CWA 18 was published in August 2006 and contained features on the rock-cut churches of Lalibela in Ethiopia, the forthcoming display in the British Museum's Room 2, the tomb of Zoser in Saqqara and the significance of its funerary art, the records made by Howard Carter of his historic finds in Tutankhamun's tomb and finally a first hand account of the trials and rewards of archaeology in Uzbekistan over the past few decades.
Lalibela
Ethiopia’s mountain town of Lalibela has come under closer scrutiny recently as a new theory by Professor David Phillipson , of the University of Oxford, suggests that the eleven rock cut churches may be 500 years older than previously thought. The dating of these unique monuments has always been a complex task as they have remained continually in religious usage for at least 800 years. Greater research into the architectural idiosyncrasies of the churches may reveal them to be evidence of a continuation of styles from the much older Aksum culture.
The cruciform church of St. George at Lalibela.
Uzbekistan
Vladimir Karasev gives a personal account of his wide-ranging archaeological work over the past decades. Ranging from discoveries of an Assyrian burial complex and a 5th century BC city rebuilt by Alexander the Great, to his work in Tashkent, the capital of his homeland, Uzbekistan. The latter providing an interesting insight into the history of this city located on the caravan trail of the Silk Road and the trials of uncovering the past while the government was striving to build "a model Soviet city".
The recovery of some pottery sherds, some bearing arabic inscriptions and decoration from 1000 years ago.
The modern Soviet architecture gave little thought to the archaeology it could be destroying.
The British Museum
As the British Museum’s exhibition Room 2’s new display is revealed, Current World Archaeology takes a closer look at some of the diverse objects which make the display much more than its status, as essentially a holding area, would suggest.
Egypt
A report by the director of excavations at the hugely important tomb of Zoser in West Saqqara explains the nature and significance of the stunning funerary scenes carved inside the mastabas. The vibrant scenes within the funerary complexes contain much symbolism about death and the role of the Egyptian in society, to add to this the functions of stylistic features such as false doors as examined.
A miniature representation of a priest on a false door contains a lot more information than it may first appear.
Oxford
A little of the antiquarian nostalgia and excitement of Howard Carter’s famous discovery is rekindled with this collection of original records from the excavation of Tutankhamun’s tomb; coupled with an insight into the extent of the post-excavation classification and conservation the myriad finds.
Howard Carter cleans the third coffin of Tutankhamun.
Two horse harness fixtures from the most famous and richest tomb find in Egypt’s history.