BBC and the British Museum: A History of the World - #1 The Mummy of Hornedjitef

I loved this series when it first came out and accompanying book. The local radio station played this segment once a day and I didn't miss one! I started to highlight the objects on the blog a few years ago, but alas, I never made it through. I'm going to try and get through it this time! I think it would be helpful to have a regularly scheduled post to help get myself in the mood for writing.

The first object is the Mummy of Hornedjitef

© Trustees of the British Museum

Location: Africa - Thebes, Egypt

Culture: Ancient Egypt

Period: 3rd Century BCE

Size: 194.5 cm x 60 cm

Material: Painted Wood 

While not the earliest object in this history of the world, mummies are often the gateway into the ancient world. This mummy, Hornedjitef, was a priest at the Temple of Karnak. Elaborate coffins like this one were all part of one's needs for the afterlife.
The highlight of this episode is the new advances in science. Scanning the mummy revealed that he suffered from arthritis in his back, a very painful condition.
For more on this mummy, listen here.

2018: a New Year and a New Introduction to the Blog

I've had this blog since 2011, 7 years this year, but I've been rather negligent over the past few years. So much has happened since I started it and since this isn't a lifestyle or personal blog, I'm not going to share any of that. One of the exciting changes in my life, however, is my pursuit of a PhD! I'm in my second year of a Classics program with a focus on Mediterranean Archaeology.

I want to revamp this blog as place for me to research and write. While I still will focus on history here, I will be geared more towards the ancient world. I also want to talk about my graduate experience a little, the ups and downs. I don't know if anyone will read this. I'm not sure I will even care if anyone does. I just want an outlet and some extra practice writing,  pursuing some topics of interest.

VL

Vesuvius Day: Pompeii Tour

I was fortunate enough to visit Pompeii two summers ago, on a August afternoon. Surprisingly (and thankfully) there were not many people there. Here are some photos from that trip..

Friday's Links to the Past - 12 Dec '14

Happy Friday!

BBC's History Podcast:

Esmée Hanna explores the wave of protests that took place in a number of British universities in the 1960s. Meanwhile, Rick Stroud tells the story of the audacious kidnap of a Nazi general in Crete during the Second World War and describes the role of British agents in the adventure.

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This week's headlines in Archaeology:

NEWS FROM EGYPT’S KARNAK TEMPLE AND RAMESSEUM

BRONZE AGE GRAVE IN DENMARK CONTAINED EGYPTIAN BEAD

SARCOPHAGUS OF A SINGER OF THE GOD AMUN FOUND IN LUXOR

MITOCHONDRIAL DNA SUGGESTS FEMALE VIKINGS TRAVELED, TOO

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Paul Revere's 1795 time capsule unearthed

A time capsule buried by patriots Samuel Adams and Paul Revere more than two centuries ago was unearthed Thursday in Boston.

Monument Monday: Pergamon Altar

Ah, the Pergamon Altar. One of the most spectacular monuments from the Hellenistic period and now in the Berlin Museum

picture - wikipedia

Pergamon was the capital city of the Pergamene kingdom founded by the Attalid dynasty, one of the kingdoms that resulted after the death of Alexander the Great.

not my picture

The city was wonderful, but especially the altar.

The altar was located on the city's akropolis. It was about 35 meters wide and 33 meters deep. The base was decorated in a relief with the Olympian gods battling monstrous giants. There is a second relief that depicts Telephus the legendary founder of Pergamon and the son of Herakles. 

The sculpture was done in high relief.

Athena  - from wikipedia

Zeus - photo not mine

A fate? A fury? - photo from wikipedia

To see more of the altar, this website allows one to look at all the amazing frieze reliefs

14 Nov '14 - Friday's Links to the Past

BBC History Podcast:

Dominic Sandbrook gives us the lowdown behind his new TV series Tomorrow’s Worlds: The Unearthly History of Science Fiction. Meanwhile, Lucy Worsley explains how the dances of the past can reveal a great deal about Britain’s social history.

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Some of this week's headlines in archaeology from Archaeology Magazine:

Coin Cache, Ovens Unearthed in Egypt:

Intact Macedonian Tomb Discovered in Northern Greece:

24 Oct '14 - Friday's Links to the Past

BBC History Podcast:
This week features Germany through the centuries and Hitler’s cocaine habit:

British Museum director Neil MacGregor joins us to talk about his new BBC Radio 4 series Germany: Memories of a Nation, which illustrates the country’s history through a wealth of fascinating objects. Meanwhile, historical author Giles Milton discusses some surprising tales from the past, including the story of Adolf Hitler’s drug addictions.

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 What is the American Historical Association reading this week?

Today’s What We’re Reading features forgotten women in WWII, all-female space crews, theory in public history, the first White House website, and much, much more! 

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Some of this week's headlines in archaeology from Archaeology Magazine:

- Massive 6,000-year-old Temple Unearthed in Ukraine

(Nataliya Burdo and Mykhailo Videiko/Institute of Archaeology NAS of Ukraine, Kyiv

- Early European Farmers Remained Lactose Intolerant 

Courtesy University College Dublin

- Sphinx’s Head Discovered in Amphipolis Tomb

The Greek Ministry of Culture

- CT Scans of Pharaohs Lead to Arthritis Rediagnosis

Wikimedia Commons

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