Minerva - May - June 2014

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Into the Ark
Noah got it all wrong – the ark was round and made of rope, not wood – but the animals did go in two by two. Irving Finkel

The magic of a mosaic
As part of its ‘world tour’, the extraordinary Lod Mosaic, which was found in Israel, is coming to Britain in June. Astrid Johansen

Those enigmatic Etruscans
Less mysterious and more accessible are how the Etruscans are portrayed in an exhibition on show in Rome. Polly Chiapetta

The song of Oedipus
As his first opera, Thebans, opens in London, Julian Anderson explains why he chose to base it on three plays by Sophocles. Lindsay Fulcher

Footprints from the deep past
What do 900,000-year-old footprints discovered on a beach in Norfolk tell us about our ancestors? Nick Ashton
28 The timeless library
A fascinating exhibition in the Colosseum tells the story of how the first libraries came to be built in ancient Rome. Dalu Jones

Which way to Mecca?
A neat 17th-century Iranian instrument (a qibla indicator) told the owner the direction of Mecca and much, much more. Sebastian Whitestone

The streets of London
A time-walk through the metropolis shows the extent that the worship of both God and Mammon have shaped the city’s buildings. David Miles

Consulting the oracle
Academic, writer and broadcaster Michael Scott gives a fully rounded view of the history of Delphi. Diana Bentley

The Seven Temples of Katas
Exploring Hindu, Sikh and Jain temples built around a sacred pool at
a little-visited site in Pakistan. Zahra Aslam and Zulekha Ahmad

A history of Heronbridge
The earliest known battlefield in Britain yields a 7th-century tale of treachery, intrigue and revenge. David JP Mason