Book Review: The Book of Symbols by the Archive for Research in Archetypal Symbolism (ARAS)

The Book of Symbols is a masterpiece of art history, philosophy, mysticism, psychology, anthropology, biology and spirituality. It brings together the history of various symbols, concepts and objects from many cultures and civilisations.

10 Interesting Things I Found on the Internet #41

Yo-Ho-Ho and a bottle of Victorian cough syrup. Something weird happened to me today and a whole lot of barnacles suddenly attached to me on a walk, so here they are, the treasures from the internet. A virtual tour of the mythical ancient Chauvet Cave in France Raw velvety malachite shimmering with magic Via RedditContinue reading “10 Interesting Things I Found on the Internet #41”

Book Review: The Memory Code by Lynne Kelly

Genre: Non-fiction, archaeology, history. Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Publisher: Pegasus Books Historian and writer Lynne Kelly has created a fascinating book with a realistic theory its heart – that ancient monuments – Stonehenge, the Ring of Brodgar and also smaller hand-held objects (Lukasa, Coolamon) are actually memory aids. She believes that these objects largeContinue reading “Book Review: The Memory Code by Lynne Kelly”

Book Review: Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss

*No spoilers A book about experimental archaeology and family violence that’s brimming with glorious dread and that closes in around you like a vice. The novel’s short 160 pages are absolutely electrifying and seem far bigger. Best enjoyed during the witching hours of 11pm and 3 am. Ghost Wall opens with an ancient hair-raising scene,Continue reading “Book Review: Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss”

Cooking 4,000 year old Babylonian recipes, how do they taste?

This is one for all the history nerds out and anybody who likes cooking and eating, which probably means you. When you try to recreate an ancient recipe, you may end up with a stinking cesspool of inedible muck or a culinary wonder. Two very famous US universities Harvard and Yale collaborated together to cookContinue reading “Cooking 4,000 year old Babylonian recipes, how do they taste?”

Ancient word of the day: Arachnid

According to ancient Greek myth, the first spider to ever live was a once human girl named Arachne. She lived in the ancient city of Lydia in Turkey and was famous for her ability to weave beautiful clothing. Arachne gained fame for her weaving and became boastful of her ability, telling people that her weavingContinue reading “Ancient word of the day: Arachnid”

Here be the Viking Hoard: The Mystery of the Lewis Chessmen

The Lewis Chessmen were likely to have been made in Trondheim in Norway from walrus ivory. This kind of bone was hard to come across at the time (1150-1200 A.D), as it required hunting during a brief window of time per year in the Arctic Circle, using primitive hunting tools of the time and inContinue reading “Here be the Viking Hoard: The Mystery of the Lewis Chessmen”

The ancient and elusive fairisle of Hy Brasil

Hy Brasil is a mysterious phantom island that was thought to exist off the west coast of Ireland in the Atlantic Ocean for hundreds of years. The area being nautically challenging for seafarers, it was an elusive and mysterious place, hailed in pre-Christian times as being the Celtic Elysium or land of promise. During ChristianContinue reading “The ancient and elusive fairisle of Hy Brasil”

Day out in Wellington: The Terracotta Warriors at Te Papa Museum

The first week that we moved to Wellington we went to see Te Papa Museum’s landmark exhibition: Terracotta Warriors: Guardians of Immortality. Enshrined in darkness and dim light, the exhibition feels like being submerged into the underworld. The exhibition offers you a rare opportunity to have an intimate and immersive encounter with remarkable treasures fromContinue reading “Day out in Wellington: The Terracotta Warriors at Te Papa Museum”