Adam R. Hemmings

This is a fragment of the Corinthian-style Olpe Chigi, found from Veii, Formello, from the cemetery area of Monte Aguzzo, from Tumulo Chigi, and dated to 650-640 BC. It has the personification of Aphrodite - as stated. Now in the Room 38 in Villa Giulia. #EpigraphyTuesday

A section of the embroidery showing Daleks fighting mounted Normans

As the excitement over the displaying of the Bayeux Tapestry (embroidery) builds I feel the experience will only be worthwhile if the long suppressed section of the work is included.
@gingertrevtrev.bsky.social @durotrigesdig.bsky.social

Giant tortoises return to Galápagos island after nearly 200 years The native species was driven to extinction by sailors in the 1800s. Now, 158 juvenile giant tortoises have been reintroduced to the island.

Giant tortoises are wandering the Galápagos island of Floreana for the first time in more than 180 years! One of may favourite places in the world.

#Conservation #Science #Environment #Galapagos

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Is the UK’s golden era of free museum entry coming to an end? The National Gallery’s latest financial woes have brought the possibility of charging visitors back into the frame

Amusing that while the National Gallery claims “financial woes,” it spent £85m refurbishing the Sainsbury Wing and secured £300m for a new modern art wing, yet laments an £8.2m deficit (per The Guardian). Mismanagement much?

#Museums #MuseumLife

www.theguardian.com/culture/2026...

'A gasp of wonderment escaped our lips': The dazzling discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb In a BBC archive clip, archaeologist Howard Carter describes the moment on 12 February 1924 when he and his team became the first people in 3,300 years to meet the Egyptian boy king.

I’d never heard cleaned recordings of Howard Carter and the sounding of Tut’s trumpets without the static and artefacts until now.

As Christopher Frayling has noted, by then Carter had erased his regional accent to “fit in” with high society.

www.bbc.co.uk/culture/arti...

Excavations at the Roman Governor’s Praetorium in Cologne Uncover a 1st-Century Staircase That Connected to the Rhine and the First “Lararium” North of the Alps Construction work for the future MiQua, the Jewish Archaeological Museum rising over the heart of Cologne’s historic center, has yielded a set of Roman finds of exceptional preservation quality.…

Construction work for the future MiQua, the Jewish Archaeological Museum rising over the heart of Cologne’s historic center, has yielded a set of #Roman finds of exceptional preservation quality.

If the finder were an archaeologist this would be an unthinkable story, our training teaches us that artefacts represent a shared past. His training is in documents, he sees objects as something to be auctioned, a source of 'reward'
Is this an anomaly? Historian friends, how do you feel about this?

Empty homes: Families 'living in limbo' on Lambeth estate Vanessa lives in temporary accommodation but there are dozens of empty homes on her Lambeth estate.

Let residents take control. Transfer stalled estates to resident-led co-ops so locals run repairs, raise finance and fill empty homes fast. If councils are frozen, empower communities to act!

#Housing #London #Lambeth #SocialHousing

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

ISAC Lecture with Brian Muhs and Katherine Kelaidis Greek Immigration, Literature, and Identity in Egypt, Ancient and Modern.

This looks so good: a deep dive into Greek immigration in ancient Egypt → the Library of Alexandria → Cavafy’s cosmopolitan Alexandria. Language, literature, identity, exile, belonging all in one night.

www.eventbrite.com/e/isac-lectu...

#AncientHistory #Classics #GreekHistory

JBL 144.4 is Now Available - Society of Biblical Literature Volume 144, Issue 4 — 2025 Now available online (free to SBL members). Visit the JBL page and login to access digital issues with your SBL membership. To

New JBL issue out from @sblpress.bsky.social! Superbly interesting!

#BiblicalStudies #Scholarship #Academics #Journals

www.sbl-site.org/news/jbl-144...

Real Londoners love a mash-up celebration. @adamrhemmings.bsky.social led an excellent #Wassail in orchard of @ourmoh.bsky.social to a large group (behind camera) which coincided with celebrating #BurnsNight yesterday. An enlightening talk before hand too
#LetsGuide #UniquelyLondon #ALondonersLife4

Leaked photos show hundreds killed in Iran's brutal crackdown The images from one mortuary in Tehran were shown to families who went to identify their loved ones.

Don't look away! The Iranian people are still bleeding at the hands of their own government. The number of dead is widely believed to be somewhere between 3-20k, and the suppression continues.

We must ask our leaders: where is the promised support for freedom?

#Iran

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Our new short courses are a great way to learn about using different kinds of sources for researching and writing history. Whether you're researching one place, or something broader, this is the ideal introduction to using the built environment in history!

New West Bank antiquity bill seeks to extend Israeli authority over Areas A and B Proposed law, seeking to create a civilian body in charge of antiquities and archaeological sites, has been opposed by most Israeli archaeologists, likely violates international law

Most Israeli archaeologists oppose the new West Bank antiquities bill. They warn it’s de facto annexation disguised as heritage protection. International law allows only preservation by an occupying power and this bill even extends into Areas A & B.

#Heritage

www.timesofisrael.com/new-west-ban...

Margam park Roman villa find could be 'Port Talbot's Pompeii' The largest Roman villa ever found in Wales lies less than a metre under Margam Country Park.

What a great find! I was just in Margam Country Park this past Oct. Who knew what was beneath my feet!

#Archaeology #Wales #History

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

US immigration officer fatally shoots woman in Minneapolis Trump says the woman was attempting to run over ICE agents. Local leaders disagree.

I have watched the recording, and I am very troubled. The Fourth Amendment permits deadly force only in the face of an imminent, unavoidable threat. If that standard was not met, it matters for public trust, for those who serve, and for justice itself.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Six-year wait for window repairs leaves Camden family freezing Charlie Cox says her and her daughter's health has been affected by damp and fungus.

Hello @camdencouncil.bsky.social - Six years is a long time for a family to live with freezing draughts, damp and health impacts. What steps are being taken now to fix this properly (and will compensation be considered for the prolonged disruption and health risks?)

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Shadow Foreign Secretary Priti Patel said: “the fact that Maduro is gone, we absolutely support. This guy was an oppressive tyrant.” She added: “He was a complete dictator, responsible for all sorts of terrible things. And I think that's welcomed. The Americans are now going to go through their own process in terms of how this is handled. And clearly there's a court indictment now against Maduro and his wife. And it's interesting from a legal perspective”

“It’s interesting from a legal perspective”. Prize for the best use of understatement so far on Venezuela goes to Priti Patel on Sky.

Aerial photograph looking down on the ramparts of a grass covered Iron Age hillfort with ploughed fields, hedgerows and trees surrounding it

It's beginning to look a lot like #HillfortsWednesday 🥳

Here's a glorious aerial photo of the spectacular unfinished 3.5ha Iron Age hillfort of Ladle Hill in #Hampshire 😍

✈️ 📷 © Ginny Pringle for the Hampshire Cultural Trust

For more see:
hampshirearchaeology.wordpress.com/2015/11/23/b...

Landscape-wide cosmogram built by the early community of Aguada Fénix in southeastern Mesoamerica The cosmogram of Aguada Fénix built over the landscape between 1050 and 700 BCE rivaled the extents of later Mesoamerican cities.

New research at Aguada Fénix in Mexico shows a massive early Maya construction shaped as nested crosses with long axes, canals, and a central cache with the earliest directional colour symbols. A vast cosmogram that drew people together.

#Maya #Archaeology #LiDAR

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Water leak in Louvre damages hundreds of books The leak in the Egyptian department comes just weeks after a jewellery heist that put the museum's security infrastructure under scrutiny.

Unbelievable. First €88m jewels vanish, now a known problem floods the Louvre and soaks hundreds of Egyptology books. How does the world’s most visited museum keep getting blindsided? Fix your infrastructure before buying more art! 🤦‍♂️📚💦 #Louvre #DoBetter

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Steep rise in Herefordshire empty homes branded Councillors say too many properties are becoming dilapidated and the government should act.

The real scandal is Britain’s aging, neglected housing stock. But it’s fixable: fund councils to renovate empties, support retrofits, and make good homes a national priority. Quality is possible and we have to choose it. #EmptyHomes #BetterHomes

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Good Homes - Beyond Net Zero​ 28 January 2026 | 09:00 - 17:00 | British Library Knowledge Centre, London, NW1 2DB Join the Good Homes Alliance and South East Consortium for a new and exciting joint networking and knowledge sharing event, bringing together the GHA’s annual Good Homes Conference and SEC’s Sustainability AM. Healthy Buildings Conference 2026. 26th February 2026 | 13:00-17:45 followed by drinks and networking until 19:30. 150 Holborn, London EC1N 2NS The ASBP is celebrating its 10th annual Healthy Buildings Conference! Highlights include: - A keynote talk from Professor Stephen Holgate, MRC Clinical Professor of Immunopharmacology, UKRI Clean Air Champion and Special Advisor to the RCP on Air Quality - Sessions with expert speakers on PFAS and POPS in construction products, WELL Building case studies, indoor air quality research at UoYork, and the health & wellbeing benefits of natural paints. - Speakers from Henning Larsen, Overbury, Introba, University of York, Environment Agency, Edward Bulmer Natural Paint and a panel discussion chaired by Simon Jones, host of the Air Quality Matters Podcast. - Drinks and networking with a spectacular view over London to celebrate our 10th conference!

Don’t miss these in-person conferences coming up in London. Spaces are limited. There’s an excellent line-up of speakers at both events. Check out the keynotes!

28 Jan 2026 @goodhomesalliance.bsky.social
goodhomes.org.uk/good-homes-b...

26 Feb 2026
@asbpuk.bsky.social
asbp.org.uk/healthybuild...

What happens when #solarpower reaches a remote coastal community in #Kenya? Dive into a captivating photo story & see how pursuing #3xRenewables brings real change to people's lives: www.irena.org/Digital-cont...

Did Neanderthals have religious beliefs? Whether Neanderthals had religious beliefs is a subject of ongoing debate.

Interesting takes on Neanderthal #religion. Of course, got to love the identification of anything we don't understand as "ritualistic"!

www.livescience.com/archaeology/...

( > News > MarketWatch > UnitedHealth is dropping a million senior... United Health is dropping a million seniors from Medicare Advantage as it aims to restore its 'swagger' MarketWatch Provided by Dow Jones • Nov 19, 2025 at 7:56:00 AM By Neal Shah America's largest insurer is making sweeping changes to its Medicare Advantage plans to improve profit margins United Health Group is dropping some of its Medicare Advantage plans. United Health Group announced last month that it plans to drop 1 million Medicare Advantage members. Two weeks later, at a UBS healthcare conference, Wayne DeVeydt, the company's chief financial officer, said many of the changes UnitedHealth is making will allow it to "get back to the swagger the company once had."

United Health wants its ‘swagger back’.

How? By dropping a million seniors from Medicare Advantage

Why? America's largest insurer wants to improve its profit margins, medical costs are skyrocketing because the GOP cut Medicaid and ACA subsidies.

Harsh, dry weather is increasing salinity in the soil and damaging the historical monuments in the ruins of cities such as #Ur, the birthplace of the Biblical patriarch Abraham, and Babylon, once-magnificent capital of empires.

www.reuters.com/sustainabili...

Studies of Biblical Interest - Volume II (2025) CHRISSY M. HANSEN - Josephus and the Murder of James: An Argument Against Some Common Wisdom - p. 1-19

📢 New in "Studies of Biblical Interest"

Chrissy M. Hansen argues that the James passage in Josephus Ant. 20.200 shows signs of Christian redaction and may have been interpolated by Eusebius.

Open Access and available here: www.biblicaljournal.org#volumes

#Josephus #James #BiblicalStudies

Rare Bronze Age log boats on display in Peterborough first The boats

This is awesome! Not only showing the benefits of painstaking conservation work (10 years in this case!), but also...anyone have a bug for some experimental archaeology to reconstruct one of these fine vessels???

#Peterborough #Archaeology #History #HistoricEngland

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Explore Tutankhamun's tomb through the excavation records of Howard Carter and his team in the 1920s

The #Tutankhamun Archive at Oxford’s Griffith Institute is more than history. From Carter’s notes to Burton’s photos, every detail of the discovery is preserved and now reimagined in the new Tutankhamun Spatial Archive, now live in beta and bringing the tomb to life.

tutankhamun.griffith.ox.ac.uk