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Across
7 Daughter of King Minos and wife of Theseus in Greek mythology (7)
9 Legendary island where King Arthur was taken after his final battle (6)
10 Roman poet whose major works include the Eclogues and the Georgics (6)
11 Welsh island, location of the Bryn Celli Ddu passage tomb (8)
12 Famous sword of Arthurian legend (9)
14 Maritime city of Roman Lusitania (5)
16 US state, location of the Pompano Beach Mound archaeological site (7)
18 Type of pottery from the Villanovan period of northern Italy (7)
19 Extinct language of southern and central Italy (5)
20 Roman emperor from AD 253 to 268 (9)
24 ___ Wall, Roman fortification in Scotland (8)
25 Sumerian goddess of the planet Venus (6)
27 European city containing the Pergamon Museum (6)
28 Stuart ___, British archaeologist and author of The Druids (1968) (7)
Down
1 Statue of a mythical creature at Giza (6)
2 Chinese dynasty ruling from AD 618 to 907 (4)
3 City of Coleridge’s Kubla Khan, inspired by the Mongolian UNESCO World Heritage Site city of Shangdu (6)
4 Battle fought on the Firth of Clyde in 1263 (5)
5 Neolithic pottery from southern Italy (6,4)
6 English county, location of Clatworthy Camp hill fort (8)
8 Ancient Irish kingdom (8)
13 Battle fought in AD 378 between the Goths and Romans (10)
15 Process of extracting metal from ore (8)
17 Spartan naval commander who captured Athens in 404 BC (8)
21 Middle Eastern city captured by the Mongols in 1260 (6)
22 Kingdom established in Eastern Anatolia c.835 BC (6)
23 Goddess of hunting and the moon in Roman mythology (5)
26 Sinclair ___, British archaeologist noted for his work on the history of Knossos (4)
For answers to #138, see next issue.
50 years ago…
The ancient Maya site of Joya de Cerén was unearthed in 1976 during construction of grain-storage silos in La Libertad Department, El Salvador. Described as the ‘Pompeii of the Americas’, the Classic period settlement was buried under ash during the eruption of the Loma Caldera volcano c.AD 600. Subsequent excavations have uncovered domestic spaces, storehouses, workshops, religious structures, a large public building, and a communal steam bath. Many objects were found at the site in a carbonised state or as casts in the ash deposits. Archaeologists also recovered significant palaeobotanical material, including the first example of cassava cultivation found at an archaeological site in the Americas, as well as other cultivated plants including guava, agave, and cacao. No human remains have been found; it is believed the settlement was evacuated before the eruption. Joya de Cerén was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993 for its importance as a rare record of everyday life in ancient Maya agricultural communities.
Technology + archaeology: Portyl to the past
Visitors can now explore Pompeii as it was in AD 79. The Portyl app has used the latest advances in LiDAR, photogrammetry, and generative artificial intelligence, combined with archaeological research, to create a digital reconstruction of several key sites in the ancient city, including the Forum, the Amphitheatre, the Odeon, the Grand Theatre, and the House of the Citharist. Portyl uses a GPS-based geofencing system to align these reconstructed environments with users’ precise locations in the archaeological park, but the app can also be used remotely outside Pompeii. The park will offer tablets featuring the Portyl app for rent, allowing visitors without a compatible device to access the immersive experience as well.
Answers to Crossword #13 7
Across: 8 Oaxaca, 9 Psaltery, 10 Kassites, 11 Rossen, 12 Eboracum, 15 Alaric, 17 Erich von Daniken, 20 Clovis, 22 Sanskrit, 24 Run rig, 26 Hannibal, 28 Mariette, 29 Salian.
Down: 1 Tara, 2 Gaiseric, 3 Hattic, 4 Apis, 5 Dalriada, 6 Atossa, 7 Cree, 13 Beryl, 14 Minos, 16 Iceni, 18 Visigoth, 19 Icknield, 21 Virgil, 23 Nentsi, 25 Utah, 26 Heel, 27 Anat.
