October 2011
124 posts
3 tags
5 tags
5 tags
A Gothic Tour of Italy →
theossuary:
Article and slideshow from the New York Times:
While its food and scenery command devotion, the country’s catacombs, skulls and castles offer a tantalizing glimpse into its violent past.
5 tags
6 tags
7 tags
Archaeologists uncover slate at Nevern Castle... →
archaeologicalnews:
RARE pieces of inscribed slate unearthed during a dig at one of the nation’s oldest castles may provide valuable clues to life in medieval Wales, experts said yesterday.
Archaeologists involved in a recent excavation on the site of Nevern Castle in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park believe…
6 tags
Halloween reflections →
Piece by Chris Catling, via Current Archaeology
Just now, the streets are full of excited children dressed as witches and ghosts, and, though Halloween will be a distant memory by the time you read this, it is interesting to reflect on the inexorable rise in popularity of this relatively new custom at the expense of Guy Fawkes Night. For an archaeologist or cultural historian, witnessing the...
7 tags
A history of Hallowe'en →
Hallowe’en has come a long way from a Celtic festival to welcome the brutal winter, to the sweet-laden commercial bonanza it is today.
Among the first incarnations of Hallowe’en was the festival of Samhain, celebrated by Celts in Britain, Ireland and northern France. The event marked the beginning of winter, which was expected to take the lives of people and livestock.
The Romans...
2 tags
5 tags
6 tags
Zombie conference at the University of Winchester →
Hundreds of sci-fi fans and academics have descended on the University of Winchester for what is believed to be the first UK zombie conference.
The Zombosium is looking at current research into zombie culture and how it has spread across all types of media.
Organiser Dr Marcus Leaning, said: “Our Zombosium has attracted more than 17 speakers from across the world.”
The Hampshire...
3 tags
The world at seven billion →
The world’s population is expected to hit seven billion in the next few weeks. After growing very slowly for most of human history, the number of people on Earth has more than doubled in the last 50 years. Where do you fit into this story of human life?
4 tags
A Rest, a Meal, Then Death for 5,000-Year-Old... →
archaeologicalnews:
ScienceDaily — There is now broad agreement on the circumstances of Ötzi’s death. Around 100 experts on mummies from nearly every single continent gathered for the “2nd Bolzano Mummy Congress” held at the European Academy of Bolzano from the 20th to the 22nd October 2011, with the aim of…
5 tags
3 tags
Old Jawbone Found Near Kennewick Man Site →
archaeologicalnews:
Federal archaeologists are investigating a very old jawbone that turned up Monday along the Columbia River in Kennewick. The human remains were found a short distance from where Kennewick Man was discovered in 1996.
Those ancient remains sparked a decade of legal conflict. But it’s too early to…
7 tags
Modern work takes place on ancient coffin →
archaeologicalnews:
FOR nine months, experts have been using a hyperdermic needle and catheter tubing to slowly restore a single 2,750-year-old coffin.
A small team of conservators at the Ashmolean Museum are finishing their painstaking work to restore and preserve dozens of Ancient Egyptian artefacts in time…
4 tags
1 tag
6 tags
Scientists glimpse inside a Peruvian mummy →
archaeologicalnews:
In a small room lined with shelves of skulls, fossils, bones and antique violins, researchers are using advanced computer imaging to study priceless objects, including a mummy from Peru. So what’s inside?
Some patients find CT scanners and other medical imaging devices claustrophobic.
But…
4 tags
WWI Grave Find Tells Story Germans Want To Forget →
archaeologicalnews:
Archaeologists in France recently discovered the remains of 21 German soldiers from World War I in an underground shelter that hasn’t been touched since the day it was destroyed by French shells 93 years ago. Pocket books and prayer beads tell stories of life in the trenches — but Germany…
3 tags
Mummy Has Oldest Case of Prostate Cancer in... →
archaeologicalnews:
Some 2250 years ago in Egypt, a man known today only as M1 struggled with a long, painful, progressive illness. A dull pain throbbed in his lower back, then spread to other parts of his body, making most movements a misery. When M1 finally succumbed to the mysterious ailment between the ages…
5 tags
4 tags
Scientists digitise our prehistoric past →
archaeologicalnews:
Researchers in Leipzig are compiling a ground-breaking digital archive of artefacts from around the world. Created to compare Neanderthals with modern man, the archive could revolutionize their field — which is exactly why many oppose it.
Visitors to Tel Aviv University are greeted by…
2 tags
Death is not what it used to be →
The boundary between life and death has become blurred by new medical treatments, writes Roger Highfield.
Recently, I found myself discussing what makes for a great literary death with my fellow judges of the 2011 Wellcome Trust book prize for medicine in literature, ahead of a debate we’re having at Waterstone’s next month. The contenders ranged from the last moments of Harry “Rabbit” Angstrom...
gravityjenny asked: Your blog is fascinating! I love it, thank you!
4 tags
2 tags
Zombie craze continues to infect popular culture →
This weekend an estimated 3,000 people dressed as zombies took to the streets of Brighton. It’s the latest proof, if any was needed, that the undead are really on the march - culturally at least.
Via the BBC News Website
2 tags
3 tags
3 tags
Face-To-Face With an Ancient Human →
archaeologicalnews:
ScienceDaily (Oct. 20, 2011) — A reconstruction based on the skull of Norway’s best-preserved Stone Age skeleton makes it possible to study the features of a boy who lived outside Stavanger 7,500 years ago.
“It is hoped that this reconstruction is a good likeness and that, if someone who…
5 tags
7 tags
6 tags
Mayan documentary to show 'evidence' of alien... →
The ancient Mayans had contact with alien visitors who left behind evidence of their existence, according to a new Mexican documentary.
Sundance winner Juan Carlos Rulfo’s Revelations of the Mayans 2012 and Beyond is currently in production for release next year to coincide with the end of the Mayan calendar, reports the Wrap.
Producer Raul Julia-Levy said the documentary-makers were...
4 tags
10 tags
8 tags
4 tags
Why is there Only One Human Species? (BBC) →
archaeodiva:
Not so very long ago, we shared this planet with several other species of human, all of them clever, resourceful and excellent hunters, so why did only Homo sapiens survive?
Huge debates rage about human origins, but the broad consensus among scientists is that all the different species of human that have ever existed were descended from ape-like creatures that walked upright in...
3 tags
5 tags
Untold Lives: Sharing Stories from the Past →
oldbaileyonline:
A new blog from the British Library that may be of interest to many users of Old Bailey Online:
The British Library’s collections contain stories of people’s lives worldwide, from the dawn of history to the present day. They are told through the written word, images, audio-visual and digital materials. The Untold Lives blog shares those stories, providing fascinating and ...
4 tags
3 tags
6 tags
COUPLE HELD HANDS FOR 1,500 YEARS →
archaeologicalnews:
The skeletal remains of a Roman-era couple reveal the pair has been holding hands for 1,500 years.
Italian archaeologists say the man and woman were buried at the same time between the 5th and 6th century A.D. in central-northern Italy. Wearing a bronze ring, the woman is positioned so she…
5 tags
Search begins for Newgrange hidden passages →
archaeologicalnews:
THE possibility that Newgrange could have a second passage tomb, which may also be aligned with a solstice event, is being explored by a team of Irish and Slovakian archaeologists who are using ground breaking technology.
Already part of the Brú na Bóinne World Heritage Site, Newgrange is one of…
3 tags
7 tags
4 tags
5 tags
Dutch Artist Makes Creepy Flower-Covered Skeleton...
They may not be human skellies, but these are amazing creations! You can find out more about the artist here. Many thanks for submitting this! :o)
6 tags
Facebook forever? Death and the digital legacy →
Sharing our lives on social networks is now commonplace, but what happens when we are gone? Channel 4 News finds people are thinking more carefully about their digital legacy.
5 tags
3 tags
