Hobbies & Interests

I was looking for a post like this thanks for making it Mac78321!

I've got a few passions something them lifelong

• Ancient history, especially the Roman Republic era (always ever since being small I've had a big interest in it...probably was very odd to most people when I chose to get books from the library on Assyria, Hittites etc )
• Computer games, again something I've carried with me since owning a ZX spectrum and learning to write simple programs. Now own a PC and very much enjoy playing PC games, mainly strategy type stuff like Civ or RPGs like Baldurs Gate 3 
• Fantasy books, again probably since being a teenager and being mega into Lord of the Rings and it went from there really. I love epic type fantasy or dark/gritty fantasy stuff
• Star wars, big fan since 1977 and watching Star Wars A New Hope, prefer the original trilogy but I do like the Mandolorian and Andor.
• Probably misc history, I can't help getting drawn into a lost of historical type stuff on a range of subjects, this is more of a passive thing

Thats probably it, please let me know if any of the above connect 

Oooo! I have a shelf with quite a few books on or related to archaeology in the Levant, particularly material culture. I have always been fascinated by the culture of the Neolithic, and the later ancient historical periods in Mesopotamia, Assyria and the rest of the Levant, although the Roman Republic is a bit too late for me. I could possibly chat with you all day about that so maybe that makes us both odd! 

ArchaeC, Have you ever been to Istanbul? The Museum of archaelogy there is fanstatic, I could have spent days in there, there's artifacts there from Catol Hoyuk and really since the end of the Ice Age, although I think the "when civilisation started" debate keeps getting pushed back most due to discoveries from Turkey.

 You're not the only one who requests books on ancient history and it's often random offshoots, such as ancient textiles.

I have a recipe for little almond and honey biscuit cake things, from Ancient Egypt, it was found on the walls of a tomb and a baking archaelogist translated and recreated them. They're lovely, a sort of ancient and soft ameretti biscuit type of thing, that you can just imagine being nibbled on with a glass of date wine.

I did my masters years ago and I am not in touch with my old tutor. I miss not having access to the latest peer reviewed papers. For instance, finds such as a tiny pot or a male figurine have the capacity to change what we know about Neolithic society. Also, archaeologists have been notoriously bad (although now improving) at writing up excavation reports in a timely fashion.   After that, experts in various specialists review the information and write their papers offering conclusions or attempts at conclusions. By the time much of it is released to the general public, it is out of date insomuch as the conclusion may be challenged by someone else. It is very hard to know the true details about what went on with Mellart and the people around him. I don’t know all the details but it seems there are various conflicting anecdotal accounts of what happened. Although I didn’t fully explore Catalhoyuk in my figurine research, Neolithic, PPNB (Pre pottery neolithic B) and Iron Age pottery figurines in the Levant are my speciality. I stayed in Jerusalem for some of my research, and travelled to Jordan. I would loved to have had time in Iraq and Syria, but alas there is no chance now and much of the ancient structure has been destroyed. Some of the material culture archaeologists are trying to see if there are links links between production and meaning and function of figurines across the Levant. Most figurines appear to be female and all too often, have been labelled goddesses, without affording proper analysis. Many of them probably are goddesses, but for many others, there is no evidence at all, in fact there may be some evidence that would suggest some other function. The whole debate around these enigmatic figurines and their meaning and function absolutely fascinating. 

Two other interesting sites are:

https://acorjordan.org/ain-ghazal/ 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sha%27ar_HaGolan_(archaeological_site)

Such a small bit of Catalhoyuk has been excavated so far, I think Mellart got a bit swept up in his own theories, but he wasn't alone, there was a lot of suppoert for a female led neolithic and early bronze age in academia at the time. Although there does seem to be more evidence comeing to light that neolithic societies were more eglatarian across the world. I ofte wonder when did patriarchy start and why? I think you can see it in places like Greece where Goddesses become the wives of Gods, Aphrodite for instance is much older than classical Greece, Bettany Hughes wrote a fantastic book on her.

Does you tutor have any theories about what the bits Mellart dug up might actually be, all the tusks set out and the reliefs of women with vulture beaks coming out of thier breasts on the walls?

If you can get to Istanbul for a long weekend or longer, it's an absolutely fascinating place for anyone interested in history to go, the Roman, the Crusader, the Ottaman and the modern are all jostling besde each other. It is a bit crowded and chaotic though.

I imagine it was hard to tear yourself away from the museum in Istanbul! Unfortunately I have not yet managed to get to there but I would particularly like to see any neolithic figurines that might be in the museum. Yes the debate around how society at Catalhoyuk functioned is ongoing and it seems that it may not have been matriarchal after all, rather more egalitarian. My tutor on my masters course used to spend every summer working in Catalhoyuk. Your almond and honey biscuits sound lovely. It is incredible how you can taste and experience something the same or very close to that eaten by the ancient Egyptians. 

I imagine it was hard to tear yourself away from the museum in Istanbul! Unfortunately I have not yet managed to get to there but I would particularly like to see any neolithic figurines that might be in the museum. Yes the debate around how society at Catalhoyuk functioned is ongoing and it seems that it may not have been matriarchal after all, rather more egalitarian. My tutor on my masters course used to spend every summer working in Catalhoyuk. Your almond and honey biscuits sound lovely. It is incredible how you can taste and experience something the same or very close to that eaten by the ancient Egyptians. 

I did my masters years ago and I am not in touch with my old tutor. I miss not having access to the latest peer reviewed papers. For instance, finds such as a tiny pot or a male figurine have the capacity to change what we know about Neolithic society. Also, archaeologists have been notoriously bad (although now improving) at writing up excavation reports in a timely fashion.   After that, experts in various specialists review the information and write their papers offering conclusions or attempts at conclusions. By the time much of it is released to the general public, it is out of date insomuch as the conclusion may be challenged by someone else. It is very hard to know the true details about what went on with Mellart and the people around him. I don’t know all the details but it seems there are various conflicting anecdotal accounts of what happened. Although I didn’t fully explore Catalhoyuk in my figurine research, Neolithic, PPNB (Pre pottery neolithic B) and Iron Age pottery figurines in the Levant are my speciality. I stayed in Jerusalem for some of my research, and travelled to Jordan. I would loved to have had time in Iraq and Syria, but alas there is no chance now and much of the ancient structure has been destroyed. Some of the material culture archaeologists are trying to see if there are links links between production and meaning and function of figurines across the Levant. Most figurines appear to be female and all too often, have been labelled goddesses, without affording proper analysis. Many of them probably are goddesses, but for many others, there is no evidence at all, in fact there may be some evidence that would suggest some other function. The whole debate around these enigmatic figurines and their meaning and function absolutely fascinating. 

Two other interesting sites are:

https://acorjordan.org/ain-ghazal/ 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sha%27ar_HaGolan_(archaeological_site)

Such a small bit of Catalhoyuk has been excavated so far, I think Mellart got a bit swept up in his own theories, but he wasn't alone, there was a lot of suppoert for a female led neolithic and early bronze age in academia at the time. Although there does seem to be more evidence comeing to light that neolithic societies were more eglatarian across the world. I ofte wonder when did patriarchy start and why? I think you can see it in places like Greece where Goddesses become the wives of Gods, Aphrodite for instance is much older than classical Greece, Bettany Hughes wrote a fantastic book on her.

Does you tutor have any theories about what the bits Mellart dug up might actually be, all the tusks set out and the reliefs of women with vulture beaks coming out of thier breasts on the walls?

If you can get to Istanbul for a long weekend or longer, it's an absolutely fascinating place for anyone interested in history to go, the Roman, the Crusader, the Ottaman and the modern are all jostling besde each other. It is a bit crowded and chaotic though.