The Wooden Sentinels of Siberia: The Ostrogs That Secured an Empire

In the early 17th century Cossacks in birch-bark boats travelled up the frozen rivers of Siberia in relentless pursuit of “soft gold” – the luxurious pelts of sable, fox, ermine, marten, beaver and squirrel. Along the rivers they constructed wooden forts called ‘Ostrogs’, which were practical strongholds thrown up in weeks from the forest itself.

Read more

Read more

  • The Wooden Sentinels of Siberia: The Ostrogs That Secured an Empire

    In the early 17th century Cossacks in birch-bark boats travelled up the frozen rivers of Siberia in relentless pursuit of “soft gold” – the luxurious pelts of sable, fox, ermine, marten, beaver and squirrel. Along the rivers they constructed wooden forts called ‘Ostrogs’, which were practical strongholds thrown up in weeks from the forest itself.

  • Sacred Seeds & Floating Gardens: The Botanical World of the Aztecs

    From maize-born gods and visionary mushrooms to ingenious agriculture: how Aztec botany shaped the modern world.

  • Sedna: Mistress of the Sea

    Sedna is the central sea goddess in traditional Inuit religion and cosmology. Sedna is understood as the mistress or mother of marine mammals who resides in the ocean depths and governs seals, walruses, whales, and other sea creatures essential to Inuit survival.

  • Gassho-zukuri: Japan’s Praying-Hands Construction

    Gassho-zukuri (meaning “praying hands construction”) is a type of traditional Japanese farmhouse which is unique to the remote Sho River Valley located in the Gifu and Toyama prefectures of central Honshu. They are specifically adapted to their harsh environment, consisting of large and multi-storied timber-framed farmhouses, and were historically used for silkworm rearing.

  • Fujian Tulou: Kinship, Survival, and the Rammed-Earth Masterpieces of Fujian

    The Fujian Tulou (literally “earthen buildings”) are a distinct category of Chinese vernacular architecture found in the mountainous border regions of Fujian. Constructed primarily between the 15th and 20th centuries, these massive, multi-story dwellings could house entire clan units of up to 800 people. They combine a formidable defensive exterior, with a dense residential function, within a closed-loop structure.

  • Eaters of the Dead: How Michael Crichton Turned Beowulf into a Viking Thriller

    Michael Crichton’s 1976 novel Eaters of the Dead is a gripping historical adventure set in the 10th century. It follows Ahmad ibn Fadlan, a real Arab traveller and diplomat from Baghdad, who becomes swept up in a Viking quest to defend a Scandinavian kingdom from savage marauders.

  • New Findings at Loch Finlaggan – The Forgotten Medieval Castle

    In a major development for the archaeology of medieval Scotland, researchers have identified the remains of a previously unknown medieval castle at Loch Finlaggan on the Hebridean island of Islay.

  • The Magical Boating Party of Pharaoh Snefru: An Ancient Egyptian Tale of Wonder

    A bored king seeking distraction, a lake glittering under the Egyptian sun, twenty beautiful young women rowing a golden boat… and a tiny turquoise fish pendant that brings the whole party to a halt. This is one of the most delightful stories from ancient Egypt, complete with magic that parts the waters centuries before Moses.

  • Archaeological Authenticity in Assassin’s Creed: Origins

    In the scorching sands of Ptolemaic Egypt, players of Assassin’s Creed: Origins scale the Pharos Lighthouse, wander the labyrinthine streets of Alexandria, and gaze upon the eternal pyramids of Giza. This open-world epic, transports to the twilight of Cleopatra VII’s reign. Yet beneath the parkour and brutal combat lies a meticulously crafted archaeological tapestry.

  • Death Metal in the Valley of the Kings: Archaeology, Ancient Egypt, and the Music of Nile

    Beneath the neck-breaking blast beats and growled vocals of Nile lies one of the most sustained and textually grounded engagements with ancient Egypt in modern music. Nile’s work offers a striking example of how archaeological knowledge can be translated (loudly and creatively) into contemporary cultural forms.

  • Haus Tambaran: Spirit Houses of the Sepik River Basin, Papua New Guinea

    In the lowland riverine environment of Papua New Guinea’s East Sepik Province, the Haus Tambaran (Tok Pisin for “spirit house”) form the monumental centerpiece of villages along the Sepik River and its tributaries. They integrate architecture, ritual art, and cosmology, serving as repositories for ancestral power and sites of male initiation.

  • The Chehrābād Salt Men: Mummification, and Imperial Labour in Ancient Iran

    The Iranian Salt Men (also referred to as Salt Mummies) represent a unique assemblage of naturally mummified human remains recovered from the ancient Chehrābād salt mine in northwestern Iran. ating primarily to the Achaemenid period and the Parthian–Sasanian periods, the remains offer exceptional insights into ancient Persian mining practices, labor organization, diet and health.

Recent photos