*This week's blog post mainly focuses on the mythology of a landscape as opposed to movement and utility. Here is a quick rendition of the Three Sister's myth, mainly sourced from midwalesmyway.com. Mythology plays a large part in describing the development of the landscape for many cultures around the world. In Wales, the myth of... Continue Reading →
"For four hundred years there had been order and law, respect for property, and a widening culture. All had vanished".[1] This is how Churchill saw the start of the Middle Ages. This quote summarises how many see the period, characterising it as a time of violence, prejudice, and superstition. Indeed, the very word 'medieval' is... Continue Reading →
• Histological light microscopy of bone diagenesis is a microscopic method that can be used to identify diverse funerary processes or taphonomic trajectories in archaeological human remains. • If a body is buried whole shortly after death, the bacteria from within the body will destroy bone cells as part of the putrefaction process. If a... Continue Reading →
Between the fourth and fifteenth centuries, the medieval Roman Empire, known in modern scholarship as the Byzantine Empire, ruled large swathes of territory from the capital Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul). The Empire’s borders extended across Asia Minor, Greece and the Balkans.[1] This piece focuses on a case study from the middle period of Byzantine history, which... Continue Reading →
Suicide or Homicide? The death of Margaret ferch Gwilym alias Lloyd. On the morning of Saturday 2nd November 1563 in Llanidloes Montgomeryshire, Margaret ferch Gwilym alias Lloyd was found dead in her house. Her husband, Ieuan ap Owen ap Ieuan ap Philip had found her hanging by the neck, in the doorway to the parlour…. Continue Reading →
This week’s blog post was inspired by a post I saw on Twitter: It seems to be in response to the trending topic that day – Sonic the Hedgehog’s teeth. There is a new “live action” Sonic movie coming out, and the animators chose to give him teeth that look more like a human than... Continue Reading →
El Camino Real, or 101 Highway, is the longest state highway measuring 2,478 km, spanning from Southern California to Washington. Made internationally known through Tennessee William’s book, El Camino Real, the highway’s history is extremely rich and diverse. The highway is most commonly known for connecting the Spanish missions throughout California and was called El... Continue Reading →
The great literary works of antiquity are famous for their influence on the modern world – even our everyday speech is littered with idiomatic fragments of Homer, Virgil, the Bible – but there is a little-known work that has had a far greater influence on our society and institutions: the Theodosian Code. This was a... Continue Reading →
In this blog series we have covered a range of body modification themes – from cosmetic to prosthetic. This week focuses on something new – Scarification. Scarification is the process of cutting, slicing, scratching or etching a design into the skin, in order to create a permanent body modification through scar tissue. Like tattooing, for... Continue Reading →
When thinking of the hypocaust initial thoughts are drawn to Roman bath houses (Figure 1), however, as an idea it is not easy to pin down who invented what when. What is perhaps more interesting is that there are versions of a directly fired underfloor heating system in operation across the world today. On top... Continue Reading →
The timeless phrase, “beauty is pain” is one impressed into young mindsets at the earliest concept of self. However, what happens when the product we use to make ourselves beautiful has the opposite effect? Using modern cosmetics, we have all experienced this phenomenon. For example, when you try to cover a pimple with concealer only... Continue Reading →
Sura Al-Baqarah, Sura of the Cow, is the second and longest sura of the Qur’an. In verses 51-95, the stories of three cows can be found. These cows correspond to the Golden Calf of Exodus 32, the Red Heifer of Numbers 19 and a final cow found in Deuteronomy 21. As Sura al Baqara is... Continue Reading →
The Ides of March marks the day Julius Caesar was assassinated by members of the Senate Despite his successful campaigns expanding the Roman empire, it was feared his individual power was threatening the Republic The Artefact Spotlight is a Mars figurine discovered in East Herefordshire, England, as a reminder of Caesar's legacy in Britain It... Continue Reading →
As Bahn (2010: 3) rightly states, rock art is a form of art that has dominated human-kind’s artistic output for about 30,000 years or more - but has been largely ignored in art history courses, given only token mention in archaeological degrees. Rock art is expressed in several different mediums, from paint and ochre to carving or... Continue Reading →
Shahr-i Sokhta (sometimes written as Shahr-e Sukhteh), meaning The Burnt City, is the name given to a substantial Bronze Age walled urban settlement in what is now southern Iran (fig. 1) [1]. The site has been excavated periodically since its rediscovery in 1900, and was granted UNESCO World Heritage status in 2014 [2]. Founded c.3200... Continue Reading →
How do you solve a murder without forensic medicine? In early modern Wales there was a variety of methods people could use to work out if a suspect was guilty or not. Some Tudor investigation techniques are similar to what we use today (examining witnesses, finding alibis, establishing a motive) and others seem strange or... Continue Reading →
Osteological examination is lacking in Neolithic burial contexts in Britain, but when completed, previous interpretations are often turned on their heads Neolithic peoples may have intentionally created "composite" skeletons consisting of the body parts of several individuals as part of a funerary ritual, like the monster in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein Using examples from Spurge Hole... Continue Reading →
The Newbridge burial is the earliest example and buried upright. The Arras burials of Yorkshire are disassembled, but show variation. The Pocklington burial in 2017 is the most lavish chariot burial in Britain to date with the inclusion of two ponies yoked to the chariot and ready to roll. Warning: This post contains images of... Continue Reading →
An inukshuk is a marker with great historical heritage, appropriated into a fad amongst amateur hikers and tourists. I often see them in the United States on trails, or in locations where there is a large quarry of flat rocks along popular routes. I have even seen them as part of an installation in someone’s... Continue Reading →
Christmas was established by Pope Julius I in AD 380 to facilitate the conversion of pagans who did not want to give up their winter festivals Pagans celebrated the winter solstice for thousands of years prior to this - as evidenced by text and archaeology Feasting and gift exchange during the holiday season are traditions... Continue Reading →
This month’s blog post concerns a Medieval Longobard warrior, excavated between 1985 and 1993 from the necropolis of Povegliano Veronese (fig.1), and recently published in the Journal of Anthropological Sciences (Micarelli et al., 2018). Only a very small number of amputations are known from the archaeological record, and even fewer prosthetics. This fascinating case study provides... Continue Reading →
We have all heard of mnemonic devices in archaeology, objects that help recall memory. Over the years, however, there has been an increase in analysing landscapes themselves as mnemonic devices. I for one can vouch for this. I am not from Britain, and moving to a new city whose layout is something of a maze... Continue Reading →
The 11th November 2018 marked 100 years since the armistice was signed and the First World War ended. Alongside the usual poppy appeal across the UK and across the world there are thousands of different ways in which remembrance Sunday, unique in it’s significance, is being celebrated this year. Due to my own military connections... Continue Reading →
At the age of two I developed a phobia of dogs after being attacked by a Labrador whilst walking through the woods with my father. I spent my childhood deliberately avoiding and even running away from the creatures, in the fear that one day I would be attacked again. By association; my fear of dogs... Continue Reading →
Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is often misinterpreted as a spooky celebration and associated with more common holidays such as Halloween. In fact, it is a version of the Roman Catholic feast of All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days that originated in Mexico and is celebrated every year. It carries ancient... Continue Reading →
In the summer of 2013, I was fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to conduct ethnographic research as an undergraduate student with sugar cane farming communities in Belize. With a sense of wild excitement, I set off for the Maya heartland which I had spent so much time reading about. I was expecting to... Continue Reading →
Thank you to Katie Faillace for finding the article on which this post is based! INTRODUCTION Two months ago I wrote about several case studies of tattooing in the archaeological record. The oldest and by far the most famous of these was Otzi “the iceman” – a 5000 year old natural mummy from the Alps,... Continue Reading →
[WARNING: This article contains graphic images. These images can be found in the ‘Modern Creation of the Zombie’ Section below if you wish to skip.] To celebrate the month of October, and in the spirit of Halloween, this article is a fun but brief psychological anthropological analysis in conjunction with archaeological and modern examples for... Continue Reading →
Ever fear what lurks in the water as you wade out to the ocean? What dwells in the depths? The innate fear one feels when they can’t see their toes? Or when the fog becomes too thick to see the coastline? Fear of water is a primal feeling, one with good cause. Water can wash... Continue Reading →
Among all the history that occupies lower Manhattan, including Wall Street, Trinity Church, and the 9/11 Memorial, only one site has been designated as a National Monument: the African Burial Ground. This 0.35 acre memorial and museum marks the resting place of over 10,000 Africans and African Americans. Originally occupying over 6 acres, the cemetery... Continue Reading →
Today is Columbus Day—an annual event commemorating the anniversary of Italian explorer Christopher Columbus arriving in America. In the United States, the holiday (observed the second Monday in October) reached federal status in 1937 [1], and many businesses close their doors and schoolchildren rejoice in the three-day weekend. However, the celebration of Christopher Columbus'... Continue Reading →
I am a conservator. A vague statement, I know. As a vocation, conservation remains poorly defined, at least to those who do not find themselves within it. The issue of terminology has been exhaustively addressed [1]. Whilst those who are not employed within a particular profession often lack an understanding of that profession’s intricacies, they... Continue Reading →
Joan Knight, the wife of William Knight, died a fortnight before Christmas 1582 in Llanlluhgan, Montgomeryshire. Her family said that her death had been caused after she had been struck upon her head, arms, and belly [2]. With wounds like that, it seems obvious that Joan was murdered, or at least killed unlawfully [3]. But... Continue Reading →
“They account the most noble those who have the longest head” – Hippocrates: On Airs, Waters, and Places INTRODUCTION Based on the popularity of last month’s post exploring cases of tattooing in the archaeological record, we have decided to explore more avenues of body modification. This month, I am focusing on cranial deformation – head... Continue Reading →
When assessing the condition of an object and thinking of the best ways to display or store it, it is often worth considering the environment it is used to. The atmosphere inside our homes has been changing for centuries; but most radically from the reign of Elizabeth I. This has implications for the objects we... Continue Reading →
Are you following the recent excavations at the Black Loch of Myrton, Scotland? If not, you are missing out! This spectacular site offers unprecedented preservation of an Iron Age settlement, and has elucidated so much about what life was like for the inhabitants of Scotland during the Iron Age* (c. 700 BC to AD 200-500).... Continue Reading →
The Inca Empire was extensive, ranging at its pinnacle from Chile to Ecuador. The Empire spanned from 1200 to 1532 AD (Andrushko and et al. 2010: 323). Human sacrifice in the Andes is nothing new in terms of cultural and religious development of the region since the prehistoric period. The Moche, Chimu, among many others,... Continue Reading →
Figure 1 'Gas Mask' From the 2015 exhibition: World War II and the Human Experience. Florida State University Museum of Fine Arts. (Not in the permanent collection of the Museum of Fine Arts.) [source.] On September 3rd 1939, Britain declared war on Germany after the German forces invaded Poland. France declared war six hours later,... Continue Reading →
[Figure 1] Eagle fibulae found at Tierra Barros, Badajoz, Estremadura, Spain. On this day in AD 410, the Visigoths ended their occupation of Rome after three days of sacking and moved on to take Sicily and Northern Africa. This would never come to pass, however, as nature had other plans. Nevertheless, after centuries of Roman... Continue Reading →
During the weekend beginning on the 24th of August, Cardiff will be hosting its 19th annual Pride festivities. In this period of queer goings-on, it seemed like a good opportunity to highlight the contribution made by archaeologists who sought to include subaltern voices within their analyses of the past. Moreover, I also want to dedicate... Continue Reading →
This week, Muslims around the world are celebrating Eid al-Adha, or 'Festival of Sacrifice'. Our Artefact of the Week, the Mihrab, reflects the importance of prayer and art in Islamic culture. What is Eid al-Adha? The festival is a commemoration of Prophet Ibrahim's (peace be upon him) commitment to God's will to sacrifice his most... Continue Reading →
This week's Artefact of the Week is a big ol' hoax! To reiterate, this is not a real mermaid skeleton. It is a fake. To many readers this may seem obvious and you may be wondering why such caution is needed before this post has gotten to the point. However, at the time of its... Continue Reading →
Tattoos in Prehistory, analysing some of the earliest definitive evidence for tattooing practices in the archaeological record from sites across the world.
An exciting development of female empowerment has just graced Cardiff University’s doors with the formation of the Cardiff University Society for Women Graduates (CUSWG), established in the June of this year. Although unable to formally accept members until September, the society has received a strong, positive response from within the University even in the first... Continue Reading →
The article explores autism in the museum through Firing Line Museum of The Queen’s Dragoon Guards and The Royal Welsh located in the Interpretation Centre of Cardiff Castle.
Our artefact of the week is the powder horn. These objects were used during the Revolutionary war, and carry with them a large piece of American history that extends beyond mere warfare.
