In the tracks of northern antiquaries, summer 2007 Abbotsford, Scottish borders, home of Walter Scott: armor from the field of Waterloo (1815); the skull of Robert the Bruce (cast, 1734).
the shape of history
Bamburgh, Northumberland UK
Tucson
Davis Monthan Airforce Base – the boneyard of mothballed aircraft.
Neanderthals ’sang and danced’
Steve Mithen of Reading University is in the news again about his forthcoming book – another on cognitive archaeology and evolution. The BBC have picked up on his argument about neanderthals, language and symbolic behavior [Link] Prof Mithen thinks the cave- dwellers would have enjoyed the rhythms and sounds made by rap artists. He said:…
Charles Redman on environmental politics
It has taken me too long to get round to reading Charles Redman’s great book Human Impact on Ancient Environments – Arizona, 1999. I came to the book because of the upcoming exhibition at the Cantor Arts Center, Stanford, of the photographs of Edward Burtynsky – they foreground massive environmental impacts. [Link] We need a…
the end of the Neanderthals – biology and culture
photo – BBC – amended There is an item today on the BBC web site connected with what sounds like a comprehensive TV treatment of the now classic puzzle of the end of the Neanderthals – BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | The icy truth behind Neanderthals. What happened to the Neanderthals? Did they die out?…