Here are the posts I enjoyed this week as I browsed the web, my usual mix of archaeology and historical fiction:
Historical authenticity on the small screen. Possible? Desirable? Elizabeth Fremantle on The History Girls discusses this complicated topic regarding Wolf Hall. I found this thoughtful even if there were parts I didn’t agree with. How much authenticity should TV shoot for and is it even possible? http://the-history-girls.blogspot.com/2015/02/can-we-talk-about-wolf-hall.html
Irrigation project in Greece reveals yet another Mycenaean tomb. How did these escape our notice until now? This one full of treasures and bones. One almost suspects the government has invented them as a promotion in hard times. Looking forward to seeing all that this one produces. Very exciting. http://bit.ly/1z6bHnI
Seeping water threatens the Sphinx in Egypt. Yikes! http://bit.ly/1KGK77Y
Archaeology in Turkey: Hittite site dating from 2500 to 1700 BCE gets planted with tobacco. But it seems a proper dig will now resume. One of the sites I visited last spring in Turkey was under siege from potatoes. They have deep roots so it was a major problem. Let’s hope tobacco isn’t quite as harmful. Bronze Age ruins are usually in bad enough shape. My kids used to call them “ruined ruins.” http://bit.ly/1zufzOx
Louise Turner, a historical author with great archaeology credentials, discusses how she works in that accurate collection of facts with the imaginative process as she digs into Scotland’s past. Here Louise Rule interviews Louise Turner on The Review. Fascinating discussion in many ways, from book covers to sorting through gossip and determining whether the 2nd Lord Montegomerie was a psychopath. Hmm. That seems like quite a piece of discovery from the past! http://thereview2014.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/louise-e-rule-interview-louise-turner.html