Search Constraints
Search Results
-
Book chapter
Telling stories at the Ashmolean Museum: an Ancient Middle East gallery for the 21st century?
Permanent galleries in museums often receive less focus and investment than temporary exhibitions but in order to meet the needs of modern museum visitors their displays need to be equally responsive to changing demographics and the political landscape. An opportunity to refurbish the Ashmolean Museum’s Ancient Near East gallery (renamed...Collins, Paul
-
Book
Grave Goods: Objects and Death in Later Prehistoric Britain
Britain is internationally renowned for the high quality and exquisite crafting of its later prehistoric grave goods (c. 4000 BC to AD 43). Many of prehistoric Britain's most impressive artefacts have come from graves. Interred with both inhumations and cremations, they provide some of the most durable and well-preserved insights...Cooper, Anwen ; Garrow, Duncan ; Gibson, Catriona ; Giles, Melanie ; Wilkin, Neil
-
Book chapter
Dating hillforts part II: more detailed approaches to dating the Iron Age hillforts of Britain
Examination of the dating of hillforts in Britain through analysis of artefact evidence and radiocarbon dating. Focus is upon typo-chronologies of brooches, interrogation of the context of these finds and Bayesian modelling of radiocarbon dates.Hamilton, Derek ; Horn, Jonathan A. ; Adams, Sophia ; McCaskil, Kat ; McDonald, Sophie
-
Book chapter
Changing exchange values in Solomon Islands
Burt, Ben
-
-
Book chapter
The Assyrian fort at Usu Aska in Iraqi Kurdistan
MacGinnis, John
Usu Ask, archaeology, and Assyria
-
Book chapter
Untangling megalithic typologies and chronologies in the Levant
The Levant comprises southern Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. These well-surveyed archaeological landscapes contain a miscellany of features that incorporate megalithic blocks in various ways. To 19th century explorers, these features recalled megalithic monuments in Europe, and they used European terms such as cromlech and...Fraser, James
Levant, Dolmens, and Bronze Age
-
Book
Speak My Name: Investigating Egyptian Mummies
“Speak my name so that I may live again” was often written on the walls of Egyptian tombs, imploring visitors to speak the names of the dead and make offerings on their behalf. These acts of continued remembrance sustained the dead in the afterlife.Fraser, James ; Lord, Conni ; Magnussen, John
Egypt, Mummies, and Scientific analysis
-
Book chapter
Diet and mobility: stable isotope analysis of the Iron Age population at Burnby Lane and The Mile
Examination and analysis of the stable isotope evidence for mobile and sedentary populations in the context of the Iron Age cemeteries at Pocklington, East Riding of Yorkshire.Hamilton, Derek ; Fox, Thomas G.B. ; Adams, Sophia ; Alexander, Michelle ; Sayle, Kerry L. …
Iron Age, stable isotopes, and mobility
-
Book chapter
Chronological framework
Interrogation of the dating of the Iron Age cemeteries at Pocklingon, East Riding of Yorkshire through examination of artefact chronologies and Bayesian modelling of radiocarbon dates.Hamilton, Derek ; Adams, Sophia
-
Book chapter
The Havering Hoard, Greater London, England: a multiple hoard in the context of the carp’s tongue complex
The Havering Hoard is a rare example of a Late Bronze Age hoard recovered during archaeological excavation of an occupation site in England. It consists of four discrete deposits of copper alloy objects and copper ingot pieces buried in a pit cut into a partially filled enclosure ditch. Most items...Adams, Sophia ; O'Connor, Brendan
Hoard, metalwork, and Bronze Age
-
-
Journal article
Dangerous perfection’ and an old puzzle resolved: a ‘new’ Apulian krater inspired by Euripides
An Apulian calyx krater attributed to the Underworld Painter that entered the British Museum in 1867 as part of the collection of the Duc de Blacas (GR 1867,0508.1335, Vase F270) has long puzzled scholars on account of its enigmatic iconography, seemingly representing Orpheus and Cerberus in the Underworld. Yet cleaning... -
Journal article
A Soter (re)connection. Five fragments of shrouds from Roman Egypt at the British Museum
Five fragments of shrouds, held at the British Museum, were rediscovered in the storerooms of the museum in the late 1970s. The style of their decoration suggests that they were produced in the Theban necropolis during the first or second century AD and that they are probably to be associated... -
Journal article
Ein Leben mit dem Schiff. Nachruf auf Karin Hornig (2.8.1963-23.11.2020)
Obituary for Dr Karin Hornig, expert on ancient seafaring, cross-cultural exchange and the history of animals in antiquity.Ebbinghaus, Susanne
Ancient seafaring, Underwater archaeology, and Animals in ancient society
-
Journal article
Dental insights into the biological affinities of the inhabitants of Gabati over a period of cultural transition
Gabati is located below the 5th Cataract of the Nile 40km north of Meroe, the capital of the Nubian empire from circa 300 BC–350 AD (Edwards, 2004). The cemetery at Gabati contains graves dating to the late Meroitic (c. 200BC – 200 AD), post-Meroitic (c. 550 - 700 AD), and...Phillips, Emma L.W. ; Irish, Joel D. ;
-
Journal article
The Frome Hoard: chemical and lead isotope analysis of three silver-alloy denarii of Carausius
This article presents and discusses the metallurgical analysis of three silver denarii of the Roman emperor Carausius (AD 286-93) found in the Frome Hoard (2010).Ponting, Matthew ; Minnitt, Stephen ;
numismatics, Roman, and Carausius
-
Journal article
Roman coin hoards from Wiltshire
This paper considers a corpus of 127 Roman coin hoards from Wiltshire discovered between 1653 and 2019.Henry, Richard ;
-
Journal article
Searching for silphium: an updated review
From luxury spice to medical cure-all, silphium was a product coveted throughout the ancient world and occupied an essential place in the export economy of ancient Cyrene. The mysterious extinction of the silphium plant in the 1st century CE leaves us with little evidence as to the exact nature of...Briggs, Lisa ; Jakobsson, Jens
archaeobotany, Cyrene, silphium, and shipwrecks
-
Journal article
There’s more to a vessel than meets the eye: organic residue analysis of ‘wine’ containers from shipwrecks and settlements of ancient Cyprus (4th–1st century )
Despite growing evidence to the contrary, wine remains the assumed content of many types of ancient pottery. Vessels from the Kyrenia and Mazotos shipwrecks, and Yeronisos island presumed to have contained wine were subjected to three different extraction protocols to test the assumption that these vessels were used to import...Briggs, Lisa ; Demesticha, Stella ; Katzev, Susan ; Wylde Swiny, Helena ; Craig, Oliver E. …
pottery, shipwrecks, and organic residue
-
Book
Mummies of Ancient Egypt, Rediscovering Six Lives
This exhibition book explores the lives of six mummified individuals who once lived in Egypt between the Third Intermediate Period (about 1069-664 BC) and the Roman time (30 BC - AD 395). Using cutting-edge scientific investigations, each mummy offers insights into specific aspects of their lives and deaths, which are...Vandenbeusch, Marie ; Antoine, Daniel
-
Journal article
Clues to the presence of an Assyrian administration in the Mahidasht Plain, Kermanshah, Iran
Large sculpted circular door sockets are a characteristic feature of Neo-Assyrian monumental architecture and have been found in palaces, temples, and admin- istrative centers both at core imperial sites such as Khorsabad and Nimrud and at provincial capitals such as Till-Barsib, Arslan-Tash, and Ziyaret Tepe. In the case of Iran,...Alibaigi, Sajjad ; MacGinnis, John
-
Journal article
Roman coins from the Masson and Mackenzie collections in the British Museum
The British East India Company’s Museum in Leadenhall Street housed an eclectic range of objects that were predominantly collected by those associated with the Company. Charles Masson and Colin Mackenzie were two such individuals. Their collections were acquired by the EIC, and after the closure of the museum in 1878...Jansari, Sushma
British Museum, India, and coins
-
Journal article
Hominins likely occupied northern Europe before one million years ago
Our understanding of when hominins first reached northern Europe is dependent on a fragmented archaeological and fossil record known from as early as marine isotope stage (MIS) 21 or 25 (c. 840 or 950 thousand years ago [Ka]). This contrasts sharply with southern Europe, where hominin occupation is evidenced from...Key, Alastair ; Ashton, Nick
early human dispersal , hominin demography, and Lower Palaeolithic
-
Journal article
Flake tools in the European Lower Paleolithic: a case study from MIS 9 Britain
Studies of flake tools in the British Lower Paleolithic are rare owing to lower quantities of flake tools than handaxes and the perception that flake tool technology became more important in the succeeding Middle Paleolithic. In Britain, and Europe more broadly, MIS 9 (328–301 ka) has been characterized as a...Rawlinson, Aaron ; Dale, Luke ; Ashton, Nick ; Bridgland, David ; White, Mark
-
Journal article
Rhodes and Kos: East Dorian pottery production of the Archaic period
To date, the pottery production of Rhodes, Kos and other ‘East Dorian’ islands and coastal areas remains little understood. This article presents and discusses new neutron activation analysis (NAA) of eighth–sixth-century vessels found on Rhodes and in related areas, placing them in the wider context of past and present archaeometric...Villing, Alexandra ; Mommsen, Hans
NAA, Rhodes, and East Greek pottery
-
Book chapter
Don’t kill the goose that lays the golden egg? Some thoughts on bird sacrifices in Ancient Greece
Sokrates’ famous last words, ‘Krito, I owe a cock to Asklepios; will you remember to pay the debt?’, as reported in Plato’s Phaidon (117e–18a), have long occupied scholars trying to understand the reason for the ‘debt’, but the choice of sacrificial animal has equally surprised. Cattle, sheep, goats and pigs...Villing, Alexandra
-
Journal article
Acheulean variability in Western Europe: the case of Menez-Dregan I (Plouhinec, Finistère, France)
The establishment of the Acheulean in Europe occurred after MIS 17, but it was after the harsh glaciation of MIS 12 and during the long interglacial of MIS 11 that human occupation of Western Europe became more sustained, with an increased number of sites. Menez-Dregan I (Brittany, France) is one...Ravon, Anne-Lyse ; García-Medrano, Paula ; Moncel, Marie-Hélène ; Ashton, Nick
-
Journal article
Pandemic, protests and building back: 20 months at the British Museum
This article is a personal reflection that examines the impact of the pandemic on the British Museum’s (BM) onsite interpretation and audiences; however, it is informed by robust visitor insight and evaluation as well as by direct experience. Quotes from the public are incorporated throughout. Covid-19 led to the BM’s...Frost, Stuart
-
Journal article
A terrestrial record of climate variation during MIS 11 through multiproxy palaeotemperature reconstructions from Hoxne, UK
A terrestrial (lacustrine and fluvial) palaeoclimate record from Hoxne (Suffolk, UK) shows two temperate phases separated by a cold episode, correlated with MIS 11 subdivisions corresponding to isotopic events 11.3 (Hoxnian interglacial period), 11.24 (Stratum C cold interval), and 11.23 (warm interval with evidence of human presence). A robust, reproducible...Horne, David J. ; Ashton, Nick ; Benardout, Ginny ; Brooks, Stephen J. ; Coope, G. Russell …
-
Journal article
Acheulean diversity in Britain (MIS 15-MIS11): from the standardization to the regionalization of technology
The appearance of the Acheulean and the production of new bifacial tools marked a revolution in human behavior. The use of longer and complex operative chains, with centripetal and recurrent knapping, adapted to different raw materials, created long useful edges, converging in a functional distal end. How and why these...García-Medrano, Paula ; Shipton, Ceri ; White, Mark ; Ashton, Nick
Middle Pleistocene, handaxes, acheulean, Britain, and technology
-
Book chapter
Les statues de Taharqa et d’Aspelta découverts dans le temple méroïtique à Amon de Dangueil: la suite
Over several excavation seasons conducted at Dangeil Sudan, fragments of statues belonging to several early Kushite rulers of the 7th and 6th centuries BC were discovered, including a colossal statue of Taharqo and a small statue of Aspelta. These fragments were scattered throughout the destruction phase of an Amun temple...Anderson, Julie ; Mohamed Ahmed, Salaheldin
-
Book chapter
Mediterranean encounters: Greeks, Carians and Egyptians in the first millennium BC
The first millennium BC was a crucial period in the history of contact between Egypt and Greece. Three case studies examine the processes and people behind and the impact of this contact. They will take us from sixth century BC cosmopolitan Memphis, with its international population including Greeks and Carians,...Villing, Alexandra
-
Journal article
Salvage excavations in the Berber-Abidiya Region, 1999: a post-Meroitic single descendary, two-entrance tomb in el-Fereikha
Rescue excavations undertaken in el-Fereikha Sudan revealed a post-Meroitic tomb (4th-5th c AD) with a large oval burial chamber with two entrances reached by a single descendary. Few tombs of this type have been documented and their use seems restricted to the region between Meroe and Berber-Abidiya. Little organic material...Anderson, Julie ; Bashir, Mahmoud Suliman ; Ahmed, Salah Mohammed
-
Journal article
High-status burials in the Napatan Period: cultural interactions between Egypt and Nubia
During the Napatan period, the elite within Kushite society adopted Egyptian funerary practices modifying and adapting them to suit their own needs. Notable changes similarly occurred in Egypt elite burials between the 8th and 7th centuries BC during the period of Kushite rule. The history and dynamics of the cultural...Taylor, John H.
-
Book chapter
Shared histories: New work in British Museum and British Library collections
Since their formal separation following the British Library Act of 1972, the British Museum and British Library have largely taken separate paths. Several recent collaborations have aimed to study papyrological material across both institutions, addressing one or more of three strands of enquiry, 1. knowledge gained through systematic documentation of...O'Connell, Elisabeth
-
Journal article
Investigating the potential of the Nd:YAG and Er:YAG lasers for the cleaning of feathers: a pilot study
A dual-wavelength Q-switched Nd:YAG laser emitting at 1064 nm and 532 nm and an Er:YAG laser were tested on a range of feathers containing melanin, carotenoids and psittacofulvins. Dyed, white and iridescent feathers, as well as down feathers, were also included in the study. First, the damage threshold fluence was...Bertasa, Moira ; Korenberg, Capucine
-
Journal article
Polysaccharide Paint Binding Media at Two Pharaonic Settlements in Nubia
Paints and plasters from two pharaonic settlement sites in Nubia (northern Sudan) were analysed to investigate the presence and origin of organic binding materials. The town of Sai was founded around the time of the pharaonic conquest of Kush (Upper Nubia) around 1500 BC, with Amara West created as a...Fulcher, Kate ; Spencer, Neal ; Budka, Julia ; Stacey, Rebecca J.
archaeology, urbanism, Nubia, Egypt, technology, colonialism, pigment, botany, and gums
-
Book
Mary Gillick: Sculptor and Medalist
A fascinating study on the life and work of Mary Gillick (1881-1965) in honour of Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee. Published by Spink in association with the British Museum, this book celebrates Gillick, best known for her portrait of Queen Elizabeth II that appeared on UK coins...Attwood, Philip
medals, Queen Elizabeth II, coinage, and sculpture
-
Book
India: A History in Objects
India: A History in Objects is a beautiful exploration of India's past, which highlights objects from the British Museum collection. Arranged chronologically, and abundantly illustrated with expertly selected objects, this superb new overview connects today’s India with its past. Early chapters uncover prehistoric objects from 1.5 million years ago, examine...Blurton, Richard
material culture, history, and India
-
Book
The world of Stonehenge
Stonehenge is one of the best known, but most misunderstood, monuments in the world. Contrary to the common belief, it was not a static, unchanging structure built by shadowy figures or druids. Rather, it represents the cumulative achievement of numerous generations who were woven into a complex and widespread network...Garrow, Duncan ; Wilkin, Neil
-
Journal article
Early Pleistocene human occupation at the edge of the boreal zone in northwest Europe
The dispersal of early humans from Africa by 1.75 Myr ago led to a marked expansion of their range, from the island of Flores in the east to the Iberian peninsula in the west. This range encompassed tropical forest, savannah and Mediterranean habitats, but has hitherto not been demonstrated beyond 45°...Parfitt, Simon ; Ashton, Nick ; Lewis, Simon ; Abel, Richard L. ; Coope, G. Russell …
Happisburgh; human footprints; Lower Paleolithic; Early Pleistocene; Britain; Europe
-
Journal article
Between Apollo and Osiris: Egyptianising East Greek pottery, translating gods and cross-cultural interaction in the 6th century B.C
Relatively few Greek fine ware vessels have been uncovered in Egyptian contexts of the late 7th and 6th centuries B.C., the majority of East Greek production. Remarkably, though, the shape and imagery of a good number of them seem to reference local Egyptian customs and ideas, notably Osirian religion and...Villing, Alexandra
Apollo, East Greek pottery, Typhon, Greeks in Egypt, and Greek mythology
-
Book chapter
Sloane's antiquities: providing a "body of history" through beads, bottles, brasses and busts
Sir Hans Sloane, Secretary and then President of the Royal Society, presented the Society of Antiquaries with the bronze lamp which became the symbol of their society but he was never a Fellow. Sloane’s collection included more than 2,000 antiquities, described in his own manuscript catalogue of his collections, the...Sloan, Kim
Society of Antiquaries, antiquities, Hans Sloane, and collecting history
-
Book
Feminine Power: The Divine to the Demonic
Divine women – in many guises – have featured in every world faith, from deep history until the present day, inspiring people and cultures across the world. In a cross-cultural and global approach, this book discusses Eve alongside Inanna, Radha and Aphrodite in the context of sex and desire, while...Crerar, Belinda
-
Journal article
The transmission of pottery technology among prehistoric European hunter-gatherers
Human history has been shaped by global dispersals of technologies, although understanding of what enabled these processes is limited. Here, we explore the behavioural mechanisms that led to the emergence of pottery among hunter-gatherer communities in Europe during the mid-Holocene. Through radiocarbon dating, we propose this dispersal occurred at a...Dolbunova, Ekaterina ; Lucquin, Alexandre ; McLaughlin, T. Rowan ; Bondetti, Manon ; Courel, Blandine …
pottery, dispersal, hunter-gatherer communities, and chemical analysis
-
Journal article
'Mediocre essays in medallic vituperation': German First World War medals and the British Museum
The centenary of the outbreak of the First World War provides a timely opportunity to examine the British Museum’s acquisition of German art medals relating to the conflict. A modest collection of thirty-six medals was acquired between 1916 and the end of the war in 1918 but, in that same...Hockenhull, Tom
-
Journal article
Stamped all over the king’s head: defaced coins and women’s suffrage
Using the British Museum's 'Votes for Women' penny as its starting point, this article conducts an analysis of a group of similar coins. It attempts to answer how they were made, how many were made, their purpose and place in suffragette historiography.Hockenhull, Tom
-
Book chapter
Rising above the propaganda: German medallic art in Britain (1914–1919)
During the First World War museums in Britain faced numerous challenges to their collecting and display strategies. Many museums were temporarily closed owing to a cut in government grant aid, which proved severely restrictive to available display space and caused considerable controversy, both in Britain and in Europe. In Vienna,...Hockenhull, Tom
medals and World War I