In the 13th century, the Mongols carved out the largest contiguous land empire that the world has ever seen. At its height, under a million of these steppe nomads successfully controlled hundreds of millions of subjects. How did they do it? One answer lies in the Mongols’ status as fearsome warriors with a reputation for brutality. Focusing in on the violence visited on enemies, though, obscures another side to their empire. Western travellers report being stunned by the religious tolerance on display, while support for arts and crafts promoted the emergence of beautiful new styles. As an exhibition dedicated to the Mongols arrives at the Royal Armouries, we take a fresh look at their empire.
The Mesolithic period is often seen as a time of peace rather than human conflict. A discovery in Sweden, though, illustrates how the hunter-gather bands who roamed this region in search of natural resources could also deal in violence. Examining the circumstances that led to the killing of a 25- to 35-year-old male has prompted a search for other possible victims.
One of the natural resources that the Romans prized in Spain was a form of translucent rock that found favour among the elite as window panes. Extracting this valuable commodity brought wealth to the region, and left an extraordinary archaeological legacy. Investigating the labyrinth of Roman mines concealed beneath the surface is shedding light on the achievements of ancient workers toiling deep underground.
In our travel section, Richard Hodges has also been experiencing a marvel in stone: Gallarus Oratory. This magnificent corbelled church in Ireland is generally believed to date to the 8th century, but the building technique it perfected has a pedigree that stretches back far earlier into the prehistoric period.
Finally, Rubina Raja leads us from Dura-Europos and Palmyra in Syria to Hadrian’s Wall, as she explores the fringes of the Roman Empire, and examines what makes these regions special.
FEATURES
Terror or tolerance?
Taking a new look at the Mongol Empire
In a matter of minutes, his life was over
The violent death of a Mesolithic man
Transparent desires
Delving into the Roman lapis specularis mines
NEWS
- Burial practices on the Plain of Jars
- Early evidence of plague
- A Stonehenge ‘prototype’
- Norway’s largest known Viking Age hoard
- A Celtic princely burial
- Silent guardians
- Before Hadrian’s Villa
- Preserving potatoes
NEWS FOCUS
The deviant dead of ancient Mesopotamia
CHARLES HIGHAM
The copper road
HORIZON
Mohenjo-daro: an egalitarian urban centre?
TRAVEL
HOMAGE TO GALLARUS ORATORY
Richard Hodges explores an early monastic site on Ireland’s Dingle Peninsula
FROM THE FRINGES OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE
Rubina Raja shares the insights that can spring from exploring the edges of the Roman world on foot
CULTURE
MUSEUM
The first permanent exhibition of the plaster casts of Pompeii has opened at the Archaeological Park
BOOKS
Surviving Rome: the economic lives of the ninety percent; Travels through Prehistoric Spain: a guide; Alexander: god, king, man
MANUEL FERNÁNDEZ-GÖTZ & RUBINA RAJA
Living among ruins
SPECIAL REPORT
Heritage mismanagement
CHRIS CATLING
Technological evolution
FORUM
Crossword and more
EVERY PICTURE
Place of empires
OBJECT LESSON
Gold filigree fitting
