Digging Calima and its surrounding area, a bountiful corner of Colombia rich with pre-conquest treasures
Issue 14
Calima is visually stunning. Calima is coffee-country: a balmy corner of South America’s Colombia. Calima is also famed for its pre-conquest gold, fashioned into fabulous beasts, jewellery, face-masks and a medley of other ornaments. However, most of this gold has been found as the result of looting by 20th century settlers, representing a massive loss to the archaeology of the area. This prompted the formation of the Pro-Calima Foundation in 1979 and since then, the Foundation has been undertaking pioneering research to dig and document the material-culture of this distant land. The magazine opens with the resultant feature: Calima, land of Gold and Shamans.
Moving closer afield, the Graeco-Roman city of Butrint in Albania is one of the most beautiful cities of the ancient world. Modern development has been kept firmly at bay and excavations have revealed not only the Greek centre and the late antique palace but also the Roman city which is finally emerging on the other side of the channel. Butrint however, is best seen from the air, and now two intrepid flyers – one using a kite, the other going aloft in a
Albania: Butrint from the Air
A tour of Albania’s ancient city from a stunning new aerial perspective
Underwater Archaeology: George Bass
The inspiring story of George Bass, the doyen of underwater archaeology, and a look at some of his key endeavours
Herculaneum, Saving the Site
A report from the British School at Rome on the major project to conserve the results of earlier examinations
Tutankhamen’s Last Drink
A number of amphorae discovered alongside Tutankhamun have been revealed to contain red wine
Mummies’ Eyes Help Investigate Contemporary Eye Disease
The mummified remains of two people form the Atacama desert may help shed light on ancient eye diseases
Butrint Museum Re-Opened
After undergoing refurbishment Butrint’s oldest museum will open to the public on 22nd October 2005
Changing Faces Over Ten Millennia
Resaerchers notice trend toward smaller human skulls over the past 10,000 years
Hominids Diets
Tooth analysis Appears to suggest that early hominids favoured a different diet to that of modern humans
Japan
David Mason writes about the unusual excavation techniques he learnt as an excavator in Japan
Yemen, Arabia Felix
Richard Hodges reports from the land of multi-storey mud-brick architecture, known to the Romans as Arabia Felix
Review: The Fall of Rome and the End of Civilization
‘Some of the recent literature on the Germanic settlements reads like an account of a tea party at the Roman vicarage. A shy newcomer to the village, who is a useful prospect for the cricket team, is invited in. There is a brief moment of awkwardness while the host finds an empty chair and pours […]
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