Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology blog

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If you're avid about archaeology, committed to classics or excited about Egyptology, then this is the blog for you.

We'll give you an alternative look at our degree courses, bring out the stories behind our research and talk to you about the subjects you are most passionate about.

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Vindaloo, Victorians, and Ancient Greek Colonisation Part 2: IntermarriageVindaloo, Victorians, and Ancient Greek Colonisation Part 2: Intermarriage

Vindaloo, Victorians, and Ancient Greek Colonisation Part 2: Intermarriage

While studying Ancient Greek Colonisation and British Imperial Thought (ALGY 336) we examined the theme of intermarriage between Greek settlers and the ‘Barbarians’ they met. Archaeologist Anthony Snodgrass examined parallels between this and the British Empire, arguing that marriage between British officers and local women as positively encouraged in Calcutta (now Kolkata) and Burma (now Myanmar) during the early British Empire but it was later outlawed when Victorian pseudo-scientific ideas about race appeared. The same was true of the ancient Greeks. According to Aristotle, the founder of Massalia (now Marseilles) married a local Celtic princess but after the Persian Wars Greek attitudes to ‘Barbarians’ solidified and became negative.

Posted on: 21 February 2020

Managing and interpreting Maori heritage: Pā todayManaging and interpreting Maori heritage: Pā today

Managing and interpreting Maori heritage: Pā today

Professor Harold Mytum concludes the blog series from his visit to New Zealand by exploring the relationship between the hill forts and contemporary Maori culture.

Posted on: 18 February 2020

Vindaloo, Victorians, and Ancient Greek Colonisation Part 1: HybridityVindaloo, Victorians, and Ancient Greek Colonisation Part 1: Hybridity

Vindaloo, Victorians, and Ancient Greek Colonisation Part 1: Hybridity

The Ancient Greek Colonisation and British Imperial Thought (ALGY336) module examines how academic understanding of ancient Greek overseas settlements was influenced by Victorian ideas of race, gender, and empire. This happened because British scholars made analogies between the ancient Greeks and the contemporary British Empire that they lived in, projecting their own imperialist values back onto history. Even the Victorian Prime Minister William Gladstone said in the House of Commons that the British Empire should treat its colonies like the Greeks had done theirs. We then applied Postcolonialism to critically consider relationships between ancient Greeks and the Celts, Sikels, and Egyptians that they encountered.

Posted on: 12 February 2020

Exploring The Archaeology and Topography of GreeceExploring The Archaeology and Topography of Greece

Exploring The Archaeology and Topography of Greece

Niamh Banner (BA Classical Studies with Spanish) shares her experience at the British School at Athens on their Undergraduate Course: a three-week intensive course exploring ‘The Archaeology and Topography of Greece’ with lectures at dozens of sites, museums and even artefact handling sessions in the BSA fitch laboratory.

Posted on: 10 February 2020

The Maori and Colonial contact: Pā in their landscape contextThe Maori and Colonial contact: Pā in their landscape context

The Maori and Colonial contact: Pā in their landscape context

The more pā sites Harold Mytum has visited as part of the Hill Fort Study Group (HFSG) visit, and we learn of the early relationships with the British, the more it is clear that the indigenous groups wielded considerable influence in the early decades of contact. The ways in which the Maori leaders of iwi (the largest kinship grouping) used interactions with foreigners for their own social advantage are clear.

Posted on: 6 February 2020

Maori Pā: Hillforts from Prehistory to the PresentMaori Pā: Hillforts from Prehistory to the Present

Maori Pā: Hillforts from Prehistory to the Present

Harold Mytum has joined the Hill Fort Study Group (HFSG) study tour of sites in the North Island of New Zealand, home to the greatest concentration of Maori at the time of Captain Cook and indeed still so today.

Posted on: 31 January 2020

Our top revision tips for exam season Our top revision tips for exam season

Our top revision tips for exam season

It’s that time of year again. But you’ve got this. Deep breath.

Posted on: 6 January 2020

Searching for a lost Medieval Manx NunnerySearching for a lost Medieval Manx Nunnery

Searching for a lost Medieval Manx Nunnery

The Isle of Man maintained only three monastic establishments during the later Middle Ages, one being a Nunnery on the edge of what is now the Island’s largest town, Douglas, where Harold Mytum and Rob Philpott have just completed an excavation on its possible site.

Posted on: 19 December 2019

Local Primary School Learns All Things Ancient History with IntoUniLocal Primary School Learns All Things Ancient History with IntoUni

Local Primary School Learns All Things Ancient History with IntoUni

Children from local schools in Anfield took part in a special week-long focus on Ancient History. Kristian Boote, PhD Student in Evolutionary Anthropology, provides an overview of the week.

Posted on: 16 December 2019

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    Vindaloo, Victorians, and Ancient Greek Colonisation Part 2: IntermarriageVindaloo, Victorians, and Ancient Greek Colonisation Part 2: Intermarriage

    Vindaloo, Victorians, and Ancient Greek Colonisation Part 2: Intermarriage

    While studying Ancient Greek Colonisation and British Imperial Thought (ALGY 336) we examined the theme of intermarriage between Greek settlers and the ‘Barbarians’ they met. Archaeologist Anthony Snodgrass examined parallels between this and the British Empire, arguing that marriage between British officers and local women as positively encouraged in Calcutta (now Kolkata) and Burma (now Myanmar) during the early British Empire but it was later outlawed when Victorian pseudo-scientific ideas about race appeared. The same was true of the ancient Greeks. According to Aristotle, the founder of Massalia (now Marseilles) married a local Celtic princess but after the Persian Wars Greek attitudes to ‘Barbarians’ solidified and became negative.

    Posted on: 21 February 2020