Category: Breaking Archaeology
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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.
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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.
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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,…
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.