Aga Khan to restore Syria’s medieval castles
Gurob, Unlocking a Royal Harem
Ian Shaw reports on his excavations at the ‘harem’ site of Gurob in the Fayum, Egypt
Hessian Crucibles Reveals Alchemists’ Secrets
Researchers at UCL have revealed the chemical make up of Hessian crucibles using X–ray diffraction
New Light on the Black death
New Light on the Black Death: the cosmic connection Mike Baillie, Tempus £17.99 Everyone knows the Black Death of 1348 was caused by fleas carried on rats. Infected fleas would leave the bodies of dead rats and migrate to a convenient human host. Then the human would be infected. Simple. Only the problems with [...]
The Bayeux Tapestry, the life story of a masterpiece
The most familiar image in the gallery of the mind’s eye is how Carola Hicks describes The Bayeux Tapestry in her book, subtitled ‘the life story of a masterpiece’. She also notes The Times’s 1944 characterisation of the Tapestry as a great Norman newsreel that anticipated the invention of Technicolor, and noted its descent from [...]
Lalibela, Ethiopa, Rock-Hewn Churches
July 7, 2006
Filed Under: Issue 18, Celebrating World Heritage, Ethiopia, Features
One of the original 12 sites to be added to the World Heritage list, Lalibela is one of the most important pilgrimage places of Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity and famed for its 11 Medieval churches, all of which are hewn into the rock. These exceptional buildings are said to have been built during the 25 year reign of King Lalibela – with more than a little help from the angels. But archaeologists question miracles; and here, David Phillipson, Professor of African Archaeology at Cambridge, introduces us to the wonders of Lalibela and offers a new interpretation of its chronology and creation.
Jordan, Death and Destruction at Jacob’s Ford
Evidence of death and destruction at the uncompleted Crusaders’ fort in Jordan, Jacob’s Ford
Riccardo Francovich
Richard Hodges interviews Professor Francovich, leading exponent of Medieval Archaeology in Italy
Leprosy and TB
Medieval skeletons reveal ckues to the nature of disease in the middle ages
Novgorod, Russia
Russia’s pre-eminent medieval site
Bahrain
The latest results of an on-going archaeological project that is uncovering Islamic period remains on Bahrain
Okinawa, Japan
Excavation of a Samurai castle in Okinawa, the island 400 miles to the south of Japan
Merv, Turkmenistan
January 7, 2004
Filed Under: Issue 3, Features, Turkmenistan
Excavations in the Unbelievers City at Merv have revealed a workers’ quarter and evidence for steel making in the 9th century AD
Belmont, Caribbean
When were the Virgin Islands, in the Caribbean, first settled? Peter Drewett has been excavating an important prehistoric settlement at Belmont, first established around AD 600. Later it was replaced by a ball and dance court, oriented perhaps on the dramatic Belmont Hill, shown here.
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