 4,500 year old house – the oldest ever found in the province. “It’s semi-subterranean – it’s dug partially down into the ground,” said Professor Chris Ellis of the University of Western Ontario. He led the team that made the find. “It’s as old as the pyramids…

  • site

    Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology

    Attribution: Wally Gobetz Key Dates The Peabody Museum was founded in 1866 by George Peabody and is one of the oldest museums in the world devoted to anthropology. Cambridge United States The Peabody Museum of Archaeology is affiliated with Havard University, and has one of the most comprehensive collections of North American archaeology and ethnology in the world. Founded by philanthrophist George Peabody in 1866, the museum boasts a vast collection numbering over 6 million objects, the majority of which are of archaeological artefacts. The Peabody Museum has played an active part in the history of American anthropology and in…

  • General

    Nicole Alexanian

    Nicole Alexanian Egyptologist Dr. Nicole Alexanian holds a PhD in Egyptology from Universität Heidelberg. Since 2000 she has been directing a German Archaeological Institute project at Dahshur in Egypt. The site is known as the location of several pyramids. These include the Bent and Red Pyramids, constructed by the pharaoh Snefru during the Egyptian 4th dynasty. It is also home to the Black Pyramid, constructed by Amenemhat III during the Middle Kingdom. Dr. Alexanian and her team have been reconstructing what the Dahshur landscape looked like in ancient times, examining its topography, geology and climate. They found that the ground…

  • Ann

    Fiery Pool: The Maya, the Mythic Sea and the Turtle

    After a successful stay at the Peabody Essex Museum, ‘Fiery Pool: The Maya and the Mythic Sea’ opens this weekend at Forth Worth’s Kimbell Art Museum. The exhibition offers a new interpretation of the ancient culture, beyond the traditional view of the Maya as a land-based civilisation. Expect supernatural crocodiles breathing forth rain; cosmic battles taking place between mythic beasts and deities; and art works adorned with shark teeth, stingray spines, sea creatures and waterfowl all part of the new and vivid picture the exhibition paints of the Maya world view: the Maya did not just navigate river and streams,…

  • Ann

    Stonehenge Acoustics: England’s First Ministry of Sound?

    London-based nightclub Ministry’s motto of sound system first, interior design second, lights third made them one of the most famous gathering places for those who worship bass. But how did those conceptualising Stonehenge plan to enchantthe Neolithic congregate? Rupert Till, an acoustics and music technology expert, asserts the stone circle would have created a perfect (early design) amplifier – making Stonehenge the place to be from the Stone Age onwards. Professor Tillsays Stonehenge when it was in perfect shape would have worked perfectly to resonate sound, creating trance-like music which would have aided rituals and worship at the site. To…

  • Ann

    Maya Pool the Size of a Football Field Discovered in Uxul, Mexico

    Archaeologists digging at the ancient Maya city of Uxul, Mexico, havelocated an artificial lake the size of a football field. The two metres deep pool its floor a mosaic of ceramic shards was constructed about 1,500 years ago. Uxul is located on the Mexican Yucatn Peninsula, near the Guatamalan border and only twentysix kilometres southwest of Unesco World Heritage Site Calakmul. German and Mexican archaeologists started systematically excavating and mapping its ruins in 2009. In doing so, we stumbled upon two square water reservoirs, each about 100 metres by 100 metres, says Dr Iken Paap from the University of Bonn.…

  • bettany-hughes

    Bettany Hughes Video Journal: Socrates, Sappho, Aryans and more

    Sappho the Greek poet, Socrates the famous philosopher and the fascinating Aryan Culture which formed the basis of Eastern and Western civilisation have all been occupying my time in recent months but I had the chance to make a Heritage KeyVideo Journal entry (watch the video now) while I was recording in a London studio for a new BBC Documentary about the Aryan culture. Going out to Siberia, at the Russian-Kazakhstan border (click to open map), to see the homeland of the Aryans was very, very stimulating and intellectually very exciting, but particularly fascinating were that many of the artefacts…

  • owenjarus

    Accessing the Terracotta Warriors by Touch – ROM Creates Braille Replica Warriors

    The Royal Ontario Museum, in Toronto Canada, has brought ina number offeatures to make theirTerracotta Warriors show more accessible. They have installed four replica artefacts, along with Braille markings, that peoplecan touch. These include a ding ritual vessel, a kneeling archer, a cavalry soldier and horse, and a dancer. The kneeling archer is of particular interest. The example on display at the ROM has some surviving color – information that will presumably be included in Braille. His armor is also quite detailed as seen in this close-up shot. Each of the warriors has a unique look (scholars believe they were…

  • owenjarus

    ‘Huge’ structure discovered near Snefru’s Bent Pyramid in Egypt may be an ancient harbour

    Archaeologists have discovered a large structure to the northeast of the 4,600 year old Bent Pyramid which may be the remains of an ancient harbour. It connects to one of the pyramids temples by way of a 140 meter long causeway. The discoveries were made by a team from the Cairo department of the German Archaeological Institute, and the Free University of Berlin. The team used magnetic survey and drill cores soundings to make the finds. The structure is mostly unexcavated and only a portion of the causeway has been unearthed. The structure itself is U-shaped, 90 meters by 145…

  • Ann

    History FAQ (Funny Asked Questions)

    It is a well-known rule that search queries which lead people to your website should be dealt with as actual questions depending on the amount of people using the search query, you know that at least one person is interested in the subject (as it comes to sex andnaked belly dancers a lot of people are intrigued). Now, some people actually phrase their search query as a question (remember AskJeeves?) starting with ‘what’, ‘how to’, ‘where’, … .Often these are err.. quite original. Here are my favourites (capitalisation and question marks added where needed) in the categories ‘General (Lack Of)…