In Case You Missed It...

A monthly recap of our best blog posts

As we say goodbye to summer, we recap some of our favorite stories from the AN blog. From the ancient roots of our parks, to reflections on enduring national anthems to a fun Shark Week celebration, it's amazing to see how antiquity's legacy lives on.

Earlier this week, we announced a new initiative that encourages global discussion about the importance of cultural preservation and the enduring influence of the ancient past on our modern lives. We invite you to join the conversation! Learn more about AntiquityNOW FORUM.

Reflecting on the World's Oldest National Anthems
Taking pride in our shared history
September 14th was the 200th anniversary of "The Star Spangled Banner." While 200 years may seem old, some anthems have ancient roots and many have ancient references. In this post, we explore the top two contenders for "the world's oldest anthem," and discuss what it means to sing along with our fellow countrymen. Read more.

Bon Appetit Wednesday!
Recipes with a past
Popular around the world under various names, the Inca berry is finally showing up on North American shelves. This tiny ancient fruit has been called a "superfood" and it certainly has the history to prove it. This recipe celebrates the newest name for the Inca berry, the pichuberry, a name meant to conjure up images of Machu Picchu. Read about the history of this wondrous fruit and enjoy a batch of Pichuberry Raspberry Coconut Muffins full of fresh-baked goodness and potent antioxidants!

Well-Traveled Trails
National parks provide a peek into the past

Throughout the ancient world, public spaces were appreciated as sites of beauty and restoration for everyone to enjoy. Gardens and green spaces were integral parts of society. They were thought to be important to the gods, provided places for people to socialize, conduct business and carry on cultural events, and were crucial for agriculture.

Today, our gardens, public parks, and national parks serve many of these purposes, as well as provide and preserve much-needed respite from busy urban landscapes . To read more about the many benefits of our parks and view a slideshow click here.

Pictured left: Mount Olympus, Greece

AN Celebrates Shark Week!
How did ancient cultures represent sharks?
Strong, agile, mysterious, beautiful, ancient. Sharks have embodied our terrors and captured our imaginations for thousands of years. Before popular culture caught on to the shark frenzy, however, ancient civilizations revered, respected, feared and even worshiped the shark. To view a slideshow of images showing how some long ago cultures represented this iconic creature click here.

From the Archives
Ancient Graffiti from Pompeii to Smyrna
Weâ€™ve talked a lot about ancient graffiti in our blog posts. In Wall Posts: Putting Pompeiiâ€™s Political Graffiti in a Modern Context we discussed how politicians campaigned using graffiti on the walls of wealthy homeowners and in Super Bowl XLVII and the Superstars of Ancient Rome we explained how people could find a favorite gladiator advertising olive oil or his latest fight on the walls of the city. In Spring 2013, an archaeological dig unearthed a collection of graffiti that may be even richer than that of Pompeii. Archaeologists working in the Agora (ancient marketplace) of Izmir -or Greek Smyrna- found the â€œrichest Greek graffiti collection in the world," dating back to the 2^nd and 4^th centuries A.D. We explore this exciting discovery in this blog post from our archives.

For the latest on ancient graffiti from ancient to modern times, check out our recent post from April Holloway about The Art that Will Not Die, accompanied by a lesson plan.

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