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4,000 – 2,000 years ago

Mirasiviene Stela

Mirasiviene stela (Seville, Spain) may be regarded as an aid to remember a traditional story, possibly a foundational myth, among Late Bronze Age (ca. 1200-850 BCE) non-literate societies in Southwest Europe. This is a fragment of a large and carefully selected stone that was shaped and engraved by skilful hands. It exhibits striking images: a warrior-like personage accompanied by a sword, an oversized shield, a spear and two smaller human figures. Continue reading →

Meryetaten’s Bathroom at Amarna

Meryetaten was the eldest daughter of Pharaoh Akhenaten, and lived some 33 centuries ago. She held an important place in her father’s court, apparently responsible for running his household, and became a queen later in her life. At the North Palace in her home city of Tell al-Amarna, there are many inscriptions bearing her name, which has led some scholars to the conclusion that this was her residence, although others ascribe a formal, ritual role to the palace. Continue reading →

Amarna Warrior Burial

Individual 59 from the South Tombs Cemetery, Tell al-Amarna, Egypt Having looked at the political role, social position and living conditions of the Amarna royals, our next ‘object’ will take us lower down the social spectrum. On the edge of the desert at Tell al-Amarna lies a cemetery of shallow burials scooped into the sand, where Amarna’s poorer people were buried in often unmarked graves, with only a few, if any, objects. Continue reading →

Amber Necklace

This Early Bronze Age amber necklace comes from the Upton Lovell G2e barrow (burial mound) in Wiltshire, one of the richest Bronze Age burials yet discovered in Wessex. It was excavated by William Cunnington in 1803 and may have belonged to a woman. The necklace originally contained over 1,000 amber beads with spacers. Continue reading →

Cheops Pyramid

The Great Pyramid at Giza (Egypt) was built for the Pharaoh Khufu (also known by the Greek version of his name – Cheops), who died c. 2566 BC. Khufu’s monument was the first of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World to be created, and is the only one still standing now. Khufu was the third Pharaoh of the 4th Dynasty (during the Old Kingdom in ancient Egypt). Continue reading →

Tutankhamun Mask

The well-known boy Pharaoh Tutankhamun (also known as Tutankhamen or colloquially as King Tut) was a short-lived Pharaoh from the 18th Dynasty (during the Egyptian New Kingdom). He died when still young and is important because his tomb (Tomb KV62) in the Valley of the Kings was found almost intact by Howard Carter in 1922. During his life, he changed his name from Tutankhaten to Tutankhamun as a result of changes in the religion officially practised in Egypt. Continue reading →

Introduction to module

Human history needs to be told through things. Texts help but they only reach back into the shallows of our past. In this module we go further to investigate deep human history through the wonderful things left behind. Our aim is to unite the entire span of our evolutionary history by investigating forty wonderful things described for you by experts. The story starts two and a half million years ago with the first stone tools. Continue reading →