The second video we’re featuring in our Exploring LegacyQuest 2014 series is the second place winner of the festival. All about fashion in the ancient world, this entry hails from The Baldwin School in Pennsylvania. It was created by middle school students Meghan, Julia, Amanda, Frances, Grace and Sasha with the guiding hand of their teacher, Jeannette Keshishian. Continue reading
Category Archives: Education
Exploring LegacyQuest 2014! Fashion: A Makeover Show
Posted in Blog, Culture, Education
Tagged ancient fashion, ancient history, AntiquityNOW, cultural heritage, education, film festival, Greek mythology, LegacyQuest
LegacyQuest: Through the Eyes of the Students
The 2014 LegacyQuest International Children’s Film and Video Festival was a resounding success, but it wouldn’t have been possible without the dedication and hard work of the teachers and students who participated. For students, the projects presented some real challenges. They had to tackle complex subjects, reduce them to their essentials, turn the material into cogent scripts and then tell a story through visuals. The result? A collection of thoughtful and engaging films that proudly represent LegacyQuest and what it hoped to achieve. We at AntiquityNOW wanted to know how the process of creating a LegacyQuest entry affected the students who participated. The slideshow below features quotes from students talking about their experiences. Click here to read the students’ letters in their entirety.
Posted in Blog, Culture, Education, Public Life
Tagged ancient history, AntiquityNOW, film festival, LegacyQuest, student feedback
LegacyQuest: A Teacher’s Perspective
The inaugural LegacyQuest International Children’s Film and Video Festival has come to an end, the winners have been announced and we are already looking forward to a fantastic festival in 2015. We wanted to know the reactions of the teachers who decided to use this competition as a way to get their students excited about the ancient past. The following is what Britta Gramer from Morganton Day School had to say. Continue reading
The Knossos Dolphin: Create Your Own Piece of Art Inspired by Antiquity with Dan Fenelon
In 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
Posted in Art, Blog, Culture, Education, Kids Blog, Kids: Art, Kids: Culture, Public Life
Tagged ancient history, AntiquityNOW, AntiquityNOW month, art history, Crete, Dan Fenelon, Dedalos, Knossos, Minoans
Announcing the Winners of the Inaugural LegacyQuest International Children’s Film and Video Festival
AntiquityNOW and Archaeology Legacy Institute are proud to announce the winners of the 2014 LegacyQuest International Children’s Film and Video Festival. This was LegacyQuest’s inaugural year and we were delighted with the high quality of the entries and all the hard work of the students and teachers who participated. We were selective as to the criteria for the competition, wanting children to have as professional an experience as possible. The entrants certainly lived up to the high standards that were set for them. We look forward to many more successful festivals in the future!
The winners were announced at The Archaeology Channel (TAC) International Film and Video Festival in Eugene Oregon on May 11, 2014. TAC is a program of Archaeological Legacy Institute.
It’s not too soon to think about next year’s LegacyQuest International Children’s Film and Video Festival. Click here for details on the 2015 competition.
And the winners are…
First Prize
Social Media: Dreaming Through the Ages
Morganton Day School, Morganton, NC.
Second Prize
Fashion 2
Baldwin School, Bryn Mawr, PA.
Third Prize
Storytelling 2
Baldwin School, Bryn Mawr, PA.
Honorable Mentions
(in alphabetical order by title and school)
Architecture 1. Baldwin School, Bryn Mawr, PA.
Architecture 2. Baldwin School, Bryn Mawr, PA.
Architecture 3. Baldwin School, Bryn Mawr, PA.
Fashion 1. Baldwin School, Bryn Mawr, PA.
Fashion 3. Baldwin School, Bryn Mawr, PA.
Sports 1. Baldwin School, Bryn Mawr, PA.
Storytelling 3. Baldwin School, Bryn Mawr, PA.
Dancing Through the Ages. Morganton Day School, Morganton, NC.
AntiquityNOW to Partner With Ancient Origins
AntiquityNOW is pleased to announce a new partnership with Ancient Origins, an organization that “seeks to uncover…one of the most important pieces of knowledge we can acquire as human beings—our beginnings.” Ancient Origins offers “a reconstruction and retelling of the story of our beginnings through an exploration of lost civilisations, sacred writings, ancient places, unexplained artifacts, scientific mysteries and more.” AntiquityNOW also explores these antecedents and as well draws comparisons to modern times to show that antiquity continues to inform and influence our lives today.
Through joint blogs and educational content the partnership will promote cultural heritage and the importance of appreciating our shared world history.
In today’s popular culture young people are exposed to diverse ideas from numerous perspectives, both scientific and speculative. AntiquityNOW and Ancient Origins are interested in current archaeological and scientific discoveries but are also intrigued by the unknown questions of human existence. Ancient Origins’ view is that “there still exists a multitude of anomalies and mysteries in humanity’s past that deserve further examination.” Embracing that concept, AntiquityNOW’s approach is to create educational material for children designed to develop critical thinking skills, teach the importance of research and realize the value of a curious and open mind.
Ancient Origins has offices in London, England and Springwood, Australia. AntiquityNOW is incorporated in New York, NY.
May the Force Be With You: AntiquityNOW Celebrates International Star Wars Day
Marking this day, AntiquityNOW is launching a Science Fiction section on antiquitynow.org to explore how ancient motifs have influenced this popular genre.
Today is International Star Wars Day. May the Force (that’s right, it’s a spin on May 4th) be with you. What is the enduring power of these movies? Is it the storytelling, the intergalactic characters or perhaps the dazzling visuals? Yes to all. But there is more at play. George Lucas, the creator of the Star Wars series, has spoken frequently of how his personal interest in the metaphysical has informed his movie-making. Having been a long-time friend of the late American mythologist Joseph Campbell, Lucas found a mystical purpose in the magic of film. “I’m telling an old myth in a new way,”[1] he said in a 1999 interview about Star Wars with PBS TV’s Bill Moyers. He describes this telling as a “kind of immaculate realism in a totally unreal and fantasy world.”[2] Many have suggested that his films are embedded with a religious undercurrent. But Lucas professes the most ecumenical embrace of spiritual ideals and dismisses any ties with a particular religion. For example, the Force was never intended to represent a specific religion, but rather a catalyzing idea that could awaken young people to the possibilities of a spiritual life. He wanted them to question and seek their own perspectives of the unseen world.[3]Yet his dialog can seem profoundly religious and even vaguely familiar to those who are among the faithful. As the powerful Jedi master Yoda said: Continue reading
Archaeology in the Community: Introducing New Generations to the Mysteries of Ancient Lives
What do you do when you realize that there are children who never heard of archaeology? Children who have never seen an archaeologist or know why archaeology even exists? If you are Dr. Alexandra Jones, you create an organization that reaches into those communities to show young people what this amazing field of discovery is all about. Continue reading
Posted in Blog, Culture, Education, Public Life
Tagged ancient history, AntiquityNOW, archaeology, Archaeology in the Community, Dr. Alexandra Jones, education
May Is AntiquityNOW Month! Join the Celebration!
When we considered a commemoration in 2013, we asked ourselves a question: Why have an AntiquityNOW month? The answer was in our mission: to show how antiquity’s legacy influences us today and for generations to come. So for the month of May, we will laud human endeavor through the ages and mark the importance of our world heritage. Continue reading
Posted in AntiquityNOW News, Blog, Culture, Education, Holidays, Public Life
Tagged AntiquityNOW, AntiquityNOW month, celebrate the past, cultural preservation
AntiquityNOW Celebrates the Arts on National Arts Advocacy Day!
It’s the 27th annual National Arts Advocacy Day and there are plenty of ways to participate and support the arts wherever you are:
- Ask your members of Congress to support the arts. Visit the E-Advocacy Center to send a message in less than two minutes directly to your Representative and Senators telling them why the arts are important to you and your community. Take two minutes and send your message to Congress today!
- Become an official member of the Arts Action Fund. It’s free and easy to join.
AntiquityNOW also provides ways to support the arts. Subscribe to the AntiquityNOW newsletter and visit our home page to subscribe to the blog. Visit our Today’s Muse section to see how the ancient arts continue to inspire the arts today.
AntiquityNOW 