LOLLAND, DENMARK—A local man and his two sons have found a range of gold items on the Danish island of Lolland, according to a report in The Local Denmark. Included in the find was a bracteate, or thin gold medallion dating to the Germanic Iron Age. Archaeologists at the Museum Lolland-Falster believe the amulet includes… Continue Reading
Category Archives: News
Undressed – A brief history of Underwear. V and A Museum
This exhibition explores the intimate relationship between underwear and fashion and its role in moulding the body to a fashionable ideal, with cut, fit, fabric and decoration revealing issues of gender, sex and morality. Exhibition details Continue Reading
Crimean gold artefacts must go back to Ukraine, Dutch court rules
Kiev argued for return of treasures, which were on loan to Amsterdam museum when Russia seized the peninsula in 2014. A priceless collection of gold artefacts from Crimea that was on loan to a Dutch museum when Russia seized the peninsula must be returned to Ukraine and not Crimea, a Dutch court has ruled, in… Continue Reading
The Staffordshire Hoard
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND—Fragments of artifacts from the Staffordshire Hoard have been cleaned and are being fitted together in work funded by Historic England and public donations. The seventh-century Anglo-Saxon artifacts include a rare high-status helmet and a unique form of sword pommel that was in 26 pieces when it was uncovered. The pommel “combines multiple different… Continue Reading
Japanese mirrors
FUKUOKA PREFECTURE, JAPAN—A fragment of a mold used to cast bronze mirrors in 200 B.C. has been unearthed at the Sugu Takauta ruins in northern Kyushu. It had been thought that such tachukyo, or mirrors with knobs, had been imported from the Korean Peninsula at this time. The mold shows indentations to create knobs on… Continue Reading
A farmer in southeastern Poland unearthed three gold bracelets
KROSNO, POLAND—A farmer in southeastern Poland unearthed three gold bracelets tied with golden wire that are thought to date to between 1600 and 400 B.C. “We will study the place of discovery because we want to determine whether it was a discovery of a treasure, or perhaps remains of a burial ground,” Jan Gancarski, director… Continue Reading
Royals and Regalia: Inside the Palaces of Nigeria’s Monarchs
The Newark Museum presents; “Royals and Regalia: Inside the Palaces of Nigeria’s Monarchs,” a collection of photographs from George Osodi’s project, George has visited the palaces of over 20 kings and queens all over Nigeria. The project is intended to show off Nigeria’s history and cultural complexity, and to promote harmony in a country often torn apart by ethnic and… Continue Reading
‘Kimono: A Modern History’ at the Met Tells Rich Stories Through Fabric
When clothing appears at the Metropolitan Museum, it’s typically a big to-do involving the Costume Institute, haute couture and numerous theatrical set pieces. (See, for instance, the current exhibition of Victorian mourning attire.) But “Kimono: A Modern History,” quietly folded into the museum’s Arts of Japan Galleries, is a different kind of fashion show. It’s… Continue Reading
Jersey torques and coins
ST. HELIER, JERSEY—A large, solid gold torque, or neck ornament, has been partially excavated from a hoard of coins and other jewelry discovered on the island of Jersey. The torque has a massive decoration where it probably locked around the wearer’s neck. The conservation team from Jersey Heritage does not know yet if the ring… Continue Reading
Maouri remains repatriated
WELLLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND—The remains of more than 100 people, including the skeletal remains of 24 Moriori, 46 Maori, 35 preserved tattooed heads, and two tattooed thigh skins, have been returned to Te Papa. The heads and thigh skins had been collected by a British soldier in the nineteenth century and eventually landed in the American… Continue Reading
Danish Grave holds Egyptian beads
AARHUS, DENMARK—The chemical composition of 23 glass beads unearthed in Denmark was examined with plasma-spectrometry, and compared with the trace elements found in beads from Amarna in Egypt and Nippur in Mesopotamia. One of the beads, made of blue glass, had come from a woman’s Bronze Age burial that was excavated in 1880 at the… Continue Reading
Early glass bracelet with menorah found in Israel
MOUNT CARMEL NATIONAL PARK, ISRAEL—A refuse pit in an industrial area dating to the late Roman and early Byzantine periods has yielded a fragment of a glass bracelet. “Stamped impressions of two menorahs survived on the small fragment that was found—one a plain seven-branched menorah, of which only the surface of the menorah is visible… Continue Reading
Canaanite fertility goddess sells for $242,500
The Ancient Levant covered southwestern Syria, the west of Jordan, and modern-day Lebanon, Palestine, and Israel. Ancient Semitic religions were polytheistic and centered upon a cult of mother goddesses. The Canaanite fertility goddess in Syria-Palestine was Astarte, consort to Baal, the rain god. Mother goddesses were the divine incarnation of love as well as mistresses of… Continue Reading
A fine possession – Jewellery and identity
OPENS 24 SEPTEMBER 2014 Jewellery has been made and worn for personal, social and cultural reasons through millennia. Styles, materials and practices have varied across time and place, yet the desire to adorn ourselves has been universal. Jewellery can influence the way people perceive us, make us more attractive, mark special events or symbolise wealth… Continue Reading
Anglo Saxon graves discovered
SALISBURY PLAIN, ENGLAND—More than a dozen new Anglo-Saxon graves have been found at the site of Barrow Clump. The site, which has now been backfilled, was originally a Neolithic settlement that was later used as a burial mound in the Bronze Age and even later as a Saxon cemetery. According to Culture24, a team from Wessex… Continue Reading
The first Phoenician shipwreck
The first Phoenician shipwreck to be excavated by archaeologists, the wreck at Bajo de la Campana, a submerged rock reef off Spain’s coast near Cartagena, dates to some 2,700 years ago. The ship ran aground and spilled its cargo onto the seabed, where a number of finds ended up clustered in a sea cave. Under the direction… Continue Reading
Ancient Silver Jewellery Discovered in Israel
ABEL BETH MACCAH, ISRAEL—After months of conservation, a seemingly nondescript ball of silver found in simple jar at the site of the ancient biblical city of Abel Beth Maccah in northern Israel has turned out to be five ancient silver hoop earrings, as well as other pieces of silver that may have been used as… Continue Reading
Origins of Shell Bead
YORK, ENGLAND—Using a variety of non-destructive techniques, scientists have pinned down the species of shells used to make beads unearthed at the Early Bronze Age site of Great Cornard in southeastern England. Worked shells beads are notoriously difficult to identify by species, since most identifying features of the shells are destroyed while the beads are… Continue Reading
2,000-Year-Old Paracas Shroud Returns Home
A rare and exquisite funeral shroud dating back 2,000 years to the ancient Paracas culture of Peru, has finally returned home after being returned from Sweden, according to a BBC report. The magnificent textile has been described as uniquely complex, with more than 80 hues of blue, green, yellow and red woven into a… Continue Reading
Archaeologists of Historic Jamestown Release Native American Artifacts for Public View
Archaeologists with the Jamestown Rediscovery Project are now exhibiting a representative sampling of the thousands of Native American artifacts they have uncovered over the past 20 years in or near the site of the 1607 James Fort remains on Jamestown Island, the site of the first successful English colony in North America. Under the rubric,… Continue Reading
Egypt’s Looted Antiquities
Since 2011, Egypt’s police force and other governmental authorities, overwhelmed by political upheaval, have let their protection of the country’s thousands of archaeological sites and museums fall to a bare minimum. Looters have taken full advantage of this opportunity. More than a thousand objects were stolen from the Malawi National Museum in Minya last year and satellite… Continue Reading
World’s Oldest Pants Unearthed in China
BERLIN, GERMANY—Science News reports that the remains of two men wearing trousers have been recovered from the Yanghai graveyard in China’s Tarim Basin by Ulrike Beck and Mayke Wagner of the German Archaeological Institute. They say that the trousers are the oldest known examples of their kind. Dated to between 3,300 and 3,000 years ago, the… Continue Reading
Controversial Indian ring auctioned at Christie’s
The ring, belonging to the Muslim ruler Tipu Sultan, was inscribed with the name of Ram, a Hindu God A ring belonging to an 18th Century Indian ruler has been sold at an auction in London amid criticism from heritage groups. The jewelled golden ring was sold for £145,000 by Christie’s auction house. It… Continue Reading
Escrick ring believed to be hundreds of years older than first thought and possibly royal
A sapphire ring which was found near York is thought to be hundreds of years older than first thought – and have possible royal connections. Experts discussing the Escrick Ring at a workshop in York thought it was probably from the 5th or 6thcentury – not the 10th or 11th as originally believed. They also suggested the ring… Continue Reading
New finds indicate tantric worship in South India 2000 years ago
Kondapur – New archaeological evidence indicates that the Satavahana kings who ruled parts of South India between the 3rd century BCE and 3rd century CE, practised Tantric worship. Earlier studies suggested that this region was a Buddhist site. The excavations took place in the Kondapur region of the South Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. “Even though… Continue Reading
AN IRON Age village along with a host of ancient artefacts including tools and jewellery have been discovered on a construction site of a new bypass for a Scottish town.
The treasure trove unearthed during the building of the £17 million A75 Dunragit bypass in Wigtownshire sheds new light on land use and settlement in the area over the past 9,000 years. The discoveries include a rare and complete 130-piece jet bead necklace dating about 2000BC – the first of its kind ever discovered in… Continue Reading
Unique Silk Cloth Found in Emperor Henry VII’s Coffin
A unique silk cloth has been found in the tomb of German king and Holy Roman emperor Henry VII of Luxembourg (1275-1313), among bones and what remains of his boiled head, Italian researchers announced this week. Resting in Pisa Cathedral, the remains of Henry VII were exhumed last fall with the aim of getting more… Continue Reading
Textiles Collection Announced as Recognised Collection of National Status
Shetland Museum & Archives’ Textiles Collection has been awarded Recognized status by Museums Galleries Scotland, under its Recognition Scheme. The Recognition Committee was impressed by the quality of the application and the considerable evidence provided of the importance of the Collection. They stated that the Collection is comprehensive and portrays the iconic significance of Shetland… Continue Reading
Worlds oldest Cheese adorns Chinese Mummies
The world’s oldest cheese has been found on the necks and chests of perfectly preserved mummies buried in China’s desert sand. Dating back as early as 1615 B.C., the lumps of yellowish organic material have provided direct evidence for the oldest known dairy fermentation method. The individuals were likely buried with the cheese so they… Continue Reading
Siberian Mummies
Russian archaeologists have resumed excavations in a remote site near the Arctic Circle in the attempt to understand a perplexing find of medieval mummies clad in copper masks. Roughly 1,000 years old, the mummies were found during a series of excavations that started in 1997 in a Siberian necropolis near the village of Zeleniy Yar,… Continue Reading
Peshawar festival opens
PESHAWAR: Tourism Corporation Khyber-Pakhtukhwa (TCKP) and Directorate of Archaeology and Museums inaugurated the much-awaited art and crafts festival on Friday, which will continue through the weekend. Held at the city’s most important archaeological landmark, Gor Gathri, the event is aimed at celebrating the cultural heritage of the province. Kicking things off with the Khattak dance, the… Continue Reading
India – History comes full circle
A circular building located within the State department of Archaeology and Museums beckons one with a rustic looking threshold similar to what you see at temples. Almost nondescript on the outside, the building belies its real purpose and the treasure to be found on the inside. Encircling artifacts both old and recent, the reopened State… Continue Reading
6,000-year-old crown found in Dead Sea cave revealed
The world’s oldest crown, which was famously discovered in 1961 as part of the Nahal Mishar Hoard, along with numerous other treasured artefacts, are to be revealed in New York University’s Institute for the Study of the Ancient World as part of the ‘Masters of Fire: Copper Age Art from Israel’ exhibit. The ancient crown… Continue Reading
Tutankhamun’s Brooch Holds Evidence of Ancient Comet Striking Earth
The treasures of the 18th Dynasty pharaoh Tutankhamun were first discovered by Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon in 1922 when they uncovered his tomb in the Valley of the Kings. Among the gold, jewels and statues was a spectacular brooch, which contains a striking yellow-brown scarab made of a yellow silica glass stone procured from… Continue Reading
High-tech scans of Egyptian mummies reveal tattoo of Archangel Michael
A team of scientists in London have carried out high-tech scanning on eight Egyptian mummies from the British Museum, uncovering fascinating information about them, including the revelation that one of the female mummies has a tattoo symbolising Archangel Michael on her inner thigh. The eight mummies lived during different eras and came from different walks… Continue Reading
Paris Auction of Ethnic Jewels
BIJOUX ETHNIQUES – ART PRIMITIF EXPOSITIONS PUBLIQUES / Public Viewing Mardi 11 février de 11 heures à 18 heures Mercredi 12 février de 11 heures à 12 heures Fabruary Tuesday 11th from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm Fabruary Wednesday 12th from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm TÉLÉPHONE PENDANT L’EXPOSITION PUBLIQUE ET LA VENTE T. +33… Continue Reading
Berber women of Morocco – Exhibition
March 21 – July 20, 2014 The Fondation Pierre Bergé – Yves Saint Laurent is proud to announce the opening of its 21st exhibition, Berber Women of Morocco. It is an occasion not only to share the richness of the Amazigh civilization, but also to honor Berber women, to whom the Amazigh culture… Continue Reading
Carthaginians sacrificed own children, archaeologists say
Graves holding tiny cremated bones confirm accounts dismissed as Greek or Roman black propaganda, Just as ancient Greek and Roman propagandists insisted, the Carthaginians did kill their own infant children, burying them with sacrificed animals and ritual inscriptions in special cemeteries to give thanks for favours from the gods, according to a new study. “This… Continue Reading
The elusive Biblical blue….
The elusive Biblical blue, a sacred color whose exact shade has puzzled scholars for centuries, has been revealed in a nearly 2,000-year-old patch of dyed fabric. The piece of cloth was found in Israeli caves just south of Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered between 1946 and 1956. It features a blue… Continue Reading
Gold-Adorned Skeleton Could Be First Windsor Queen
British archaeologists have unearthed the remains of what might be the first queen of Windsor in a 4,400-year-old female skeleton adorned with some of Britain’s earliest gold jewels. The find could predate Windsor’s royal connection by more than three millennia. Archaeologists discovered the remains at Kingsmead Quarry, not far from Windsor Castle, which, since the… Continue Reading
A gold, garnet and sapphire crown for King Richard III
A gold, garnet and sapphire crown will adorn the coffin of King Richard III when he is finally laid to rest – wherever that might be. The regal gift has been paid for by Dr John Ashdown-Hill, who worked with Philippa Langley to identify distant relatives of the Plantagenet monarch, which led to his identification.… Continue Reading
Art Attack
VOGUE is revered the world over for its fashion foresight, decade-defining shoots and aesthetic inspiration and has become a cult fashion purchase in its own right. But what if you could wear the magazine itself? Thanks to jewellery designer Kara Ross you can. For her latest tribal-inspired collection, entitled Fauve, the New York-based designer… Continue Reading
Is Jewellery Art?
FOR many, jewellery is a decorative adornment that sits firmly under the accessories mantle, for others it is categorically a work of art. Last night, luxury Italian jeweller Bulgari, attempted to answer the question ‘Is jewellery art?’ with the help from esteemed jewellery historian and curator of Bulgari’s archive collection, Amanda Triossi, and Vogue’s jewellery… Continue Reading
Chanel Defends Controversial Headdresses
CHANEL has defended its decision to incorporate traditional Native American headdresses in its recent Métiers d’Art autumn/winter 2013 collection, after the pieces were met with mixed reviews. “The Chanel Paris-Dallas Métiers d’Art 2013 collection is a celebration of the beauty of Texas. Native Americans are an integral part of Texas’s rich history and culture and… Continue Reading
Men’s Fashion Week Designer Calls Out Racism On The Runway In Most Effective Way
Fashion world, listen up: Native American headdresses are not a seasonal accessory. This point was made loud and clear by Belgian designer Walter Van Beirendonck, who sent models down the runway wearing feathered headgear during his Fall 2014 show at Menswear Fashion Week on Wednesday. But unlike his ill-advised contemporaries, his headdresses were emblazoned with… Continue Reading
American Folk Art Museum building to be demolished as MoMA New York’s expansion plans are approved
The Museum of Modern Art New York’s Board of Trustees have approved initial details of a major building project that will expand the museum by integrating its current building with three floors of a residential tower being developed at 53 West 53rd Street and by demolishing the former American Folk Art Museum, at 45 West… Continue Reading
Sotheby’s Report Defends Chinese Scroll It Sold as Authentic
SHANGHAI — Sotheby’s said Tuesday that an ancient calligraphy scroll the auction house sold in September for $8.2 million was authentic, despite recent claims by a group of Chinese art historians who insisted it was likely a 19th-century reproduction. In a 14-page report, published in Chinese, Sotheby’s said it had found no evidence that… Continue Reading
Victoria & Albert Museum to Overhaul Baroque and Rococo Galleries
London’s Victoria and Albert Museum has announced that it will overhaul its Baroque and Rococo galleries to let in more light and better install 1,100 gems from its collection — including items designed for Marie Antoinette, Catherine the Great and Napoleon. In a statement, the museum said the new galleries would demonstrate how “Europeans… Continue Reading
New Foundation to Focus on Publishing Art Books
Art books, monographs and catalogs are essential for historians, collectors and artists, but they rarely make money. Often oversized and lavishly illustrated on high-quality glossy paper, they are expensive to produce for the relatively tiny number of institutions and individuals who buy them. Enter the Artist Book Foundation, a new nonprofit organization dedicated to publishing… Continue Reading
Maya Treasures Visit Los Angeles to Help Build a Museum
LOS ANGELES — It is odd to see an eight-foot-long stucco statue of a man in a jaguar mask slinking along the floor of the Convention Center here, as if stalking unsuspecting prey. Over 1,400 years ago, royal accouterments would have accompanied him: The yellow and black discolorations we see on his carved skirt, now… Continue Reading
Bead currency used in Australia’s first export industry
Anna Salleh ABC European glass beads like this were traded for access to sea cucumber off the Arnhem Land coast (Mirani Litster and Daryl Wesley ) Indigenous Australians took European glass beads from Macassan seafarers in return for giving them fishing rights on traditional lands as early as the 18th Century, say archaeologists. They say… Continue Reading
Ancient Egyptian bead ‘from meteorite’, say researchers
Analysis of an iron bead has proved ancient Egyptians created jewellery from meteorites, experts have said. Researchers at the Open University and University of Manchester have made the claim following analysis of the bead, which dates from 3,350 to 3,600BC. Previously, it had been claimed the 2cm bead was a product of smelting. … Continue Reading
Vikings ‘ransacked’ Church gold for jewellery’
Research by a University College Cork scholar has made new discoveries about the “Viking loot” from Ireland. He traced how sacred objects were turned into jewellery by Vikings in Norway, Sweden and other Scandinavian countries. There are no plans, however, to seek to have returned to Ireland the crosiers that were turned into brooches and… Continue Reading
Ancient treasures found at Russian burial site
Archaeologists have found the intact burial chamber of a noble woman from a powerful tribe that roamed the Eurasian steppes 2,500 years ago in southern Russia, an official said Tuesday. The Sarmatians were a group of Persian-speaking tribes that controlled what is now parts of southern Russia, Ukraine and Central Asia from around 500 BC… Continue Reading
Analysis of ancient glass beads from cult site in Germany
The raw materials for ancient glass beads found in former Rhaetian settlements in Bavaria clearly did not originate from this region. This is the conclusion following an analysis of the beads at the TRIGA research reactor of the Institute of Nuclear Chemistry at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU). A total of 42 glass beads… Continue Reading
Looted Viking treasure is discovered in British Museum store
A Celtic treasure looted by the Vikings more than 1,000 years ago has been discovered in the British Museum’s storerooms. An ornate, gilded disc brooch dating from the eighth or ninth century was found by chance and is being described as a “staggering find”. No-one knew of its existence until now. It had… Continue Reading
Late Roman ring to ward-off ‘evil eye’ found in Croatia
Archaeologists in Croatia have found an interesting ring from the 3rd century. At the depth of two metres in the soil in eastern town of Vinkovci they have found the ring with an “eye” that was, according to experts, used to protect the holder from spells. Researchers have at the same place found a lot… Continue Reading
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