Popular right now
-
Find posts by Google Maps
Trying desperately to add my papers to academia.edu…
Get this book! (click on pic)
-
Tag Archives: conservation
Ten quarries of Ancient Egypt: 8 – The quarry at Widan el-Faras that disappeared
Many of you know the Old Kingdom basalt quarries at Widan el-Faras in the Northern Faiyum Desert. Some of you are also familiar with the partial destruction of the quarries by modern basalt quarrying. When we first started to work at Widan, about 12 years ago, in a project headed by Elizabeth Bloxam at UCL, the breathtaking lava and escarpment landscape was still quite pristine. A few years later a substantial part of the quarries had been eaten by machines. Though we had learnt by then that many other quarries in Egypt were under threat from modern development, Widan was a key reason for starting the QuarryScapes project – an EU-funded project on conservation of ancient quarries. Continue reading
The Palaeolithic rock art in Wadi Abu Subeira, Egypt: Landscape, archaeology, threats and conservation
Since the publication of the threats to the Palaeolithic rock art in Wadi Abu Subeira three weeks ago, there has been much response through e-mail and social media, and the case has been covered by many online magazines and blogs. People in Egypt and elsewhere are concerned, and I wish to thank you all for your interest and for bringing the case along to friends and colleagues, as well as to administrators and politicians. There now seems to be a need for an “unbiased”, comprehensive overview of what is actually known about the landscape, the archaeology, the rock art, the threats, current conservation efforts and options for the future. The overview below is based on published literature, and information that otherwise belongs to the public sphere. It is written in close cooperation with Adel Kelany, and we have benefitted from input by Dirk Huyge. Continue reading
Posted in Ancient Egypt, Archaeology, Heritage destruction, Rock art
Tagged Ancient Egypt, Aswan, conservation, Cultural heritage, Qurta, rock art, Wadi Abu Subeira
1 Comment
Classic Cars, Castro’s Cuba: Conservation in practice
Slightly off-topic, but how Cubans skilfully care for their classic Plymouths, mFords, Buicks and Pontiacs may be a reminder for anyone dealing with heritage conservation. However, it is not necessarily out of love that the Cubans care for their cars, … Continue reading
International conference on millstone in Bergen – and the Hyllestad quarry landscape
Last week the Norwegian “millstone community” invited to an international conference in Bergen – “Seen through a millstone: Geology and archaeology of quarries and mills”. It included an excursion to the Hyllestad quarries where the participants got to know a … Continue reading
Posted in Archaeology, Norway, Old quarries
Tagged conservation, Cultural heritage, grinding stone, millstone, Norway, quarry
2 Comments
Impressions from summer fieldwork in Norway
Over the last few weeks I’ve been back in Norway for projects on conservation of medieval castle ruins, as well as on provenance of medieval and more modern building stone. Here are some impressions!*
Posted in Archaeology, Monument conservation, New projects, Norway, Old quarries, Rock art, Ruins
Tagged conservation, marble, Nidaros Cathedral, Nidarosdomen, Norway, quarry, rock art, Trondheim
Leave a comment
New York Times: “Egypt or Central Park: Where Does an Ancient Obelisk Belong?”
The issue of bringing Central Park’s Cleopatra’s Needle back to Egypt is still in the media. See this recent video from New York Times on the weathering of the New Kingdom obelisk: …and check out these blog posts of mine … Continue reading
A Google Map of the Northern Faiyum Desert
A little while ago I posted about the Egyptian Petition to save the marvellous landscape in the Northern Faiyum from destruction by massive tourist and other development. Since then the campaign NO PORTO FAYOUM is putting increasing pressure on developers … Continue reading
Posted in Ancient Egypt, Archaeology, Old quarries
Tagged Ancient Egypt, conservation, Cultural heritage, Faiyum
Leave a comment
Egyptian petition: Stop destruction of Lake Qarun Protected Area in the Faiyum!
For all interested in landscape conservation: Please sign the Egyptian petition on stopping the destruction of a truly spectacular, protected landscape in the Northern Faiyum! The Northern Faiyum has it all: Splendid landscape, fantastic fossils, a unique cultural heritage back … Continue reading
Posted in Ancient Egypt, Archaeology, Old quarries
Tagged Ancient Egypt, conservation, Cultural heritage, Faiyum, quarry
Leave a comment
Cooperation with Norwegian conservation company
An agreement of cooperation has been signed with the Norwegian conservation company “Bakken & Magnussen AS” in Trondheim, Norway. The idea is to expand the competence of the conservation company with services related to conservation science and geoarchaeology. Bakken & … Continue reading
Posted in Archaeology, Monument conservation, New projects, Norway
Tagged conservation, Cultural heritage, Norway, ruin, soapstone, weathering
Leave a comment
The Late Palaeolithic rock art at Qurta, Egypt: Field season 2011
It is a miracle that Egypt’s Late Palaeolithic rock art has survived for at least 15.000 years – and especially for the last 50 years of intensive modern development in the country. At Qurta by Kom Ombo, for example, the … Continue reading
Posted in Ancient Egypt, Archaeology, New projects, Rock art
Tagged Ancient Egypt, conservation, Cultural heritage, Qurta, rock art
1 Comment
