Her hair like a cloud Her face like a flower A gold hair-pin adorning her tresses Behind the warm lotus-flower curtain They took their pleasure in the warm spring night.....
Xuanzong (712 - 755 AD)
The Tang dynasty (618 - 906 AD) is generally regarded as the Golden Age in Chinese History. Under one of it's greatest Emperors,Taizong (reigned 627 - 649 AD), military conquests extended Chinese domination as far as the Parmirs.
This was a remarkable time when poetry, dance, painting, music and crafts flourished in a rich and powerful empire.
This was also a period of tolerance both in religious and social matters where elite and middle-class Chinese women enjoyed almost total freedom. Never before had the female so closely rivalled traditional male superiority in Chinese society.
Mingqi Chinese tomb figurines The aim of this website is to become the world's largest database for images of Chinese tomb figurines.
The Vibrant Role of Mingqi in Early Chinese BurialsBurial figurines of graceful dancers, mystical beasts, and everyday objects reveal both how people in early China approached death and how they lived. Since people viewed the afterlife as an extension of worldly life, these figurines, called mingqi or "spirit utensils," disclose details of routine existence and provide insights into belief systems over a thousand-year period. Mingqi were popularized during the formative Han dynasty (206 B.C.–220 A.D.) and endured through the turbulent Six Dynasties period (221–589) and the later reunification of China in the Sui (589–618) and Tang (618–906) dynasties.
Accessing the Terracotta Warriors by Touch - ROM Creates Braille Replica Warriors Submitted by owenjarus - 08/26/2010 - The Royal Ontario Museum, in Toronto Canada, has brought in a number of features to make their Terracotta Warriors show more accessible. They have installed four replica artefacts, along with Braille markings, that people can touch. These include a ding ritual vessel, a kneeling archer, a cavalry soldier and horse, and a dancer.
Incredible Intelligence Games From Ancient China Among the China's ancient mathematical toys, the Huarongdao Puzzle, the Nine Puzzle Ring and the Tangram are considered as the three incredibles among other world-class specimens of mathematical and physics-based puzzle games.
Ancient Chinese coins found in Kenya August 25, 2010 The underwater archaeological team from the National Museum of China will visit Kenya in Africa in November to search for the legendary "sunken ships of Zheng He's fleet." A few days ago, the land-based archaeological team that has already arrived in Kenya sent a piece of news back that they found some Chinese cultural relics, including "Yongle Tongbao," which are ancient Chinese coins used in the Ming Dynasty, in a local village.
"Besides their esthetic quality, holes with eight or six sides have a special meaning to the Chinese. The Chinese word for "eight" (ba ?) has a similar pronunciation to the word to "prosper" or "wealth" (fa cai ??). The Chinese word for "six" (liu ?) is also considered auspicious because its pronunciation is similar to the word "prosperity" (lu ?)."
Lysistrata: the Ritual Logic of the Sex-strike (pdf) by Camilla Power (Lecturer in Anthropology, University of East London)
Aristophanes, born about 450BC, was at the height of his powers during the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta. His three comedies of sexual subversion — are the remaining
examples of what may have been a traditional ‘feminist’ or gynocratic theme in Old Athenian Comedy.
Archaeologists Uncover Burial Sites from the Trojan War Period26 August 2010 | During excavations of the ancient burial site Baalar Kayryak, located in southern Bulgaria near the town of Yambol, archaeologists discovered four burials from the late bronze age, around the time of the Trojan War, 1300 BC.
Ancient wall found around Temple of Apollo in western Turkey August 24, 2010 - AYDIN - Anatolia News Agency - An ancient wall has been found as part of excavation work that started after an illegal excavation around the Apollo Temple in the Didim district of the Aegean province of Ayd?n. The wall is thought to be part of the Temple of Artemis, the twin of Apollo.
Turkish archeologists find 4,000 year-old trade deal in Anatolia Archeologists have unearthed the tablets of first written trade agreement in Anatolia. - 29 August 2010 14:54 - Kanesh, inhabited continuously from the Chalcolithic period down to Roman times, flourished most strongly as an important merchant colony (karum) of the Old Assyrian kingdom, from ca. 20th to 16th centuries BC. A late (c 1400 BC) witness to an old tradition includes a king of Kanesh called Zipani among seventeen local city-kings who rose up against the Akkadian Naram-Sin (ruled c.2254-2218). It is the site of discovery of the earliest traces of the Hittite language, and the earliest attestation of any Indo-European language, dated to the 20th century BC
A remarkable accomplishment. (above graphic) This gentleman obviously went to "boarding school"! The rules of this board game are based on an Anglo-Saxon game, ‘Hnefatafl’ popular in this country between about AD 400 and AD 1000 when chess arrived. It was carried here from Scandinavia by the Norsemen who were continuing an ancient tradition amongst the northern European tribes. A more detailed history is contained within the accompanying book. This game is appropriate to the time in which the story is set, and the opposing forces are of unequal size and have different objectives. This ties in with the political theme to the book.
'Sensational' Discovery Archeologists Find Gateway to the Viking Empire By Matthias Schulz - 08/27/2010 - For a century, archeologists have been looking for a gate through a wall built by the Vikings in northern Europe. This summer, it was found. Researchers now believe the extensive barrier was built to protect an important trading route.
Acoustic archaeology: The secret sounds of Stonehenge
• 10:31 27 August 2010 by Trevor Cox reveals how the acoustic footprint of the world's most famous prehistoric monument was measured.
"Just after sunrise on a misty spring morning last year, my fellow acoustician at the University of Salford, Bruno Fazenda, and Rupert Till of the University of Huddersfield, UK, could be found wandering around Stonehenge popping balloons. This was not some bizarre pagan ritual. It was a serious attempt to capture the "impulse response" of the ancient southern English stone circle, and with it perhaps start to determine how Stonehenge might have sounded to our ancestors.
Traces of Lost Language and Decimal Number System Discovered in Peru Submitted by Ann on Wed, 08/25/2010 - 12:55 Excavations at a Colonial Period site on the North Coast of Peru have revealed the first traces of a lost language. Sometime in the early 17th century, a Spaniard jotted down some notes on the back of a letter. Four hundred years later, archaeologists dug up and studied the paper, revealing how Peruvian natives used numbers.
RESEARCH ARTICLES: Traces of a Lost Language and Number System Discovered on the North Coast of Peru
23 AUG 201-
Archaeological excavations at a Colonial Period site on the North Coast of Peru have revealed the first traces of a lost language. A combined research team of U.S.–Peruvian archaeologists at the site of Santa María Magdalena de Cao within the El Brujo Archaeological Complex in the Chicama Valley has found a document that lists a few but important words that serve as keys to unlocking the intricacies of a native language that was spoken in prehistory and into the Colonial Period but has since become extinct.
The Lost City - A discovery in the desert could rewrite the history of ancient Egypt. September/October 2010
by Heather Pringle -
For much of the twentieth century, Egyptologists shied away from explorations in the vast sand sea known as the Western Desert. An expanse of desolation the size of Texas, the desert seemed too harsh, too implacable, too unforgiving a place for an ancient civilization nurtured on the abundance of the Nile.
New discoveries in Syria reveal ancient trade routes to Nile
Aug 26, 2010, Damascus - An academic excavation team said Thursday it had uncovered artifacts which indicate that an ancient Bronze-Age kingdom in northern Syria had strong international trade relations with Nile river dynasties.
Nebra sky disk discarded because of volcanic ash, scientists say By Thomas Schoen Halle/Mainz, Germany - A catastrophic volcanic eruption spewing huge clouds of ash about 3,600 years ago was behind the burial of the Nebra sky disk, one of the most spectacular archaeological finds in recent years, according to scientists at Mainz and Halle-Wittenberg universities in Germany
Some Interesting and useful links to Native American games
An exhaustive listof ritual activities of various South American tribal cultures
August 22, 2010
Monkey Race Edition
Ica’s Engraved Stones: A Prehistoric Library? Stone Collection in Peru Museum Reveals Ancient Civilization By Cornelia Ritter - Created: Aug 15, 2010 ICA, Peru—At first sight, the small Peruvian town of Ica, situated in the Nazca Desert about 5 hours by bus from Lima, has nothing extraordinary to offer. But after one step into Museo Cabrera, a museum that houses engraved stones of Ica, a different world emerges.
Over 10,000 stones of varying sizes fill the museum. They all have a black, smooth surface on which figures are engraved. Lifting them, you would find them much heavier than everyday stones of similar size.
5000 stone statues older than Terracotta warriors discovered in Hunan Thursday, Aug 19, 2010, - Archaeologists have discovered a large group of ancient stone statues at the worship site of Guizai Mountain near Hunan province. According to People's Daily Online, these statues are a lot more in number and a lot older than the Qin Terracotta Warriors found in the depths of the Nanling Mountains located in Dao County of Yongzhou City.
S.Korea archaeologists uncover 7,000-year-old oar Tue Aug 17, 12:52 pm ET SEOUL (AFP) – South Korean archaeologists said Tuesday they have unearthed a rare neolithic period wooden boat oar, believed to date back about 7,000 years but still in good condition.
The oar was discovered in mud land in Changnyeong, 240 kilometres (140 miles) southeast of Seoul, the Gimhae National Museum said. "This is a very rare find, not only in South Korea but also in the world," museum researcher Yoon On-Shik told AFP.
Queen of the Inch to be re-interred 8 August 2010 - A reconstruction of the queen's head and the necklace are on show in Bute.
A 4,000-year-old skeleton, known as the Queen of the Inch, is to be re-interred in the tiny island of Inchmarnock in the Firth of Clyde. The grave was found by a farmer in the 1950s as he ploughed a field.
Ancient temple complex discovered near Le Mans - Pierre Le Hir - Guardian Weekly, Tuesday 17 August 2010 -
Enormous religious site in French countryside may have been devoted to worshipping many gods... Excavations near the antique city of Vindunum (now Le Mans) have revealed a vast religious site dating from the first to the third centuries AD with remarkably well-preserved offerings.
Thieves clean up gold collection Slamet Susanto, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta 08/14/2010 - Precious historic collections from the 8th and 9th centuries — ranging from gold jewelry, gold plates and statues — have vanished from Sonobudoyo Museum in Yogyakarta.
Yogyakarta Police chief Sr. Comr. Atang Heradi said Friday his office was investigating Tuesday night’s theft at the museum and had questioned four museum officials, including head curator Martono. “This case is a challenge for the police. We will thoroughly investigate this case,” he said.
Pakistan’s archaeological sites endangered by floodsMonday, 16 Aug, 2010 - Flood waters in the southern province of Sindh have inundated hundreds of villages and also threaten its cultural heritage. “There is danger to the 5,000-year-old Moenjodaro and Aamri archaeological sites,” said Karim Lashari, chief of the provincial antiquities department.
Moenjodaro is on UNESCO’s list of the world heritage sites. Its website says the city was built of unbaked brick in the third millennium BC and provides evidence of an early system of town planning.
Construction vehicles are destroying Turkey's Hasankeyf, experts say -
An investigation begun after a man was killed by a falling rock at the ancient city of Hasankeyf has revealed that construction vehicles working in the area have brought the 10,000-year-old settlement close to collapse. “It is a crime by law to enter protected areas with heavy-duty vehicles. Before the rock broke, there were cracks but the necessary precautions were not taken,” said archaeologist Ercan Alpay, a member of the committee formed by the Initiative to Revive Hasankeyf
Afghan archaeologists find Buddhist site as war ragesBy Sayed Salahuddin – Tue Aug 17
KABUL (Reuters) – Archaeologists in Afghanistan, where Taliban Islamists are fighting the Western-backed government, have uncovered Buddhist-era remains in an area south of Kabul, an official said on Tuesday. "There is a temple, stupas, beautiful rooms, big and small statues, two with the length of seven and nine meters, colorful frescos ornamented with gold and some coins," said Mohammad Nader Rasouli, head of the Afghan Archaeological Department. "Some of the relics date back to the fifth century (AD). We have come across signs that there are items maybe going back to the era before Christ or prehistory," he said.
Monkey Business: Fairness Isn't Just A Human Trait -
by Joe Palca, August 16, 2010 - Showing your humanity usually refers to an act of kindness or charity. Treating someone humanely means treating him fairly and with dignity. But are these traits really unique to humans? Psychologist Sarah Brosnan wants to find out. She argues that traits like fairness and curiosity are essential for any social animals to survive and live together. To show that, Brosnan works with capuchin monkeys at the Language Research Center, a part of Georgia State University.
Chimpanzees are very status conscious, which is bad for innovation. From Canadian Business magazine, July 19, 2010 By Jacqueline Nelson - A new study of chimpanzees and their cultural innovations shows that humans aren't alone in their attraction to prestigious leaders. It seems that the chimps, like humans, would be more likely to buy a brand-name product endorsed by a celebrity, or read a book written by a retired billionaire. But unlike humans, who are eager to adopt good ideas from wherever they come, new research suggests that chimps rely on high-ranking, female leaders to teach new methods, while they ignore good ideas from low-ranking chimps.
“The Monkey Race” – Remarks on Board
Games Accessories (pdf) Anne-E. Dunn-Vaturi - In the ancient Near East, games represented an essential dimension in social life. It is
because they are closely related to another principle, important in the stability of
human communities: the notion of divination.(1) Knucklebones and dice were used
not only for games of skill, but also for divinatory purposes. Thus, their casting is per
ceived as an expression of divine will, determining the movement of pieces or pegs in different games of chance.
Cyclical Time and Ismaili Gnosis - Henry Corbin (pdf) The three articles contained in this volume, concerning the main themes of early Ismaili thought, were originally presented by Professor Corbin as lectures before learned audiences, the first two at the annual Eranos Conferences and the third at a conference given under the auspices of the Acaadcmia Nazionale dei Lincei, Rome.
Board Games in pre-Islamic Persia In contrast to the extensive literature describing the role of ancient Persia in the transmission of the games of chess and backgammon, our knowledge of other board games remains scanty. The study of ancient games relies on archeological material which is supplemented by data from epigraphic and iconographic sources, and direct evidence is lacking in most cases.
Monkey race!
More Than Man's Best Friend by Jarrett A. Lobell and Eric Powell Volume 63 Number 5, September/October 2010 Dogs have been an integral part of human culture for 15,000 years...sometimes in unexpected ways... All dogs descended from the gray wolf, the largest member of the Canidae family... Just how and when the species first became recognizably "doggy" has preoccupied scientists since the theory of evolution first gained widespread acceptance in the 19th century. The idea that dogs were domesticated from jackals was long ago discarded in favor of the notion that dogs descend from the gray wolf, Canis lupus, the largest member of the Canidae family, which includes foxes and coyotes
An Egyptian Game in Assyria - C.J. Gadd, Cambridge University Irag, London, No. 1, 1934, Pages 45-50 The game in question is that which has been called1, for want of any other name, the Game of Fifty-eight Hole. In all cases but one the only requisites of the game which have survived are the boards upon which it was played, and these show in general a striking resemblance, not only in the arrangement of the holes, but in the shape of the whole object, which is roughly rectangular, but has one of the short sides straight while all of the other sides are curved, the long ones concave, the remaining short one convex.
Visit her blog and find out about the wonderful Chess in the Library initiative she has helped establish. SEE ALSO: The Canadian Girls Chess Club First ever girls only chess club in Canada
designed to enhance the chess playing experience for girls! "Who says that girls can't beat boys???"
Loot:
The Battle over the Stolen Treasures of the Ancient World - Sharon Waxman, a former culture reporter for The New York Times and a long-time foreign correspondent, brings us inside this high-stakes conflict, examining the implications for the preservation of the objects themselves and for how we understand our shared cultural heritage.
Massive antiquities bust in Canada? News agency reports that 21,000 artefacts are seized in Montreal - Submitted by owenjarus on Fri, 08/06/2010 - The Sofia News Agency is reporting that 21,000 artefacts, some dating back nearly 2,000 years, have been seized in the Canadian city of Montreal.
Historians and archaeologists are analyzing a treasure trove of Qin dynasty documents that promise to tell us more about life in the time of the First Emperor of China – Qin Shi Huang.
Top 10 Best Bettany Hughes Videos to Watch Free Online Submitted by MalcolmJ on Thu, 06/24/2010 - Bettany Hughes has become a household name with her many ancient world TV documentaries.
Do you wish your job basically entailed wandering about in exotic locations around the Mediterranean looking all tanned? Yes: us too
Obsidian used as ancient scalpel found in Turkey's SamsunMonday, August 9, 2010 - SAMSUN - Anatolia News Agency - A piece of obsidian (volcanic glass) dating back 4,000 years and believed to have been used as a scalpel for surgery has been unearthed during excavations carried out in the Black Sea province of Samsun.
Nefertiti and the Aten in Colour! 16,000 Amarna Art Talatat blocks in Luxor with Original Pigment Preserved Submitted by owenjarus on Mon, 08/09/2010
Archaeologists are examining a cache of talatat blocks in Luxor that depict Amarna period art in their original colour.
A religious cemetery building with carvings dating back to the 6th and 5th centuries BC was unearthed in the Phoenician city of Amrit in Tartous, say Syrian Archaeologists.
Mexico: Ancient woman suggests diverse migration - By Mark Stevenson 7/23/2010 - Scientific reconstruction done on one of oldest sets of human remains in Americas AP / Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History
A scientific reconstruction of an ancient woman known as La Mujer de las Palmas, based on the skeletal remains of a female who lived between 10,000 and 12,000 years ago in Tulum, Mexico. Experts reconstructed what the woman may have looked like based on the remains found in 2002 in a sinkhole cave near the Caribbean resort of Tulum, Mexico. Anthropologist Alejandro Terrazas says the reconstruction resembles people from southeastern Asia areas like Indonesia, even though experts had long believed the first people to migrate to the Americas where from northeast Asia.
Ancient language mystery deepens By Victoria Gill
- 10 August 2010 - Science reporter, BBC News -- Many of the stones are believed to have been carved during the 6th Century...
A linguistic mystery has arisen surrounding symbol-inscribed stones in Scotland that predate the formation of the country itself.
The stones are believed to have been carved by members of an ancient people known as the Picts, who thrived in what is now Scotland from the 4th to the 9th Centuries.
By Sabrina Valle
for National Geographic News - Published August 10, 2010 -
Members of a pre-Aztec civilization used human bones—likely from their freshly dead relatives—to make buttons, combs, needles, spatulas, and dozens of other everyday utensils, Mexican archeologists say.
Cannibal cavemen of Spain uncoveredAug 11, 2010 - In the journal Current Anthropology, a team led by archaeologist Eudald Carbonell of Spain's University of Rovira and Virgili, report fossil evidence of continuous cannibalism -
cut marks and butchering remains - as a way of life among the Homo antecessor inhabitants of the Atapuerca Mountains archeological site.
Europe's prehistoric tombs built in bursts Aug 11, 2010 - Western Europe's massive prehistoric tombs were built in a burst of activity over a few centuries around 4000 BC, suggests dating evidence, rather than continuously throughout the Stone Age. In the current European Journal of Archaeology, archaeologist Chris Scarre of the United Kingdom's Durham University, looks at the latest dating of "megalithic" prehistoric tombs stretching from Sweden to Spain.
Ancient Phoenician City 'Relocated' By Clara Moskowitz, LiveScience Senior Writer - 11 August 2010 - A map of the Phoenician civilization's common trade routesaround the Mediterranean Sea. Credit: DooFi/Wikimedia Commons.
The site of an ancient city called Aüza, the earliest African city of the Phoenician civilization that existed 3,500 years ago, may have been in a different spot than experts have thought, archaeologists report.
Dura-Europos: Crossroad of Cultures August 11, 2010 by Carly Silver
A Lost Civilization of the Ancient Middle East -
In 1920, British soldiers digging trenches near the Euphrates River came across ancient wall paintings.
In the sands of eastern Syria, they uncovered the remains of the ancient town of Dura-Europos. Located on the Euphrates River, the long-buried settlement was ruled successively by the Macedonians, Parthians, and Romans until its destruction in A.D. 256. Today, the site is known for its buildings, including the world’s oldest church, one of the earliest synagogues ever found, and numerous Greco-Roman temples.
A city bigger than Athens? Sandeep Mishra, TOI Crest, Aug 7, 2010 - Just outside Bhubaneswar, around 2,000 years ago, stood one of old India's biggest cities. When they chanced upon Sisupalgarh, excavators could only gape in astonishment at its modern ways
Sisupalgarh or Sishupalgarh are a ruined fortification in Khurda District in Orissa, India. It is the largest and best preserved early historic fortification in India.[1]
Sisupalgarh is an ancient site in Orissa, not far from Bhubaneswar. The most striking thing about the site is the impressive mud fort that surrounded and protected the old town. Outside the fort wall was a moat filled with water which gave extra protection against enemies or intruders.
Canadian archeologists revel in ‘mind-blowing’ dig in Turkey- By Jennifer Green, Postmedia News July 24, 2010 TELL TAYINAT, Turkey — Every time archeologist James Osborne steps into the remains of the newly uncovered temple at Tell Tayinat, he can’t help but wonder about the people who walked those steps before him.
In this file photo, the double-lion column base formed part of the support for the porticoed entrance to the temple which dates to ca. 800 BCE. Archeologist James Osborne has discovered a temple in Tell Tayinat, which he calls 'mind blowing.'
August 8, 2010
Totolospi Edition
Full text of "Games of the North American Indians"Stewart Culin's magnumn opus is now online but unfortunately lacking the illustrations. Stick and ball games were and are still very popular among Native American Indians and have a colorful history that history is still in the making it seems...
Indigenous Sovereignty Threatened by UK LaCrosse Decision The Native American Indian confederacy of tribes known as the Iroquois Nation, or Haudenosaunee were recently denied access to the World Lacrosse Championships in England, despite their ancestors invented the sport. This brings up an important indigenous rights issue: sovereignty. The Haudenosaunee (Iroquois Nation) are rather unique in North American history, and consist of the Mohawk, Seneca, Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas, and Tuscaroras tribes, who unified into a League of Nations as early as 1450 C.E. Their union played a pivotal role in the formation of the US Constitution.
Who Invented Lacrosse Throughout Native American Indian history there were different varieties of stick ball that were played across the land such as Ta-bé which is similar in some regard to modern field hockey. ...Commonly referred to as baggataway, these games were the predecessors of modern Lacrosse.
Hopi Books Ekkehart Malotki Hopi Tales of Destruction. Previously published in bilingual format as Hopi Ruin Legends: Kiqötutuwutsi, narrated by Michael Lomatuway’ma, Lorena Lomatuway’ma, and Sidney Namingha Jr. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press [for Northern Arizona University], 1993.
TOTO40: A Totolospi Inspired Chess Variant on 40 Squares Toto40 is a chess variant inspired by Frank Hamilton Cushing's incomplete description of Totolospi, a war game once played by Hopi Indians. Totolospi (not to be confused with a race game of the same name) was played on a 10 by 10 grid, with a diagonal line, known as tuh-ki-o-ta, drawn from the northwest to the southeast corner. Cushing's description is vague, but he did state that pieces could be moved onto the diagonal line, but not across it, and that all fighting took place on that line. Toto40 has borrowed the idea of a uncrossable line on which all of the fighting occurs.
Math Games Around the World using
Strategy and Chance Nancy O’Neil on Totolospi...
This game is a Hopi game of chance, pronounced to-to`-los-pi. It was played with two or three cane dice and a counting board which was inscribed in stone. The game was enjoyed by children as well as adults. Interestingly, the game totolospi has been described as resembling checkers, Monopoly, and Parcheesi, which are games of fox and geese. After observing a variety of collections that have been acquired, the conclusion was made that totolospi counting boards varied in great diversity (Krause 72).
Depending on the number of players playing the game the game board will look differently. The three versions are
1) an ellipse that is used when two people are playing,
2) two ellipses intersecting to look like a cross, which is used with four players, and
3) the rectangular board that can be used when playing two to four players.
The object of the game totolospi is to travel around the board and return back home. The first to do so wins the game. With older students, make the game more challenging when two or three cane dice are used; it increases the number of possible outcomes. Students can use tree diagrams as a useful tool for calculating probabilities. For younger students, the game provides practice in counting by ones and twos on the elliptical boards and by five's and tens on the rectangular board (Krause 72).
A map of the Napi effigy - it's about five meters by five meters in size and was created with rocks the size of a fist. You can see Napi's arms, legs, head, torso and genitalia. The dark coloured stones are ones that have been disturbed, moved from their original position. There is a depression in the torso area, as represented by the circle. Map courtesy Meaghan Porter
A stone effigy monument, in the shape of a Blackfoot creator god named Napi, has been discovered in southern Alberta – south of the Red Deer River near the hamlet of Finnegan.
"One day Old Man determined that he would make a woman and a child; so he formed them both – the woman and the child, her son – of clay.
After he had moulded the clay in human shape, he said to the clay, "You must be people” ...
They walked down to the river with their Maker, and then he told them that his name was Na'pi, - Old Man."
Maya Funerary Tapestry Restored and Ready for ExhibitionMEXICO CITY.- More than 1,600 years ago, nearly 8,000 shells and seeds gave form to a tapestry part of the funerary attire of a high rank personage of the ancient city of Calakmul.
The unique piece which design represents the way Mayas conceived the world, will be exhibited at “Rostros de la divinidad. Los mosaicos mayas de piedra verde” (Faces of Divinity. Greenstone Maya Mosaics), to be opened in August 12th 2010, and where funerary offerings of 5 Maya rules will be displayed.
Archaeologists have discovered what is believed to be an ancient ceremonial ground that was used for human sacrifices by members of a Pre-Columbian civilization, according to a Thursday report by Emily Schmall of Reuters.
WHO KNEW?
World Board Game ChampionshipsIt's over now but... in Lancaster Last Update: 8/05 - A lot of people brag about their board games skills, but now's your chance to really show what you've got. The World Board Game Championships are happening right now in East Lampeter Township, Lancaster County. Organized by The Boardgame Player's Association
“The Monkey Race” – Remarks on Board
Games Accessories (pdf) Anne-E. Dunn-Vaturi - In the ancient Near East, games represented an essential dimension in social life. It is
because they are closely related to another principle, important in the stability of
human communities...
June 13, 2010
Chessays
Origin of chess - a phylogenetic perspective... (pdf) Alex R. Kraaijeveld : "Board games are like plant and animal species in that they can can evolve and give rise
to new forms. This leads to an important similarity between board games and bio- logical species (Eagle 1995, 1998; Kraaijeveld 1999): in both cases a group of similar-looking ‘species’ most likely owe their similarity to their being descended from a single
common ancestor.
The Games of Chess and Backgammon in Sasanian Persia (pdf) By
Touraj Daryaee California State University, Fullerton
- "Board games were played in many parts of the ancient world and so it is
very difficult to attribute the origin of any board game to a particular region or culture."
Sept. 19 , 2009
Chessquest
The Montreal Open Chess Championship 2009 - A patzer's eye view of the road to and from Ahuntsic (With gathered links to postscripts on the event in French and English) by Don McLean - September 19, 2009.
• Checkmate? The Role of gender stereotypes in the ultimate intellectual sport By Anne Mass, Claudio D"Ettole and Maria Cadinu (University of Padova, Italy) In a nutshell, when women played chess with men on the internet but they didn't know the sex of their opponent, they played consistent with their relative skill level. But when they knew they were playing a male opponent, their relative performance levels dropped 50%!
Social/socialization factors at work explain the difference in performance rather any lack of innate ability among females to play chess as well as males...
June 22, 2009
Chesstories
• Final Gambit by Karah Pino: We received this very interesting chess story for publication from Karah Pino, who stopped playing chess in 1999 after a personal trauma and subsequent realization. This is the true and well written story of her final game.
George Koltanowski Remembered: Just who was George and what made him so special to chess? The Knight's Tours of George Koltanowski, by Frederic Friedel takes us on a brief journey back in time...
Updated: Lawrence Todaro's article on Salvador Dali now hosts recent photos of the Dali Museum St. Petersburg, Florida and some surprizing new information.
Lawrence Totaro has put together a nice pictorial essay on Salvador Dali's artistic interest in chess that we are pleased to incorporate into our current library. Many thanks to Lawrence for this generous submission...
Art and Artifact
Straddling modern and ancient times (as usual) and riding out with some new additions...
"Socius, Civis et Alii" by Franco Pratesi. Goddesschess is pleased and privileged to present Carmen Romeo's special forward about the European literary traditions of chess. PDF (1.4M - complete) Also, an additional "printer friendly" series of individual PDF page files. Merry Christmas Carmen!
Nov. 9, 2008
Chess Femme News
Penned by our own Ace Reporter, Jan Newton - here is the scoop on the November release of an article that should soon appear at Chessville.
Oct. 19, 2008
Vegas Showgirls2008!
EXTRA! Showgirls cover Vichy and Anan! The World Chess Championship match between GM Viswanathan Anand and GM Vladimir Kramnik draws Bambi and Candi into the spotlight! Shocking Expose!
Chesstories The Legend of Dalukah by Don McLean, has received a significant footnote upgrade. (July 16. 2008).
July 13, 2008
Chessquest
The Mesoamerican Sacrum Bone: Doorway to the Other World by Brian Stross - A large document but well worth the read. The author's research is stellar, as are his conclusions detailing recovery of ancient shamanic traditions involving dice. For an html view but without important graphical content click here.
July 6, 2008
Chessquest
The Sacred Game by J.C. Hallman Goddesschess "enthusiastically" presents this informed thoughtspiece from the pen of J.C. Hallman. (July 4. 2008)
Chessays
The Symbolism of Chess by Titus Burckhardt - "
In this essay, Titus Burckhardt ties the game of chess (which originated in India and subsequently underwent minor modifications during its stay in the West) back to a larger, sacred reality. He covers an almost incredible amount of information (the caste system, astrology, and World Cycles) in a short period of time."
March 16, 2008
Chessays "The Doctor's Game - A New Light on the History of Ancient Board Games" (see also PDF section the Chessay's Table of Contents ) "Excavations betweeen 1987 and 2003 on the fringes of the site of Camulodunum revealed an extraordinary funerary site with a Middle Iron Age antecedent." Dr. Ulrich Schadler's specialist report provides us with a high quality analysis of these discoveries from an esteemed authority on Roman era board games. Muchos gracias Ulrich!
January 20, 2008
Chesstories
Check Republics by Sally Feldman - With the kind permission of Paul Sims, this article is reproduced from New Humanist, a London-based magazine promoting reason,debate and free thought since 1885. Visit their website to browse an extensive archive dating back to1999, where you can also request a free trial copy
The Real Honest to Goddess Truth about Football By Alpheta Patton (with Donus Felinicus) Super Bowl Sunday is just around the corner. Goddesschess (and the game of the goal posts) is pleased to present the real meaning behind the game and what this means to chess. Truthiness in action! Grab a beer, hang onto your helmets, sit back and prepare to be infotained! Forward en Passant! Go Ra!
December 7, 2007
Chessays
Dr. Ricardo Calvo, M.C Romeo, et al
(MSWord
doc - 1.7 Mb)
Three Games - Three Epochs M.C. Romeo's recent 2007 IGK presentation investigates a succession of events and a common theme running through medieval literature.
Chessays
A new paradigm for an "Origins of Chess" theory by John Ayer - This essay argues that the generally accepted scheme for the derivation of the current and disused forms of chess from the original Indian proto-chess is mistaken:
August 26, 2007
Chessquest
The Goddesschess Summer 2007 Celebration! Follow our fearless foursome as we explore and navigate the local chessboards of Milwaukee, Chicago and environs by land, sea and air. Photoworks, butterflies and fireworks help cap our 8th Anniversary installment.
Chessquest
Butrint in Vivisection Part II by Donald McLean - In which the play of pharoahs recaptures Butrint's historical conscience while netting a few charlatans in the process. Measure for measure, our man Butrint has been disgracefully wronged! Long live the king!
June 17, 2007
Chessays
Chessmen and Chess By Charles K. Wilkinson - We present here (with our notes) the text of Charles K. Wilkinson's article about the chess pieces excavated at Nishapur in 1939.
June 3, 2007
Alpheta's Literary Agora
Through a Glass Darkly by Gen. George S. Patton, Jr. - As it turns out, the famous American general had a lesser known poetic side...
"Through the travail of the ages,
Midst the pomp and toil of war,
Have I fought and strove and perished
Countless times upon this star."...
May 27, 2007
Chess Goddesses
Ageless wonder! Alina Markowski delved into chess in the 1950s, at a time when women in the sport were uncommon. By Jan Newton - May 27, 2007.
April 29, 2007
Goddesschess Blog
New Godesschess Blog! Yes darlings! Once again Goddesschess headlines the news with the announcement of our very own Google Blogspot. Come and experience!
April 17, 2007
Chesstories
"Chess", the Musical - A Story About a High-Stakes Game... and Chess, Too - (in two parts) By Jan Newton - April 16, 2007.
Chesstories
The
Legend of Dalukah Mas'odi's Dalukah appears to be a composite
character. Here we find her in A. E. Wallis Budge's recapitulation,
weaving her magic in a way that reminds us of grande
alcedrix. As with almost everything Egyptian, the imagery is
forcefully suggestive and profound.
March 17, 2007
Chessquest
New
discovery or just the same old song? Between March 9 -12,
2007, a news story was picked up by several chess bloggers on
the internet. The gist: A research team claims to have moved
a step closer to proving that chess originated around the northern
Indian city of Kanauj in the 5th century. Even so, we have some
"questions" we would like to see resolved...
March 5, 2007
Gender
and Chess
The
Experts Say - It's Just A Numbers Game by Jan Newton March,
2007 - On February 3, 2007 my friend and fellow Chess
Femme News Correspondent, Wayne Mendryk, who reports from
northwest Canada, sent me an interesting item he'd come across
while he was compiling a news report for Chess Femme News.
He found the report at Chessbase,
one of the premier chess news websites. Here is Wayne's
report:
February 28, 2007
International
Chessoid
Chessoid
goes Hollywood! Donus Felinicus puts a claw into Hollywood
Squares and and does what cats are wont do to with tablecloths.
This is Alice's old trick.. Find out why nothing in Hollywood,
or chess, is what it appears to be.
Queen
Wins Oscar! A cameo appearance on these very Chessoid pages
by our Hollywood savvy Vegas Showgirls! It takes a Showgirl
to know one!
February 16, 2007
Chesstories
Dilaram
Revisited by Jan Newton
An UPDATE of previous Dilaram research
into a timeless chess story and the problems people encounter
when falling in love with chess... and each other!
Chesstique
Chesstique: An all new look from the four corners
of our upscaled merchandising adventure to you... Check out
our brand new Goddesschess storefront PLUS - Georgia's Custom Games - Pawn Promotions - Chess
Showgirls Collection
Chess Femme News
Chess
Femme News The Aeroflot Open, one of the strongest Swiss
chess tournaments of the year, begins Wednesday in Moscow. The
tournament director has posted the first round pairings at the
official tournament website...
The Jiroft
Game Boards An UPDATE of Jan Newton's original
essay, first launched on November, 2005. On February 6, 2005,
an article appeared in the online version of the "Persian Journal"
announcing fabulous archaeological finds in Iran... How
fabulous? Check out those birds!
Chessquest
When
is a bird not a bird? Another UPDATE!!
This time of Don McLean's introduction to the article which
originally appeared on November, 2005. In the mystic's world
and the virtual world of board games, folkloric legends are
often more truthful than strange. Archaeological fragments and
the metaphysical collide head on in this Mandeaen exploration
of the Simurgh.
January 17, 2007
Chessquest
Goddesschess'
Seventh Anniversary Celebration! Like Old Man River, we
just keep rolling along... this time to spectacular Chicago
and the Field Museum. Jan
Newton reports on Tlingit North American "chess" and other native games
while sharing the discoveries of our August, 2006 get together.
Mingqi Chinese tomb figurines
“The Monkey Race” – Remarks on Board
Games Accessories 
Loot:
The Battle over the Stolen Treasures of the Ancient World
Hopi tales of destruction
