Category Archives: Kids Blog

KIDS’ BLOG! Ancient Puppy Puts Its “Stamp of Approval” on Roman Tile

Puppy paw print in a Roman tile. Credit: Adam Slater, Wardell Armstrong Archaeology

Puppy paw print in a Roman tile. Credit: Adam Slater, Wardell Armstrong Archaeology

Recently, archaeologists have discovered strange imprints on a Roman tile uncovered at a construction site in Leicester, England.  They decided that the impressions had to be a puppy’s paw prints.  Most of us forget that the Romans had pets, too.  Apparently, this puppy was so excited about finding out what everyone was working on that it trampled on a newly placed brick before it had hardened, leaving a permanent memory of the dog’s existence. Continue reading

The Knossos Dolphin: Create Your Own Piece of Art Inspired by Antiquity with Dan Fenelon

dolphin frescoIn honor of AntiquityNOW Month, our Artist-in-Residence Dan Fenelon has created a paint by number activity using one of his paintings inspired by the Minoan “Fresco of the Dolphins” on the island of Knossos. The fresco is from the Palace of Knossos located just south of modern-day Heraklion near the north coast of Crete. The palace was built by the Minoans around 1950 BCE, but was damaged by an earthquake in 1700 BCE and had to be rebuilt.[1] Commissioned by King Minos, the palace was the creation of the ancient architect Dedalos and was said to have been so complex in its design that no one placed inside its walls could ever find its exit.[2] The second palace built on the remains of the first continued this labyrinthine structure, but included several changes. In his book “Architecture of Minoan Crete”, John McEnroe writes,

In the second Palace, much of the monumental bulk of the earlier building would be lightened through structural innovations and intricate details, and the taste for colored stone would be partly replaced by representational wall paintings.[3] Continue reading

KIDS’ BLOG! Archimedes’ Ancient Screw Saves 21st Century Britain From Flooding

Spaans-BabcockWhat do you do when the rains keep coming and floods sweep across your country? As the waters rise and cover your fields and towns, what do you use to save your home? Do you write a fancy new computer program, download the newest anti-flooding app on your phone or design complicated modern robots to deal with it? Well, people in the United Kingdom are facing this very problem and you might be surprised to learn they aren’t turning to modern technology. Instead, they’re looking back to one of antiquity’s greatest scientists and inventors, Archimedes, and to his giant water screws.

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KIDS’ BLOG! Ancient Origins of the XXII Winter Olympics

sochi-2014-262145_640When the Greeks gathered in Olympia for the first Olympic Games in 776 BBC, I’m sure they never imagined that one day, far in the future, the Games would be held high in snow covered mountains or on playing fields made of ice. How could they know that their foot races would turn into races on blades (speed skating) and chariot races would become daring flights around a track made of pure ice (bobsled)? In 1924, the first Winter Olympics was held in Chamonix, France featuring cold-weather sports.  Today we celebrate these Winter Games every four years. Did you know that just like the Olympic Games themselves, many of the winter sports have ancient and historical origins? Continue reading

Happy Year of the Horse!

year of the horseToday is the first day of the Year of the Horse (in China’s time zone) and the students at the Chinese American International School in San Francisco are celebrating by using their talents to create beautiful depictions of horses.  Scroll down to view a slideshow of the artwork that leapt out of their imaginations and trotted into the New Year. Continue reading

Students Celebrate Chinese New Year with Dragons and Dance

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Chinese New Year is an exciting time of celebration, honoring the past and looking forward to the future.  One school in San Francisco is celebrating this year—the Year of the Horse—with art and song and dance.  AntiquityNOW invited the Chinese American International School (CAIS) to share the festivities with us and let us showcase the remarkable student artists in their midst.  One project involved having the students from different grades work together to create their own dragon mural in honor of the New Year.  The scales on this elaborate creature were made by the kindergarten and first grade classes and the head was painted by the second grade gold class.  As you can see, their dragon is colorful, imaginative and full of historical symbolism—a splendidly sinuous being that reminds everyone of the ancient heritage that still resonates today. Continue reading

Celebrating Chinese New Year: The Dragon Re-Interpreted

003 The dragon has a long and esteemed history in Chinese lore.  In honor of Chinese New Year, AntiquityNOW’s Artist-in-Residence Dan Fenelon has recast this legendary figure into phantasmagorical creations that fuse the ancient and the modern with a whimsical turn—a Fenelon trademark. Continue reading

KIDS’ BLOG! Diwali, the Festival of Lights

Happy DiwaliFor five days this week, starting on Sunday, November 3, Hindus around the world will celebrate Diwali, or Deepavali, the Festival of Lights.  Diwali marks the triumph of light over darkness, of good over evil.  Lamps are lit, colored lights dance against dark skies and fireworks explode in fiery celebration.  People exchange gifts, often of gold, dress up in new clothes, prepare special dishes and sweets, and with this celebration acknowledge the gods for giving humans health, wealth, peace and prosperity. Continue reading

Download AntiquityNOW’s Timeline Bookmark and Become the Talk of the Ages

Bookmark for Online Professional PrintingHow long does it usually take chewing gum to lose its flavor?  Bet you can’t beat 5,000 years.  Remember your first computer and how amazing new technology seemed?  What about the world’s first computer from 100 BCE that tracked astronomical patterns?  Are you a sports fan?  Tell me who loved baseball better than the Mesoamericans in 1,400 BCE? Continue reading

KIDS’ BLOG! How “Thinking Outside the Box” Has Helped Archaeologists

Girl with Light BulbSuppose that you have a problem to solve, but nothing you’ve tried so far has worked. What would you do?  You could try “thinking outside the box.”

“Thinking outside the box” is a creative way to imagine other possibilities. It involves coming at the problem from a different perspective—one that hasn’t been tried yet.  The “box” is a fun way of picturing the ordinary ways of solving a problem.  It contains all the things that have been tried before.  When you think outside the “box,” you stretch your imagination and explore how else the problem could be solved.  Scientists, philosophers and inventers have all discovered that this method is one of the best ways to figure out the answer to a stubborn problem. Continue reading