Category Archives: Archaeology

Ten quarries of Ancient Egypt: 3 – The Second Pyramid at Giza

A quarry? The Second Pyramid?? The Pyramid of Old Kingdom Pharaoh Chephren at Giza??? This is not a quarry – it is a Wonder of the World, it is a Pyramid! False. It is also a quarry!

Posted in Ancient Egypt, Archaeology, Old quarries | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Ten quarries of Ancient Egypt: 2 – Rod el-Gamra dolerite porphyry quarry

Rod el-Gamra is a gem. A gem because it is small, even tiny, yet it features the typical archaeology that is found at ancient quarry sites. A gem because what was produced here, so-called naoi, are beautifully strewn in front … Continue reading →

Posted in Ancient Egypt, Archaeology, Old quarries | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Ten quarries of Ancient Egypt: 1 – Wadi Abu Qureya soapstone quarry

2012 was the first year since 1999 that I was not able to spend one or two or three field seasons in Egypt, exploring ancient quarries, rock art and generally some of the world’s most fascinating archaeology. So I have … Continue reading →

Posted in Ancient Egypt, Archaeology, Old quarries | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

When in Rome…

When in Rome… What else can you do than to discuss Norwegian archaeology!? So we did, at the beginning of this week, 30+ archaeologists and scientists at a workshop within the Norwegian Research Council’s network programme “Cooperative Research” (NO: Forskning … Continue reading →

Posted in Archaeology, New projects, Norway, Old quarries | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Firesetting in the Stone Age chert quarries at Melsvik in Northern Norway?

Update: See this blog post for confirmation of firesetting at Melsvik! A few weeks ago I had the great opportunity to take a look at the large, recently discovered Stone Age chert quarries at Melsvik, some 10 km to the … Continue reading →

Posted in Archaeology, Norway, Old quarries | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments

The World Heritage Rock Art at Alta in Northern Norway

Earlier this week I attended a workshop on conservation of the prehistoric rock art at Alta in Northern Norway. This gave me the opportunity to take a closer look at the great Stone Age panels in the Hjemmeluft area, which … Continue reading →

Posted in Archaeology, Norway, Rock art | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Making medieval stone architecture: the use of slate in Central Norway

The use of slate has traditions back to the Neolithic in Norway. Stone that were easy to split could be used for anything from the erection of fine burial chambers to the production of knives – phenomena that have been … Continue reading →

Posted in Archaeology, Norway, Old quarries | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

A masterpiece of Epipalaeolithic geometric rock art from el-Hosh, Upper Egypt

The rock art at el-Hosh in Upper Egypt is renowned for its fish trap motifs dating to the Epipalaeolithic period (c. 9000-5000 BC). However, during the 2010 field season undertaken by the Royal Museums of Art and History in Brussels … Continue reading →

Posted in Ancient Egypt, Archaeology, Rock art | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Alpine heritage impressions from a summer in Grisons (Graubünden, Switzerland)

Grisons – or in German Graubünden – is the largest canton in Switzerland, in the middle of the Alps, bordering Italy and Austria. It is renowned for its magnificent nature and countless medieval castle ruins. But Grisons has a truly … Continue reading →

Posted in Archaeology, Old mines, Old quarries, Rock art, Ruins, Switzerland | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Good stone doesn’t change its location!

There have been few new posts on my blog recently. But there is a very good reason for this apparent laziness, since I’m now writing a book about stone. Or, to be more correct, a book about the cultural history … Continue reading →

Posted in Archaeology, New projects, Norway, Old quarries | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment