Organized warfare has been part of human history for thousands of years. Over time advances in offensive weapons gave rise to advances in defensive measures. Times of crisis often led to a speeding up of such changes. One of those times were the Crusades. At the time I am writing this, the Houston Museum of […]
Opening March 24 – FREE for Members Over a period of several decades, two medical doctors studied Hepatitis B in Asia. This husband and wife team, Dr. Palmer Beasley and Dr. Lu Yu Hwang, took advantage of their travels abroad to collect artifacts wherever they went. Sadly, Dr. Beasley passed away in 2012, and the […]
Archaeologists study past human behavior. We do so using material evidence left behind that tells us of that behavior. Artifacts and architecture retrieved from the past may be esthetically pleasing, but ultimately archaeologists are most interested in the people who made or built these things to answer questions such as who, what, when, where, and […]
Archaeology is a field of study where patience is a virtue. Having a bit of luck doesn’t hurt either. In popular culture, archaeologists are seen as people who discover “lost cities,” “mysterious pyramids” and “precious treasures.” In real life, things are much more exciting. Consider a recent development in archaeological investigations in one of Mexico’s […]
On Oct. 17, we celebrate International Archaeology Day. Last year, the Houston Museum of Natural Science participated on a large scale for the first time in a long time. This year, we will have our “Second Annual” version of the same. So what is archaeology and who are these characters that practice the art of […]
In a well-deserved world-wide wave of publicity, the existence of a new hominid species was announced recently. Fossil hominins were first recognized in the Dinaledi Chamber in the Rising Star Cave system in October 2013. Now, some two years later, and after exhaustive analysis of more than 1,500 bone fragments, the team decided to go […]
A mini controversy has just broken out in social media about a rather ugly new rendering of the famous Nefertiti bust. The original bust, currently on display at the Neues Museum in Berlin, is one of the most iconic pieces of Egyptian art, recognized as easily as King Tut’s gold mask. It was not a surprise, […]
Archaeology is a profession that requires patience, persistence, and luck. In fact, a great deal of luck seems to be a prerequisite to make a great discovery; some of these involve kids and dogs. We are fortunate to know about the Lascaux caves because of a boy and his dog. A similar scenario led to the […]
We have all grown accustomed to seeing new forms of payment pop up every day. Cash is used less and less. To be “with the times” now requires making payments electronically, and invisibly. Actual tangible objects, such as coins or bills, are exchanged less and less. Instead, electrons silently move funds from one account to […]
As a museum curator, I have the pleasure of working with lots of volunteers. Most of them are students who are interested in archaeology, anthropology and museum careers. This time of the year, as graduation nears, there is an uptick in requests to come visit with me and ask for information and advice. “How did […]
