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Anna van Nostrand

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Anna van Nostrand

Anna is all about spreading the good word of Archaeology.

7 Sublime Artefacts From The ‘Sunken Cities’ Exhibition

These seven artefacts will make you want to know more about underwater archaeology immediately. The newest exhibit at opening at the British Museum is Sunken Cities: Egypt’s Lost Worlds. The exhibition focuses on two…

How To… Make A Scratch Art Greek Vase

The Ancient Greeks were known for their incredible skill with pottery and created some of the most recognisable ceramic artefacts in the world. These beautiful pieces are in many museums around the world. Here’s…

Site Diary: We Found a Roundhouse!

DigVentures set off on a Dirty Weekend to excavate Poulton – the largest Iron Age lowland settlement west of the Pennines. Our intrepid team of Venturers uncovered a new roundhouse, evidence of wealth, trade…

In Pictures: Poulton Dirty Weekend 2016

This past weekend we returned to Poulton for another incredible Dirty Weekend. We started off in the Pub for a very important meeting… The next morning, the site was as muddy as we remembered… But the…

10 Ancient Artefacts That Washed Up On The Thames

At low-tide, the banks of the River Thames become the largest open air archaeological site in London. Every day, new artefacts get washed up on the shore, and old sites get exposed. As 19th…

How To… Make Your Own Stonehenge Pumpkin

The five spookiest archaeological discoveries? That’s been done to death, so this halloween we thought we’d go for something a little bit more original… archaeology-inspired pumpkin-carving! Here’s how to make your very own Pumpkin…

7 Reasons Why Archaeologists Hate Bunny Rabbits

Rabbits. You either love them or you hate them, and archaeologists definitely hate them, and with good reason. They’re no fluffy-wuffy, bouncyboo Easter-Egg deliverers; they’re archaeology-destroying, foundation-threatening hopnuts who  probably want to skin you…

7 Medieval Medicines Dug Up By Archaeologists That Actually Work

Medical waste is generally something to be avoided, but for archaeologists it provides a rare opportunity to show that medieval medicine wasn’t all hocus pocus. “10 bizarre medieval medical practices”, “crazy potions and nasty…

How to Pass Yourself Off as a Medieval Doctor in Six Easy Steps

Medieval medicine is a bizarre and almost magical thing. It’s as rich in detailed botanical descriptions as it is in off-the-wall remedies, like powdered owls and toad goo. Germs hadn’t been discovered yet, and…

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Seven tell-signs that help archaeologists see disease

Six ways archaeologists can see disease in dead people

We know that illnesses have existed as long as there have been humans to get ill – but how do archaeologists identify disease in the past? Palaeopathology is the study of ancient diseases, which…

Got the plague? 10 ways to cure it (or at least try)

With the Crossrail excavations of the Bedlam burial ground excavations in the news, we are reminded of the thousands of Londoners who died during the Great Plague of London (1665-1666). But did you know…

Trepanation: A How-To Guide

Despite the saying, sometimes, you really do need a hole in the head. Evidence for trepanation (making a hole in the skull) appears in the archaeological record across cultures and time and it is…

Ancient Bionics: The Origins of Modern Prosthetics

Prosthetics have recently been in the news for all sorts of reasons – from bionic eyes to limbs that resemble works of art. But where (and when) did it all begin? Delving into illness…

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