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Categories: history/archaeology

Painting of Ivan the Terrible, by Viktor Vasnetsov (1848-1926). Tretyakov Gallery. Rights: Public Domain

Should we stop saying ‘Russia’?

Should the world stop using the name ‘Russia’ and go back to the old name ‘Muscovy’? The question has been raised by critics of Russia in recent years and in his new book “Russia reverts to Muscovy”, Stefan Hedlund, Professor Emeritus of East European Studies, highlights several arguments in favour of a change of name.

Per Ekman, Doctor in Political Science, Uppsala University

How Soviet legacy has influenced foreign policy in Georgia and Ukraine

The legacy of the Soviet Union’s collapse plays a greater role in the foreign policies of Georgia and Ukraine than previous studies have suggested. Conducting foreign policy in former Soviet countries can be a major challenge as the Russian state does not accept the new order. These are the findings outlined in the thesis of political scientist Per Ekman from Uppsala University.

Painting: Norwegian landscape, Charles XV, 1856. Gustavianum Uppsala University Museum

Charles XV’s Norwegian Landscape painted in Romsdalen

King Charles XV (1826–1872) was known for his paintings, but elements of his artistic output have remained obscure until now. A researcher at Uppsala University has now discovered great similarities between one of the king’s most famous works, Norwegian Landscape, and that of the painting from Romsdalen by Norwegian artist Thomas Fearnley (1802–1842) .

Egyptian ceramic child sarcophagus, belonged to a boy named Pa-nefer-neb. Photo: Marcus Holmqvist

Return of a cermic child sarcophagus to university museum Gustavianum

Uppsala University Museum Gustavianum and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston have reached an agreement on the return of an ancient Egyptian ceramic child sarcophagus, dated to the 19th Dynasty (1295–1186 BC). The sarcophagus belonged to a boy named Pa-nefer-neb.

Ruins of a mud brick structure near the town of Lusanga along the Kwilu River. Photo: Peter Coutros, Ghent University

New research sheds light on Bantu-speaking populations' expansion in Africa

About 350 million people across Africa speak one or more of the 500 Bantu languages. New genetic analysis of modern and ancient individuals suggests that these populations probably originated in western Africa and then moved south and east in several waves. The study has been published in the scientific journal Nature.

Professor Marie Allen and Conservator Malin Sahlstedt. Photo: Anna Maria Forsberg/Vasamuseet.

One of Vasa’s crewmen was a woman

When the human remains found on board the warship Vasa were investigated, it was determined that the skeleton designated G was a man. New research now shows that the skeleton is actually from a woman. "It is very difficult to extract DNA from bone which has been on the bottom of the sea for 333 years, but not impossible”, says Marie Allen, Professor at Uppsala University.

Uppåt (Upwards) Part of light and sound installation at Odarslöv Church (2018). Artist and photographer: Jesper Wachtmeister

From living heritage to zombie churches

Churches are preserved by an antiquarian system that risks killing them instead of keeping them alive. The Swedish State and the Church of Sweden therefore need to define new joint visions and goals to enable the ecclesiastical cultural heritage to be used and developed. This is shown by historian of art Henrik Lindblad in a new doctoral thesis from Uppsala University.

Excavationsat the Neolithic site of Tell Qarassa in modern-day Syria. Credit: Jonathan Santana

Bioarchaeological evidence of very early Islamic burials in the Levant

A new study combining archaeological, historical and bioarchaeological data provides new insights into the early Islamic period in modern-day Syria. The research team was planning to focus on a much older time period but came across what they believe to be remains of early Muslims in the Syrian countryside.

Transforming space and society in Kiruna

When the Swedish government and LKAB first shared responsibility for developing Kiruna a hundred years ago, they focused mostly on practical issues. How does one build a city in a “desolate wilderness”? Since 2004, these ideas have taken on new meaning when examining what it means to transform a city to continue mining. This is the focus of a new thesis in cultural anthropology.

View from the archaeological site Arapouco towards the Sado Valley, Portugal. Photo: Rita Peyroteo-Stjerna

Mummification in Europe may be older than previously known

Mummification of the dead probably was more common in prehistory than previously known. This discovery was made at the hunter-gatherer burial sites in the Sado Valley in Portugal, dating to 8 000 years ago. A new study, headed by archaeologists at Uppsala University and Linnaeus University in Sweden and University of Lisbon in Portugal, presents new evidence for pre-burial treatments such as desi

Uppsala University - quality, knowledge, and creativity since 1477

Founded in 1477, Uppsala University is the oldest university in Sweden. With more than 50,000 students and 7,500 employees in Uppsala and Visby, we are a broad university with research in social sciences, humanities, technology, natural sciences, medicine and pharmacology. Our mission is to conduct education and research of the highest quality and relevance to society on a long-term basis. Uppsala University is regularly ranked among the world’s top universities.

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