In this issue

Voyage of no return
The mystery of what happened to Sir John Franklin and his 129-man crew who sailed off to find the Northwest Passage in 1845 is examined in a new exhibition at the National Maritime Museum. Roger Williams

Casting director
Artist Marc Quinn explains how the fragmentary nature of antiquities has inspired many of his own works including his 12 latest sculptures currently installed in Sir John Soane’s Museum. Michael Squire

The colossus of Rome
After the gladiators moved out of the Colosseum, the world’s largest amphitheatre has played many different roles, from a stone quarry and a church to a film location and a tourist attraction. Dalu Jones

The archaeologist of artists
Most Victorians and 1960s’ hippies loved the work of Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema – the art critic John Ruskin wasn’t so keen. Now it is on show in London, you can decide for yourself. Dominic Green

Golden years
The measurement of time has seldom been depicted in so decorative a manner as in the delightful 17th- and 18th-century French calendars and almanacs displayed at Waddesdon Manor. Theresa Thompson

Much more on Moore
Classical sculpture had little impact on the work of Sir Henry Moore early on in his career – as a young man he much preferred Sumerian, Cycladic and Mayan figures. Dr Hannah Higham

Last man standing
After Alexander the Great died, his generals scrambled for power and fought among themselves. One of them, Seleucus I Nicator, founded the vast Seleucid Empire that lasted nearly 300 years. Bryan Short

Picasso – Half Man, Half Bull

Recent stories rom the world of art, archaeology and museums.

3 mins

Caesarea Will Rise Again

Archaeology in Caesarea – King Herod’s city, Roman and Byzantine provincial capital, Crusader stronghold and Ottoman village – has been slow in getting off the ground. But now a £47-million renewal project, one of the largest of its kind in Israel, is set to put the ancient city and its treasures firmly on the tourist map.

3 mins

The Hidden Secrets Of Lake Nemi

Headlines last spring announced that a third pleasure-boat built for the Emperor Caligula (r AD 37–41) was about to be recovered from the murky waters of Lake Nemi near Rome. As it turned out, after investigating the facts with the former director of the Museo delle Navi at Nemi, archaeologist Giuseppina Ghini, this was not entirely a matter of ‘much ado about nothing’.

3 mins

Voyage Of No Return

In 1845 the ill-fated Sir John Franklin and his 129-man crew sailed off in search of the Northwest Passage and were never seen again – at least that is what was thought until some local Inuit people were interviewed. Roger Williams investigates one of Britain's greatest naval mysteries - the subject of an exhibition at London's National MAritime Museum.

9 mins

Casting Director

Artist Marc Quinn talks to Michael Squire about his latest work, Drawn From Life – a series of 12 sculptures installed in Sir John Soane’s Museum, – and reveals what it is about Classical art that has influenced his work.

9 mins

The Colossus Of Rome

Dalu Jones discovers what happened to the largest amphitheatre in the world after the brutal public fights and barbaric contests ceased.

7 mins

Read all stories from Minerva

Minerva Magazine Description:

Now available for iPad, Minerva magazine gives anyone with an interest in archaeology and antiquities a compelling insight into the ancient world. Minerva explores the lost civilisations of the past, from Ancient Egypt to Greece, Rome and the mighty empires of the Middle East and Asia.

For over 25 years, Minerva has revealed record-breaking auction results, exciting new finds, and untold stories of the distant past, spanning the Stone Age to the Dark Ages and beyond.

Each issue includes:
• News of finds and research from around the world
• Original research by international experts
• Reviews of major new exhibitions
• Latest trends and auction reports from the antiquities market
• In-depth features on history’s most fascinating people and events
• Profiles of leading figures from the world of archaeology
• Reviews of new publications and a must-have events diary