Death, Burial and Iron Coffins How Almond Dunbar Fisk’s invention revolutionized death’s place in American life. By Scott Warnasch Iron coffins are fascinating artifacts of a time when friction between technology and tradition created a spiritual crisis in the early days of the United States. They’re also a great example of how the unintended effects […]
LISTEN: Slavery and Freedom in New York City In conjunction with The Woman in the Iron Coffin, we’ve partnered with the historians at the Dig: A History podcast, who provide additional context on slavery in the Northern United States, how it came to an end, and the lives of free black people in the United States. LISTEN: Slavery […]
Reported August 25 An enormous walled settlement topped with a stepped pyramid was recently found in China at a site called Shimao, and was originally mistaken for part of the infamous Great Wall. The massive pyramid, totaling eleven separate platforms, was just one feature of this Bronze Age site that was built on at least […]
Reported August 10 Archaeologists in Yangquan, China, discovered an octagon-shaped tomb with walls covered in murals that dates back some 700 years, when the descendants of Genghis Khan ruled China. Read more from LiveScience. And stream China’s Terracotta Warriors for free until September 1, 2018. This Day in History: August 12 On August 12, 30BCE […]
Reported July 30 Archaeologists discovered a stone sarcophagus in Zülpich, Germany. Inside were the remains of a woman and her beauty tools. sarcophagus dates back to the third century, AD. Read more from Forbes. Reported July 31 A U.S. veteran discovered the grave of a sixth-century Saxon soldier buried with a sword, spear and knife in […]
1. Reported July 14 Archaeologists in Egypt discovered an ancient mummification workshop. The 2,500-year-old discovery, made in the Egyptian desert necropolis of Saqqara, included a mummification workshop and a shaft that is believed to be used as a communal burial site. Read more from Science Alert. 2. Reported July 15 Archaeologists scanning a Mexican pyramid […]
On July 2, 1937, the aircraft carrying aviator Amelia Earhart was reported missing in the South Pacific.
1. On this day: June 28 (1838) Queen Victoria was coronated in Westminster Abbey, London. Check out the history of Queen Victoria’s romance with Prince Albert, and her long list of unconventional burial items. 2. On this day: June 11 (1962) Brothers John and Clarence Anglin and fellow inmate Frank Morris escape from Alcatraz Island […]
Decades after a string of murders and sexual assaults in the 1970s and 80s left California residents in constant terror, a recent development in the search for the perpetrator – known colloquially as the Golden State Killer, thanks to the late Michelle McNamara’s crime novel I’ll be Gone in the Dark – has both true crime enthusiasts […]
Archaeologist and historian Dr. Eve MacDonald gives us some background knowledge and historical context for Hannibal’s mythical journey through the Alps. Hannibal in the Alps Premieres Tuesday, April 10 at 8/7c on PBS (check local listings). Hannibal In the Alps: The Background and the Myth By Dr. Eve MacDonald, author of Hannibal: A Hellenistic Life […]
