Category Archives: Archaeology

Object(s) Of The Month: March

Posted on 14/03/2016 by carolinemmurray

Some of the most ancient artefacts which have survived to grace our modern museums were carved from bone or ivory: hardwearing substances, which survive almost anything except a severe conflagration or a deliberate act of grinding them to shards or … Continue reading →

Posted in Archaeology, Art, Cambridge, Exploration, History, Museums and Galleries, Natural history, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Akragas

Posted on 12/02/2016 by carolinemmurray

So, there we were on Monday morning at Palermo train and bus station, clutching our remaining possessions to us, not sure what else the robbers might home in on – the clothes off our backs, perhaps? Or was the university … Continue reading →

Posted in Archaeology, Botany, Gardens, History, Museums and Galleries, Natural history | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Object of the Month: January

Posted on 26/01/2016 by carolinemmurray

Among the most popular objects on display at the Museum of Cambridge (aka the Folk Museum) are two blue glass balls, known as witch balls. I do like a nice bit of glass, and these two attractive blue globes are … Continue reading →

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The Computus

Posted on 18/01/2016 by carolinemmurray

The recent Anglican conference at Lambeth led to some controversial decisions, of which the most surprising, perhaps, was an agreement to work with other churches worldwide to fix the date of Easter. It was almost as surprising that the initiative … Continue reading →

Posted in Archaeology, Art, Classics, History, Printing and Publishing | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Object of the Month: October

Posted on 30/10/2015 by carolinemmurray

Moving on from the edible apples of autumn, it’s appropriate to consider the golden apples of the Hesperides, which can be viewed at the Fitzwilliam Museum, down the road from the Botanic Gardens in Cambridge, in a small exhibition on … Continue reading →

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Veiling

Posted on 20/10/2015 by carolinemmurray

What do we mean by it? I was catching up recently with Amanda Foreman’s ‘The Ascent of Woman’, and was very disconcerted by two things in particular: firstly, the sudden leap (à propos ancient oppression of women) from the Assyrian … Continue reading →

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Sister of the More Famous Maria

Posted on 02/09/2015 by carolinemmurray

You could have knocked me down with something between a feather and a dumbbell, when, while mooching round Mill Road Cemetery in Cambridge, I came across the grave of Lucy, wife of the Rev. John Robinson, of the Armagh Observatory, … Continue reading →

Posted in Archaeology, Cambridge, History, Literature | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

1876: Annus Normalis?

Posted on 20/08/2015 by carolinemmurray

Him Indoors is trying to persuade me that what we really need to make us happy in our declining years is the expenditure of large amounts of money in order to recondition his piano, made by the great firm of … Continue reading →

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Twelve Things I Didn’t Know About Regensburg

Posted on 10/08/2015 by carolinemmurray

We have just spent a long weekend in Regensburg, about which I thought I knew one Big Thing: the Diet of Ratisbon, 1541 (how A-level history still lingers, 50 years on…). But with the aid of some determined mooching about … Continue reading →

Posted in Archaeology, Art, History, Museums and Galleries | Tagged , , | 7 Comments