Alison Fisk
@AlisonFisk

Recent Masters degree in Archaeological Practice at Birkbeck @BirkbeckUoL Here to share my love of archaeology. No DMs

Joined January 2012
A 4,500 year-old ancient Egyptian beadnet dress. The earliest surviving example of such a garment. Faience and gold. Dynasty 4, reign of Khufu, 2551–2528 BC. Excavated from a tomb at Giza in 1927. 📷: © Alison Fisk #Archaeology
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Reasons recorded for worker absence on this 3,200 year-old ancient Egyptian attendance register include ‘embalming brother’, brewing beer’ and ‘scorpion bit him’ 😳. From Deir el-Medina (Thebes). #Archaeology
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Wow! My follower count reached 40,000! It’s great to see so many of you interested in #Archaeology ❤️ Here’s one of my favourite artefacts: an ancient amber bear. Carved some 10,000 years ago, it washed up on a beach at Fanø in Denmark, from a submerged Mesolithic settlement.
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An ancient amber bear. Carved about 10,000 years ago, this magical find washed up on a beach at Fanø in Denmark from a submerged Mesolithic settlement under the North Sea. National Museum of Denmark. Photo: © Alison Fisk. #FindsFriday #Archaeology
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An ancient amber bear. Carved about 10,000 years ago, this magical find washed up on a beach at Fanø in Denmark from a submerged Mesolithic settlement under the North Sea. National Museum of Denmark. 📷 my own #Archaeology
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Something beautiful for the weekend! An extraordinary Acheulean handaxe knapped around a fossil shell circa 500,000-300,000 years ago. The maker appears to have deliberately flaked around the shell to preserve and place it in a central position. As a result this handaxe has been described as an early example of artistic thought. From West Tofts, Norfolk. 📷 Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Cambridge collections.maa.cam.ac.uk/ob…
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Beautiful ancient glass. A 1,800 year-old Roman glass flask shaped like a little mouse. 📷: © Alison Fisk #Archaeology
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For New Year’s Day 2023, a hellenistic glass vase shaped like a pomegranate. A symbol of life, fertility, abundance and good luck for the year ahead! Dated 2nd century BC - 1st century AD. Photo: Phoenix Ancient Art phoenixancientart.com/work-o… #Archaeology
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First recorded labour strike in world history took place c. 3,177 years ago this month! The ‘Strike Papyrus’ records that tomb workers of Ramesses III at Deir el-Medina in Egypt, downed tools over pay and conditions, in November, c. 1155 BC. 📷: Museo Egizio, Turin. #Archaeology
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Marvellous Minoan pots with octopus decoration, c. 3,500 years old, from Bronze Age Crete. 🐙 ❤️ At Heraklion Archaeological Museum. Photos my own. #Archaeology
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As New Year approaches I wish you all a very Happy New Year! I’m signing off 2021 with one of my favourite artefacts this year; an ancient amber bear. Carved about 10,000 years ago, it washed up on a beach at Fanø in Denmark from a submerged Mesolithic settlement. #Archaeology
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Ancient Egyptian gold headband decorated with heads of gazelles and a stag between stars or flowers. Second Intermediate period, Dynasty 15, c. 1648–1540 BC. 📷: The Met metmuseum.org/art/collection…
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Some things never change! A 2,000 year-old Roman souvenir pen with a joke inscription roughly equivalent to: “I went to Rome and all I got you was this cheap pen!" 😂 Dated c. 70 AD, the stylus pen was found in London during excavations by MOLA. The Roman inscription reads: “I have come from the city. I bring you a welcome gift with a sharp point that you may remember me. I ask, if fortune allowed, that I might be able [to give] as generously as the way is long [and] as my purse is empty”. Read more: digventures.com/2019/07/roma… 📷 Juan Jose Fuldain/MOLA #Archaeology
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A dog’s paw print on a Roman clay tile. About 2,000 years ago, a dog made its mark for posterity by wandering across a wet tile while it was lying out to dry before firing. From Richborough Roman fort. Photo: © Alison Fisk #TilesonTuesday #Archaeology
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Wow, a 3,400 year-old ancient Egyptian paint box containing its original pigments! (Looks similar to a modern-day set!) The preserved cake pigments are red (red ochre), blue (Egyptian blue), green (a mixture of Egyptian blue, yellow ochre, and orpiment) and two of black (carbon black, from charcoal). An inscription on the wooden paint box tells us it belonged to Amenemope, who was Vizier during the reign of king Amenhotep II. As a member of the elite, he would have used it for painting for leisure. 📷 The Cleveland Museum of Art Read more: clevelandart.org/art/1914.68… #Archaeology
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At almost 2,000 years old, this child’s wooden toy sword is a remarkable survival from Roman times. It was unearthed at Vindolanda cavalry barracks in 2017. 📷 my own. More info: vindolanda.com/toy-sword #RomanFortThursday #Archaeology
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Ancient Egyptian ostracon (limestone fragment) with a beautiful drawing of an acrobatic dancer. 19th-20th Dynasty, c. 1292 - 1076 BCE. From Deir el-Medina. Egyptian Museum, Turin. 📷: Prof Mortel
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Wow dear followers, there are more than 60,000 of you! It’s great to see so many of you interested in #Archaeology ❤️ Here’s one of my all-time favourite artefacts. An ancient amber bear carved about 10,000 years ago. This magical find washed up on a beach at Fanø in Denmark from a submerged Mesolithic settlement under the North Sea. National Museum of Denmark 📷 my own
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The timeless beauty of ancient glass. A Roman glass scent bottle in the form of a shell. Mould-blown. AD 25-100. #Archaeology
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This bronze head of emperor Augustus was torn from a statue in the #Roman province of Egypt by Kushite soldiers. It was buried as a trophy under the front steps of a temple at Meroe, Sudan, trodden on daily in disrespect. An ironic twist of fate which preserved it @britishmuseum
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I’m delighted to reach the milestone of 55,000 followers! Great to see so many of you interested in #Archaeology 🤩 Here’s one of my favourite artefacts: a 4,500 year-old ancient Egyptian beadnet dress. Faience and gold. Dynasty 4, reign of Khufu, 2551–2528 BC. 📷 my own
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Good dog! 🐾😍 An amazing c. 3,400 year-old ancient Egyptian mechanical dog. This leaping hunting dog opens and closes its mouth as if barking by using a lever below its chest. Beautifully carved from ivory. Photo my own. #Archaeology
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As the New Year approaches I wish you all a Happy New Year! I’m signing off 2023 with a magical find. An ancient amber bear. Carved some 10,000 years ago, it washed up on a beach at Fanø in Denmark from a submerged Mesolithic settlement under the North Sea. National Museum of Denmark, Copenhagen. Photo my own. Read more about amber from submerged settlements: en.natmus.dk/historical-know… #Archaeology
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Sipping my morning coffee ☕️ and thinking about these marvellous Minoan cups! They look so modern it’s incredible to think they were created by Bronze Age potters about 3,800 years ago! This type of Minoan pottery is known as Kamares Ware. Kamares Ware vessels are said to have been used in palace banquets, so rather than coffee, they may have been used for consumption of alcohol. Analysis of organic residues from ancient Cretan pottery have detected resin-flavoured wine. My photo taken at Heraklion Archaeological Museum, Crete. #Archaeology
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Artist’s sketch of a sparrow. From Deir el-Bahri, Egypt, c. 1479–1458 BC. Artists have always loved to sketch. In ancient Egypt, some 3,500 years ago, they used flakes of limestone as sketch pads rather than paper. 📷: metmuseum.org/art/collection… #Archaeology
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Adorable ancient Egyptian hippos, about 4,000 years old! 🦛❤️. Made of blue faience decorated with aquatic plants of the river Nile. Photos my own. #Archaeology
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Wow, a 3,400 year-old ancient Egyptian paint box containing its original pigments! (Looks similar to a modern-day set!) The preserved cake pigments are red (red ochre), blue (Egyptian blue), green (a mixture of Egyptian blue, yellow ochre, and orpiment) and two of black (carbon black, from charcoal). An inscription on the wooden paint box tells us it belonged to Amenemope, who was Vizier during the reign of king Amenhotep II. As a member of the elite, he would have used it for painting for leisure. 📷 The Cleveland Museum of Art Read more: clevelandart.org/art/1914.68…
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Reasons recorded for worker absence on this 3,200 year-old ancient Egyptian attendance register include ‘brewing beer’ 🍺, ‘stung by a scorpion’ 🦂, and ‘embalming brother’! 🤯 From Deir el-Medina workers village. 📷 my own #Archaeology
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Something lovely to start the week! Beautiful blue glass beads from the late Bronze Age. Ploughed up by a farmer in Denmark in 1885, recent analysis shows the beads were made in Mesopotamia, pointing to long-distance trade in luxury goods some 3,000 years ago. 📷 National Museum of Denmark #Archaeology
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Ancient Egyptian statue of Pa-Maj. The basalt torso is entirely covered in engravings of magical hieroglyphic texts and images of gods. 350-300 BC. National Archaeology Museum, Naples. #Archaeology
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Face to face with the Bronze Age. ‘Ditchling Road Man’ is a forensic reconstruction of a 25-35 year-old male, who lived around 4,200 years ago. He was buried with a pottery beaker, arrowhead & shells. He was discovered in 1921 during road works in Brighton, Sussex. #Archaeology
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Sipping my coffee ☕️ and thinking about these marvellous Minoan cups! They look so modern it’s incredible to think they were created by Bronze Age potters some 3,800 years ago! This type of Minoan pottery is known as Kamares Ware. Kamares Ware vessels are said to have been used in palace banquets, perhaps used for consumption of alcohol. Analysis of organic residues from ancient Cretan pottery has detected resin-flavoured wine. My photo taken Heraklion Archaeological Museum, Crete. #Archaeology
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The remarkably well-preserved York Helmet, dated AD 770-775. is one of only six surviving helmets from Anglo-Saxon Britain. A Latin inscription bears the name of it’s owner ‘Oshere’. Discovered by a digger operator in Coppergate, York, in 1982. #FindsFriday #Archaeology
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Exquisite Roman blue glass cup bearing the name of the master glassmaker ‘Ennion’, AD 30-70. He was the first known glassmaker to sign his work by incorporating his name into the inscriptions that formed part of the mold’s design. 📷: The Corning Museum of Glass #Archaeology
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Ancient Egyptian gold headband decorated with the heads of gazelles and a stag between stars or flowers. c. 1648–1540 BC Dynasty 15 Image: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
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Blue glass beads from the Late Bronze Age. Found in 1885 when a farmer ploughed up a cremation urn at Kongehøj in Denmark. Analysis shows they were made in Mesopotamia c. 3,100 years ago. Evidence of long-distance trade connections. 📷: National Museum of Denmark. #Archaeology
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Pair of gold armbands. Greek, Hellenistic Period, c. 200 BC. The Met. Photo: © Alison Fisk #Archaeology
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The remarkably rare and well-preserved York Helmet, is one of only six surviving helmets from Anglo-Saxon Britain. A Latin inscription bears the name of its owner ‘Oshere’. Iron and copper alloy, dated AD 770-775. Yorkshire Museum. 📷 my own. #Archaeology
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The spectacular gilded throne of Tutankhamun. Wood, gold, glass, and semi-precious stones. Dynasty 18, reign of Tutankhamun, c. 1336-1327 BC. Egyptian Museum, Cairo. Photo my own. #Archaeology
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Ancient Egyptian musicians playing (L to R) a double flute, lute and harp. Detail from a facsimile of a c. 3,400 year-old banquet scene from the Tomb of Nakht at Thebes. Dynasty 18. Tempera on paper, 1908-1914. Photo: The Met metmuseum.org/art/collection… #Archaeology
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WOW dear followers, there are 20,000 of you! 🤩 I’m so happy to see so much interest in #Archaeology!😍 Here’s one of my favourite artefacts: a c. 4000 year-old ancient Egyptian hippo, popularly known as ‘William’, excavated from the tomb of Senbi II at Meir in 1910.
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This beautiful ‘network’ mosaic glass bowl looks so modern, yet it’s about 2,250 years old! Made using an innovative technique in which thin threads of twisted glass were spiralled over a convex mould. A wonderful example of the skill of ancient glassmakers! #Archaeology
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The Roman Aqueduct in Segovia, Spain. Built to last almost 2,000 years ago without the need for mortar. My photo from a recent visit. #RomanSiteSaturday #Archaeology
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An extraordinary c. 500,000-300,00 year-old Acheulean handaxe knapped around a fossil shell. The shell’s central display suggests an aesthetic intention by the toolmaker. From West Tofts, Norfolk. 📷: Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Cambridge #Archaeology
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This lovely Hellenistic mosaic glass bowl looks so modern, yet it was made over 2,000 years ago! Ancient glassmakers created the tiny flower pattern using a technique now known as ‘millefiori’ (thousand flowers). A timeless design still made by glassmakers today! Photo my own. British Museum: britishmuseum.org/collection… #Archaeology
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Something lovely for the weekend! Beautiful blue glass beads from the late Bronze Age. Ploughed up by a farmer in Denmark in 1885, analysis shows the beads were made in Mesopotamia, evidence of long-distance trade in luxury goods some 3,000 years ago. 📷 National Museum of Denmark #Archaeology
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Ancient Egyptian hedgehog, blue-green faience, c. 1938-1700 BC. 📷: Brooklyn Museum: brooklynmuseum.org/opencolle…
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The beauty of ancient glass. Something lovely to start the week, c. 2,000 year-old Roman scent bottles made of gold-banded mosaic glass. #Archaeology
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Delightful ancient Egyptian artistry. A leaping hunting dog opens and closes its mouth as if barking, using a lever below its chest. Also shown; a delicate gazelle and galloping horse. Crafted c. 3,400 years-ago. Dynasty 18, reign of Amenhotep III. 📷: © Alison Fisk #Archaeology
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A rare Viking-age survival from Coppergate, York. A woman’s delicate silk cap made of plain-woven, hand-spun, undyed silk. Preserved by waterlogged soil for more than a 1000 years. Imported from Persia, it reflects a vast Viking trade network… 📷: © Alison Fisk #Archaeology
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The breathtaking beauty of the Hindsgavl Dagger. A masterpiece of flint knapping from Late Neolithic Denmark, c. 1900-1700 BCE. Found around 1876 on the island of Fænø. Image: National Archaeological Museum of Denmark. #Archaeology
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Something lovely for the weekend! 💚 A stunning 2,000 year-old Roman emerald green glass bowl. 📷 The Met metmuseum.org/art/collection…
The Met’s photo shows an intact Roman glass bowl cast from translucent emerald green glass. To make a cast glass bowl, a disc of glass was slumped over a mould and shaped. The green colour was produced by adding copper oxide. The Met describes the shape of the bowl as ‘short, outsplayed rim with beveled edge; carinated side, with two convex curves, the upper being shallow and the lower deep; slightly convex bottom within outsplayed base ring with flat edge’. This shape was modelled on Roman silverware and Arretine pottery. Height: 5.4 cm (2 1/8 ins) diameter: 12 cm (4 3/4 in)

ALT The Met’s photo shows an intact Roman glass bowl cast from translucent emerald green glass. To make a cast glass bowl, a disc of glass was slumped over a mould and shaped. The green colour was produced by adding copper oxide. The Met describes the shape of the bowl as ‘short, outsplayed rim with beveled edge; carinated side, with two convex curves, the upper being shallow and the lower deep; slightly convex bottom within outsplayed base ring with flat edge’. This shape was modelled on Roman silverware and Arretine pottery. Height: 5.4 cm (2 1/8 ins) diameter: 12 cm (4 3/4 in)

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#Thread Yesterday, I visited the Roman Aqueduct in Segovia, Spain. A spectacular feat of Roman engineering, built to last almost 2,000 years ago. #Archaeology
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For #FindsFriday, the Lewis Chessmen, dated c. 1175 AD. These characterful bishops and warders (rooks) are medieval chess pieces from a large gaming hoard found in 1831 on the Isle of Lewis, Scotland. Love their expressive eyes! ❤️👀. Photos my own. #Archaeology
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Ancient Egyptian gold headband decorated with heads of gazelles and a stag between stars or flowers. Second Intermediate period, Dynasty 15, c. 1648–1540 BC. 📷 The Met metmuseum.org/art/collection… #Archaeology
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Some things never change! 4,000 year-old ancient Egyptian writing board with student’s spelling mistakes corrected in red ink by the teacher! 😂 📷 The Met: metmuseum.org/art/collection…
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A unique Viking-era sock from Coppergate in York. It is the only known example of the Scandinavian nålebinding technique (single needle knitting) found in England. Well-preserved for over 1000 years in waterlogged soil. On display at Jorvik Viking Centre. #Archaeology
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3,500 year-old gold sandals, with toe and finger stalls (protective coverings). Funerary equipment from the Tomb of the Three Foreign Wives of King Thutmose III, Thebes, New Kingdom, Dynasty 18, c. 1479-1425 BCE. #Archaeology
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Magical amber animals from the Danish Stone Age. These beautiful figurines were carved 10,000-7,000 years ago and may have been worn as protective amulets. Amber can give off sparks in the dark and make hair stand on end. Photos my own. #Archaeology
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Marvellous Minoan pots with octopus decoration made by artisans from Bronze Age Crete about 3,500 years ago. Heraklion Archaeological Museum 📷 my own #Archaeology
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Wow, a rare example of a Neolithic axe with original ash wood handle still preserved! Amazing to think this axe was used about 5,200 years-ago to fell trees, to clear the forest for farming. From Borum, eastern Jutland, Denmark. Moesgaard Museum. 📷: © Alison Fisk #Archaeology
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Some things never change! A 2,000 year-old Roman souvenir pen with joke inscription roughly equivalent to: “I went to Rome and all I got you was this cheap pen!" 😂 Dated c. 70 AD, the stylus pen was found in London during excavations by MOLA. The Roman inscription reads: “I have come from the city. I bring you a welcome gift with a sharp point that you may remember me. I ask, if fortune allowed, that I might be able [to give] as generously as the way is long [and] as my purse is empty”. Read more: digventures.com/2019/07/roma… 📷 Juan Jose Fuldain/MOLA #Archaeology
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The beauty of ancient Roman glass. A 1,700 year-old flask made out of translucent cobalt blue glass. Mold blown in the shape of a youth’s head. Photo: © Alison Fisk #Archaeology
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That #MondayMorning feeling? Reasons recorded for worker absence on this 3,200 year-old ancient Egyptian attendance register include 'embalming brother', ‘brewing beer', and 'stung by a scorpion’! 😉 From Deir el-Medina. 📷 my own. #Archaeology
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Ancient Greek statue of Hermes recovered from the famous Antikythera shipwreck, 1st century BC. After c. 2,000 years underwater, the marble body eroded, yet remarkably, the beauty of the young god’s face still shines through, protected by sand. 📷: © Alison Fisk #Archaeology
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Something lovely for the weekend! Marvellous Minoan pots with octopus decoration made by artisans from Bronze Age Crete about 3,500 years ago! 🐙❤️ Heraklion Archaeological Museum. Photos my own. #Archaeology
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A dog’s paw print on a Roman clay tile. About 2,000 years ago, a dog made its mark for posterity by wandering across a wet tile which was lying out to dry before firing. From Richborough Roman fort. Photo my own. #TilesonTuesday #Archaeology
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This c. 2000 year-old Roman guard-dog mosaic in the entrance passage of the House of Paquius Proculus was a must-see on my recent visit to #Pompeii So much more stylish than modern-day ‘beware of the dog’ stickers! #MosaicMonday #Archaeology
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Marvellous Minoan pottery from Phaistos, Crete. These multi-coloured Kamares Ware cups look so fresh and modern, yet they were made about 3,800 years ago during the Bronze Age! Heraklion Archaeological Museum. 📷: © Alison Fisk #Archaeology
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Artist’s sketch of a sparrow. From Deir el-Bahri, Thebes, Egypt, c. 1479–1458 BC. Artists have always loved to sketch. In ancient Egypt, some 3,500 years ago, they used flakes of limestone as sketch pads rather than paper. 📷: The Met metmuseum.org/art/collection…
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Viking-age leather shoes excavated at Coppergate, York. Remarkably well-preserved for over a 1000 years in waterlogged soil. On display at Jorvik Viking Centre. Photo: © Alison Fisk #Archaeology
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Spectacular black and white mosaic floor in the women’s changing room at the central baths, ancient Herculanium. Triton with dolphins, cherub, octopus and cuttlefish. Modern changing rooms could do with a #Roman style upgrade! #MosaicMonday #Archaeology
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For #MosaicMonday, a charming little octopus from a Roman villa at Villaquejida in Spain, 2nd-3rd century AD. National Archaeological Museum, Madrid. #Archaeology
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Bronze Age ‘Palace Style’ jars with fabulous octopus decoration inspired by the natural world 3,500 years ago. From Mycenae (L) and Minoan Crete (R). #Archaeology
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Beautiful Egyptian bronze head of a cat with amber eyes, c. 600 BCE. Glyptotek Museum. Photo my own. #Caturday #Archaeology
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A stunning 2,000 year-old Roman emerald green glass bowl. 📷 The Met metmuseum.org/art/collection… #Archaeology
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This wonderful ancient Egyptian blue faience hippo is about 4,000 years old. Discovered in 1910 during excavations of the tomb-chapel of Senbi II at Meir in Upper Egypt. Middle Kingdom, Dynasty 12, 1961-1878 BCE. Image: The Met, NY #Archaeology
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A c. 2000 year-old Roman-era cobalt blue glass flask signed by master glassmaker ‘Ennion’. A Greek inscription reads ‘Ennion made me/it’. He was the first known glassmaker to sign his work by incorporating his name into the mould’s design. 📷 The Met #Archaeology
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Marvellous Minoan pots with octopus decoration made by artisans from Bronze Age Crete about 3,500 years ago. Heraklion Archaeological Museum. 📷 my own #Archaeology
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Exquisite Roman-era blue glass cup bearing the name of the master glassmaker ‘Ennion’. AD 30-70. Ennion was the first glassmaker to sign his work by incorporating his name into inscriptions that formed part of the mould’s design. 📷 Corning Museum of Glass #Archaeology
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Beautiful ancient #Roman glass to start the week! 🤩 A c. 2,000 year-old blue ribbed bowl with white trail decoration. Photo Getty Museum. Read more: getty.edu/art/collection/obj… #Archaeology
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The timeless beauty of ancient glass. A Roman glass scent bottle in the form of a shell. Mould-blown. AD 25-100. Photo: © Alison Fisk #Archaeology
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Wow, yesterday I saw this amazing piece of #Roman history at the British Museum’s ‘Legion’ exhibition. It’s the only known surviving example of a semi-cylindrical shield used by Roman legionaries! This fabulously painted ‘scutum’ shield from the early AD 200s, is made of leather and wood, and decorated with Roman symbols of victory. H. 105.5 × W. 41 × D. 30 cm. Excavated at Dura-Europos (Syria) by the Yale-French team in the 1930s, it’s on loan to the BM from Yale University Art Gallery in the US. 📷 my own artgallery.yale.edu/collecti… #Archaeology
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New technology in the Bronze Age. A 4,500 year-old stone mould, found in Shropshire, used to cast 5 different-sized bronze axes, at a time when metalworking was replacing tools & weapons made from stone, bone & wood. Shrewsbury Museum #GatheringLight exhibition. #Archaeology
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Good dog! 🐾🐕😍 An amazing c. 3,400 year-old ancient Egyptian mechanical dog. This leaping hunting dog opens and closes its mouth as if barking by using a lever below its chest. Beautifully carved from ivory. Photo my own. #Archaeology
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The Kingmoor Ring. Anglo-Saxon gold finger-ring engraved with runes inlaid with niello, thought to be a magical inscription. 8th-10th century AD. Found by a man fixing a fence near Kingmoor, north of Carlisle, in the early 1800s. 📷: British Museum. #FindsFriday #Archaeology
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The Lewis Chessmen. Characterful medieval chess pieces skilfully carved from walrus ivory c. 1150-1175 AD. From a hoard discovered in 1831 on the Isle of Lewis, Scotland. #Archaeology
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#FindsFriday An exquisite Roman-era cobalt blue glass cup signed by the master glassmaker ‘Ennion’. AD 30-70. By incorporating his name into the mould’s design, Ennion was the first glassmaker to ‘brand’ his work. This luxury cup is one of a matching pair made from the same ‘Ennion’ mould. They were found together in a Roman tomb at Cuora, near Adria, Italy, in the early 1900s. Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Adria 📷 Leonardo.disimon #Archaeology
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A stunning 2,000 year-old Roman emerald green glass bowl. #Archaeology 📷: The Met metmuseum.org/art/collection…
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From the British Iron Age, some 2,000 years ago, a beautiful and unique set of 24 coloured glass gaming pieces with spiral motif 🤩. Discovered in a richly-furnished late Iron Age grave, during gas works in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, in 1965. Photo my own. #Archaeology
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A charming 5,000 year-old Egyptian sculpture of a hippopotamus with oversized head and eyes. Calcite, Early 1st Dynasty c. 3000 BCE. Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek. #Archaeology
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Behold the deep time of human artistic creativity! About 40,000 years ago, during the #IceAge, this small figurine was masterfully sculpted from mammoth ivory. Known as the Vogelherd Horse it is one of the world’s earliest known works of figurative art. 📷 my own #Archaeology
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A pair of sandals from the tomb of Tutankhamun. The soles are decorated with images of bound captives; Egypt’s enemies to be symbolically trodden underfoot by the king. Dynasty 18, reign of Tutankhamun, c.1336-1327 BCE. Egyptian Museum, Cairo. 📷: my own. #Archaeology
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Timeless ancient glass. This lovely mosaic glass bowl looks so modern, yet it was made over 2,000 years ago! The flower pattern was created by ancient glass makers using a technique known as ‘millefiori’ (thousand flowers), still used by glassmakers today. #Archaeology
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Tutankhamun’s alabaster canopic box. Four interior compartments with lids in the form of the king’s head, each contained a miniature gold sarcophagus with the king’s internal organs. Dynasty 18, c. 1336-1327 BC. Egyptian Museum, Cairo. 📷: my own. #Centenary #Archaeology
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A stunning 2,000 year-old Roman bowl made of translucent amber-coloured glass. Like a bowl full of sunshine to brighten the day! ☀️ British Museum 📷 my own #Archaeology
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Roman gold body-chain from the Hoxne Hoard, 4th century AD. Fabulous jewelled mount set with amethyst and garnets and a coin-set clasp. The Hoxne Hoard was discovered by a metal detectorist in Suffolk in 1992. 📷: © Alison Fisk #FindsFriday #Archaeology
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About 40,000 years ago, during the #IceAge, this head of a cave lion was masterfully carved from mammoth ivory. I imagine the sculptor carving this tiny work of art by the light and warmth of a fire, the detail based on their own experience of cave lions. 📷 my own #Archaeology
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Ancient Egyptian musicians beautifully depicted playing a double flute, lute and harp. Detail from a c. 3,400 year-old wall painting of a banquet scene from the Tomb of Nakht at Thebes. Dynasty 18. Facsimile by Norman de Garis Davies 1908-1914. 📷: The Met #Archaeology
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Spectacular octopus from the floor of the women’s changing room, Central Baths, Herculaneum. This magnificent #Roman monochrome mosaic makes quite an impact! #MosaicMonday #Archaeology
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