• rome

    Emperor Nero

    Attribution: Joe Geranio 37 – 68 Last Roman emperor of the Julio-Claudian Dynasty Relationship People Associated Claudius I Emperor Nero was born in 37AD and died in 68AD. He was the fifth and final Roman Emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. He inherited the throne and title Caesar from his adoptive uncle Claudius in 54AD. He ruled from 54AD to 68AD.  His reign was characterized by his attention to trade, diplomacy and improving the cultural infrastructure of the Empire.  He built theatres and promoted athletic games but was also known as a tyrant and for his wild extravagance. He is also…

  • sean-williams

    AWiL Video Series: Visit to the London Stone

    The Ancient World in London is in full swing: we’ve got events, competitions, quests, articles and interviews going up by the day, packing your lucky brains with fascinating info and exciting adventures. And hot on the heels of all this is the Ancient World in London video series, the first episode of which you can see right here, right now. Each video will feature amazing places, strange artefacts and intriguing experts – as we take our three intrepid explorers on no fewer than 25 adventures in and around the capital. We’ll be meeting mysterious druid priests, famous historians and avid…

  • owenjarus

    Mysterious Ancient East Asian Body in Vagnari Could be the Son of a Concubine

    Who is the man in this picture? How did this fellow, whose maternal ancestry is East Asian, end up in a modest grave in southern Italy about 2000 years ago? Its an enticing question and one that has been in the news ever since Heritage Key announced the story of this mans discovery. Just a quick recap; a team of scientists based at McMaster University in Hamilton Canada have found that this man, buried in a Roman cemetery at Vagnari, in southern Italy, is of East Asian ancestry on this mothers side. They determined this through mitochondrial DNA testing. The…

  • michael-kan

    Artifacts from the Three Kingdoms Period on Display in Beijing

    The tomb of Chinese warlord Cao Cao one of Chinas latest and most controversial discoveries has yet to open itself up for firsthand public views. But an exhibit in Beijing offers the next best thing. From weapons and coins to statutes and artwork, 1,800 year-old relics from Cao Caos era will be on display at Beijings National Centre for the Performing Arts. The unique exhibit centers on Chinas Three Kingdoms period, and will go on until March 15. Lasting from 184 to 280 AD, the Three Kingdoms period is one of Chinas most famous eras. During this time, the country…

  • lyn

    Can the Power of Social Networks Save Palaeography at King’s College London?

    Since the economic downturn, colleges and universities around the world have found themselves in a pickle: their income is not what it used to be. Endowment-rich, private American institutions have seen an unprecedented decline in the value of their investments, while publicly funded universities around the world have seen their tax-generated budgets shrunken by unimaginable margins. For the first time in a long time (or, perhaps, for the first time ever) publicly funded and privately funded universities are in the same boat and that boat is sinking. Academics have reluctantly begun to accept that cuts are inevitable. Sometimes small things…

  • owenjarus

    Ancient Meteorite Hunting in the Arctic! Did the Thule People Rush East in Search of Alien Rocks?

    Did the ancestors of todays Inuit race across the arctic 750 years ago in search of meteorites?Canwest News Services has just published an intriguing story that suggests just that. According to the news service, Dr. Robert McGhee, curator emeritus at the Canadian Museum of Civilization, recently published this theory in a new book, The Northern World: AD 900 to 1400. Basically the idea works like this. 10,000 years ago a meteorite crashed into west Greenland, its known today as the Cape York meteorite. Mining in the arcticwas quite difficult (even today) so an iron meteorite was very handy for anyone…

  • world

    The Future of Archaeology: 12 Expert Predictions for the Decade Ahead

    2010’s well underway now, and with it the new decade. At Heritage Key we’ve begun the teenies by asking a cross-section of heritage experts to get their crystal balls out, in a bid to try and predict what they think (or at least hope) will be the big discoveries, themes, advances and breakthroughs in their individual fields – and in archaeology and heritage studies at large – over the next ten years. We spoke to all from a mummy expert to a pyramid theorist, a museum education team leader, an expert in forensic archaeology, an expert in experimental archaeology, an…

  • meral-crifasi

    Virtual Quest Series Starts Here

    Virtual Explorer Mission One Week One: Dates: February 8, 2010 Monday until Sunday February 14, 2010 midnight. Total Points : 30 max points can be earned This is the first part of the Virtual Quest Series, so this week we would like to focus on getting you signed up and acclimatised to Heritage Key’s virtual environments. Once you’ve accomplished this week’s quest you will be ready to immerse yourself in the ancient world, start exploring new experiences, and challenge yourself to more quests. The good news is, you have already registered and earned your 47 points, so you are well…

  • lyn

    Caroline Lawrence and Millie Binks Join a Growing List of Celebs Fighting to Save Colchester’s Roman Circus

    Best-selling author Caroline Lawrence has added her name to a growing list of celebrities supporting the fight to save Colchester’s Roman Circus. Lawrence, the author of the Roman Mysteries series of childrens books, joins other high-profile people backing the appeal, including authors Ronald Blythe, Guy de la Bedoyere and Adam Hart-Davis, Time Team presenter Tony Robinson, architectural historian and TV presenter Dan Cruickshank, broadcaster Peter Snow, and former MP and cabinet minister Tony Benn. Colchester was the first Roman capital of England, and boasts a number of well-preserved sites such as the Norman castle and Roman wall, which was built…

  • malcolmj

    Doctor Who on Call at Stonehenge

    Stonehenge no stranger to mystery was shrouded in a cloak of foggy secrecy on Tuesday night, as the BBC filmed scenes for a forthcoming episode of Doctor Who inside a closed set at the iconic Wiltshire monument. Rumour has it that the first few instalments of the new season of the long-running cult timr-travelling sci-fi drama expected to air sometime in the next few months will be set sometime in the past. Dr Who anoraks observing from the edges of the set, hoping to catch a rare glimpse of filming, spotted the Time Lord himself played by Matt Smith, the…