Another awesome discovery!
“The first evidence from the era when Hellenistic culture held sway over the ancient city of Jerusalem has been uncovered by Israeli archaeologists; Acra, a citadel constructed by the Greeks more than two thousand years ago in the middle of old Jerusalem. Judea was conquered by Alexander the Great during the fourth century BCE.”
“After many years in the shadows, Francis Towne’s haunting paintings of Rome are back in the light, beautifully displayed—they may appear a mere sideshow in comparison to the blockbuster exhibitions of great names, but they offer a luminous vision of a civilization lost in time, a tribute to the genius of a quiet man.”
See the other paintings and read the article here: Rome: Behind the Ruins by Jenny Uglow | NYR Daily | The New York Review of Books
Source: The 3,000-Year-Old Wheel Found At ’Britain’s Pompeii’ On Farm Near Peterborough – Yahoo News
“Archaeologists in Cambridgeshire uncover Britain’s ‘Pompeii’ with what they describe as the “best-preserved Bronze Age dwellings ever found.'”
Source: Bronze Age houses uncovered in Cambridgeshire are Britain’s ‘Pompeii’ – BBC News
“Carvings on the wall of the tomb of Maia, the boy king’s wet nurse, have led archaeologists to suspect she may have been his sister Meritaten”
Very interesting!
Source: Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun’s wet nurse might have been his sister | Culture | The Guardian
“The extraordinary exhibition ‘The Greeks: Agamemnon to Alexander the Great’ shows the extent to which the immensely privileged eased themselves into the afterlife with much of the booty that had cushioned their time on earth. It seems they aimed at taking along enough symbols of power and wealth to get whatever passes for honor in the underworld.” If you’re in a position to see this magnificent collection I’m jealous! It will be at the Field Museum in Chicago through April 10, and in May will be at the National Geographic Museum in Washington, D.C.
Source: Splendors of the Dead by Garry Wills | NYR Daily | The New York Review of Books
“The Magdala Stone, found in Israel, is forcing scholars to revisit ideas about synagogues and their relationship to the Second Temple around the dawn of Christianity.” Very interesting find!
Source: A Carved Stone Block Upends Assumptions About Ancient Judaism – The New York Times
Fascinating! “Turns out the Egyptians weren’t the only ones who mummified their dead.”
Source: Solved: the mystery of Britain’s Bronze Age mummies
“An underground chamber that was a place of worship for a mysterious cult 2,000 years ago has opened to the public for the first time” If I ever get to Rome this will be on my must see list!
Source: Secret pagan basilica in Rome emerges from the shadows after 2,000 years – Telegraph
A bit of a bright spot on the monuments front: “A team of scientists employ technology to document archaeological sites before ISIS destroys them.”
“Despite an attempt to eradicate the cultural heritage of the Middle East, ISIS has inspired new ways for it to spread. By stimulating IDA’s plans for creative collaborations taking place on a global scale, ISIS has opened up a dialogue between those it most desperately wanted to silence.”
Source: The New Monument Men Outsmart ISIS
History Chick in AZ 