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Esther Addley

@estheraddley.bsky.social

Guardian senior news writer, Derry Girl. Likes old stones and potatoes.

160 Posts12887 Follower609 Folgt
Alison Fisk@alisonfisk.bsky.social · 3w ago

This incredible 3,400-year-old wig is made from locks of human hair! It belonged to an ancient Egyptian woman named Merit. Styled with ringlets and braids, it’s astonishingly well preserved and offers a remarkable glimpse into the hairstyles of her time! Museo Egizio, Turin. 📷 by me #Archaeology

My photo shows a well-preserved ancient Egyptian wig crafted from locks of dark brown human hair. The locks were sewn together and braided. The hair is parted in the middle and curled into ringlets that end with braids on either side of the face and on the back of the neck. Dimensions 30 cm x 45 cm. Dated c. 1425-1353 BC. This type of hairstyle was often decorated with flowers and diadems, which were very fashionable in the mid-18th dynasty, as can be seen in paintings and statues of the period. The wig belonged to a high-ranking woman called Merit. She was the wife of Kha, the chief of works who supervised the royal tomb construction workers. The intact tomb of Kha and Merit (TT8) was discovered in 1906 by Italian archaeologist Ernesto Schiaparelli in the Theban Necropolis at the royal tomb workers’ village of Deir-el-Medina. The wig is on display at the Museo Egizio (Egyptian Museum) in Turin.
Flint Dibble@flintdibble.bsky.social · 4w ago

Everyone's comparing Nolan's Odyssey to Homer, but I think there's much more richness The ancient Greeks adapted the Odyssey into ART While these images might appear static to us, I want to walk through how an ancient Greek saw art: AS DYNAMIC STORYTELLING like our films 1/13

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Carausius@carausius286.bsky.social · last mo.

This beautiful Bronze Age hoard was found in Villena 🇪🇸 in the 60s. It consists of gold & silver bowls, vases & bracelets. More recently scientists have established the iron used in 2 items (incl this spiked demisphere) came from a meteorite that hit earth 1m years ago. Wow 🕰️c1300BC 🏛️📷Villena Museum

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Nina Willburger @drnwillburger.bsky.social · last mo.

WOW, I crossed 20k followers! Huge thanks to each one of you for your interest in archaeology. To celebrate this milestone, here's a highlight of our collections,an #IceAge masterpiece: The so-called Venus of Hohle Fels (a cave on the Swabian Jura) was carved in mammoth ivory some 40,000 years..🧵1/2

An ivory figurine with a weathered surface, shown in a museum setting, with exaggerated breasts, rounded hips, short limbs, and a small ring-like loop at the top where the head would be.
C20 Society@c20society.bsky.social · 2mo ago

The people spoke, their local council ignored them. Shameful. In Dec 2025 a remarkable 9-day occupation of the humble 1950s Sheringham Bus Shelter thwarted an attempted demolition by Norfolk County Council. This week, their beloved streamline moderne shelter was unceremoniously flattened.

Image credit: Art UKImage credit: Gareth Gabriel
Dr Rebecca Wragg Sykes@lemoustier.bsky.social · 2mo ago

🏺 LOVING THIS! (I don't love the apparent need to still qualify that the axe with her might have been used to kill animals not people; nor the persistent trend of describing what look like magical specialists as "shamans", but that's another issue)

Rachel Pope@prehistorian.bsky.social · 2mo ago

It’s out. aDNA analysis reveals that well-known Upton Lovell Early Bronze Age metalworker burial was that of a woman: www.theguardian.com/science/2026...

Esther Addley@estheraddley.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Last time @ledbydonkeys.org put a poster about Farage's outside earnings in Clacton it was ripped down by supportive locals. Will be interesting to see if the message is now having more more cut-through www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

‘He could be here more’: Clacton split over Nigel Farage’s first months as MP

Many remain positive about their high-profile politician but others complain that he ‘got his seat and disappeared’

theguardian.com

Led By Donkeys@ledbydonkeys.org · 10mo ago

Farage: epic grifter

Esther Addley@estheraddley.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Loved working on this story about a rare copy of the Declaration of Independence found in the UK National Archives - and seized from a captured American privateer in 1776. On board, a crew of multiple nationalities including a freed black man, Daniel Cottle 1/x www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

‘Vanishingly rare’ copy of US Declaration of Independence found by volunteer in UK archives

One of 11 surviving copies of ‘Exeter printing’ and only one known outside US was taken from American privateer ship

theguardian.com

Nina Willburger @drnwillburger.bsky.social · 2mo ago

A Roman #glass flask in the shape of a #fish. We don't know what flasks in the shape fishes were used for, maybe the shape relates to the content (garum/fish sauce), maybe they were used to hold oil. On display at Pierides Museum, Larnaka, Cyprus. Photo: Jeff Amadon via Flickr

The picture shows a flask in the shape of a fish made of translucent light green glass. The vessel is decorated with spiral thread in the same colour.
Esther Addley@estheraddley.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Ten years to the day since the Brexit vote, and thank goodness for all that political stability it brought. This oral history of the referendum campaign, from those who were behind it, is a pretty bracing reminder of the farce and tragedy of it all. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

‘Geldof started flicking Vs at Farage’: the story of the Brexit campaign, told by those with a front-row seat

How five months in 2016 that encompassed Boris Johnson siding with Vote Leave, Jo Cox’s murder and David Cameron’s resignation shaped the UK’s future

theguardian.com

Michael Savage@michaelsavage.bsky.social · 3mo ago

NEW: A positive TV story..! ‘Men and boys need to see this’ How Jo and Kush have countered toxic masculinity - and Race Across the World has quenched a thirst for uplifting TV. PS: Casting and producers work hard on this one... www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio...

‘Men and boys need to see this’: Jo and Kush and the joy of Race Across the World

The BBC series and its breakout teen stars have been lauded as a much-needed antidote to crueller, more toxic entertainment

theguardian.com

Alison Fisk@alisonfisk.bsky.social · 4mo ago

To bring a smile to your face, here’s an ancient Egyptian dog figurine, a very good boy for some 3,400 years! 🐾🐕❤️ This lovely leaping dog opens and closes its mouth as if barking by using a lever below its chest. The Met 📷 by me #Archaeology

My photo shows a three quarter left profile of an ancient Egyptian figurine of a leaping dog. Carved from ivory, now a warm caramel brown colour with a glossy surface sheen. The dogs eyes are outlined in black, the ears are floppy, the mouth is slightly ajar (the inside of the mouth is painted red - not seen in my photo). The front and back legs are outstretched as if running at full speed. A lever under the dog’s chest opens and closes the mouth so that the dog looks as if it is barking. Dimensions: L 18.2 cm × H 6.1 cm × W 3.6 cm. Dated to Late Dynasty I8, I400-I350 BC, reign of Amenhotep III who was Tutankhamun’s grandfather. The dog is mounted on a thin metal rod in a display case. In the background in the same display case is a ‘galloping’ brown horse, which is the handle of an ancient Egyptian fly whisk or light whip.