Category: Archaeology
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The Terracotta Warriors – Artefacts in Context?
The Qinshihuang’s Mausoleum Site Museum in Xi’an China, known popularly for its Terracotta Warriors, is an archaeological marvel. But what does the site actually consist of, how has the museum managed to display a set of artefacts on such a colossal, breath-taking scale. In a new series on MuseumCraft, we take a look at Qinshihuang’s…
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The Dig: A Review
★★★★☆ Beautifully shot and movingly emotional, The Dig is an impressive example of how the process of history and archaeology can be adopted for drama, even if the film has a tendency to run away with that drama. Making a drama about archaeology is an almost knife-edge impossibility, for the simple reason that real day-to-day…
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River Kings by Cat Jarman: A Review
Cat Jarman’s new book River Kings is a huge triumph, not only for the study of the Vikings in England more broadly, but for the accessibility of the archaeological method, and the outstanding uses it can be put to. #ComissionsEarned (This post includes Amazon Affiliate links) – As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying…
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The Prittlewell Prince
Introduction Archaeology is about much more than treasure-hunting but, inevitably, popular attention tends to be drawn towards rich and magnificent finds. Within an early medieval context, the ‘Princely’ burials of the Mid Saxon period are particularly notable in this context. The Sutton Hoo Mound 1 ship-burial is deservedly famous and the most impressive example, but…
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The Complaint Tablet of Ea-nasir
The British Museum is full of all sorts of things that shouldn’t be there. One less well-known example, beyond the Elgin Marbles and the Rosetta Stone, is an initially inconspious clay tablet, traditionally referred to as ‘The Complaint Tablet of Ea-nasir’. The tablet itself is made of clay, c.12cm by 5cm, and covered in cuneiform…
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The Franks Casket
One of the ‘Anglo-Saxon’ period‘s most impressive, and most complex, artefacts is the so-called ‘Franks Casket’. A lidded whalebone box, covered in intricate carvings and text, the casket appears to originate from an early eight-century Northumbrian context. But what was it used for, and what can it tell us? Finding the Casket The existence in…
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Archaeology – A Beginner’s Recommended Reading List
Archaeology is a fascinating subject, but is often quite difficult to get into. There’s an awful lot of complex jargon associated with it, scientific wizardry, and illegible publications. However, with a little bit of background reading, it’s absolutely possible for even the most casual enthusiast to develop a deep and complex understanding of the fundamental…
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Archaeology Maps – the Aerial Archaeology Mapping Explorer
To the great happiness of anyone interested in Landscape Archaeology, Historical England have just released a new free online archaeological resource – the Aerial Archaeology Mapping Explorer, available here. This website plots a diverse set of archaeological surveys onto a map of England, allowing the user to explore the past within the areas they live…
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The British Museum’s Online Collection
There’s a lot in the British Museum that shouldn’t be there, ‘borrowed’ during England’s colonial past. One classic example is the Complaints Tablet of Ea-nasir, a wonderful piece of archaeological evidence now removed far from its original context. I’ve written before (here) about how the use of replicas might help us address some of the…
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The Viking World – Artefact Database
The Swedish History Museum in Stockholm hosts the world’s largest collection of Viking artefacts, which tell an impressive story of life, religion, and death in Viking-era Scandinavia. This has recently been digitized into an impressive free online collection that can be browsed on their website here. Each item is provided with an impressive amount of…