Craig Barker
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drcraigb.bsky.social
Craig Barker
@drcraigb.bsky.social
Mediterranean archaeologist & museum education professional. Director of the Paphos Theatre excavations, Paphos Cyprus & Head of Public Engagement at the Chau Chak Wing Museum at the University of Sydney.
Cypriot archaeologist on Gadigal land.
Looking forward to tomorrow night’s talk - the final History Now for 2025
🛥️ We look forward to seeing everyone at the final History Now session of 2025 tomorrow night!

A waitlist is now available to attend this event in person, however, this event will also be live-streamed so check out more information via buff.ly/gt3Lm82

@drcraigb.bsky.social
November 26, 2025 at 1:37 AM
Reposted by Craig Barker
NASA Astronomy Hourly Picture - 2019-06-18: Strawberry Moon over the Temple of Poseidon
#Astronomy #NASA #Space
November 25, 2025 at 8:20 AM
Reposted by Craig Barker
Cypriot antiquity repatriated from Britain
Cypriot antiquity repatriated from Britain
cyprus-mail.com
November 25, 2025 at 10:38 AM
Reposted by Craig Barker
The Cyprus stele had additional birds at the boy's feet when it was first excavated when the pigments were nearly intact. The pigments have since faded and the birds can no longer be seen.

#ancientbluesky

flic.kr/p/2rH9d8E
Limestone funerary stele with a painting of boy holding a bird
Limestone stele with pedimental top, with painted decoration showing a young boy holding a bird, probably a dove. The stele is a tall narrow slab with plain sides and a molded pedimental top, with thr...
flic.kr
November 24, 2025 at 3:49 AM
'Archaeologists uncover giant Bronze Age “mega-oven” dating back 4,500 years'
More reports on the most recent season of excavations at Kissonerga in Cyprus
#archaeologynews 🏺

knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/arch...
Archaeologists uncover giant Bronze Age “mega-oven” dating back 4,500 years
Archaeologists working north of Paphos have uncovered the remains of a substantial Bronze Age settlement at Kissonerga-Skalia, shedding light on a long-lived community active from roughly 2500 BC unti...
knews.kathimerini.com.cy
November 23, 2025 at 2:13 PM
'Outcry in Cyprus as Tourists Climb Onto Roof of Ancient Greek Sanctuary of Apollo for Photos'
#archaeology 🏺

There has been much discussion about this through the week; how do we do site visitor education better?

greekreporter.com/2025/11/20/c...

Also: cyprus-mail.com/2025/11/17/e...
Outcry in Cyprus as Tourists Climb Onto Roof of Ancient Greek Sanctuary of Apollo for Photos - GreekReporter.com
Tourists sparked outrage after climbing on the historically significant, protected monument of Apollo Hylates Sanctuary in Limassol, Cyprus.
greekreporter.com
November 22, 2025 at 4:01 AM
'Ancient church and lost pottery workshop rewrite Cyprus’ early Byzantine story'
Archaeological sites reveal over a thousand years of worship, burial, and daily life in the Xeros Valley.
#archaeologynews #archaeology🏺

knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/anci...
Ancient church and lost pottery workshop rewrite Cyprus’ early Byzantine story
Archaeological work in the Kophinou–Agios Herakleios and Menogeia–Limnes areas of Larnaca has uncovered major evidence of religious and industrial activity spanning roughly a millennium.
knews.kathimerini.com.cy
November 22, 2025 at 3:50 AM
‘Bronze Age craft settlement uncovered in Kisonerga’

Announcement of the results of the most recent season at Kissonerga - congratulations @caari-cyprus.bsky.social
#archaeologynews 🏺

cyprus-mail.com/2025/11/20/b...
Bronze Age craft settlement uncovered in Kisonerga
Archaeologists have uncovered a Bronze Age settlement of artisanal character at the Kisonerga–Skalia site in Paphos, dating back to around 2500 BC. The excavations, directed by Dr Lindy Crewe, directo...
cyprus-mail.com
November 20, 2025 at 9:43 PM
Reposted by Craig Barker
Get ready for 2026 International Festival of Ancient Greek Drama
Get ready for 2026 International Festival of Ancient Greek Drama
cyprus-mail.com
November 20, 2025 at 12:08 PM
The latest publication from the Paphos Theatre Archaeological Project out now.

J.R. Green, “An Athena in Christian Paphos”, Mediterranean Archaeology 38, 2025, 95-106
#archaeology 🏺

meditarch.com/meditarch-36/
November 18, 2025 at 2:21 AM
Reposted by Craig Barker
Hear Professor Wendy van Duivenvoorde speak at the next History Now event!

She is a global authority on maritime archaeology (Flinders University). She is a recognised authority in seafaring, shipbuilding, technology and maritime cultural heritage

Book via buff.ly/gt3Lm82

@drcraigb.bsky.social
November 17, 2025 at 10:30 PM
So very excited that the first episode History Now podcast is live on @historynsw.bsky.social website and wherever you listen to your favourite podcasts! 🎙️
Appropriately this one is on history podcasting!

historycouncilnsw.org.au/podcasts/
Podcasts
Tune into History Council of NSW lectures anytime, anywhere. The HCNSW is aiming to supply audio recordings of its seminars and events, where possible.
historycouncilnsw.org.au
November 16, 2025 at 10:57 PM
Anyone in Athens I do hope you will be able to attend this presentation by my amazing colleague Candace who is doing significant work rethinking how ancient cities reused and recycled. #archaeology
November 14, 2025 at 7:53 AM
In November 2002 the Paphos theatre team revealed the reused fragment of the Antonine dedicatory inscription of the theatre. It had been placed facedown as a threshold onto the orchestra during a later phases of use.
It is the largest marble inscription ever found in Cyprus.

#findsfriday
November 14, 2025 at 4:41 AM
I had the most amazing day yesterday with NSW's incredible History Extension students. The Museums of History NSW and the State Library of New South Wales' The Project: History Extension Seminar Day was incredible.
It's inspiring hearing from the students about their history research projects!
November 14, 2025 at 3:49 AM
Reposted by Craig Barker
🏺 Look at this gorgeous Iron Age jug from Cyprus whose spout is formed by another jug held by a tiny woman!
#Matriarcha
November 12, 2025 at 5:58 PM
Reposted by Craig Barker
Syria is home to deep antiquity, which makes this lawlessness tragic.
As cultural looting surges in Syria after a bloody civil war and a decades-long brutal dictatorship, thieves have broken into the National Museum of Damascus and walked away with six valuable Roman-era statues.
Thieves Steal Roman-Era Statues From Damascus Museum
A historian speculates it might have been an inside job.
hyperallergic.com
November 12, 2025 at 11:19 PM
Reposted by Craig Barker
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ was published 145 years ago #OnThisDay

The period epics of #Hollywood’s golden age were born of the popularity of swords and sandals on the Victorian stage.

🔓 This archive article is free for 7 days

www.historytoday.com/archive/hist...
The Birth of the Sword and Sandals Epic
www.historytoday.com
November 12, 2025 at 11:11 AM
Reposted by Craig Barker
What was the purpose of the iconic Andean monument of Monte Sierpe (aka Band of Holes)? New research supports a new interpretation: it was a barter marketplace, later developing into a monumental system of accounting under #Inca rule.

🆓 doi.org/10.15184/aqy...

🏺 #Archaeology

@sydney.edu.au
November 10, 2025 at 10:16 AM
'Mysterious holes in the Andes may have been an ancient marketplace, study suggests'
Congratulations to my @sydney.edu.au archaeology colleague Jacob Bongers for this amazing research at Peru's Monte Sierpe ('Band of Holes')
#archaeology 🏺

www.sydney.edu.au/news-opinion...
Mysterious holes in the Andes may have been an ancient marketplace, study suggests
New research published in Antiquity by Dr Jacob Bongers at the University of Sydney has uncovered compelling evidence that brings us closer to solving the mystery behind one of the most unique archaeological sites in the Andes. Monte Sierpe (translated as ‘serpent mountain’ and known colloquially as the ‘Band of Holes’) is located in the Pisco Valley of southern Peru and consists of over 5000 precisely aligned holes.
www.sydney.edu.au
November 10, 2025 at 2:21 AM
We invite Sydneysiders to the Chau Chak Wing Museum @sydney.edu.au for the annual Sir Charles Nicholson Lecture.

Professor Donna Yates on "The Palmanova Precedent? Expert Testimony and the Future of Antiquities Repatriation"
#archaeology #museums 🏺

www.sydney.edu.au/museum/whats...
November 10, 2025 at 12:06 AM
What a brilliant photograph capturing the power in those legs
Some more yellow-footed rock-wallaby love.
Boolcoomatta Reserve, South Australia.
November 9, 2025 at 8:11 AM
Reposted by Craig Barker
For #AncientSiteSunday the #Hellenistic theatre at Pergamon, #Türkiye, built in the 3rd century BC, alterations were made in the #Roman period. It's one of the steepest known ancient theatres. The capacity was about 10,000 spectators.

📷 C. Bredfeldt

🏺 AncientBluesky #archaeology
November 9, 2025 at 8:06 AM