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Nikolaus Cox, Archaeologist

@nikswiftdigs

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Archaeologist, artist, author, adventurer. Working in Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Represented by @pastpreservers, art posted on @nikswifthobbies

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Derzeit findet in Saudi-Arabien eine archäologische Ausgrabung der Universität Bonn statt. Mit dem Ziel, Teile der um 1900 erbauten Hedschasbahn zwischen Medina und Damaskus freizulegen. Da diese Bahnstrecke nach deutschem Schmalspurstandard errichtet wurde, hilft u.a. unser Bildband "Gleisbau" bei der Bestimmung von Fahrwegselementen. Wir wünschen weiterhin gutes Gelingen bei der Forschung!
#eisenbahnverein_t

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When this photo was taken in August of 2019, there were only two dads in it. It was a summer of family time and the meeting of the parents and future parents-in-law. We weren't expecting to lose my dad, Ron, six months later. It quite literally brings tears to my eyes to think how full of joy and awe he would be now to know and see his two exceptional son-in-laws as the loving, incredible, adoring parents that they are. I am also deeply grateful to get to witness my now toddler building such a beautiful relationship with his Kiwi grandfather. I know my dad would just be so happy about it all. And that helps with the endless grief. And that keeps me going. Now the photo has four spectacular dads. Happy Father's Day. And if it feels like a complicated holiday, I hold space for you.

#fathersday #grief #family #love #flashback

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It is officially summer in Rostock! With one more new production to go (The Addams Family) at the @volkstheaterrostock until summer holiday, I am savoring these precious moments of work-life balance.

#operasingersofinstagram #lovemyjob #mezzosoprano #familybikeride #family

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In the thick of the pandemic 2021, we made the best decision of our lives. Together. A New Zealander and an American got married in Bavaria, Germany surrounded by Nik's wonderful godparents, our Wolfie 🐶 and virtually by a whole bunch of loved ones. The gravity of that decision to this day still shocks me, because it felt so simple at the time. But it was that decision that allowed and prompted us to stay in Germany and build our life together here. I am endlessly grateful for the challenges that have brought us closer, the adventures on which we are constantly embarking, and the family we have grown here. Love seems to grow exponentially and deepen steadily with time, so I can only imagine how I will feel with another five years. I love this life with you @nikswiftdigs. Happy 5th Anniversary.

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Thankful is not an adequate word.

After getting my "foot in the door" to the German "Fest" theater system at my beautiful Mittelsächsisches Theater in 2022, after the birth of my baby, after five role debuts, after buying a garden and growing food for the first time in my life, after establishing roots in a single place for the first time as a married couple, Nik, Wolfie, baby and I will be taking another leap into unknown--a leap that would not have been possible without Freiberg, Germany and the theater here.

To my colleagues, my friends, my bosses, my neighbors: thank you, from the bottom of my heart. My time in Freiberg has been life-changing. Your love, your spirit, your kindness, your draaaaaama, your enthusiasm, your empathy is unparalleled. I am forever grateful. I can't wait to see what paths we all take--and where we will meet up next.

And to my Nik: the internet world should know that all of the best things that have happened in my life are largely made possible by you. The way you lift me up and constantly say "yes, and..." is what keeps me open to change and growth and excited about taking risks. We have big dreams, and I love feeling that at some point we will look back at our "list" and see we have done everything and more. I love you.

We are moving this summer, so let's all meet up and have a drink together beforehand! And I will get to step onto the @mittelsaechsisches_theater stage once more for Beethoven's 9th Symphony in July. I hope to see some of you there!

All my love,

Kirsten

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Rangiriri Pā - the Pā under the angry sky
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- Some facts and figures concerning the battle that I did not fit into the video:
Māori commanders: Wiremu Tamihana, Ngāti Hauā (Tainui Confederation) & King Tāwhiao, Ngāti Mahuta (Tainui Confederation); Waikato, Aotearoa
Māori strength: 500 combatants
Māori losses: 36 killed, 35 wounded, 183 taken captive
British commander: Lieutenant-General Duncan Cameron; Thorncliffe, Hampshire, UK
British strength: 1420 regulars, 3 cannons, 2 gunboats
British losses: 49 killed, 87 wounded
- There is sufficient evidence to suspect that Cameron knew the Māori were not actually surrendering - a white flag had been used to indicate parlay in previous battles between Māori and British. However, Cameron needed to take the Pā to continue the invasion of the Waikato, and knowing that the Māori would lay down their weapons to talk terms, used it as an opportunity to efficiently capture the Pā and its defenders. When challenged later by Māori and British alike for ignoring the flag of truce, he defended his actions by claiming he thought the Māori were surrendering.
- State Highway 1, seen in the distance, cuts straight through the old defensive earthworks. This was intentional. The modern highway is built on the older ‘Great South Road’ which was an army road built by the British army as they invaded the Waikato, ensuring they had a secure supply and communication line back to Auckland. Once Rangiriri Pā was captured the road was built through it, making it impossible for the Māori to ever-again return to the Pā and resist British southwards expansion.
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Background reading:
Patu (Gavin Bishop, 2023)
Footage (sourced from YouTube):
WW1 Footage (BDS2014)
Music (sourced from YouTube):
He oranga mai - Waikato (Raukatamea)
British Grenadiers March - British Line Infantry Attack (Barry Lyndon, 1975 - Warner Bros)
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#archaeologist #artist #author #adventurer #archaeology #history #gavinbishop #aotearoa #newzealand #newzealandwars #militaryhistory #conflictarchaeology #battlefield #trench #maori #britishempire #rangiriri #waikato

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I began this illustration almost a year ago, after we got back from our trip to Cairo - and I just finished it last week! The character is based on Radophis of Biga, a courtesan navigating the intrigues of the Sixth Dynasty, in the works of acclaimed Egyptian author Naguib Mafouz. I tried to make her costume, and that of the medjay rushing to her call of alarm, accurate to ancient Egypt, using carvings from the walls of tombs and temples and illustrations from papyrus as reference. Some reference images were based on archaeological objects I was able to see with my own eyes during our week in Cairo.
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The music I cannot claim to own - it is the Egyptian Theme from Age of Mythology (by Ensemble Studios and Microsoft Game Studios, 2002). This computer game and 1999’s The Mummy set me on a path that would lead, one day, to me becoming an archaeologist.
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#archaeologist #artist #author #adventurer #archaeology #ancientegypt #ancienthistory #egypt #cairo #naguibmahfouz #graphicart #comicart #artistsofinstagram #artistoninstagram #ageofmythology #medjay #themummy #historicalcostume #mythology #hiatoricalreconstruction #illustrator #illustration #archaeologicalreconstruction

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2024 will be "that" year for me.

Cheers to a life-altering, mind-blowing past year and to carrying all the lessons learned and beautiful milestones into 2025...and building on them.

#happynewyear #love #2024 #2024recap

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It took us all morning, but we got the shot. Merry Christmas from this new family of four. Life is a wild ride lately. We are so tired and grateful, but more grateful than tired. #merrychristmas

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Carmen, what a wonderful adventure you are!

3 von meinen 6 Vorstellungen im Mittelsächsischen Theater sind schon vorbei & heute Abend tanze ich das 4. Mal in Carmen🥹💃 Dann sind es nur noch 2 weitere um den Jahreswechsel & wenn ich daran denke vermisse ich jetzt schon mein Kleid🥺🥲 Scherz beiseite (wobei ich mein Kleid wirklich sehr liebe😂😍) - was für ein Geschenk ist es, bei so einer tollen Produktion mitwirken zu können!🥰

Es ist eine unglaublich tolle Inszenierung und natürlich wunderschön für mich wieder mit den tollen Kolleg*innen unseres Bundesfreiwilligendienstes zusammen zu arbeiten🫶🏼 Ich habe versucht einige der tollen Kolleg*innen zu markieren & wollte hier auch noch mal @rodrigo.opazo.c für diese tollen Choreos danken, die so Spaß machen!🥰 Und meinen tollen Mittänzerinnen & allen anderen Kolleg*innen, auf die ich mich jedes Mal wieder freue, wenn es mich für Carmen wieder nach Freiberg verschlägt🫶🏼 And @kirstenscottmezzo you and your support has meant so much to me - we miss your wonderful Carmen and wish you all the best!❤️🥹💃🏻

Diese Oper hat uns in einer besonderen Zeit begleitet und wird für immer einen ganz besonderen Platz in unserem Herzen haben❤️

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Wiggling and waiting.

#pregnancy #pregnant #pregnantdance #viral #pregnancydance #38weeks #38weekspregnant #funny #dance #operasingersofinstagram

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The dagger of T.E. Lawrence. Not the gilded jambiya gifted to him by the sharifs of Mecca, but a corroded Archemaenid dagger he salavaged on an excavation in northern Syria in the first decades of the 20th century, when he was an Oxford student and archaeologist, and before he became the controversial celebrity of the post-war world.
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This is a good chance to explore ‘materiality’ - the idea that inanimate objects gain greater degrees of significance the longer they exist in the world and the more that humans interact with them. As humans entangle with the inanimate and place symbolic value on it, the more the item gains a sort of agency, even able to influence human behaviour in turn. I tracked down an innocuous Achemaenid dagger in the British Museum that was discovered by a then-unknown archaeologist. Does that archaeologist’s later fame change your perception of the dagger?
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#archaeologist #artist #author #adventurer #archaeology #britishmuseum #telawrence #lawrenceofarabia #discover #materiality #research #theexplorersclub #dagger #persia #princeofpersia #archemaenid #hittite #excavation #worldwarone #arabrevolt #history #historian #phd #phdlife #syria #middleeast #greatwar #militaryhistory

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