In search of the lost Kingdom of Yam
Following in the footsteps of Harkhuf, desert explorer Mahmoud Marai discovers – along with his colleague Mark Borda – an inscription at Gebel Uweinat that sheds light on the whereabouts of the fabled kingdom.
exploration
August Mariette
Our series highlighting often overlooked Egyptologists continues with the legacy of a founder of the discipline, reassessed by Amandine Marshall.
The last continent: Heritage on the Antarctic Peninsula
Amid the remote and beautiful Antarctic wilderness, a set of structures is preserved to tell the story of British science in the region. While the origins of a permanent presence on the continent lie in a covert wartime mission, this laid the foundations for an era of trailblazing scientific discovery. Matthew Symonds found out more from Camilla Nichol.
In the footsteps of N G L Hammond
On a cold March day in 1995, fortune blessed me. I had written to the ancient historian N G L Hammond to see if he might meet me. He was 87, so it was a long shot. Not only did…
Colonisation and cohabitation
In 1418, Captain ‘One-eyed’ Zarco sailed out from Lisbon to plant the flag of Portugal on the islands first of Porto Santo and then of Madeira. In doing so, he not only claimed for Portugal a useful harbour and a staging post that would enable explorations further out into the Atlantic – first to the Azores and then to Brazil – he also secured a fertile, well-wooded, and well-watered island where sugar cane flourished, making Madeiran landowners and the Portuguese Crown extremely rich for a century by selling ‘white gold’ through the markets of Venice, London, and Antwerp.
Nelson’s Pathfinders: A forgotten story in the triumph of British sea power
REVIEW BY NICK HEWITT No matter how long you study a subject, there is always something new to learn, and this reviewer learned a great deal from Michael Barritt’s excellent account of ‘how Thomas Herd made hydrographic capability a crucial…
Pyramid man: Charles Piazzi Smyth
Dr John Taylor describes Smyth’s scientific achievements and his less successful inroads into the world of Egyptology.
The rescue of Abu Simbel: A history of restoration, exploration, and resurrection
Abu Simbel actually presents us with several milestones. Probably completed by Year 24 in the reign of Ramesses II, the rock-cut temples left an awe-inspiring statement of power and permanence 140km south of Elephantine in the peripheral territory of Wawat…
Shipwrecks quiz
In which year did Henry VIII witness the sinking of the Mary Rose?
Johannes Østrup’s journey of discovery: exploring the value of centuries-old scientific records
Dig into archive records. Leaf through forgotten research in books that were written in foreign tongues. Centuries-old observations can provide important perspectives on the archaeological record, as Eva Mortensen and Rubina Raja highlight in this account of a pioneering Danish explorer in the Syrian Desert.
Shipwrecks Quiz
Located in 1985, the wreck of the Titanic lies how far below the surface of the Atlantic?
A tale of endurance
How a research expedition in Antarctica located the lost wreck of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s ship, Endurance.
The search for Shackleton’s ship
The excellent state of preservation of the ship meant that once this wreck was located it was easy to identify, with its name still visible.
Vikings settled in North America exactly 1,000 years ago, study confirms
Discovered in 1960 and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is the first and only base established by the Vikings in North America.
Amelia Edwards
This major figure in Egyptian archaeology was also a novelist, journalist, artist, erstwhile musician, and dauntless travel writer.
The Mayflower, 1620-2020: tracing voyages of discovery in Plymouth’s past
Four hundred years ago, the Mayflower carried around 100 would-be colonists across the Atlantic to found Plymouth Plantation in Massachusetts. What can we learn of these voyagers, the city they left behind, and the impact they had on the indigenous people who were already living on the land where they settled? Carly Hilts reports.
James Cook’s Thunderbird club
What is it? This ceremonial yew-wood weapon – dating to the late 18th century – was made by the Nuu-cha-nulth people of the Pacific North-west Coast of Canada. Measuring 25cm in length, the club handle is decorated with black human…