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Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ

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Cambridge

Illustration based on osteobiography generated through analyses of remains excavated at cemetery of Cambridge hospital which offered what was, in essence, a medieval social benefit system Source: Mark Gridley / After the Plague

Cemetery Reveals Medieval Equivalent of Social Benefits System

Archaeologists from several universities in England teamed up to analyze the skeletal remains of more than 400 individuals who were buried in a medieval cemetery that belonged to St. John the...
Medieval medicine manuscript with drawings of urine flasks, illustrating the different colors of a patient's urine, with their ailments described alongside, 15th century. Source: © University of Cambridge

Curious Cures: Cambridge to Publish Astonishing Medieval Medical Manuscripts

The Cambridge University Library has just launched an ambitious new initiative that will result in the public release of an extensive collection of manuscripts from medieval times. The Curious Cures...
Darwin’s notebooks, stolen in 2000-2001, on top of their original box, with the box from “X” at the top. 	Source: Cambridge University Library

Darwin’s Notebooks, Stolen in 2000-2001, Returned in Pink Gift Bag!

Two of Charles Darwin’s notebooks mysteriously vanished from Cambridge University 22 years ago. They have reappeared, in a pink gift bag, but nobody on campus or in the police force has a clue where...
Saffron has always been a luxury because it is so labor intensive but saffron money was all the rage as a way for medieval English elites to show off until Puritan values began to weigh against this odd currency that was even used to pay the rent!	Source: Marco Verch Professional Photographer / CC BY 2.0

Medieval Cambridge Elites Used Saffron to Pay Rent

The world’s most expensive spice by weight, saffron, has been valued and coveted by many ancient civilizations for a multitude of purposes, and debates over its origins still continue. Worth its...
Winklepickers are named for the supposed similarity to the tool used to extract winkles from their shells. Source: Rijksmuseum / CC0.

Medieval Winklepickers Really Were A Health Hazard, Study Shows

Pointy shoes or winklepickers worn by the upper classes caused a spike in bunions in medieval Britain, a study has found. Close your eyes and picture the classic court jester . His jingly hat and...
Medieval Cancer Rates Were Shockingly High, New Study Shows

Medieval Cancer Rates Were Shockingly High, New Study Shows

A team of University of Cambridge researchers have just released the results of their study of cancer incidence in medieval and pre-Industrial Revolution-era Britain. The scientists examined the...
The millstone with an ancient Roman phallus engraving. Source: Highways England

Rare Ancient Millstone Found Decorated With A Roman Phallus Carving

When archaeologists pieced together a broken millstone they were shocked to find an ancient Roman phallus carving. Experts say that the Roman phallus decoration is both “highly significant” and rare...
HALF of the Men Found in Medieval Paupers’ Cemetery Had Broken Bones

HALF of the Men Found in Medieval Paupers’ Cemetery Had Broken Bones

Life in Europe during the Middle Ages was difficult and dangerous for the majority of the population. Poverty, disease, and warfare were common, and the poor and working classes bore the brunt of...
Skeletal Trauma Reveals Class Inequality in Medieval Cambridge

Skeletal Trauma Reveals Class Inequality in Medieval Cambridge

Skeletal trauma has been studied in the remains of hundreds of people who lived in medieval Cambridge excavated from three cemeteries dating back to between the 10th and 14th century. The study has...
Relief image on the Tablet of Shamash, British Library room 55. Found in Sippar (Tell Abu Habbah), in Ancient Babylonia; it dates from the 9th century BC and shows the sun god Shamash on the throne, in front of the Babylonian king Nabu-apla-iddina (888-855 BC) between two interceding deities. The Babylonian language text tells how the king made a new cultic statue for the god and gave privileges to his temple.

Ancient Babylonian Reborn After Having Been Silenced for 2000 Years

Almost 2,000 years after falling out of use, a Cambridge University linguistics specialist, Dr. Martin Worthington has learned how to speak ancient Babylonian and is not only campaigning to revive it...
The facial reconstruction of Context 958

Face of ‘Ordinary Poor’ Man from Medieval Cambridge Graveyard Revealed

New facial reconstruction of a man buried in a medieval hospital graveyard discovered underneath a Cambridge college sheds light on how ordinary poor people lived in medieval England. The audience of...
Fascinating Artifacts Unearthed in TWO Newly Discovered Neighboring Anglo-Saxon Sites in England

Fascinating Artifacts Unearthed in TWO Newly Discovered Neighboring Anglo-Saxon Sites in England

Preparations for two new Cambridgeshire housing development projects have uncovered a fine collection of precious ornamental items and weaponry from Anglo-Saxon times and rare Roman era domestic...
This 300-year-old shoe was discovered behind a wall at St John's College and is thought to have been an amulet meant to ward off evil. (St. John’s College photo)

300-Year-Old Shoe Behind Wall of English College Was Meant As Protection From Malicious Spirits

Workers discovered a shoe this month behind a wall at a Cambridge University college in England that was probably meant to protect inhabitants of the building from mischievous or malicious spirits...
Fish trade in London

Researchers trace origin of global fish trade in medieval London

Researchers have uncovered the medieval tipping-point when local fishing could no longer support the demands of the burgeoning metropolis, and catches started to come in from as far away as Arctic...
600-year-old astronomical sketch

600-year-old astronomical sketch brought to life in fully functional model

A 600-year-old astronomical document is now moving into the modern era, with a symposium at the Whipple Museum titled ‘The Equatorie of the Planetis: Manuscript, Models, and Digitisation’ on 28 th...
Oldest Roman irrigation system in Britain

Archaeologists uncover oldest Roman irrigation system in Britain

Excavations at a £1 billion housing development site at Cambridge University in England have revealed what archaeologists believe is Britain’s oldest-known Roman irrigation system . In addition to...