Tag: archaeology

When dogs adopted humanity: journal page

"Did you know there are over 300 worlds for love in canine?"Gabriel Zevin I heard someone say many years ago that dogs are the best thing about humanity. That expression has stayed with me for a long time and every dog I meet proves it tenfold. No other animal is as forgiving, as loyal or … Continue reading When dogs adopted humanity: journal page

Catching up with a sketchbook

It seems almost as soon as the ice sheets cleared after the last ice age, there were people in Finland. Perhaps they followed the migrating herds, hunting, fishing and gathering as they moved in to new areas that had once been inaccessible. Those earliest people left behind some exquisite objects. In my wanderings through the … Continue reading Catching up with a sketchbook

Sketchbook entry: Natufian culture

After a brief hiatus I'm back to working in my sketchbooks and art journals. It has been a strangely mild summer for south-east Queensland. Until the last few days. There isn't much to do but find a cool place to read, research and render. My goal for this year is to finish a couple of … Continue reading Sketchbook entry: Natufian culture

New Guinea: sketchbook entry

The island of New Guinea is a biologically and culturally diverse landscape. With over 1000 languages spoken across the island and 60,000 years worth of occupation, it is difficult to do justice to its superb history with just one page in a sketchbook. New Guinea remains largely inaccessible and unexplored by scientists. In this ever-changing … Continue reading New Guinea: sketchbook entry

Rapa Nui, the navel of the world

Rapa Nui, or Easter Island, a volcanic island in the South Pacific Ocean, is one of the most isolated inhabited places on the planet. The nearest inhabited island is over 2,000 kilometres (1242 miles) away. To its inhabitants it is Te Pito te Henua, "the navel of the world". Estimates of when the island was … Continue reading Rapa Nui, the navel of the world

The Archaeology of Malta

Human habitation in the archipelago of Malta goes back almost 7,000 years. The island has seen populations flourish and collapse repeatedly. It has been occupied, conquered and reconquered intermittently by Neolithic fisher/farmers and temple builders, Bronze Age people, Phoenicians, Romans, Byzantines, Muslims Normans, Sicilians, the French and British. Despite its erratic and often troubled past, … Continue reading The Archaeology of Malta

Avebury and Stonehenge

Stonehenge and 3 menhirs from Avebury Everyone knows about Stonehenge, but less well known is Avebury henge, the largest stone circle in the world. A larger prehistoric circular monument, called Marden Henge, located between Avebury and Stonehenge contains no stones, but has massive earthworks. It is much bigger than Stonehenge and Avebury, and is the … Continue reading Avebury and Stonehenge

Red ochre revolution

It's impossible to put an exact date on when art emerged in prehistory, especially since we don't know if the first attempts were on rock, or some other, less enduring medium, such as wood, bone, in the dirt, or even on the skins of the makers. At best we know ancient people were using ochre … Continue reading Red ochre revolution

Great Southern Land

I acknowledge the traditional custodians of country throughout Australia and pay my respects to their elders, past and present, and extend my respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today. I've been spending quite a bit of time re-acquainting myself with, and journaling about, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural history. Aboriginal … Continue reading Great Southern Land