And Did Those Feet

The Journal Nature has reported a new study on the Antikythera Mechanism found in a Roman Wreck over 100 years ago. It is a mechanical device to compute the movements of the moon, and is now thought to be the most advanced scientific instrument until 1000 years later. What else may the ancient Greeks have invented which we have no record of? for more see or An Ancient Computer Surprises Scientists - New York Times : "The mechanism, presumably used in preparing calendars for seasons of planting and harvesting and fixing religious festivals, had at least 30, possibly 37, hand-cut bronze gear-wheels, the researchers reported. An ingenious pin-and-slot device connecting two gear-wheels induced variations in the representation of lunar motions according to the Hipparchos model of the Moon’s elliptical orbit around Earth." An interesting point that was raised on a Radio 4 programme about the subject was that the word 'Antropos' from which we get Antropology, and which i...

One of my students is doing a very interesting project based on understanding 'Value' - contrasting monetary value with real 'value' Here is a quotation from Salon IFA from the Society of Antiquaries with some relevance to the value debate: Heritage Assets: Can Accounting Do Better? Considerable debate is taking place on bulletin boards and discussion forums over the issue of accounting standards for heritage ‘assets’. Salon’s editor argued that there is a presumption against realising the value of museum assets (as the outcry at the sale of a Lowry painting by Bury Council in Greater Manchester illustrates), so their true balance sheet value is zero, in which case they do not need to appear in the accounts at all and thus there is no need for an accounting standard. Fellow Kate Clark countered by saying that the accounting standard needs to include better reporting of the costs of holding assets and of providing the services that flow from the asset in terms of conse...

English Heritage published its annual audit of the historic environment on 15 November, reports SALON 153 - the Society of Antiquaries of London Online Newsletter 27 November 2006. ‘Communities and Heritage’ is the theme for the report. Salon IFA reports: 'Research commissioned for the report revealed the ‘magnificent legacy’ of historic buildings now threatened with neglect, demolition, privatisation or redevelopment ─ town halls, fire stations, county court buildings, libraries, schools and public baths ─ unless imaginative new uses could be found to keep them in community use. ‘Public needs have changed dramatically,’ said our Fellow Simon Thurley, Chief Executive of English Heritage, launching the report, adding that a flood of public buildings would fall out of use in the next fifteen years: ‘These buildings have an important value locally that goes far beyond their original uses,’ he said. ‘They endow a sense of distinctiveness on a place as well as helping to shape its char...

SALON 153 - the Society of Antiquaries of London Online Newsletter 27 November 2006 reports that Antiquity has made an attempt to replace the old three-age system, originally invented for the Danish National Museum collections in the nineteenth century. Antiquity's Editor - the Sutton Hoo excavator, Martin Carver proposes 'integrated world prehistory' back to 26,000 BC. Salon IFA reports that 'he new scheme is suggested by a key paper on radiocarbon dating published in Antiquity by Christopher Bronk Ramsey of the Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art, University of Oxford, and colleagues from the universities of Sheffield, Reading, Belfast and Leiden.' Here are Antiquity’s ten periods 1. Before 24,000 BC: hunter-gatherers in the Sahara; use of beads for ornament in Australia; horse and rhino images on the Margot Cave, France 2. Twenty-fourth to thirteenth millennia BC: earliest pottery in east Asia; male and female hand stencils in cave art 3....

According to the Art Fund Britain is falling behind in 'race to buy works of art' because our Galleries do not have enough of money for new acquisitions. The Art Fund - Policy and Campaigns The Tate spent £4.8m National Gallery £6,3m and the British Museum only £700,000. much less than our international competitors.

I have just read 'How to make a Journal of Your Life' by D. Price. 10 Speed Press, California. Its a slight book but does help encourage the use of creative journals - I'm interested because we encourage our students to do learning logs and I have been very impressed by how they can help reflection.

I attended a fund raising course at City University, which took place over 3 afternoons over 3 weeks. It was free (funded by Europe), designed for the Creative Industries. It is running again in January over 3 Friday afternoons - a very good intro and a good refresher for those of have yet to earn their Lottery Millions!