Weekly Roundup of History, Archaeology and Writing Wisdom May 14-20

Here are some posts I enjoyed around the web this week:

Replica of Athen’s 5^th C Trireme sails again. After some maintenance repairs, the Olympias is back in the water after 10 yrs in dry dock. This experiment in nautical archaeology was built in 1985, but it costs a lot to keep in working order, hence the storage break. I would love to see this beauty in action on the Aegean. Hard work I’m guessing for all the sailors who maneuver it. In many ways, Athens owed its empire to the fighting power of these ships. Fast and crafty! Click here for “The Olympias Trireme Sails Again” in the Greek Reporter

Sadly, the hidden chambers behind Tut may not exist. Politics in Egypt appears to be keeping the lid on the disappointing findings of the National Geographic Society. Click here for “Egypt accused of suppressing truth over hidden chambers in Tutankhamun’s Tomb”

Findings on Cyprus at Hala Sultan Tekke are revealing a much bigger city with far flung trade (all the way to Sweden, by coincidence, since it’s a Swedish University doing this dig!). What once was thought a small place now looks like one of the largest Bronze Age cities in the eastern Mediterranean. I’m glad such exciting discoveries are happening here. For two reasons. I was thinking I might use this Cypriote city as the setting for a novel down the road and cool discoveries are the meat I live on for writing. Second, the day my husband and I explored this site, two very depressed young women from this university were grumbling about all the boring potshards and stone anchors they’d found and not much of interest. They should be feeling part of something major by now. Their down mood was in no small part also due to the blasting wind storm that was pelting us with coarse sand and making it a particularly miserable day for archaeology. The well that’s excavated in the photos with this article was not nearly this far along when we were there. The man down in this part of the dig was a much happier fellow than the women, but he was out of the wind in his deep well dig. Not the spot for the claustrophobic, however. Garbage pits and wells always reveal great stuff. I’m not sure what the modern equivalent will be. (By the way this is a Swedish language article, which Google will translate for you, but I had a good laugh, “finds,” as in archaeological finds, came out “bargains,” as in great finds at the discount store.) Click here for GÖTEBORGS UNIVERSITET post on their dig at Hala Sultan Tekke (just hit Google translate to read it in English rather than Swedish)

Copper from Cyprus found in Sweden in the form of Bronze Age axes. The evidence for the immense travel distances and interconnectedness of trade in the Bronze Age just keeps growing. We think of the ancient world as somewhat insular, but not at all. It kind of boggles the mind given modes of transportation, the lack of safety on the way and the cultural variations. Click here for “3,600-year-old Swedish axes made of Cypriote copper”

A cartoon that seconds as a writing prompt. What’s behind that closet door?! I’m waiting for your suggestions… Click here for Mystery Fanfare “cartoon of the day Intrigue”