People have long been drawn to glittering objects. For America\u2019s indigenous inhabitants, there were depths of meaning beneath the resplendent surfaces of gold, pearls, and quetzal feathers used in an array of objects that served as symbols of power and influence. We explore these meanings in our cover feature, as Nicholas J Saunders take us into a shimmering world of sacred light.<\/p>\n
In the Bay of Naples, a long-awaited museum has opened its doors at Roman Stabiae, overshadowed neighbour of Pompeii and Herculaneum. It was in Stabiae\u2019s well-appointed villas, filled with mosaics, ornate stucco, and fabulous frescoes, Dalu Jones writes, that the wealthy pursued otium, a carefully cultivated type of leisure.<\/p>\n
From Stabiae\u2019s Roman frecoes, we head to the painted rock-hewn churches of northern Ethiopia\u2019s Tigray region. These remote churches, whose delicate centuries-old wall-paintings are already under threat, are facing new dangers as conflict continues in the area. Blair Priday, Stephen Rickerby, and Lisa Shekede from the Ethiopian Heritage Fund tell us about their work conserving the paintings before the conflict, and how this has laid the groundwork for future conservation.<\/p>\n
The works of Galen, physician to the emperor Marcus Aurelius, influenced medicine for centuries afterwards. His extensive writings outlined his experiments, his studies in anatomy, and his views on other physicians and on his own writings. His texts are also a valuable source on the Antonine Plague and various cures attempted \u2013 including milk from Stabiae. As we continue through a modern pandemic, Geraldine Fabrikant looks back at medicine in the time of Galen.<\/p>\n
In the 40 years since it was set up, the UK\u2019s National Heritage Memorial Fund has given grants for the raising and hull conservation of Henry VIII\u2019s warship the Mary Rose, the acquisition of artworks at risk of being sold abroad, and more. We speak to Vanessa Wells about the Fund\u2019s work, and some of the many archaeological discoveries it has helped museums acquire, including the stunning Anglo-Saxon Staffordshire Hoard, unearthed in 2009.<\/p>\n
Decades earlier, a man named Basil Brown made a spectacular Anglo-Saxon discovery, celebrated in a new Netflix film. In 1939, Brown excavated the royal ship-burial at Sutton Hoo. As he is now brought to life on screen by Ralph Fiennes in The Dig, Lindsay Fulcher looks at the remarkable story of this self-taught Suffolk archaeologist and his excavations on the eve of war.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In this\u00a0issue<\/span>:<\/strong><\/p>\n – All that glitters: the sacred power of shiny objects
\n– Tigray: painted churches in peril
\n– Stabiae: Roman land of leisure
\n– Sutton Hoo: the story behind The Dig
\n– Galen: the emperor\u2019s doctor
\n– A helping hand for heritage<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":2735,"template":"","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"","site-sidebar-style":"","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"default","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}}},"product_brand":[],"product_cat":[37],"product_tag":[32],"class_list":{"0":"post-1730","1":"product","2":"type-product","3":"status-publish","4":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"product_cat-back-issue","7":"product_tag-minerva","8":"product_shipping_class-back-issue","9":"desktop-align-center","10":"tablet-align-center","11":"mobile-align-center","12":"ast-product-gallery-layout-first-image-large","13":"ast-magnify-disabled","14":"ast-product-tabs-layout-distributed","16":"first","17":"outofstock","18":"taxable","19":"shipping-taxable","20":"purchasable","21":"product-type-simple"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/currentpublishing.com\/shop\/wp-content\/uploads\/MIN188_cover_1000.jpg",1000,1309,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/currentpublishing.com\/shop\/wp-content\/uploads\/MIN188_cover_1000-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/currentpublishing.com\/shop\/wp-content\/uploads\/MIN188_cover_1000-229x300.jpg",229,300,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/currentpublishing.com\/shop\/wp-content\/uploads\/MIN188_cover_1000-768x1005.jpg",768,1005,true],"large":["https:\/\/currentpublishing.com\/shop\/wp-content\/uploads\/MIN188_cover_1000-782x1024.jpg",782,1024,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/currentpublishing.com\/shop\/wp-content\/uploads\/MIN188_cover_1000.jpg",1000,1309,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/currentpublishing.com\/shop\/wp-content\/uploads\/MIN188_cover_1000.jpg",1000,1309,false],"woocommerce_thumbnail":["https:\/\/currentpublishing.com\/shop\/wp-content\/uploads\/MIN188_cover_1000-300x400.jpg",300,400,true],"woocommerce_single":["https:\/\/currentpublishing.com\/shop\/wp-content\/uploads\/MIN188_cover_1000-600x785.jpg",600,785,true],"woocommerce_gallery_thumbnail":["https:\/\/currentpublishing.com\/shop\/wp-content\/uploads\/MIN188_cover_1000-100x100.jpg",100,100,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"admin","author_link":"https:\/\/currentpublishing.com\/shop\/author\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"In this\u00a0issue: - All that glitters: the sacred power of shiny objects - Tigray: painted churches in peril - Stabiae: Roman land of leisure - Sutton Hoo: the story behind The Dig - Galen: the emperor\u2019s doctor - A helping hand for heritage","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/currentpublishing.com\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product\/1730","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/currentpublishing.com\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/currentpublishing.com\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/product"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/currentpublishing.com\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2735"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/currentpublishing.com\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1730"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"product_brand","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/currentpublishing.com\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_brand?post=1730"},{"taxonomy":"product_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/currentpublishing.com\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_cat?post=1730"},{"taxonomy":"product_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/currentpublishing.com\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_tag?post=1730"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}