thinking about archaeology
So here we go with another Stonehenge Altar Stone story, and the age-old search for glaciers that took megaliths to Salisbury Plain, or somewhere near (I’m expanding here from a Bluesky post). Headlined by most media (but not all, see below) as “Wow, we never knew a stone at Stonehenge came from Scotland, and now... Continue Reading →
Hoa Hakananai‘a has been in the British Museum for over 150 years. In recent posts I’ve shown we still have much to learn about how the carving was taken from the Pacific in 1868. But that’s about historical context. Surely we know all there is to know about the statue itself? Actually, we don’t. My... Continue Reading →
There’s a video on YouTube about Stonehenge. You’ll be thinking: there are endless videos on YouTube about Stonehenge. (Of which Julian Richards’ new series is but an informed flicker in the online moving panoply). You’d be right. But this one’s different. It seems to be made entirely by AI. I posted about recently it on... Continue Reading →
I went to the Gagosian in London at the weekend to see Rachel Whiteread: Substitute (its last day, sorry, I must stop making a habit of this), a selection of new work. Two resin casts of sash windows, doors and gates preserved in papier-mâché with metallic surfaces, and Untitled (Canister) (2024–), brightly painted fiberglass casts... Continue Reading →
While all we can think about is what everyone wore at the Met Gala in New York, I’m writing a short blog about frocks. And why, if I was still editing British Archaeology magazine, I would’ve liked to have interviewed Zandra Rhodes. We were in Bath to catch Don McCullin’s photography show at the Holburne... Continue Reading →
Just photos, feeling the seasons change
I enjoyed a couple of press views recently, and I’d recommend seeing both shows if what I say makes them sound interesting – one is free, the other is not cheap. Pay per view first. I’ve been out of London for a long time now, and before going to Ramses in Neon’s box below Battersea... Continue Reading →
More on Rapa Nui statues! This time it’s not about just one carving, nor is it about recent historical events (see my previous posts about Hoa Hakananai‘a). Rather, it’s an attempt to take an overview of the island’s entire statue repertoire. Any implications from this study relate solely to what was happening before Europeans arrived... Continue Reading →
This is a prolonged detective story. In my previous post, I wrote about the only known eyewitness account of the removal of a statue known as Hoa Hakananai‘a from Rapa Nui. The carving was taken by men from HMS Topaze, and the report was written shortly after the ship visited the island in 1868, while... Continue Reading →
Rapa Nui November 1868, watercolour by John Linton Palmer (Royal Geographical Society) Hoa Hakananai‘a is a famous statue in the British Museum. It was taken from Rapa Nui by HMS Topaze in 1868. You might think there’s not much new to learn about that event of more than a century and a half ago, but... Continue Reading →
Mike Pitts Digging Deeper 