Heritage Key Articles

Vimanas: Ancient Indian Flying Machines, UFOs, or Sanskrit Sci-fi?

willhunt — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 12:49:34 +0000

“Flying chariots,” “celestial cars,” “mechanical birds,” “winged vehicles,” and “aerial cities.” These may sound like the swarming aircrafts from James Cameron’s sky-battles in Avatar, but, in fact, they come from a much older source: ancient Indian literature. Called vimanas (pronounced “vimans”) in Sanskrit, such flying vehicles appear throughout India’s ancient texts. They are especially prominent in combat sequences, when gods and divine beings battle their enemies high above the earth.

About The Author

Will Hunt

Last three pieces by this author:

Arbil Iraq Discovery Could be Earliest Evidence of Humans in the Region | Ostrich Egg Shells Discovered in South Africa Could be Earliest Evidence of Human Language | Ancient Roman Palace Discovered at Gabii

Will Hunt is an American freelance writer based in Chennai, India. He studied English and Portuguese as an undergraduate, then received a Thomas J. Watson Fellowship to research various archaeological sites throughout the ancient world. His writing has appeared in various places, including Rolling Stone and Men's Journal.

Seeing King Tut: Tutankhamun Virtual Experienes, Sites, Artefacts and Exhibitions Around the World

MalcolmJ — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 11:21:52 +0000

5,398 artefacts were found inside King Tut's tomb - so many that it took Carter over 10 years to research and catalogue them all. But where can you see them now? Well, the vast majority are kept by the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, with the best and most famous pieces on permanent display there. A smaller collection is kept by the Luxor Museum, while more still can be found criss-crossing the globe as part of touring exhibitions.

To help you sniff out as many Tut artefacts as possible, we’ve put together this handy guide to finding King Tut around the world – be it sites of relevance, key artefacts on display, or even quality replicas.

About The Author

Malcolm Jack

Last three pieces by this author:

University of Sussex Cutbacks: Protests, Riot Police and Strike Action | Anglo-Saxon CSI: Archaeologists Stumped by Mystery Saxon Find | Latin Lovers: Bettany Hughes Helps Boris Johnson Launch 'Classics for Schools'

Malcolm Jack is a freelance arts and entertainment journalist based in Glasgow, Scotland. He graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 2004 with an MA Honours Degree in History.

London’s First Suburb: Museum of London Archaeologist Bruce Watson on Anglo-Saxon and Saxo-Norman Southwark

MalcolmJ — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 17:41:21 +0000

The history of Southwark is just as integral to the story of Britain’s great capital on the River Thames as that of the City of London itself. There was major settlement there in the Roman era, based around the endpoint of Roman London Bridge. After a long phase of abandonment following Roman withdrawal from Britain in 410, Southwark was re-established during the Anglo-Saxon period, circa 886, and became what many people often refer to as “London’s first suburb.”

About The Author

Malcolm Jack

Last three pieces by this author:

Malcolm Jack is a freelance arts and entertainment journalist based in Glasgow, Scotland. He graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 2004 with an MA Honours Degree in History.

The Dating Method Stretches Back the Human History of Australia

wadders — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 16:27:52 +0000

Up until the 1950’s, it was widely believed that Australia wasn’t inhabited by the Aboriginals until 10,000 years ago. The breakthrough use of Carbon 14 dating extended the date to around 40,000 years ago.

New techniques such as optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) and accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS), are giving evidence for an earlier date for arrival. Charles Dortch has dated recent finds on Rottnest Island, Western Australia at 70,000 years BP and following the analysis of pollen and charcoal, there were suggestions of people using fire to clear land in the Lake George basin in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales as early as 120,000 years ago. Furthermore, thermoluminescence dating of the Jinmium site in the Northern Territory suggested a date of human inhabitants 200,000 years ago.

About The Author

Annie Waddington-Feather

Last three pieces by this author:

Camping Deluxe: Glamp Your Way Around the Ancient World | Honey for my Honey: Ancient Aphrodisiacs | Take Only Photos (But Ask First!): World Monuments Fund Guidelines

Annie partly satiated her travel lust and fascination with the ancients as a tour leader for an adventure travel company. She now lives in Australia and writes for a number of publications ranging from travel and martial arts to insurance and finance trade.

London in the Time of the Anglo-Saxons

MalcolmJ — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 14:00:07 +0000

At its peak during the 2nd century AD, Roman London (Londinium) had a population of up to 60,000 people and represented a thriving urban centre. But as the Roman Empire declined over the next 300 years, so too did the city. In 410, Britain was cut loose from the Empire altogether, and with it London. Troops and officials departed, and the city was left to fend for itself.

Exactly what happened during the immediately ensuing phase in London’s history – which is referred to as the Sub-Roman period, and lasted from approximately 450 until 600 AD – is mysterious. A small enclave of wealthy families is believed to have continued to inhabit villas to the southeast of the Roman city into the 5th century. But by the end of the 5th century, they – along with almost everyone else – had left. London was abandoned.

About The Author

Malcolm Jack

Last three pieces by this author:

Malcolm Jack is a freelance arts and entertainment journalist based in Glasgow, Scotland. He graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 2004 with an MA Honours Degree in History.

London Before Londinium: a Prehistory of the Thames

MalcolmJ — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 17:45:05 +0000

The foundation of Roman Londinium – thought to date to around 47 AD – is the starting point of the history of London as a city. That was when an urban centre with a recorded title and a functioning economy and government first emerged into view in Roman sources and archaeological discoveries.

But it would be wrong to say that that is exactly when the story of London – or, at least, the story of what would become London – begins. There’s lots and lots of fragmentary evidence to suggest that humans lived, farmed, fought, worshipped and died on the banks of the Thames for hundreds and even thousands of years prior to the arrival of the Romans.

About The Author

Malcolm Jack

Last three pieces by this author:

Malcolm Jack is a freelance arts and entertainment journalist based in Glasgow, Scotland. He graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 2004 with an MA Honours Degree in History.

Climbing Everest is Not Enough for the Explorers Club's British Chapter

Helen Atkinson — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 17:27:39 +0000

The Explorers Club's Great Britain Chapter was founded as late as 1977, but its first chairman, Bill Egerton Sykes, was thoroughly invested in one of the great ancient mysteries - Atlantis. A British intelligence officer, Sykes had a lifetime fascination concerning Atlantis. He lectured to the Explorers Club in New York in 1966 on this subject in 1966, and continued to investigate and gather evidence for the existence of this mythical lost continent until his death in 1983.

About The Author

Helen Atkinson

Last three pieces by this author:

My Favourite Ancient Spot in London - the Female Gladiator | Reserve King Tut Tickets Now! Advance Booking Now Open for Denver Tutankhamun Exhibition | Was Göbekli Tepe a Temple... or a Playpit?

Heritage Key's NYC Correspondent, Helen Atkinson, has 20 years of journalism experience in subjects ranging from the reinsurance industry to canoeing down the Bronx River. Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, Helen studied English Literature at Oxford, before embarking on a writing career. She moved to New York in 1994 and intends to stay there.

Roman London: The Battles and Rebellions that Shaped the City

Bija Knowles — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 15:42:05 +0000

When Roman troops led by Aulus Plautius arrived on the banks of the Thames shortly after they landed in Britain (probably on the east coast of Kent or near Southampton) in 43 AD, they would have found little more than a few Iron Age settlements on the banks of a river, with few roads and not much trade to speak of. Within a century the Roman settlers had laid down the foundations of a bustling trade town, which rebuilt itself after numerous attacks, fires and a possible Plague epidemic, with a population peaking between 45,000 and 60,000 by the mid second century. Ultimately the Roman city of Londinium fell into ruin some time after the Romans withdrew from Britain in 410 AD, but in the intervening centuries it was the scene of some of the battles, power struggles and personalities that shaped the Roman empire.

About The Author

Bija Knowles

Last three pieces by this author:

Pompeii's 2,000 Year-old Cafe Opens to the Public | 5 Interesting Facts to Impress Your Fellow St Patrick's Day Drinkers | New Exhibition: How Greek Culture in the Age of Conquest Changed Roman Art

Bija Knowles is a freelance journalist based outside Rome, Italy. She graduated in Italian and English Literature from the University of Birmingham, UK, and her main areas of interest are art, travel and history in Italy.

The History of the London Stone

Jonathan Yeomans — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 10:48:09 +0000

Tucked away on an unremarkable street in central London is a chunk of oolite rock known as the London Stone. Said to date back to the founding of Roman London, the Stone is one of Britain’s most enigmatic and overlooked monuments.

A proverb states that “so long as the stone of Brutus is safe, so long shall London flourish”. Like the ravens of the Tower of London, the Stone’s fate is tied to that of the city.

Historical sources from medieval times reference the Stone and its importance to Londoners, yet few people today have ever heard of it.

The Future of Archaeology: 12 Expert Predictions for the Decade Ahead

MalcolmJ — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 12:44:36 +0000

2010’s well underway now, and with it the new decade. At Heritage Key we’ve begun the teenies by asking a cross-section of heritage experts to get their crystal balls out, in a bid to try and predict what they think (or at least hope) will be the big discoveries, themes, advances and breakthroughs in their individual fields – and in archaeology and heritage studies at large – over the next ten years.

About The Author

Malcolm Jack

Last three pieces by this author:

Malcolm Jack is a freelance arts and entertainment journalist based in Glasgow, Scotland. He graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 2004 with an MA Honours Degree in History.

Nazis, Rockefellers and the Tomb of Seti I: the Adventures of Amice Mary Calverley Prepare to go Public

owenjarus — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 20:34:19 +0000

There will never be another archaeologist like Amice Mary Calverley. She was a plane-flying, war-filming, desert-living Egyptologist, who created stunning drawings of the Temple of Seti I at Abydos.

With the onset of World War II she found herself fighting in a propaganda war against the Axis. However, one of the people who edited her Seti work, Egyptologist Hermann Junker, was aiding the Nazis. He did this even as he was still editing Calverley's work!

Born in Chelsea, London, UK in 1896, her drawings, financed by John Rockefeller Jr., were published in four oversized colour volumes. Her drawings were so good that her editors could find hieroglyphic errors made by the ancient Egyptians, but scarcely one made by her.

About The Author

Owen Jarus

Last three pieces by this author:

So You Want to go North? Ontario Archaeology Conference Will Look at the Canadian Shield | What was the Most Important Site in Ancient London? The Forum! | They’ve found an opening! Egyptologists reach end of tunnel in Seti I tomb

Owen Jarus is a freelance writer based in Toronto ,Canada. He has written articles on archaeology for a variety of media outlets including The Canadian Press newswire (CP), U of T Magazine, The Mississauga News and The Guelph Mercury. Education: BA from the University of Toronto in History, Geography and Near & Middle Eastern Civilizations.

The Grand Egyptian Museum, Cairo, Will be a King Tut Treasure Trove

Sean Williams — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 16:12:14 +0000

Cairo is gearing up to welcome its latest addition, the Grand Egyptian Museum, in 2013. This spectacularly modern complex stands in stark contrast to the millennia of history perched on its back doorstep, in the shape of the Pyramids of Giza. But can its collections and exhibits provide a comprehensive Egyptian experience worthy of the country’s capital?

About The Author

Sean Williams

Last three pieces by this author:

Join Heritage Key Live from Stonehenge Spring Equinox | Celebrate St. Patrick's by Visiting Loughcrew for Spring Equinox | What can you Expect from Stonehenge Spring Equinox 2010?

Sean is an English Literature graduate, who currently works as a writer and journalist in London. He enjoys ancient history, theatre and sport. He does not enjoy Big Brother.

Servants In the Place of Truth: Who Built the Tombs in the Valley of the Kings?

MalcolmJ — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 17:27:24 +0000

For almost 500 years – from the 16th to 11th century BC – tombs, many of the elaborate and ornate, were constructed in the Valley of the Kings for the rulers and powerful nobles of the Egyptian New Kingdom. Needless to say, the civilization’s top dogs didn’t roll up their sleeves and do the work themselves. So who did?

About The Author

Malcolm Jack

Last three pieces by this author:

Malcolm Jack is a freelance arts and entertainment journalist based in Glasgow, Scotland. He graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 2004 with an MA Honours Degree in History.

The Polis: Was the Ancient Greek City-State the Greatest Political System Ever?

Michael Anderson — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 12:30:04 +0000

The Greek City-state, or Polis, is arguably the greatest political system ever created – remarkable given its appearance some 2800 years ago. The Greeks successfully built a system to foster those most elusive of human desires – freedom and equality, and their efforts have had an influence on western thinking since the Hellenic culture was re-discovered during the Middle Ages.

About The Author

Michael Anderson

Michael Anderson writes a blog about ancient history - trying to relate the past to the present. Are we progressing or regressing? Website: http://www.mikeanderson.biz/

Edutainment: Is There a Role For Popular Culture in Education?

MalcolmJ — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 19:00:27 +0000

Popular interest in history is peaking like perhaps never before in the 21st century. Films such as Spartan gore-fest 300 have proven big hits at the box office in recent years, and many more ancient world movies – including Centurion, Clash of the Titans and Valhalla Rising – are set to arrive in 2010. TV historians such as Simon Schama and David Starkey are household names.

About The Author

Malcolm Jack

Last three pieces by this author:

Malcolm Jack is a freelance arts and entertainment journalist based in Glasgow, Scotland. He graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 2004 with an MA Honours Degree in History.

Interview: Barry Kemp on the Latest Findings of the Amarna Project

MalcolmJ — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 17:26:54 +0000

“There is no other site like it,” states the introductory paragraph on the website of the Amarna Project – the body which, since 2005, has been responsible for excavations and research at Tell el-Amarna, the short-lived capital city of the “heretic pharaoh” Akhenaten (who may well have been King Tut's dad) in the 14th century BC. As a living site, Tell el-Amarna is perhaps unparalleled in all of Egypt in terms of scale, ready accessibility and quality of preservation.

About The Author

Malcolm Jack

Last three pieces by this author:

Malcolm Jack is a freelance arts and entertainment journalist based in Glasgow, Scotland. He graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 2004 with an MA Honours Degree in History.

Exodus: Did the Movement of the Jewish People Take Place During Egypt's New Kingdom Era?

owenjarus — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 15:13:03 +0000

The Book of Exodus is one of best known pieces of scripture in the world. It tells the story of how the Jewish people, with some divine assistance, escape from Egypt and make their way to the land of Israel.

Whether this migration really happened is deeply controversial and is something that I’m not going to get into in this article.

Instead what I’m going to talk about is some intriguing research, done by Professor James Hoffmeier of Trinity International University, which suggests that the events may be set in New Kingdom times – specifically the era of the Ramesside kings. His work also adds some insight into the exact route the Israelites took in the story.

About The Author

Owen Jarus

Last three pieces by this author:

From Anyang to Qin Shi Huang: is This the Golden Age of Archaeology in China?

Michael Kan — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 14:39:44 +0000

With the recent developments in the excavation of Qin Shi Huang's mausoleum, and the discovery of more terracotta warriors, not to mention the ground-breaking discoveries of the tomb of Cao Cao, and the 100,000-year-old fossil, it's an exciting time for archaeologists in China.

About The Author

Michael Kan

Last three pieces by this author:

Ancient Chinese Mummies Originated in Europe and Siberia | Residents are Divided Over Planned Restoration of Beijing's Drum and Bell towers | The Invisible Chinese Town of Pingyao

Michael Kan is a freelance journalist based in Beijing, China. He graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in history and Asian studies. From 2006 to 2008, he worked as a reporter at The Kansas City Star, and then took a year to teach English in Xi'an, China.

3 Simple Rules of Being a Hero: Fatal Attractions of Gods and Heroes in Classical Greek Mythology

Mary Harrsch — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 15:18:08 +0000

About The Author

Mary Harrsch

Last three pieces by this author:

Will Virtual Reconstruction of Çatalhöyük be Abandoned Due to High Rent Rates in Second Life? | Italy Demands Repatriation of Getty Villa's Lysippos Statue 'Victorious Youth' | Rome Reborn Team Calls for 4D Technology for Virtual Hadrian's Villa

Photographer, instructional technologist and consulting systems analyst who travels the world photographing historical art and architecture and publishes articles about historical topics, particularly the ancient world. My photography has appeared in productions for The History Channel and Canadian Public Broadcasting, educational texts in the U.S.

Missing In Action: 5 Armies That Vanished From History

MalcolmJ — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 12:47:09 +0000

Thanks to GPS, satellite imaging and digital communication systems, it’s uncommon for so much as a solitary soldier to go missing on the battlefields of the 21st century. But in ancient times – when civilizations often knew precious little of the world outside their sometimes narrow boundaries – it was apparently possible for entire armies to march against a foreign foe and fall off the face of the earth altogether, without conclusive explanation.

Myth has undoubtedly embellished – and in some cases overtaken – the truth behind the famous tales of vanished forces such as the Legio IX Hispana, which seemingly advanced into Scotland to subdue the Picts in 117 AD and never came back, or the 50,000-strong Army of Cambyses II, which is said to have been consumed by a powerful sandstorm in the Egyptian desert in the 6th century BC.

About The Author

Malcolm Jack

Last three pieces by this author:

Malcolm Jack is a freelance arts and entertainment journalist based in Glasgow, Scotland. He graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 2004 with an MA Honours Degree in History.

Modern Mummies: 10 Surprising Personalities Who Refused to Lie Down and Play Dead

MalcolmJ — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 23:02:31 +0000

The ancient Egyptians weren’t the only ones that mummified their dead for the sake of posterity. In more modern times, there have been multiple examples of mummification, using a range of weird and wonderful techniques from simple embalming to submerging the cadaver in a chemical-filled preservation tank, or perfusing it with wax, effectively rendering the corpse a giant human candle.

Here we examine ten of the most famous examples of modern mummies, their stories, and some of the methods used to preserve them for eternity. The deceased range from an Argentinean First Lady, a Soviet Head of State and various members of a powerful Tuscan political dynasty, to Japanese monks, Catholic Saints and one blatantly bonkers leader of a modern American religious and philosophical cult (who can even mummify you if you fancy it).

About The Author

Malcolm Jack

Last three pieces by this author:

Malcolm Jack is a freelance arts and entertainment journalist based in Glasgow, Scotland. He graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 2004 with an MA Honours Degree in History.

Interview: Dr Ray Howell on the King Arthur, the Silures and, Just Possibly, Stonehenge

MalcolmJ — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 17:44:43 +0000

Heritage Key was recently introduced to Dr Ray Howell – a reader of history and historical archaeology at University of Wales, Newport and Director of South Wales Centre for Historical and Interdisciplinary Research (SWCHIR) – through the short film Reclaiming King Arthur.

Filmed in association with University of Wales’ Institute of Digital Learning (IDL), it examined the Gwent roots of the legendary British monarch of round table fame – both the real figure, who may have been a 5th or 6th century local warlord, and the mythical Arthur championed in countless folk tales.

About The Author

Malcolm Jack

Last three pieces by this author:

Malcolm Jack is a freelance arts and entertainment journalist based in Glasgow, Scotland. He graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 2004 with an MA Honours Degree in History.

The 12 Labours That Turned Herakles (Hercules) To Hero

Mary Harrsch — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 16:45:15 +0000

The beloved son of Zeus and, the mortal, Alkmene, Herakles (disputedly also known as Hercules) was the archetype for bravery and strength in the ancient world and one of the heros of Greek Mythology. But he also suffered from a violent temper. In his youth he became enraged and slew his own (and/or his brother's in some versions) children. To pay for this grievous act, he was told he would have to go to the court of his cousin Eurystheus (who utterly despised Herakles) and perform whatever tasks would be assigned to him. These tasks became the famous 12 labours of Herakles.

About The Author

Mary Harrsch

Last three pieces by this author:

Interview: Directors Matthias Wemhoff and Friederike Seyfried on the Historic Re-opening of Berlin’s Neues Museum

MalcolmJ — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 16:54:02 +0000

Reopened in October 2009 after remaining closed since the outbreak of WWII in 1939, the Neues Museum is Berlin, Germany is the world’s newest and boldest cultural mecca. As recently as a decade ago, it was a burnt-out shell, badly-damaged during the Second World War, then neglected during the GDR-era, its collections spread among other museums.

Repaired, refurbished and re-imagined by architect David Chipperfield – controversially, in the eyes of some – the new Neues represents a triumphant meeting of history and modernity, emphasising a strong connection between the museum’s venerable and turbulent past and its bright and very promising future.

About The Author

Malcolm Jack

Last three pieces by this author:

Malcolm Jack is a freelance arts and entertainment journalist based in Glasgow, Scotland. He graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 2004 with an MA Honours Degree in History.

Genetic Britain: How Roman, Viking and Anglo-Saxon Genes Make up the UK's DNA

Jonathan Yeomans — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 16:06:15 +0000

Who are we? The genetic make-up of the British people is a hotly contested subject in academic and political circles. Britain has a tumultuous history that includes Anglo-Saxon, Norman and Roman invasions, but what legacy of these settlers and invaders remains in the DNA of Brits today?

The BNP's Nick Griffin, who has recently gained a foothold in British politics, claimed recently to represent the "indiginous people" of Britain, comparing modern English, Scots, Irish and Welsh with the indiginous populations of North America and New Zealand.

Ask the Experts: What if Europeans Had Never Ventured to the Great Lakes?

owenjarus — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 15:12:15 +0000

Before Europeans arrived in the Great Lakes area, in the 16th century, people were living in societies that were getting more and more complex. In 1000 AD they were living in year round villages. By 1500 AD these villages were up to five hectares large and lined with rows of palisades. Furthermore they were banding together into political alliances that Europeans called “confederacies” for defensive purposes.

The question I posed, to four prominent Great Lakes archaeologists, is this – if Europeans, for whatever reason, had not landed on these shores, would the native people of the Great Lakes have built cities and created a written language? Just like we saw in Mesopotamia or the Indus Valley?

About The Author

Owen Jarus

Last three pieces by this author:

Interview: Fakes & Forgeries Curator Paul Denis on Greek Coins, Zapotec Artefacts and the Internet

owenjarus — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 02:27:44 +0000

In a conversation with Heritage Key (HK), Paul Denis (PD), the curator of Fakes & Forgeries Yesterday and Today, a newly announced exhibit at the Royal Ontario Museum, talks about how fake ancient artefacts are affecting the museum world.

Among the things discussed are:

-The emergence of ancient Greek coins as a new hot area for fraudsters.
-Why the internet is an awful place to acquire artefacts.
-How curators (with a little scientific help) pick out fakes.

He also shares some interesting news: of the hundreds of Zapotec artefacts his museum has, about 50 percent are forgeries.

About The Author

Owen Jarus

Last three pieces by this author:

Exclusive Interview: Pamela Rose's Quest to Save a Dark Age Settlement in Qasr Ibrim, Nubia

owenjarus — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 14:13:36 +0000

Archaeologists have uncovered the remains of a 3,000 year old site in Nubia that dates to an ancient 'Dark Age' - a time when the Egyptian Empire had collapsed and civilizations around the Mediterranean had been conquered by a group called the 'Sea People'.

The settlement was found in the lowest layers of Qasr Ibrim, a site well known for its medieval era remains. Today what's left of Qasr Ibrim is an island on Lake Nasser - a man-made lake created when the Aswan Dam was built in the 1960’s.

The discovery was made by an Egypt Exploration Society expedition team led by Dr. Pamela Rose. Fieldwork at Qasr Ibrim stopped in 2006 although study (lab) seasons continued until 2008 when the funding situation in the UK forced a halt to work.

About The Author

Owen Jarus

Last three pieces by this author:

Mega Monuments: Top 10 Biggest Buildings From the Ancient World

MalcolmJ — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 14:18:44 +0000

Modesty wasn’t a concept that most ancient rulers had much of a grasp of. When it came to palaces, tombs, statues, monuments and other symbols of their power, prestige and wealth, bigger pretty much always meant better. Who knows – maybe they were trying to make up for something?

From the Tomb of Qin Shi Huang in Xi'an to the Unfinished Obelisk in Aswan, the Circus Maximus in Rome and the big daddy of them all – the Great Pyramid of Giza – the ancients were responsible for many a whopper.

Here we give our top ten run down of ancient history’s tallest, widest, longest, bulkiest and most darn audacious structures. Some of them still stand; others exist – probably exaggerated by at least an inch or two – only in legend.

About The Author

Malcolm Jack

Last three pieces by this author:

Malcolm Jack is a freelance arts and entertainment journalist based in Glasgow, Scotland. He graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 2004 with an MA Honours Degree in History.

Stalin's Stash: The True Story of Soviet War Booty

Jonathan Yeomans — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 12:56:04 +0000

In the dying days of World War II, the Soviet Army swept through eastern Europe to seize Berlin and bring an end to the Third Reich. Along the way, the Soviets plundered museums and private collections in a bid to extract ‘reparations’ from the Nazi state.

Countless books, artefacts and works of art were captured by the Red Army and returned to Russia, where they have lain dormant and hidden for over 60 years. The story of this Soviet war booty continues to cause controversy today.