Jan 23rd, 2011 at 11:00AM: The Colosseum in Rome will get some much-needed repairs thanks to the sponsorship of Tod's, an Italian luxury shoe manufacturer, the BBC reports.
The restoration will cost about 25 million euros ($34 million). The iconic gladiator arena is right next to a busy road in a polluted city, and a subway line runs close by. Many stones have shifted and require bracing, and the whole things needs a ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
worldheritage posts
Tod's shoe company to restore Rome's Colosseum
Jan 23rd, 2011 at 11:00AM: The Colosseum in Rome will get some much-needed repairs thanks to the sponsorship of Tod's, an Italian luxury shoe manufacturer, the BBC reports.
The restoration will cost about 25 million euros ($34 million). The iconic gladiator arena is right next to a busy road in a polluted city, and a subway line runs close by. Many stones have shifted and require bracing, and the whole things needs a ...Paradores: the historic luxury hotels of Spain
Jan 13th, 2011 at 1:30PM:
Spain is known for its rich history, fine art, and excellent cuisine. By staying at a government-owned Parador, you can get all three right in your hotel.
Just look at this shot by Michael Stallbaum . This castle in Zafra, Extremadura, dates to 1437 and was once home to a duke. It's the sort of place where you'd expect to pay a few euros, get your ticket stamped, and line up for the guided ...Top five castles of Extremadura, Spain
Jan 10th, 2011 at 9:00AM:
Spain is one of the best countries in the world to see castles. Throughout the Middle Ages, the Iberian peninsula was split between various Christian states and the Moors, Muslim invaders from North Africa. These factions fought and traded with each other in a constantly changing network of political alliances. Leaders protected their domains with castles and walled cities. One of the hot ...Taj Mahal is getting a facial
Jan 8th, 2011 at 10:00AM:
India's most beautiful monument is going to look even more beautiful after a team of specialists give it a mud facial. The Taj Mahal in Agra is getting treated with multani-mitti , known in English as fuller's earth, an absorbent mud that sucks up dirt and grime and is normally found in beauty parlors. The Archaeological Survey of India is conducting the cleaning.
The site's mosque and some ...More Roman heritage from Mérida, Spain
Dec 30th, 2010 at 9:30AM: In the Extremaduran city of Mérida, it feels like at any moment you're going to turn a corner and meet an ancient Roman. Sometimes that almost happens.
This fellow was at the Museo Nacional de Arte Romano, a world-class museum featuring Roman statues, mosaics, and other artifacts. Built by the famous architect Rafael Moneo Vallés, it looks like an old Roman basilica, with lofty ...Exploring ancient Rome in Mérida, Spain
Dec 28th, 2010 at 2:30PM:
It's Christmas. What do you get an avid traveler who used to be an archaeologist?
For my wife the answer is obvious--a trip to a Roman city!
So here we are in Mérida, capital of the province of Extremadura in Spain, not far from the Portuguese border. In Roman times it was called Emerita Augusta and was capital of the province of Lusitania. This province took up most of the western ...Help select the next World Heritage Sites in the U.S.
Dec 18th, 2010 at 8:00AM: As most travelers know, the UNESCO World Heritage Sites are amongst the most spectacular places in the entire world. The list, which currently consists of more than 900 unique locations across the planet, recognizes those places for their cultural or physical significance. But that list is constantly being evaluated and updated, with some sites being removed when they are threatened or altered, ...Prehistoric balls may have built Stonehenge
Dec 11th, 2010 at 2:00PM:
There have been a lot of theories over the years about how Stonehenge was built. Moving massive stones ranging from 4 to 45 tons over hundreds of miles isn't easy in modern times, and certainly was a challenge 4,500 years ago. The two leading theories--log rollers and wooden sledges greased with animal fat--both have detractors. Many archaeologists believe rollers would have left deep scars in ...Yet another wall collapses in Pompeii
Dec 9th, 2010 at 2:30PM: Here we go again.
In the fourth incident in a little more than a month, a wall in the ancient Roman city of Pompeii has collapsed, Discovery News reports.
The garden wall surrounding the House of the Moralist, a popular stop for visitors, has toppled. Site managers say heavy rains caused the terrace around the wall to slide down, pushing over the walls. These walls were completely restored ...UNESCO studies Pompeii troubles
Dec 4th, 2010 at 12:00PM:
A UNESCO team has arrived at Pompeii to investigate the recent collapses of ancient walls and buildings, All Headline News reports.
Two Roman walls collapsed earlier this week, and in November the House of Gladiators fell down. Authorities blame heavy rains but there's a growing controversy over the lack of maintenance at the site.
The Roman city was buried in ash during an eruption of Mt. ...Controversy rages as Pompeii continues to crumble
Dec 2nd, 2010 at 12:00PM: More bad news from Pompeii. The famous Roman city, preserved by volcanic ash from an eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 AD, is starting to fall apart.
The BBC reports that two ancient walls have fallen down this week in separate parts of the city.
Officials say the problems are due to heavy rainfall, but the site has been underfunded for years. A recent cash injection was so badly managed that ...French and Mexican food put on UNESCO heritage list
Nov 16th, 2010 at 1:30PM: Good news for fine dining: Mexican and French cuisine have made it onto UNESCO's list of Intangible World Heritage.
At a meeting in Nairobi, Kenya, the UNESCO committee named several cultural practices as important for world heritage and in need of preservation, including Spanish flamenco and a dance called the huaconada performed by the Mito people in the Peruvian Andes.
The BBC report is ...Controversy over development near Victoria Falls
Nov 13th, 2010 at 9:00AM:
Environmentalists are complaining that the tour company Shearwater Adventures has violated national and international law by expanding their luxury resort into the rainforest near Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.
Shearwater has constructed a new restaurant, bar, kitchen, and information center next to the public entrance to the World Heritage Site. A lawyer for Shearwater insists the development is ...Archaeologists discover buried wall around the Sphinx
Nov 3rd, 2010 at 9:30AM:
Archaeologists excavating at the Sphinx have discovered a 3,400 year-old wall around the famous monument.
The wall was built by the pharaoh Thutmose IV (reigned c. 1401-1391 BC) who had a dream in which the Sphinx told him it was choking on sand. The Sphinx itself was probably built during the reign of the pharaoh Khafra (c. 2558-2532 BC), who also built one of the nearby pyramids at Giza.
...You can help save an ancient Egyptian palace
Nov 2nd, 2010 at 4:30PM:
The palace of Egypt's most enigmatic pharaoh needs your help. Akhenaten ruled from c. 1351-1334 BC and is famous for his devotion to the god Aten, an aspect of the Sun. His worship became more and more exclusive over the years and while he wasn't a monotheist in the strict sense of the word, he certainly alienated the priests of other temples. He also left the traditional capital and built his ...New World Heritage Site for Malaysia?
Oct 30th, 2010 at 4:00PM: A cave that sheltered early humans in Malaysia more than 40,000 years ago is being proposed as a new World Heritage Site.
Niah Caves are several large limestone caves that have attracted archaeological interest since the 1950s. Excavations have turned up the earliest human remains in eastern Malaysia, as well as artifacts from various periods from early prehistory down through the Iron Age. One ...Archaeologists solve mystery of Silbury Hill (maybe)
Oct 28th, 2010 at 12:30PM:
It is one of England's most mysterious monuments. Just a short walk from the massive stone circle complex of Avebury, Silbury Hill is a giant, flat-topped mound rising 120 feet above the surrounding countryside. Researchers have proposed dozens of theories over the years to explain its purpose, suggesting everything from a giant burial mound to a platform for religious music.
Now new research ...12 historic sites in danger of disappearing
Oct 27th, 2010 at 9:30AM: The Global Heritage Fund has released a new report that lists 200 World Heritage Sites around the globe that are in danger from a variety of threats, turning the spotlight on 12 in particular that could disappear altogether due to a lack of funds, neglect, and mismanagement.
The 12 sites listed in the report include Palestine's Hisham's Palace, Turkey's Ani, and Iraq's Nineveh. Hisham's Palace, ...Vietnam monuments under threat
Oct 3rd, 2010 at 3:00PM: Vietnam is an ancient land filled with historic monuments, but archaeologists say many are falling into ruin.
Sites like Hue, the old capital of Vietnam pictured here, are crumbling under the strain of centuries of weathering and an increased number of visitors, while the Vietnam Archaeology Association complains it lacks the funding to make necessary repairs. The famous citadel at the UNESCO ...Stonehenge burial may be prehistoric tourist
Sep 29th, 2010 at 11:30AM: Archaeologists call him the "Boy with the Amber Necklace", and ever since he was discovered in 2005 they've known he was special. Not only would his jewelry have been rare and expensive back when he was buried 3,550 years ago, but the choice of his grave site was significant too--just three miles from Stonehenge.
Now chemical analysis on his teeth has revealed something else special about ...
